For the second time in the preceding decade, Serbia developed a Draft Law on Private Security for the purpose of legally regulating the area of private security. The proposed draft law was developed by the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs and representatives of legal entities involved in business of providing private security services to legal and natural persons. Although it is useful to consider the Draft Law on Private Security from the standpoint of security and the possibility of its achievement in the present situation of the state and the society, one should not forget that this is primarily a legal document and deserves a detailed legal analysis. In this sense, the intention of the author of this paper is to provide a legal overview, a review, and an aspect of the proposed draft law in order to point to its specific legal features and possible deficiencies. A part of the paper discusses legal regulation of private security in the neighboring countries, i.e. the former Yugoslavia's member republics. To this end, the presentation includes theoretical and practical aspects of private security, and/or the issues of applying the said laws in practice. At the same time, it points to the specifics of legal regulation of private security in some EU member states. In doing so, it examines legal requirements related to the establishment and operation of legal entities that provide private security services, as well as the prescribed competence and procedures required for monitoring their performance.


Blood flow was simulated in patients (Wilson et al. 1988) with physiologically significant coronary lesions (minimal lesion size dm = 0.95 mm; 68% mean diameter stenosis; measured coronary flow reserve (CFR) of 2.3) by using computational hemodynamics. Computed mean pressure gradients Δp˜ were about 9 mm Hg for basal flow, and flow limiting values about ∼ 35 mm Hg. Mean hyperemic flow rates were about 115 ml/min, and distal mean coronary pressures ∼ 55 mm Hg, a level known to cause ischemia in the subendocardium (Brown et al. 1984), and consistent with the occurrence of angina in the patients.


With the popularity and development of the World Wide Web,page layout and style become more and more rich and complex,the old mode of the layout can no longer meet their needs.A new page layout mode-CSS + DIV Web page layout,has become a trend.In this paper,the author introduces this new page layout mode and explains the production processes and methods of it in detail by using an example of a small business home page.


Aerodynamic measurement on horizontal axis wind turbines in the field is a challenging research topic and also an essential research method on the aerodynamic performance of blades in real atmospheric inflow conditions. However, the angle of attack is difficult to determine in the field due to the unsteadiness and unevenness of the inflow. To study the measuring and analyzing method of angle of attack in the field, a platform was developed based on a 100 kW wind turbine from the Institute of Engineering Thermophysics (IET) in China in this paper. Seven-hole probes were developed and installed at the leading edge to measure the inflow direction, static and total pressure at the near field. Two data reducing processes, sideslip angle correction, and induced velocity correction, were proposed to determine the effective angle of attack based on the inflow data measured by probes. The aerodynamic measurement platform was first validated by the comparison with wind tunnel results. Then some particular aerodynamic phenomenon in the field were discussed. As a result, the angle of attack varies quasi-periodically with the rotation of the rotor, which is caused by the yaw angle of the inflow. The variation of angle of attack induces dynamic response of a clockwise hysteresis loop in lift coefficient. The dynamic response is the main source of a dispersion of instantaneous lift coefficients with a standard deviation of 0.2.


to provide teachers with key performance outcomes around which they can structure technical communication courses to give teachers evidence they can use for shaping their technical communication classes to provide teachers with overviews of assignment sequences designed to address targeted outcomes with students to provide teachers assignment materials and sample texts for each performance outcome (pp. 1-2)


Lie symmetry analysis of differential equations provides a powerful and fundamental framework to the exploitation of systematic procedures leading to the integration by quadrature (or at least to lowering the order) of ordinary differential equations, to the determination of invariant solutions of initial and boundary value problems, to the derivation of conservation laws, to the construction of links between different differential equations that turn out to be equivalent. This paper reviews some well known results of Lie group analysis, as well as some recent contributions concerned with the transformation of differential equations to equivalent forms useful to investigate applied problems.


The utility model provides an external temperature automatic adjusting device, which belongs to the technical field of daily life articles and solves the problems of incapability of automatically adjusting temperature, troublesome operation, inconvenient utilization and the like in an existing external temperature adjusting device. The external temperature automatic adjusting device comprises a clothing body and a cool-heat generating mechanism, wherein the clothing body is provided with an inner layer and an outer layer, the cool-heat generating mechanism is provided with two ends capable of heating or refrigerating, the two ends of the cool-heat generating mechanism are respectively connected with two independent fluid circulating mechanisms, the fluid circulating mechanisms respectively cover the integral clothing body, one of the fluid circulating mechanisms covers on the outside of the other fluid circulating mechanism, a central processor is further connected with the cool-heat generating mechanism, and a temperature detection device is further arranged on the covered fluid circulating mechanism and connected with the central processor. The external temperature automatic adjusting device has the advantages of simple structure, convenient operation and capability of automatically adjusting temperature.


A theoretical formula predicting the slurry residence time of deep cone thickener is derived.A method of calculating the internal slurry volume of the deep cone is presented.A rheometer was used to measure the critical mass fraction of the paste and then a homemade deep cone simulator was used to identify the densification time for the slurry to reach a critical mass fraction.The static settlement slurry mass fraction was also measured.These parameters were applied to calculation of the internal slurry volume.A deep cone thickener from an Inner Mongolian mine was used to verify the methods.The results showed that internal slurry volume of the deep cone thickener was 9 322.77 m3 by our method compared to an actual slurry volume of 9 306.57 m3.There is a 16.20 m3 difference between these values for a 0.17% difference.


Love poetry in The Book of Songs were rich in content,and unrequited love poetry was one kind of them.The emotional state of unrequited love between men and women were painted exquisitely and vividly.Similar to the unrequited love state,the subtle psychological state of people had different penetrating characterization,so that each work had emerged a different style of their characters.


This study is a phenomenological exploration of discrimination experiences among 11 Asian/Asian-American female faculty at various Christian universities, with a specific focus on the characteristics of the Christian academic environment which contribute to those experiences. Participants completed a 90-minute semi-structured interview. Ten of the 11 women described experiences where they perceived being treated differently due to race and/or gender. Qualitative analyses of interview data resulted in the emergence of three themes related to the discrimination context (lack of diversity, naiveté and denial and "missionary mentality"). Resulting themes are discussed in light of existing research. Future research implications include the continued need for research on factors that contribute to discrimination in religious contexts.


The recreational fishery is the property which gathers the fishery, travel, make sight-seeing trip. It is a new realm within fishery development, the new increase point to fishery economy, and the pillar item of the travel industry. The text states, from the development of the travel industry, the present condition and development foreground of the recreational fishery. Further more the text discussed the design theory of recreational fishing gear, adaptability, main category, advantages and disadvantage of each gear, how to improve creative and related problem of etc. of the development foreground of the recreational fishing gear.


The mobile wireless communications device including a circuit board, a circuit board carried by the housing and the housing is held by the circuit board comprises a radio frequency (RF) circuit and processor operative with each other. A display connector for an LCD connector is connected to the display is mounted on a circuit board. Display connection lines are carried by the circuit board and interconnect the display connector and processor for transmitting a signal to the display connector and a connected display from the processor. The filter is carried by the circuit board, is connected to the display connection line, thereby reducing any interfering energy from the processor and display.


18148 Background: There are concerns that use of white blood cell growth factors during radiotherapy, especially chest radiotherapy may lead to severe thrombocytopenia. Bunn P reported (J Clin Onco...


PURPOSE: To evaluate the exposition to loud music, the perception of its intensity and its impact in the hearing of integrants of a military band. METHODS: Sound pressure levels (SPL) at the place where the band rehearsed were measured, a questionnaire was applied, and an audiological assessment was carried out (acoustic immittance measures and pure-tone audiometry). The participants were 50 musicians of the military band of the Parana (Brazil) army, all male, with mean age of 34.9 years and mean exposure duration of 14.2 years. RESULTS: Forty two percent of the participants considered that the sound pressure levels at rehearsals are very high; 76% reported to have experienced tinnitus and 54% had had hearing difficulties; 58% consider that intense music might harm hearing abilities; 32% had hearing loss. The sound pressure levels during rehearsals varied between 90.1 and 110.3 dB(A). CONCLUSION: The studied musicians were exposed daily to high sound pressure levels, which might cause health problems, such as tinnitus and hearing loss. Although the subjects considered the intensity of music as loud, they did not take prevention measures during rehearsals.


An electrowetting display device comprises a first base plate; a second base plate for facing the first base plate; a first electrode on the first base plate; a second electrode on the second base plate to face the first electrode; a partition between the first and second electrodes to define a storage area; a hydrophobic film on the first electrode; a hydrophilic film on the second electrode; and first and second fluids not to be mixed with each other in the storage area. At least one among the first and second fluids has polarity.


This work is devoted to the study of mathematical questions arising from the modeling of biological
systems combining analytic and probabilistic tools. It is principally related to: (1) the mathematical
modeling and analysis of neuronal networks, (2) the role of homeoproteins diusion in morphogenesis,
and (3) the chaos propagation property for a particle system for a subcritical Keller-Segel equation.

The first part is concerned with the chaos propagation and long time behaviour of the solutions of some
mean-field equations. More precisely, to the derivation of the mean-field equations related to neuronal
networks, and the study of the convergence to the equilibria of the solutions to those limit equations.
First, in Chapter 2, the coupling method is used to prove the chaos propagation for a neuronal network
with delays and random architecture. The main novelty is to consider the delays and the synaptic
weights correlated, which is the case of biological networks where the anatomically close neurons are
strongly connected. It is found, in the case of a ring rate dynamic, that the level of connectivity plays a
remarkable role in the emergence of synchronized oscillatory solutions. In Chapter 3, a kinetic FitzHugh-
Nagumo equation is considered. The existence of solutions to this equation is analyzed and, by using a
perturbation argument, it is proved the nonlinear exponential convergence of the solutions in the weak
connectivity regime. Finally, by using the uniqueness of weak solutions, the chaos propagation property is
justi ed. It has to be remarked that the coecients of the mean-field equation are not globally Lipschitz,
which, in particular, improve the classical results. Moreover, the differential operator is hypodissipative:
an argument of semigroup decomposition is used to prove the convergence of the linear equation.

The second part is related to the study of the role of homeoproteins (HPs) on the robustness of boundaries
of functional areas. The HPs are transcriptional factors of developmental gens, known for having a
non-autonomous activity and the possibility to express themselves and to diffuse towards neighbouring
cells. In Chapter 4, it is proposed, based on two classical theories of morphogenesis, a general model
for neuronal development. The model describes the competition between two HPs with weak diffusivity.
By the analysis of the stationary solutions in the autonomous case, it is demonstrated that in the absence
of diffusion, the HPs are expressed on irregular areas. But in presence of diffusion, even arbitrarily
small, boundaries well defined emerge. In Chapter 5, a more general model in the one dimensional case
is considered where the existence of monotonic stationary solutions de ning a unique intersection point
can be showed. Moreover, when the diusivity coecient goes to zero, it is proved that the stationary
solutions converge to a unique solution of an autonomous dynamical system with a unique discontinuity
point. This discontinuity point is characterised as the only spatial point where the speed of a particular
traveling wave is zero.

Finally, in the third part, a particle system for a subcritical Keller-Segel equation is the object of
study. It is shown the chaos propagation without any restriction on the force kernel. Moreover, by using
the notion of renormalised solutions of PDEs, it is demonstrated that the propagation of chaos is in the
stronger sense of entropic chaos propagation.


Holmes' discussion of the clinical implications of attachment theory is critically discussed. It is argued that the use of interpretation presented by Holmes to explain Bowlby's dispute with the psychoanalytic establishment is inappropriate and that the differences between psychoanalytic ideas and those proposed by Bowlby and arising from later observational studies of early development are substantial. Finally it is suggested that neither Bowlby nor psychoanalysis pay sufficient attention to the child's organisation of meaning in the early interaction with caretakers.


Those of you with access to JANET may be interested in exploring the electronic sources of information on serials which are available free over the network. It is possible to "subscribe", through a JANET gateway, to a variety of e-mail based discussion groups or electronic publications on the US BITNET network. It is not necesssary to know anything about how this works, but you do need to know about electronic mail, both to subscribe and to deal with the messages as they arrive.


A blocking device (3) for blocking a movement of a to a frame (1) movable leaf (2) of a window has a blocking device (9) for blocking the movement of a bolt (6). in the locking device upon insertion of a key (3) is first activated, the blocking device (9) before the bolt (6) can be pivoted. thus the blocking device (3) provides protection against manipulation.


Summary: To explore the anti-apoptotic role of electroacupuncture (EA) and its molecular mecha-nisms after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (IR) of rats, by using animal model of middle cerebralartery occlusion (MCAO), the changes of the cleavage of PARP were observed by Western blot andthe mRNA of heat shock protein (Hsp) 70 and Hsp90β detected by competitive RT-PCR after cere-bral IR and EA treatment. The results were as follows: (1) The cleavage of PARP was increased inischemic hippocampus, and EA treatment could attenuate the level of the cleavage remarkably; (2)The mRNA expression of Hsp70 was increased in the ischemic cortex and hippocampus and was fur-ther increased after EA treatment; (3) The mRNA expression of Hsp90β was decreased in ischemiccortex and hippocampus and the decrease was relatively slight after EA treatment. The above resultsdemonstrated EA treatment could protect neurons from apoptosis after cerebral IR. One of the molec-ular mechanisms was the promotion of the inducible expression of Hsp70 and the improvement of theinhibition of the expression of Hsp90.


Chordoma has been generally regarded as a neoplasm of adult life, derived from remnants of notochord. It can occur anywhere along the axial skeleton but is most frequently found at the two poles; in the sacrococcygeal region and intracranially in the clivus. Sacrococcygeal chordomas are the most frequent of these tumors in children and were reviewed in 1933 by Montgomery and Wo lman. 1 Clival chordomas in children occur infrequently and have received even less attention. This report deals with the presence of a chordoma of the clivus, metastatic to the lungs, in a 21/2-yearold boy who, after review of the literature, would appear to be the youngest recorded case with this disease. In addition, the clinical, radiographic, and pathologic features of intracranial chordoma in children are reviewed and discussed. Report of a Case The patient's illness began when he was 21/2 years old with rapid onset of bilateral


The present invention provides: a laminate having a resin layer that contains a crystalline alicyclic-structure-containing resin, the resin layer having an average linear expansion coefficient of 10-50 ppm/°C at 60-100°C, and a metal layer in direct contact with the resin layer, wherein the laminate is characterized in that the ten-point average roughness (Rz) of the interface between the resin layer and the metal layer is 2.0 μm or less; a method for producing the laminate; and a flexible printed circuit board in which the laminate is used. According to the present invention, there are provided: a laminate that has a metal layer and a resin layer that contains a crystalline alicyclic-structure-containing resin, the laminate being suitably used as a substrate material; a method for producing the laminate; and a flexible printed circuit board in which the laminate is used.


The semiconductor assembly includes disposed on the heat sink and the surface of the heat sink, the first sub-assembly comprising a first patterned polymer layer defining an exposed portion of the first surface. Exposed portions of the first surface extends radially inwardly from the first layer along the surface of the heat sink. Subassembly also includes a second patterned polymer layer disposed radially outward portion of the first patterned polymer layer. The first and second layers, to define a cell for containing a power semiconductor die. Solder material, is disposed on the exposed portion of the heat sink surface in the cell. Power semiconductor die is disposed radially inward portion of the first layer in the cell is thermally coupled to the heat sink by the solder material. .FIELD 1


Considering the high computational cost in the optimisation process of complex transportation equipment, an efficient structural optimisation method for transportation equipment based on the multi-criteria sample updating and management strategy of the approximation model is proposed. Firstly, the approximation models of objective function and constraints are established based on the radial basis function and the intergeneration projection genetic algorithm is applied to find the optimal solution. According to the error evaluation of optimal solution, secondly, the function fluctuation index is used to adopt the local sample points. Meanwhile, the global sample points are solved by the inherited Latin hypercube design to ensure the distribution uniformity of samples in the whole design space. Furthermore, the weighted Euclidean distance criterion is performed to evaluate the rationality between the samples. Then, the qualified samples are added to the sample space to update the approximation models of the transportation equipment. Based on the above multi-criteria sample updating and management strategy, the more accurate optimisation results could be obtained. Finally, the effectiveness of the method and the applicability in practical application of transportation equipment are investigated by one numerical test and one engineering example.


Vegetative propagation of yam (Dioscorea spp.) with seed tubers is done to ensure uniformity of crop growth and yield. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of serial planting of seed yam on virus incidence and tuber degeneration in the Southern Guinea Savanna agro-ecologies of Nigeria. This study was conducted during the wet seasons of 2010 to 2012 at Kwara State and Abuja Federal Capital Territory (Abuja-FCT) in Nigeria. TDa 05/00129 and TDr 89/02665 yam bred lines from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, and three popular local varieties from each of Kwara State and Abuja Federal Capital Territory (Abuja- FCT) were used in the study. Harvested seed yams were tested for Yam mosaic virus (YMV), Yam mild mottle virus (YMMV), Dioscorea alata bacilliform viruses (DaBV) and Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV). Data obtained for germination percentage, virus incidence and tuber yields were subjected to ANOVA with mean separation done using Tukey HSD method in SPSS version 24. Viruses YMV, YMMV and DaBV were detected in seed yam as single or mixed infections. High virus incidence was  associated with low tuber yield while low virus infection was associated with high tuber yield for most yam varieties. However, TDa 05/00129 produced high tuber yield inspite of high incidence of viruses in the tubers, indicating adaptation of this variety. There was progressive increase in virus population in yam seeds from the first to the third year of study with concurrent degeneration of seed yam and low yield at harvest. Key Words : Propagation, serial, Southern Guinea, vegetative La multiplication vegetative de l'igname (especes de dioscorea) avec des tubercules de graine est faite pour assurer l'uniformite de la croissance de culture et pour rapporter. L'objectif de cette etude etait d'evaluer l'effet de la plantation periodique de l'igname de graine sur la degenerescence d'incidence et de tubercule de virus en agroecologie du sud de la savane de la Guinee du Nigeria. Cette etude a ete  entreprise pendant les saisons des pluies de 2010 a 2012 a l'etat de Kwara et au territoire capital federal d'Abuja (Abuja-FCT) au Nigeria. TDa 05/00129 et TDr 89/02665 igname multipliee raye de l'institut international de l'agriculture tropicale, Ibadan, et trois varietes locales populaires de chacun de l'etat de Kwara et du territoire capital federal d'Abuja (Abuja-FCT) ont ete employees dans l'etude. Des ignames moissonnees de graine ont ete examinees virus pour le virus doux du virus de mosaique d'igname (YMV), virus ignifuge de l'igname (YMMV), les virus bacilliformes de dioscorea alata (DaBV) et de concombre mosaique (CMV). Des donnees obtenues pour le pourcentage de germination, l'incidence de virus et les rendements de tubercule ont ete analysees utilisant ANOVA avec la methode moyenne de Tukey HSD de separation dans la version 24 de SPSS. Des virus YMV, YMMV et DaBV ont ete detectes en igname de graine en tant qu'infections simples ou melangees. L'incidence elevee de virus a ete associee au bas rendement de tubercule tandis que la basse infection de virus etait associee au rendement eleve de tubercule pour la plupart des varietes d'igname. Cependant, TDa 05/00129 a produit le rendement eleve de tubercule malgre l'incidence elevee des virus dans les tubercules, indiquant l'adaptation de cette variete. Il y avait augmentation progressive de population de virus pendant graines d'igname des la debut a la troisieme annee d'etude avec la degenerescence concourante de l'igname de graine et du bas rendement a la recolte. Mots Cles : Propagation, periodique, Guinee du sud, vegetatif


The Born approximation and a closure technique are employed to obtain the single and double differential cross sections for the ejected electron produced by electron detachment of H/sup -/ ions in collisions with He. Comparison is made to the recent measurements of Menendez and Duncan at 0.5 MeV. The theoretical results show that the experimentally observed structure in the double differential cross sections in the forward direction can be explained in terms of single-electron-loss processes alone.


The present experiment was conducted to observe the effects of superovulatory treatments on serum estradiol-17s and progesterone concentration and its correlation with embryo recovery in mithun cows (Bos frontalis). Healthy cyclic mithun cows (20) between second and fifth lactation were randomly divided into 4 groups (n=5) viz. A, B, C and D. Animals were maintained under intensive system of management at NRC on Mithun, Nagaland. Each animal of groups A, B, C and D was treated, respectively, with 400 mg FSH, 300 mg FSH, 400 mg FSH + 1500 IU hCG and 300 mg FSH + 1500 IU hCG in divided and reducing doses during 4 days starting on day 11 of estrous cycle. Prostaglandin F2α was injected intramuscularly on day 13 of estrous cycle after sixth injection of FSH. hCG was injected intramuscularly 12 h post oestrus. Results revealed that serum oestradiol-17s was higher in cows treated with 400 mg FSH compared to 300 mg that became significant on day 4 of treatment in group C (10.20±0.34 pg/ml) than group B (9.25±0.35 pg/ml). Significantly higher serum oestradiol was recorded at induced oestrus in all the treatment groups. Serum progesterone level decreased to a significant level on the day of induced oestrus in all the 4 groups irrespective of treatment. Serum oestradiol-17s at induced oestrus had positive correlations with the number of total embryos recovered. It may be concluded that the serum estradiol and progesterone concentration are good indicator of embryo recovery in superovulated mithun cows.


Two prominent hypotheses inform our current understanding of how the brain recovers speech-motor function after an insult: (1) Recruitment of perilesional cortex to form a new network of regions in the affected hemisphere (the perilesional hypothesis), (2) engagement of homotopic regions and associated fiber tracts in the undamaged hemisphere to facilitate recovery of speech-motor function, and (3) a combination of both. The "right-shift hypothesis" is based on the neural redundancy theory that both hemispheres have the capacity to support speech-motor function, although the degree to which the right hemisphere becomes involved after damage to the left may differ from person to person and/or depend upon factors that are not yet fully understood. Among the potential determinants of which route is chosen and which leads to success, size and site of lefthemisphere lesions and lesion load of the arcuate fasciculus (AF) or other speech/language-relevant structures, may be the most important. Whether or not recruitment of the right hemisphere (1) is a sign of "incomplete recovery" or "less effective compensation,", (2) occurs only as a transient phenomenon during the recovery process, or (3) indicates use of built-in redundancy to facilitate recovery in case of an insult to the left hemisphere is still a matter of debate. In this volume of the Annals of Neurology, Northam et al present the results of a study evaluating stroke lesions acquired in infancy and their long-term impact on anatomically defined dorsal and ventral language streams. They bring to the fore an important discussion of the roles of these parallel streams during development, and highlight the unique contributions of the dorsal language stream and the arcuate fasciculus in speech-motor function. They report findings from a prospective cohort of infants who were recruited at London's Hammersmith Hospital and followed up many years later using structural and functional neuroimaging. Their results provide valuable insights into the adaptations being made by highly plastic, developing brains over an extended period of time. Interestingly, they showed that damage to the dorsal stream (i.e., AF) is associated with persistent speech deficits that are closely analogous to those that result from adult-onset conduction aphasia. Yet some individuals performed within normal limits on tests of language despite severe damage to lefthemisphere speech-motor/language networks. Given that all infants' injuries occurred during the neonatal period preceding the acquisition of language, the differential effect seen in some individuals (who, despite the transition of speech-motor function to their right hemisphere, performed within normal range on tests), must be related to variability in the anatomical and/or functional hemispheric capacity for supporting speech and language function. What could account for that variability? On one hand, variability could be genetically determined or based on very early experiences that result in asymmetric pruning of the rightmore than the left AF. Supporting this hypothesis is published work, suggesting that some components of the AF in typically developing neonates and infants appear more symmetrical, only showing lateralizing effects later in development (years later). On the other hand, AF asymmetry might arise because localizing fast auditory-motor feedforward and feedback processing (required for repeating words/phrases and propositional speech) and mediated through the AF to one hemisphere is faster and more efficient than processing the same information bihemispherically through the corpus callosum attributed to the time constraints of transcallosal information transfer. Finally, given the finding of Northam et al of normal performance on behavioral tests despite severe damage to the left AF, the site and size of the left-hemisphere lesion may interfere with the normal transcallosal inhibitory system, allowing the right AF to develop by experience-dependent or compensatory plasticity and leading to greater engagement and recruitment of the right hemisphere and its AF during development, but also possibly in the mature brain after insults. In the adult brain, it has been shown that the size of the right AF and regional fractional anisotropy (FA) values in homotopic, right-hemisphere speech-motor regions are possible indicators of differences in local connectivity. Developing a deeper understanding of a specific lesion's impact on left-hemisphere speech-motor


The sensor is a device to acquire,process and convey the information.lt is widely used in the industrial production and scientific research.This article discussed about its componets,classfication,application as well as the latest technology in this area.


The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of foreign hedging practices on financial performance of non-financial firms listed at the Nairobi Securities Exchange. This study adopted a descriptive design. This descriptive research design was preferred because the study needed to establish the effect of foreign hedging practices on financial performance of non-financial firms listed at the Nairobi Securities Exchange. The study targeted a population of all 39 listed non-financial firms at NSE in Kenya. The questionnaire comprised of both open and closed ended questions . SPSS was used to produce frequencies, descriptive and inferential statistics which was used to derive conclusions and generalizations regarding the population. Regression analysis was used to show the sensitivity of profitability (PBT), ROA and ROE to various independent variables. Coefficient of determination (R 2 ) was used to measure the amount of variation in the dependent variable explained by the independent variable Information was sorted, coded and input into the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) for production of graphs, tables, descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics included; frequencies, mean and standard deviation. Data analysis output was presented using tables and cartographies like pie charts and line graphs. The study findings indicated that employees were concerned about the financial performance so as to enhance the whole organizations performance. This was demonstrated by the extent of agreement with the statements in the questionnaire in support of the financial performance. Results indicated that swaps, currency futures, options and forward contracts influenced financial performance of non- financial firms positively. Results also led to a conclusion that training had increased efficiency and job satisfaction among the employees hence the organizational performance at large. The study recommends that the firms listed in the Nairobi Stock Exchange should explore avenues to enhance capacities within firms for managing foreign currency risk exposure. They should explore the route of continued education for those in workplaces through short term training that should be very practical oriented, this could involve professional organizations for finance specialists, bankers, accountants and consultants. Key Words: Swaps, Foreign Currency, Options, Forward Contract, Financial Performance


Living systems encounter a variety of stresses during their continuous interaction with environment. Environmentally-induced stresses frequently activate the endogenous production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), most of which are generated as side products of tissue respiration. Hence, constant exposure to stressors may enhance ROS-mediated oxidative damage. Increased number of agricultural and industrial wastes enter aquatic environment and being taken up by aquatic organisms induce plural changes. Some of them directly enhance ROS formation whereas others act indirectly, for example, by binding with cellular thiols and reducing antioxidant potential. Fish are particularly threatened by water pollution. The use of sentinel species in biomonitoring needs to be discussed due to different level of their vulnerability by environmental toxicants.


Purpose To explore the esophageal cancer (EC) incidence and mortality trends and risk factors in China during 2005–2015. Materials and Methods The data were stratified by area (urban, rural), gender (male, female), and age groups (0 ~, 5 ~, …, 85 ~). The age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) and mortality rate (ASMR), age-specific incidence and mortality were calculated to describe the trends, which were analyzed by Joinpoint software, negative binomial regression model, and age-period-cohort model. Results Trends in EC ASIR decreased markedly during 2010–2015 (APC=−6.14%, P<0.05), and the average annual percent change (AAPC) value was −8.07% (95% confidence interval (CI): −9.98~−6.12) for rural areas during 2005–2015. The ASMR was on a fast-downward trend after 2011 (APC=−6.67%, P<0.05), with AAPC values of −1.34% (95% CI: −2.56~−0.19) for males, −3.39% (95% CI: −5.65, −1.07) for females, and −9.67% (95% CI: −10.56~−8.77) for rural areas during 2005–2015. The age-specific incidence and mortality increased with age. The risk of EC for males was 3.1675 times higher than females (P<0.001), and for urban areas, it was 0.58 times larger than rural (P<0.001). The age and period effects presented an increasing trend, with a decreasing trend for the cohort effects in incidence and mortality risk. Later birth cohorts presented lower risks than previous birth cohorts. Conclusion ASIR and ASMR in China are higher in males than females, and higher in rural than urban areas, which have decreased during 2005–2015, especially in rural areas. The incidence increased with age up to the peak age group of 75. Area, gender, and age were independent risk factors for EC incidence.


Results of rapid thermal annealing (RTA) of ion implanted for times of 1–100s are reviewed. Comparison between silicon, selenium, and other donor ions is presented and the highest doping levels achieved are highlighted. P‐type dopants such as zinc, magnesium, and beryllium are also discussed, as well as the use of dual implants to enhance activation. N‐type doping levels up to have been demonstrated, whereas for p‐type doping levels approaching 1020cm−3 with little diffusion have been achieved. The less stringent requirements imposed on both the encapsulant and substrate material when RTA is used are also discussed.


Several functional delay fault models have been proposed before to allow functional test generation for delay faults. In this work, we extend these models to accommodate functional descriptions where inputs and outputs are more naturally represented by vectors carrying non-binary values. Such vectors are typical of high-level functional descriptions. Experimental results show that using the vector-based models does not result in loss of gate-level path delay fault coverage.


The extent of substitutability between energy and the other factors (i.e. labour and capital) and between individual fuels (coal, electricity, natural gas and petroleum) is an extremely important question and quite central to energy
policy, planning and analysis. This study considers the possibilities of energy substitution in the industrial sector of 5 major energy producers of the developing world (Brazil, China, India, Indonesia and Venezuela). The
theoretical model utilized in the study is the two-stage trans-log cost function. The model is estimated using time series data over the period 1978 to 2003. The results indicate substantial inter-factor and inter-fuel substitutions are possible in the industrial sector. Substitution possibilities were found (1) between capital
and labour, between capital and energy and between energy and labour in the inter-factor model and (2) for most combination's of fuel types in the inter-fuel model. This implies that there is some flexibility in energy policy options and energy utilization.


1 Purpose: To investigate the phytochemical uptake following human consumption of Montmorency tart cherry 2 (L. Prunus Cerasus) and influence of selected phenolic acids on vascular smooth muscle cells in vitro. 3 Methods: In a randomized, double blinded, cross-over design, 12 healthy males consumed either 30 or 60 mL of 4 Montmorency tart cherry concentrate. Following analysis of the juice composition, venous blood samples were 5 taken before and 1, 2, 3, 5 and 8 h post consumption of the beverage. In addition to examining some aspects of 6 the concentrate contents, plasma concentrations of protocatechuic (PCA), vanillic (VA) and chlorogenic acid 7 (CHL) were analysed by reversed–phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with diode array for 8 quantitation and mass spectrometry detection (LCMS) for qualitative purposes. Vascular smooth muscle cell 9 migration and proliferation were also assessed in vitro. 10 Results Both the 30 mL and 60 mL doses of Montmorency cherry concentrate contained high amounts of total 11 phenolics (71.37 ± 0.11; 142.73 ± 0.22 mg ̇L) and total anthoycanins (62.47 ± 0.31; 31.24 ± 0.16 mg ̇L), as 12 well as large quantities of CHL (0.205 ± 0.24; 0.410 ± 0.48 mg ̇L) and VA (0.253 ± 0.84; 0.506 ± 1.68 13 mg ̇L ̄1 ). HPLC/LCMS identified two dihydroxybenzoic acids (PCA and VA) in plasma following MC 14 concentrate consumption. Both compounds were most abundant 1-2 h post initial ingestion with traces 15 detectable at 8 h post ingestion. Cell migration was significantly influenced by the combination of PCA and VA, 16 but not in isolation. There was no effect of the compounds on cell proliferation. 17 Conclusions: These data show new information that phenolic compounds thought to exert vasoactive properties 18 are bioavailable in vivo following MC consumption, and subsequently can influence cell behaviour. These data 19 may be useful for the design and interpretation of intervention studies investigating the health effects of 20 Montmorency cherries. 21


Abstract A change in the method for preparing approximately 300-fold purified polynucleotide phosphorylase from Micrococcus lysodeikticus is reported. The over-all purification of the enzyme is not affected by the change in the procedure, and the new procedure is both more reproducible and easier to carry out. Enzyme purified by the new method has a more stringent requirement for oligonucleotide primer for the polymerization of adenosine diphosphate than did earlier enzyme preparations.


Nodular cystic fat necrosis shows a distinctive spectrum of clinical and histological features. Most of the lesions arc mobile subcutaneous nodules in regions vulnerable to trauma, such as the elbows, knees, and shins. There have been no reports of an association with other conditions. The histology is characterized by encapsulated fat necrosis in which multiple, non‐viable adipocytes are surrounded by condensed fibrous tissue.


The article deals with the use of computer simulati on for the solution of a streamline of transport pr ocesses in relation to the cargo rail terminal. The case study is focused on the job sequence problem of transport processes at the rai l terminal. The rail terminal serves as a means of the mineral resources delivery support wit h the necessity of scheduling a lot of means of tra nsport. Unloading time of a wagon with a capacity of 60-70 t based on observations and mea sur ments in practice varies on average from 30 to 45 minutes. Time for unloading the wagons affects their length of stay at the loading track as well as the waiting charges that affect op erational efficiency. The problem is related to the utilization of concrete computer sim ulation system EXTENDSIM for the necessity of simul ation and more effectivity of the whole transport system with his processes. The aim of the solution is the practical application of com puter simulation for the needs of effective activities of concrete transport processe s of a concrete company. The intention is to show t he practical role of simulation systems and to use EXTENDSIM as concrete simulation system for the needs of a streamline of transport processe s and activities of a concrete company. The objective of this study is to compare the several possibilities of alternative solutions of activity concrete system, which is created from unloading the mineral resources from r ailway wagons by cyclically working grab and the tr ansport of mineral resources to places of storing. The simulation was performed for different variants of the unloading process. The s imulations in this article simulate the process of unloading of ten railway wagons and one u loader by a different number of trucks (2, 3 and 4) providing a transfer of mineral resources. The simulation results show that the low est unloading time is reached when unloading by one unloader working with three or four lorries; this represents a decrease of 10% when com pared use two lorries. The simulation results show that the effective unloading time is reached in dependence on the number of working mean s of transport and scheduling of the whole system.


By the extraction mixture from garlic and ginger,the antimicrobial actions to indicators were determined with sodium benzoate as contrast.The results showed that the antimicrobial effects of extraction mixture were better than sodium benzoate.Determination of heat tolerance showed that the antimicrobial ingredients of extraction mixture didn't have a high temperature resistance.Further observation showed that fruits and vegetables which soaked into extraction mixture would prolong the shelf life.


Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review and reflect on the contributions of the special issue on Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy in Emerging & Developing Economies (EDEs). Design/methodology/approach We seek to highlight some 'blind spots' in relation to the theoretical underpinnings of sustainability accounting and management research in the EDE context, before discussing the contributions of the accepted papers. Findings We review some of the key theoretical perspectives (stakeholder, legitimacy, political economy, and agency theories) adopted in sustainability accounting and management studies and discuss how future studies might take into account contextual insights for a better appreciation of policies and practices in EDEs. Some of the selected studies reveal the emergence of sustainability practices in EDEs and their largely instrumental or market-oriented explanatory factors while others bring to the fore the primacy of social-political factors.


The main bridge of Yunshi Hanjiang River Bridge is a prestressed concrete extra- dosed bridge with double pylons,a single cable plane and with span arrangement(128+238+ 128)m.The main girder of the bridge is the concrete continuous triple-cell single box girder of long cantilevers and variable sections.The pylons,each being 39.9mhigh,are the single-column concrete structures and are designed into the structural form of rigid fixity of the pylons,girder and piers.The stay cables are arranged in fan shape and the piers of the pylons are supported on the group bored pile foundations.In the design,the software MIDAS Civil was used to establish the finite element model for the whole bridge and to carry out the global calculation of the bridge, the stress analysis of the stay cables and the dynamic behavior of the whole bridge.The software ANSYS was used as well to establish the finite element model for the segments of the main girder and to carry out the local stress analysis of the bridge.The results of the calculation and analysis indicate that the global structure of the bridge is safe and reliable and the structure can meet the requirements for highway vehicle riding safety and comfort.No significant local stress concentra- tion appears in the main girder,the stress amplitude values of the stay cables are within 30MPa and the structure can meet the requirements for durability in the service process of the bridge.


CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 123, NO. 6, 25 SEPTEMBER 2022 737 *We dedicate this article to the memory of late Prof. S. P. Raychaudhuri (University of Calcutta, Kolkata and Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi) and late Prof. M. R. Rajasekarasetty (University of Mysore, Mysuru) who initiated teaching and research in Genetics in India around the middle of the last century. Evolution from hypothetical hereditary 'factors' to synthetic genomes: celebrating Mendel's birth bicentenary*


Fracture gradient prediction is fundamental to selecting optimum casing seats. Casing points often are determined using a pressure profile, a depth-based graph which compares fracture gradient to formation pressure and mud weight. This article shows how a pressure profile can be used to help design the casing program for a typical geopressured well. A practical, empirical technique is presented which to accurately estimates fracture gradients in a wide variety of drilling environments. The method is applicable onshore and offshore, and is easily matched to a specific field or geographic area by using specially defined reference codes. Results are in close agreement with published data.


The current crisis is far from being a mere "crisis of liquidity"; its severity has been acutely registered in all sectors of economic activity. The article highlights the way in which the crisis has affected the financial system, while acknowledging the fact that any strategy aimed at ensuring the latter's preservation and survival should first consider the necessary coherence between the monetary and financial circuits and the real sector of the economy as a condition for establishing the necessary bases for true economic development.


part i: the collection: history and context 1. Americans Collecting Antiquities in Italy, ca. 1865–1920 (Richard D. De Puma) 3 2. The Collection of the American Academy in Rome (Larissa Bonfante and Helen Nagy) 13 3. The History of the Collection (Katherine A. Geffcken) 21 Appendix 3.1. A Personal Recollection about the Collection Appendix 3.2. Introduction to Catalogue of the Museum of the � Appendix 3.3. Timbers from the Nemi Ships in the American (Lawrence Richardson, jr.) 79 American School of Classical Studies, 1904 (A. M. Harmon) 81 Academy, Rome (Giulia Boetto) 83


This study aims to assess the environmental impact of different chemical classes of reactive dyes and their treatment. To attain this outcome, four different types of reactive dyes (Procion Blue PX-3R (Monochlorotriazine), Levafix Blue CA (Bi-functional heterogeneous), Remazol Brilliant Blue R (Vinylsulphone) and Remazol Brilliant Blue RR (Bi-functional homogeneous) on the cotton fabric were analyzed. The potential cytotoxic effect of different reactive dyes was evaluated using the growth inhibition test according to AATCC 22662 by exposing the culture over 72 hours at 21 °C. The dyeing operation was performed in a labrotex sample dyeing machine, and a data color spectrophotometer was administered to analyze the strength percentage of dyes in post-dye liquor. Among the reactive dyes, Levafix Blue CA exhibited better effluent characteristics compared to others, lowering the threat to the environment. The dyed wastewater was directly disposed of and treated in a pilot plant containing lime and ferrous sulfate as coagulant and polyacrylamide as polyelectrolyte, which resulted in a significant reduction of BOD5 (64.97-74.67%), COD (61.03-70.28%), TDS (55.02-61.97%) and TSS (47.07-50.19%) with improved pH and DO values. This investigation reflects the specific selection of a reactive dye leading to a lower environmental impact of a dyeing process coupled with wastewater treatment processes.


Hydrochemistry of the coastal waters of Training Mole, Tarkwa Bay was studied for a period of one year. The general water quality was found to be affected by a suite of physicochemical factors such as temperature, pH, salinity, BOD5, DO, conductivity, precipitation, freshwater influx and nutrients (PO4-P, NO3-N and SO4). The environmental parameters were assessed monthly, compared seasonwise, and found to fluctuate with seasons. The general distributions of nutrients; PO4-P, NO3-N and SO4 in raining season were within the range of 1.123.00mg/L, 6.95-10.00mg/L respectively compared to a range of between 1.24-2.30mg/L, 5.24-8.03mg/L and 20.1026.30mg/L during the dry season for PO4-P, NO3-N and SO4 respectively. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) on dataset during the raining produced three significant principal components accounting for >75% cumulative variance in water quality; PC1, PC2 and PC3 contributed 59.78%, 18.78% and 16.10% variance in water quality respectively. During the dry season PCA likewise produced three significant PCs; PC1, PC2 and PC3 accounting for 54.10%, 27.38% and 13.03% variance in water quality respectively. Monthwise Cluster Analysis (CA) was used to discriminate the months with similar physicochemical behaviour. The study will be very useful for the determination of annual nutrient budget of Training Mole coastal waters and for the management of aquatic resources in the region. [Edokpayi, C.A, Saliu, J.K., Eruteya, O.J. Assessment of Temporal Fluctuations in Water Quality of the Coastal waters of Training Mole, Tarkwa Bay, Nigeria. Journal of American Science 2010;6(10):1179-1185]. (ISSN: 15451003).


Dipankar Gupta, one of India's foremost thinkers on social and economic issues, takes a critical - and controversial - look at the limits of the Indian success story in The Caged Phoenix. Through a fine blend of theory and new evidence on small scale industries, farming, and more, Gupta argues that, despite the promise of Independence and liberalization, India continues to remain caged in backwardness. In short, the country's phenomenal growth story has not translated into development. Questioning prevailing culture-based theories - and the academics who perpetuate them - that are used to explain India's poverty and its hampered development, Gupta attempts to "normalize" India, advocating a rigorous rejection of justifications that rely upon cultural otherness and exoticization. He critically examines the reluctance to acknowledge that structural impediments, not cultural factors, deny growth benefits to the majority of Indians, and explores the close link between growth in high technology sectors of the Indian economy on one side and sweat shops and rural stagnation on the other. Making a comparison with the developed West, Gupta underscores the point that affluence can be achieved only after living conditions improve across all social classes. Combining original scholarship with a lively narrative, Gupta debunks widespread myths about why India's democracy has yet to deliver and offers compelling explanations for the paradoxes that exist.


This article reviews literature regarding the nature and impact of corruption and its contribution to poverty in Africa, explains how the international community could create an institution that would investigate and deter corruption, and relates this policy proposal to current theories of underdevelopment. The article concludes that theorists agree on the importance of fighting corruption but have overlooked the need for international cooperation to create a body of criminal investigators. The article contributes a detailed policy proposal and an analysis of objections that might be raised regarding the establishment of a strong international capacity to fight corruption.


Maternal diabetes is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes in the offspring, and in utero exposure to high glucose has been shown to affect pancreatic beta cell development in animal models. However, the developmental stage and specific genes which underlie these effects in humans are unknown. We aimed to understand the consequences of high glucose on the fetal pancreas by treating a human beta cell line derived from fetal pancreas, EndoC-BH3, with high, medium and normal glucose (30, 15 and 5.5mM respectively) for 3 weeks during proliferation and maturation and comparing gene expression using whole transcriptome analysis. The top differentially expressed transcripts (P<10−4) and the most abundant transcripts (Log2 unit>10.5) were validated by real-time RT-PCR. KEGG analyses of the top 500 differentially expressed transcripts identified the metabolic pathway as the top pathway. Among individual genes, high glucose exposure during the maturation upregulated EGR1 (58.6-fold), BIRC5 (37.6-fold), GPBAR1 (15.4-fold), G6PC2 (11.8-fold), CHRNA (4.8-fold), GCK (2.7-fold), INS (2.0-fold), CMIP (1.9-fold) and CHGA (1.4-fold) as compared to normal glucose exposure. EGR1 encodes early-growth response 1, a transcription factor that enhances insulin gene expression, while BIRC5 encodes an apoptotic inhibitor that plays a role in beta cell proliferation. High glucose exposure during the proliferation identified similar differentially expressed genes; however, the changes were more modest as compared with the maturation. Methylation has also been implicated in conveying risk for diabetes due to glucose exposure and several key DNA demethylation enzymes; TET1, 2, 3, were also moderately upregulated. Assessment of the effects of glucose exposure on insulin secretion and total insulin content is ongoing. Our data suggest that short term exposure to high glucose may stimulate expression of a set of genes that promote beta cell proliferation and insulin expression and secretion.

 Y.L.Muller: None. K.Wiedrich: None. J.Sutherland: Stock/Shareholder; Pfizer Inc., Bristol Myers. D.Jones: None. L.Baier: None.


One of the most important indices of pro-democracy among individuals residing in a country is the extensive tendency to continuous participation of the public in election activities as well as social-political trends governing a society. On the other hand, the participation of all citizens including men and women, beyond their political and religious ideology and thought, in political activities of a society is a symbol of political development within that country. What is important in this regard is the motivation and involvement of individuals in elections and political participations within a society. So that, considering the current legal and social structures of the country, the individual's motivation for activity and participation in political affairs is different in different societies as for some features as the sex and the voters' ideology. This article, which is an analyticaldescriptive research, is to study and evaluate factors affecting women's political participation in Jahrom, a city in Iran. The statistical population includes all women residing in Jahrom city, among which 120 individuals have been selected as the sample size through simple random selection and Cochran method; then the questionnaires were distributed among them. For data analysis, descriptive statistic methods (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (simple correlation coefficient and Chi-square) have been used. The research results show that there is a significant relation between the education level, occupation type, and social class of the studied women with their involvement in political participation in the society.


Anita Brooks Kirkland champions action research and evidence based practice within our profession and describes the Canadian school libraries research toolkit.


Introduction: This prospective study is the first report of daily adaptive radiotherapy (ART) for head & neck cancers (HNC) using a 1.5T MR-linac, with particular focus on safety & feasibility and dosimetric results of an on-line rigid registration-based adapt-to-position (ATP) workflow. Methods: Ten HNC patients received daily ART on a 1.5T/7MV MR-linac, six using ATP only and four using ATP with one off-line adapt-to-shape re-plan. Setup variability with custom immobilization masks was assessed by calculating the average systematic error (M), standard deviation of the systematic error ({Sigma}), and standard deviation of the random error ({sigma}) of the isocenter shifts. Quality assurance was performed with a cylindrical diode array using 3%/3mm {gamma} criteria. Adaptive treatment plans were summed for each patient to compare delivered dose with planned dose from the reference plan. The impact of dosimetric variability between adaptive fractions on the summation plan doses was assessed by tracking the number of optimization constraint violations at each individual fraction. Results: The random errors (mm) for the x, y, and z isocenter shifts, respectively, were M = -0.3, 0.7, 0.1; {Sigma} = 3.3, 2.6, 1.4; and {sigma} = 1.7, 2.9, 1.0. The median {gamma} pass rate was 99.9% (range: 90.9%-100%). The differences between the reference and summation plan doses were within [-0.61%, 1.78%] for the CTV and [-11.74%, 8.11%] for organs at risk (OARs), though percent increases in OAR dose above 2% only occurred in three cases, each for a single OAR. All cases had at least two fractions with one or more constraint violations. However, in nearly all instances, constraints were still met in the summation plan despite multiple single-fraction violations. Conclusion: Daily ART on a 1.5T MR-linac using an on-line ATP workflow is safe and clinically feasible for HNC and results in delivered doses consistent with planned doses.


Introduction Individuals with kidney diseases have increased risk of cardiovascular disease and death. Online cardiovascular risk assessment tools can educate patients on risks and modifiable factors. Since patients have variable health literacy, we evaluated the readability, understandability, and actionability of publicly available online cardiovascular risk assessment tools. Methods We systematically searched, reviewed, characterized, and assessed English-language cardiovascular risk assessment tools online for readability (Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level [FKGL] score), understandability, and actionability (Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool for printable materials [PEMAT-P]). Results After screening 969 websites, 69 websites employing 76 risk tools were included. The most frequently used tools were the Framingham Risk Score (n = 13) and the Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease score (n = 12). Most tools were intended for the general population and estimated the 10-year incident cardiovascular risk. Patient education was provided in the form of targets for blood pressure (n = 17), lipids (n = 15), or glucose (n = 5); and advice regarding diet (n = 18), exercise (n = 19), and smoking cessation (n = 20). The median FKGL, PEMAT understandability, and actionability scores were 6.2 (4.7, 8.5), 84.6% (76.9%, 89.2%), and 60% (40%, 60%), respectively. Conclusion The online cardiovascular risk tools were generally easy to read and understand, but only a third provided education on risk modification. Judicious selection of an online cardiovascular risk assessment tool may help patients in self-management.


The study was carried out to establish the extent to which source‐control systems are being used in Scotland. An investigation into the level of knowledge of such systems was also initiated. Over 100 questionnaires were sent to organizations which have been involved in the development of surface‐water drainage schemes, and the 43 responses were analysed.


Writing Early America is a field report into the current historiography of the large body of historical writings on the broad field of early America in the eighteenth century, between the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 and the end of the American Revolution around 1784, as seen in journal literature written in the last decade. Its findings are based on a close reading and interpretation of nearly 400 articles in leading journals, providing an unprecedented examination of the major themes that have animated the research of current historians: Indigenous history; slavery and race; and gender. The book's chapters also highlight how important notions of empire have become in providing a framework for colonial American history and even more so for new scholarship on the American Revolution, in which this crucial event in American, British, and world history is increasingly seen as part of a larger Age of Revolutions more than being an event important for creating the new nation of the United States. As such, this is the first book in over thirty years to give to advanced undergraduate and graduate students and scholars a comprehensive guide to the historiography of this rich field.


Summary Plasma immunoreactive glucagon (IRG) and immunoreactive insulin (IRI) were measured in 21 gastrectomized and 11 normal subjects during a 3 hr, 100 g oral glucose tolerance test. Plasma IRG and IRI responses to oral glucose (50 g), oral galactose (100 g), oral fructose (100 g), and to intravenous glucose (25 g) were also investigated in some individuals. Although no difference in the fasting IRG concentration between the two groups was found, 30 min after ingesting 100 g of glucose, the plasma IRG concentration of the gastrectomized subjects was significantly higher than that of the normal subjects (3.19 ± 0.26 vs 1.15 ± 0.08 mμg/ml; p < .005). In gastrectomized patients, oral glucose caused hyperglucagonemia, also a marked rise in plasma IRI; whereas intravenous glucose load caused only a moderate increase in plasma IRI, with no changes in IRG concentration. In the gastrectomized patients, a 50 g oral glucose load caused a significantly smaller plasma IRG response than a 100 g glucose load. The increment in plasma IRG level following galactose was smaller than that following glucose in both groups. However, the peak value of plasma IRG was significantly higher in the gastrectomized subjects than in the normals. After oral fructose administration, the gastrectomized subjects showed a small, but significant, increase in plasma IRG concentration. Glucose was the most potent stimulus for plasma IRG; and fructose was the weakest of the three sugars tested orally. These results suggest that glucagon, probably of gastrointestinal origin, is released in response to chemical, as well as mechanical or osmotic, stimuli. The physiologic significance of enteric IRG is discussed. We thank Dr. Piero P. Foà for his advice. We are also very grateful for the technical help of Misses Hiroko Iida and Mikiko Kobayashi.


This paper studies the complete stability of time-delay systems of neutral type (shortly, neutral systems), inspired by that the complete stability of time-delay systems of retarded type (shortly, retarded systems) was recently solved by establishing a new frequency-sweeping (mathematical) framework. It is not hard to see that the invariance property, the most important basis for building up the frequency-sweeping framework for retarded systems, also holds for neutral systems. We are hence motivated to apply the relevant results to neutral systems by considering the distinctions between two types of time-delay systems. It will be interesting to see that these distinctions can be effectively covered in the frequency-sweeping framework. More precisely, we will find: (1) the stability of the neutral operator (as a necessary stability condition additionally required by neutral systems) can be directly examined from the frequency-sweeping curves (FSCs); and (2) the ultimate stability problem for neutral systems can be fully studied from the FSCs. As a consequence, the frequency-sweeping framework is proved to be also a unified approach for the complete stability of neutral time-delay systems.


Purpose : To evaluate regional differences in relative metabolite ratios in the normal human brain by 1H MRspectroscopy (MRS), and compare the spectral quality obtained by the automated prescan method (PROBE) and themanual method. Materials and Methods : Localized 1H MRS was performed on a GE 1.5T SIGNA MRI/MRS system (version5.5) with active shielded gradients. For 20 normal volunteers aged 8-47 years, spectral parameters were adjustedby the auto-prescan routine provided by a PROBE package(N=34)and manually (N=33). Five regions of the human brainwere examined (N=PROBE,manual): frontal white matter(N=6,10), parietal white matter(N=8,9), basal ganglia(N=6,5),thalamus(N=4,5), and cerebellum(N=4,4). For all spectra, a STEAM localization sequence with three-pulse CHESS H2Osuppression was used, with the following acquisition parameters: TR=3.0 sec, TE=30 msec, TM=13,7 msec, SW=2500Hz,SI=2048 pts, AVG=48, and NEX=2. Results : A total of 61 reliable spectra were obtained by PROBE (28/34=82%success) and by the manual method (33/33=100% success). Regional differences in the spectral patterns of the fiveregions were clearly demonstrated by both PROBE and the manual methods. For prescanning, the manual method tookslightly longer than PROBE (3-5 mins and 2 mins,respectively). There were no significant differences in spectralpatterns and relative metabolic ratios between the two methods. However, auto-prescan by PROBE seemed to be veryvulnerable to slight movement by patients, and in three cases, an acceptable spectrum was thus not obtained.Conclusion : PROBE is a highly practical and reliable method for single voxel 1H MRS of the human brain; the twomethods of prescanning do not result in significantly different spectral patterns and the relative metaboliteratios. PROBE, however, is vulnerable to slight movement by patients, and if the success rate for obtainingquality spectra is to be increased, regardless of the patient's condition and the region of the brain, it must beused in conjunction with the manual method.


This paper describes the participation of Tel Aviv University Medical Image Processing Laboratory group at the ImageClef 2008 medical retrieval and medical annotation tasks. In both tasks we have used the bag-of-words approach for image representation. We submitted two purely visual automatic runs to the medical retrieval task, which used different normalization in the feature extraction stage. Images were converted to a histogram of visual words, and were compared using L1 distance. Our best run was ranked first among the automatic visual based retrieval systems, with MAP score of 0.042 . For the medical annotation task we submitted four runs, all used support-vector-machines trained on the visual word histograms. The runs differ in image resolution, and in the way classifiers of two resolutions were combined. In this task our result was second best among the participating groups, with error scores between 105.75 and 117.17.


In-plane, or azimuthal, photoreorientation of azodye films using polarized exposure makes them promising alignment layers for a host of liquid crystal applications beyond displays including beam steering, q-plates, liquid crystal elastomer origami, and control of active matter. Out-of-plane, or polar, reorientation of azodye films, which dictates the liquid crystal pretilt, has received far less attention. Spatial control over the full polar and azimuthal orientation enables the generation of complex patterns which have broad interest and applications. In this paper we describe an enhanced out of plane reorientation in Brilliant Yellow films utilizing a two-step exposure and demonstrate a liquid crystal pretilt angle which is tunable over a range of 0-33° with the associated the anchoring strength of the alignment layer being unaffected by inclusion of a pretilt. We report an order of magnitude increase in both amplitude and tunability of the pretilt angle in terms of previous results for single photoalignment films. This is a significant result for liquid crystal applications because it offers a simple, scalable, single-component solution with the potential to provide 3-D patternability of the LC director at the surface.


On the 17th of July 1861 I resolved to dissect the nerves of the human stomach immersed in alcohol, as I had done those of the uterus and heart, with magnifying powers of six and twelve diameters. Having procured from Dr. William Dickinson at St. George's Hospital a healthy stomach with three inches of the œsophagus, and having thoroughly washed away the contents, and the blood from the vessels, it was placed in a shallow vessel and covered with rectified spirit. With the help of my dissecting lens, a pair of small straight forceps, a pair of small curved forceps, and curved needle, I proceeded cautiously to remove all the white condensed cellular membrane in which the trunks and branches of the par vagum on the œsophagus were imbedded, and the sheath of slender fibres of cellular membrane closely investing all the nerves.


In Cooltown, we believe that the integration of our physical world with the Web offers unique opportunities to enable ubiquitous computing applications. This p aper describes our latest results in building a model and a software arch itecture called the Web presence manager (WPM) to support this physical -virtual integration. This software layer implements and specifies the services and information provided by Web representations of physical entities such as people, places, or things. We detail an extensive context-enhanced media-oriented application built on top of our platform. Our application enables mobile and context-aware access to personal contents and rendering on local appliances in a variety of ubiquitous computing enviro nments.


Abstract European dried gardens from the 16th century have been traditionally associated with the emergence of early modern botany and its relation to the traditional genre of pharmacopeias. This study reviews a sample of the 37 known exemplars of these bound collections and argues that the design and development of these herbaria or dried gardens (orti sicci), as they were also known, reveal a broader set of questions on nature and about the relationships of humans with the natural world than the ones with which they have been linked. Based on the evidence of a diverse corpus of dried gardens—some richly bound, others composed over recycled paper, some with copious annotations, others with a seemingly random layout and distribution of plants—, this paper argues for a comparative reading of these books as a corpus that contributed significantly to early modern natural history and philosophy.


Oral biofilms play an important role in the development and the persistence of caries, gingivitis and periodontitis. The addition of antimicrobials to toothpastes and mouthwashes combined with biofilm mechanical disruption through dental cleaning devices is the most common way to control oral diseases. However, biofilms' complicated structure increases their resistance to antiplaque and/or antimicrobials by limiting the diffusion of dentifrices into and inside the biofilm. Studies showed that fluid-dynamic activity generated by power toothbrushes can enhance mass transfer inside the remaining biofilm compared to simple diffusional transport. Microsprays have the advantage in that they are low volume but also have an air/water interface which facilitates biofilm removal. The role of the hydrodynamics in the enhancement of dentifrices inside the biofilm has become a topic of interest since it has been shown that mechanical perturbation caused by fluid-dynamic activity can significantly weaken biofilm structure. Here we showed that high-velocity microsprays enhance microparticles penetration and Chlorhexidine and Cetylpyridinium chloride antimicrobial activity inside Streptococcus mutans dental biofilms through the generation of hydrodynamic deformations. Using highspeed camera videography, we documented S. mutans biofilm extremely transient fluid behavior and the generation of ripple-like structures at the biofilm/fluid interface when exposed to water microsprays. Mathematical modelling demonstrated that ripples were Kelvin Helmotz Instabilities suggesting the development of fluid-like turbulent mixing in biofilms. Shear stresses generated at the biofilm/burst interface might have enhanced beads and antimicrobials delivery inside the remaining biofilm by combining forced advection into the biofilm matrix with the mixing of the biofilm itself. This project provided further insight into the mechanical behaviour of biofilms as complex liquids and how high-shear fluid-biofilm interaction can be induced to modulate biofilm survival and tolerance.


Abstract A semicontinuous emulsion process varying comonomer feed composition in the course of the reaction is used here to produce copolymer chains of different composition as conversion proceeds. Polymeric material global composition and evidence of branching are determined by 1H-NMR. The determined by GPC is beyond the range where the mechanical properties depend on molecular weight. Static and dynamic mechanical properties of variable composition copolymers exhibit highly improved copolymer type behavior for all tested compositions (styrene content between 30 and 85 wt%), showing high superiority of the mechanical performance in comparison with random copolymers and two-stage polymers of equivalent composition, synthesized also by emulsion polymerization.


Reverse engineering applications require multiphase techniques and usually take much time. Especially, time, labor and cost shall be taken into consideration due to time consuming steps in studies consisting of models that take up time. In this study, virtualization of models and analyses by using reverse engineering methods in composite materials that are produced by Cast in Situ technique is presented. This virtualization example not only makes saving in terms of education but also provides savings in practical studied in the way of time, labor and cost. Keywords: Reverse Engineering, Education, Cast in situ, Composite Metarial;


1Department of Emergency, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, 710038, Shaanxi Province, People's Republic of China; 2Department of Anesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, 710038, Shaanxi Province, People's Republic of China; 3Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, 710038, Shaanxi Province, People's Republic of China; 4Department of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, 710038, Shaanxi Province, People's Republic of China


This paper is devoted to the spectral theory (more pre- cisely, to the variational theory of the spectrum) of guided waves in an elastic half cylinder. We use variational methods to inves- tigate several aspects of propagating waves, including localization (see Figure 1), existence criteria and the formulas to flnd them. We approach the problem using two complementary methods: The vari- ational methods for non-overdamped operator pencils to describe eigenvalues in deflnite spectral zones, and Ljusternik-Schnirelman critical point theory to investigate eigenvalues in the mixed spectral zone where the classical variational theory of operator pencils is not applicable.


CHARACTERIZATION OF THE PATIENT Male child with a diagnosis of parachute mitral valve stenosis at birth, subvalvular aortic stenosis and aortic coarctation (Shone syndrome). At 2 years presented fatigue and dyspnea on exertion. Complementary tests showed aortic coarctation with significant hemodynamic repercussion, which was surgically repaired with resection and end anastomosis of the aorta. The electrocardiogram and echocardiogram associated with clinical signs and symptoms guided to the operation of resection of aortic subvalvular stenosis caused by fibromuscular membrane. DESCRIPTION OF THE TECHNIQUE After median sternotomy, it is observed the opening of the pericardial sac, performing confection of purse in the aorta, introduction of the arterial cannula and fixation. Air was removed and connection to the arterial system of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) was performed. Opening in the right atrial appendage, introduction of single venous cannula and fixation. Aspiration of the pericardial cavity. Started CPB, dissection between the aorta and pulmonary artery. Fixation of the cardioplegic system after needle insertion in the aorta. Aortic clamping. Aspiration of the left atrium. During cardiac arrest, which began at the transverse aorta, which was expanded to the left in "L" shape toward the noncoronary sinus of the aorta up to near the anterior mitral leaflet. Suture using 5-0 polypropylene yarn in the aortic wall were performed for better presentation of the structures. Identification of fibromuscular tissue to be resected, starting vertical incision below the right coronary leaflet. With the aid of a spatula, was initiated careful detachment of the fibromuscular membrane into the left coronary leaflet, circling to the mitral-aortic continuity. Special care was taken to not damage the septum and cause ventricular septal defect or atrioventricular block.


abscesses, and lower respiratory cultures were positive for Klebsiella. On urine microscopy there were 15 white cells per high power field, with micro-organisms. Repeat CT of the abdomen and pelvis showed adequate drainage of the liver abscess (Figure 1) but multiple prostatic abscesses (Figure 2). These were drained transurethrally and cultures grew Klebsiella with superimposed Morganella morganii. Since the Morganella was resistant to ciprofloxacin, intravenous aztreonam was added to the antibiotic regimen. Treatment for the lung abscesses also included supplemental oxygen and intensive chest physiotherapy. The fever and symptoms gradually subsided over the next seven days. He was switched to oral ciprofloxacin for another four weeks and then discharged. Follow-up CT at three months showed complete resolution of the lung, liver and prostatic abscesses.


Aim: To illustrate the frequency of suicide and suicide attempts in the work of the Emergency Department (ED) of the Health Care Centre, Becej (HCC) as well as demographic characteristics of the patients. Material and methods: The study conducted at the ED HCC was observational and retrospective. It included the patients who committed or attempted suicide during a two-year period, from 1st January 2010 until 31st December 2011. The data were collected from ambulatory and outdoor protocols and they referred to age, gender, area of living (town, village), education, nationality, employment, marital status, previous psychiatric diseases and further treatment of the patients who attempted suicide. The data were processed by using the statistical packages Statistica 7 and SPSS 11. RESULTS: During the years of 2010 and 2011 at Becej ED HCC 18,656 patients were treated, 12,478 in ambulatory settings and 5,138 in outdoor settings. In the two-year period 86 (0.46%) patients attempted or committed suicide. 22 (25.58%) patients committed suicide and 64 (74.42%) were attempted suicides. Of the overall number of people who attempted or committed suicide there were 58 (67.44%) men and 28 (32.56%) women. The average age of patients was 44.08±15.79 years of age, 45.90±15.13 in men and 40.32±16.73 in women. 62 (72.09%) patients were from the urban area and 24 (27.91%) were from the rural area. Only 1 (1.16%) patient had high education, 38 (44.19%) had high school, 26 (30.23%) had elementary school and 21 (24.42%) were uneducated. Suicide was committed or attempted mostly by patients of Serbian nationality 41 (47.67%), Hungarian 36 (41.86%), Croatian 6 (6.98%) and 3 (3.49%) were of Roma nationality. 23 (26,75%) people were employed, 18 (20.93%) were retired and 45 (52.33%) were unemployed. Previous psychiatric treatment received 55 (63.95%) patients and 31 (36.05%) had never asked for professional help. Most of the attempted suicides were done by poisoning 39 (60.94%) and of those who committed suicide 18 (81.82%) applied hanging. After the examination and urgent medical treatment of the patients who attempted suicide 51 (79.69%) were transported to hospital (Novi Sad, Vrbas, Senta ) with the medical team consisting of medical doctor and a nurse and the remaining 13 (20.31%) were referred to the psychiatrist at HCC Becej. Conclusion: Less than a half percent of patients treated at ED HCC Becej attempted or committed suicide. They were mostly unemployed middle aged men living in the urban area of Serbian or Hungarian nationality. Most of the patients had previous psychiatric treatment. After being examined by the medical doctor in the ED, the majority of patients who had attempted suicide were transported with the medical team to secondary or tertiary health care institutions. Every suicide attempt should be considered very seriously and treated in appropriate manner.


Abstract Steady currents develop in oceanic turbulence above topography even in the absence of steady forcing. Mesoscale steady currents are correlated with mesoscale topography with anticyclonic eddies above topographic bumps, and large scale westward flows develop when β is non-zero. The relationship between those two kinds of steady currents, as well as their dependence on various parameters, is studied using a barotropic quasi-geostrophic channel model. The percentage of steady energy is found to depend on the forcing, friction and topography in a non-monotonic fashion. For example, the percentage of steady currents grows with the energy level in the linear regime (low energies) and decreases when the energy level increases in the nonlinear regime (high energies). Mesoscale steady currents are the energy source for the steady westward flow U, and therefore U is the maximum when large scale and mesoscale currents are of the same order of magnitude. This happens when the ratio S of the large scale slope...


An innovative method using side illuminations with digital CCDs to detect the specific protrusions for color filters of TFTLCD is developed in this study. The experimental results show that the detection of the protrusion with the height of 280 μm at ±7% uncertainty can be achieved within 3 seconds for the 1850 mm*1500 mm panel. In other words, the method is very effective to prevent the high‐value photo‐mask from damage.


The utility model discloses a socket capable of preventing plugs from loosening, which solves the problem that the plugs are easy to loosen when the existing socket is used, and comprises a socket panel. The panel is provided with plug holes; a socket main body for connecting the plugs is arranged in the socket holes; the socket panel is connected with an anti-loosening device which comprises two fastener sliders which are U-shaped; openings of the two fastener sliders face to the socket holes and are oppositely arranged on two sides of the socket holes; the inner edges of openings of the fastener sliders are matched with the outer edges of the corresponding parts of the plugs in shape and size; and under the action of external force, the fastener sliders can horizontally slide inwards and outwards on the socket panel. The socket can ensure that the plugs and the socket can be connected firmly, is very convenient to use, and does not occupy space as the volume of the socket is small.


Four species of Lachesilla, from Mexico and Guatemala, are here described and illustrated. Together with L. asperiforceps Garcia Aldrete, from Mexico, Guatemala and Nicaragua, they constitute the L. asperiforceps species complex, a diagnosis of which is provided, as well as identification keys to the males and females of the species in the complex. The types and other material studied are deposited in the National Insect Collection, within the Instituto de Biologia, UNAM, Mexico City (CNIN).


The present paper is devoted to the study of Jensen-Mercer-type inequalities. Our results generalize and improve some earlier results in the literature.


AbstractThis paper describes the development and validation of a virtual microstructure generator that can be used to fabricate a virtual, two-dimensional (2D) microstructure of particle-reinforced composites in general, and of asphalt concrete and/or cement concrete mixtures in particular. In the generator, some core geometric characteristics such as aggregate gradation, aggregate volume fraction, and angularity were used to transform data from a three-dimensional (3D) mixture into its 2D microstructure. Resulting virtual microstructures were then compared with real cross-sectional microstructure images obtained from actual samples for validation. Comparison aided with statistical analyses presented a good agreement between the virtual and real microstructures, which demonstrates that the 3D–2D transformation algorithms were properly developed and implemented into the virtual microstructure generator. A properly generated virtual microstructure of the composites can be incorporated with computational mic...


The author discusses the connotation and development of the research on the water movement and its regional change regular in agro-ecosystem of north China in this paper. That is the established the mechanism of water balance and water cycle process in agro-ecosystem, the model of crop productivity in limited water environment condition of north China by means of the combined field experiment and network study of water movement and exchange regular in agro-ecosystem, and gives the evaluation for water movement and productivity sustainable development and its regional change regular in agro-ecosystem of north China.The research results in this project were shown as following: (1) The water consumption and requirement regularity of main crops in different regions of north China and the corn production model under dynamic optimal management of water and fertilizer supply were got. (2) A comprehensive agro-ecosystem management model also was got. (3) The potential evaporation in north China has a regional increasing character from east to west during the period of 1961-2000 and it also has an obvious decreased trend from 1990 years. (4) The soil desiccation happened in the entire soil profile is a direct cause of the yield fluctuation for high-yield field. (5) The comparison of hydrological behaviors of forest and grassland watersheds in gully region of the Loess Plateau pointed out that, the depth of annual runoff in the forest watershed is less than that of the adjacent grassland on condition that cover degree of both is the same, the amount of evapotranspiration in forest watershed is higher than that of grassland, and soil water storage in the three-meter horizon is less than that of grassland.


First, antenatal magnesium sulfate can be used to suppress premature labor and delay preterm birth, which gives medical professionals time to administer antenatal steroids that can help to reduce the risk of birth injuries (2, 3). Second, magnesium sulfate can provide direct neuroprotective effects to the baby's brain. A systematic review suggested that this drug can play an important role in the prevention of cerebral palsy (4). Research also indicates that it can lower the risk of periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) (5) and intraventricular hemorrhage (6).


Curt Jacob Stern studied radiation [3] and chromosomes in humans [4] and fruit flies in the United States during the twentieth century. He researched the mechanisms of inheritance and of mitosis [5], or the process in which the chromosomes in the nucleus [6] of a single cell, called the parent cell, split into identical sets and yield two cells, called daughter cells. Stern worked on the Drosophila melanogaster [7] fruit fly, and he provided early evidence that chromosomes exchange genetic material during cellular reproduction. During World War II, he provided evidence for the harmful effects of radiation [3] on developing organisms. That research showed that mutations can cause problems in developing fetuses and can lead to cancer. He helped explain how genetic material transmits from parent to progeny, and how it functions in developing organisms.


The complexes [AsPh4][M(SCN)2], [N(PPh3)2][M(SCN)2](M = CuI or AuI), and [NBu4][Au(SCN)2] have been prepared and studied by i.r. and Raman spectroscopy. The vibrational spectra indicate that the copper compounds do not contain discrete [Cu(SCN)2]– ions, although these are probably present in solutions of the above copper complexes, and in NaSCN–CuSCN solutions. The copper n.q.r. frequencies of [N(PPh3)2][Cu(SCN)2] lie in the region expected for digonal or trigonal co-ordination of copper. The vibrational spectra of the gold compounds indicate discrete [Au(SCN)2]– ions. The vibrational frequencies of [Au(SCN)2]– are very similar to those of the isoelectronic Hg(SCN)2 molecule.


The understanding of the loads generated within the prosthetic leg can aid engineers in the design of components and clinicians in the process of rehabilitation.
Traditional methods to assess these loads have relied on inverse dynamics. This indirect method estimates the applied load using video recordings and force-plates located at a distance from the region of interest, such as the base of the residuum.
The well-known limitations of this method are related to the accuracy of this recursive model and the experimental conditions required (Frossard et al., 2003).
Recent developments in sensors (Frossard et al., 2003) and prosthetic fixation (Branemark et al., 2000) permit the direct measurement of the loads applied on the residuum of transfemoral amputees.
In principle, direct measurement should be an appropriate tool for assessing the accuracy of inverse dynamics. The purpose of this paper is to determine the validity of this assumption. The comparative variable used in this study is the velocity of the relative body center of mass (VCOM(t)). The relativity is used to align the static (w.r.t. position) force plate measurement with the dynamic load cell measurement.


The quantum spectra of hydrogen atoms in various magnetic fields have been calculated with the closed orbit theory. The magnitude of the magnetic field decreases from 5.96 T to 0.56 T with a step of 0.6 T. We demonstrate schematically that the closed orbits disappear with the decrease of the magnitude of the magnetic field when the corresponding finite resolution of experiment is fixed. This may give us a good way to control the shape and the number of the closed orbits in the system, and thus to control where a peak should exist in the Fourier transformation of the quantum spectra.


The University of New South Wales (UNSW) high‐resolution numerical weather prediction model (HIRES) has been used to forecast wind direction and speed at a height of 10 m over the Sydney to Hobart race yacht area for the past three years. The model is run routinely, three times daily, at the New South Wales Regional Office of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology in Sydney. One of these model runs is out to seven days ahead and its boundary conditions are provided by the Bureau of Meteorology's global model. For the 1996 Sydney to Hobart yacht race the model was run at 25 km resolution out to five days ahead and was subjected to detailed verification by one of the authors (KLB), who participated in the race aboard the yacht AMP Wild Oats and carried out an observational program during the race. The model winds were verified on a six‐hourly basis utilising instrumentation on the yacht. The yacht carried wind sensors, which are situated on top of the yacht's mast at a height of 17.5 m above the water. The authors were interested in both the wind directional trends and the wind speeds forecast by the model. It was found that the model gave overall guidance of good quality but was particularly accurate early in the race when a major wind change known locally as a Southerly Buster occurred just after the start of the race. Later in the race from about the fourth day, the quality of the forecasts decreased in accuracy. An improved version of the model, run at higher resolution (10 km), will be verified again in the next race, in December 1997. Copyright © 1998 Royal Meteorological Society


By replacing conventional mechanical bearing of wind power generator with magnetic bearing, the friction loss can be reduced obviously and the efficiency of power generation can be improved. Bearing capacity of radial magnetic bearing (RMB) is determined through analyzing the radial loads of wind power generator, and upon this, the structure of radial magnetic bearing is designed. Then the electromagnetic characteristics of radial magnetic bearing are simulated by using finite element method (FEM), the phenomenon of electromagnetic coupling and magnetic flux leakage is analyzed, and the comparison between ANSYS solution and analytical solution is done, through which, the variation of air-gap magnetic induction intensity and the electromagnetic force with control current is obtained, so the foundation data of control system is established.


The U-Mo-C system has been studied to supplement the hitherto available phase-diagram data and to deduce therefrom the thermodynamic property of UMoC1.7 and UMoC2. It is shown that a peritectic four-phase reaction takes place: UC+Mo-UMoC1.7+liquid, at 1,830°±30°C. The phase relations between orthorhombic UMoC2 and monoclinic UMoC1.7 may be defined by UMoC1.7-UMoC2+liquid, which will occur at some temperature between 2,200° and 2,350°C, the reported melting point of UMoC2. Liquidus projection for the U-Mo-C system is presented on the basis of these results and from data found in literature. The free energy equations for the formation of UMoC1.7 and UMoC2 are respectively estimated to be ΔG° f (UMoC1.7)=−40,350−0.69T cal/mol and ΔG° f (UMoC2)=−46,360−0.69T cal/mol, both in the temperature range 298–2,100 K.


Background: DATA 2000 X-waiver training has existed for over 20 years, however, less than 10% of eligible practitioners have been waivered. The purpose of this study was to understand practitioners' perceptions of X-waiver training and to assess the feasibility of virtual X-waiver training. Methods: Three separate virtual X-waiver training courses were provided from December 2020 through September 2021. Pre-and post-training surveys were developed to understand practitioners' attitudes toward patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) and to evaluate the effect of the training. All participants were invited to complete surveys anonymously via Qualtrics. Results: Among 168 participants, 140 and 133 completed pre-and post-training surveys, respectively. Analysis of the pre-training survey data showed that 80% of practitioners were willing to treat patients with OUD. Post-training responses documented significant improvements in diagnosing OUD and recognizing opioid withdrawal symptoms. Similarly, post-training results showed 96% of respondents noted improved confidence in their capacity to prescribe buprenorphine. Approximately 69% of respondents in the pre-training survey were not aware of local community resources to refer patients for substance use treatment; this was reduced to 34% in post-training responses. Post-survey qualitative data revealed that participants thought the virtual training was efficient, however, suggested more in-person interaction and lecture-based discussion. In addition, respondents continued to report persistent barriers to implementation of buprenorphine prescribing. Conclusion: This study demonstrated the feasibility of delivering X-waiver training virtually. In addition, X-waiver training improved practitioners' knowledge and comfort in identifying and managing OUD although persistent barriers to buprenorphine prescribing remain despite training.