Let f : R → R and (an)n=1 be a sequence of positive reals. We will say that (an) ∞ n=1 is relatively (R)-dense for f provided that for every x, y ∈ R with f(x) < f(y) there exists n,m ∈ N such that f(x) < f(an) f(am) < f(y). Sufficient conditions are given for a sequence of positive reals to be relatively (R)-dense for certain functions. Introduction Denote by R and N the set of all positive real numbers and the natural numbers, respectively. Let R(A,B) = {ab ; a ∈ A, b ∈ B} be the ratio set of A,B ⊂ R and put R(A) = R(A,A) for any A ⊂ R (cf. [2], [3], [4], [5]). Note here that R(A,B) 6= R(B,A) in general, however R(A,B) is dense in R if and only if R(B,A) is dense in R. Following [2] and [4] we call a set A = {a1, a2, . . . , an, . . . } ⊂ R (R)dense, provided R(A) is dense in R. Occasionally we will work with a sequence A = (an) ∞ n=1 rather than a set A. Sequences of real numbers that are relatively dense for a function f were introduced and investigated in [1]. A straightforward analogue for (R)-density is as follows: Let f : R → R and (an) ∞ n=1 be a sequence of positive reals. We will say that (an) ∞ n=1 is relatively (R)-dense for f provided that for every x, y ∈ R with f(x) < f(y) there


The use of grooving in the pavement surface is a common approach to improve wet weather skid resistance and reduce hydroplaning risk. Field measurements have found transverse grooves effective in significantly improving skid resistance and reducing the occurrence of hydroplaning. Nevertheless, despite the reported effectiveness of longitudinal grooving in wet weather accident reduction, most experimental studies do not record any significant increase in the measured skid resistance of longitudinally grooved pavements. An analytical study is presented to evaluate the relative effectiveness of the two types of grooving in terms of their ability to reduce hydroplaning potential and their respective skid resistance available at the onset of hydroplaning. The groove dimensions examined cover widths from 2 to 10 mm, depths from 1 to 10 mm, and center-to-center spacing from 5 to 25 mm. It is found that in terms of the ability to raise hydroplaning speeds (i.e., to lower hydroplaning risk) and skid resistance values, transverse grooving consistently produces much better results than longitudinal grooving. The simulation results confirm that, for longitudinal grooving with dimensions within the practical ranges, only marginal improvements occur in both hydroplaning speed and skid resistance in the longitudinal directions. However, an analysis by the simulation model indicates that, unlike a smooth plane surface that has the same skid resistance properties in all directions, longitudinally grooved pavements have significantly higher skid resistance as the skidding direction deviates from the true longitudinal direction. The quantitative simulation analysis suggests that this relationship has the effect of enhancing traction to keep skidding vehicles within the roadway and to cut down on wet-pavement accidents, a result that has been widely observed in field applications of longitudinal grooving.


Series compensated power system may lead to a very unusual problem known as Subsynchronous Resonance(SSR).Flexible AC Transmission Systems(FACTS) controllers are widely applied to mitigate subsynchronous oscillations.The Static Synchronous Compensator(STATCOM) is a shunt device of the FACTS family using power electronics to control power flow and improve transient stability on power grids.With the advent of Wide Area Measurement(WAM) technology,it is possible to measure the states of a large interconnected power system with synchronized Phasor Measurement Units(PMU).In this paper the concept of using remote signals acquired through PMU has been proposed to damp SSR.An auxiliary subsynchronous damping controller(SSDC) for a STATCOM using the remote accelerating power of generator signal as the stabilizing signal has been designed to damp subsynchronous oscillations.The IEEE Second Benchmark(SBM) model is considered for the analysis and the complete digital simulation of the STATCOM within the power system is performed in the MATLAB/Simulink environment using the Power System Blockset(PSB).


Risk mitigation in global supply chains has grown in importance in recent years, in tandem with globalization and both the commercial and security threats faced by firms both large and small. This study hypothesizes that a firm's ability to manage risk strategy— and therefore support its competitiveness—is determined by a symbiotic triad of factors: the resources it utilizes; network systems; and performance criteria it employs. The study, comprising 24 in-depth interviews with electronics and IT firms, examines resource utilization through the Resource-Based View (RBV), assesses firms' proclivity to engage in networks for risk mitigation and competitiveness; and highlights the importance of performance evaluation as a critically important component in supply chain management. Findings reveal that both buyers and suppliers believe that the symbiotic triad can provide them with a competitive advantage in addition to improving operational efficiency, effectiveness and quality. Future research should also extend this pilot investigation to other countries and industries, and utilize a larger sample of firms for quantitative as well as qualitative assessment.


This protocol describes the Benthic Indicator Species Index (BISI), the Dutch national benthos indicator for evaluation of the quality status of the North Sea and the sea floor integrity in particular. The BISI is developed for application and reporting for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and delivers to the Habitat Directive Article 17 reporting and Natura 2000 fishery measures evaluations.


Summary The &agr;7 acetylcholine nicotinic receptor (&agr;7) is an important mediator of cholinergic transmission during brain development. Here we present an intracellular signaling mechanism for the &agr;7 receptor. Proteomic analysis of immunoprecipitated &agr;7 subunits reveals an interaction with a G protein pathway complex (GPC) comprising G&agr;i/o, GAP-43 and G protein regulated inducer of neurite outgrowth 1 (Gprin1) in differentiating cells. Morphological studies indicate that &agr;7 receptors regulate neurite length and complexity via a Gprin1-dependent mechanism that directs the expression of &agr;7 to the cell surface. &agr;7–GPC interactions were confirmed in embryonic cortical neurons and were found to modulate the growth of axons. Taken together, these findings reveal a novel intracellular pathway of signaling for &agr;7 within neurons, and suggest a role for its interactions with the GPC in brain development.


The supply of raw material to the Norwegian fish processing industry has always fluctuated heavily, both as far as volumes and quality are concerned. These fluctuations have had major impact on planning of for instance product mix and production capacity. Thus, sea farming has been considered a promising alternative source of raw material, as fluctuations in supply to a large extent has been overcome through technological innovations. In this paper we report the findings from a study where degree of implementation of farmed fish as a source of raw material in the fish processing industry is analysed. We also focus on the impact the raw material diversifying strategies has on performance among the fish processing companies. Three different strategic groups of firms are studied; one that only produce wild fish, one that only produce farmed fish, and one that combine the two inputs. Our findings indicate that traditional Norwegian fish processing firms have played a minor role as buyers of farmed fish. On the other hand, new processing plants have emerged that solely utilise farmed fish, and these specialised firms are controlled mainly by the sea farm industry. The findings and implications concerning both theory and industry are discussed.


Mast cell is a traditional cell for wound healing, but their content in the wound after transplantation of auto-and heterofibroblasts and dermal equivalent on the basis of these cells remains poorly studied. Aim. To study the morphological structure, collagen formation, angiogenesis and content of mast cells in biopsy materials of the newly formed epidermis and dermis on the 12th day of their recovery in a model ischemic wound after administration of auto- and heterofibroblasts and after transplantation of dermal equivalent with heterofibroblasts. Materials and methods. The study was performed on 28 white mature mice of the C57 / B1 line aged up to 1 year. 0.4 ml of suspension with 1.33 million fibroblasts in growth medium DMEM F12 (Lonza) and in dermal equivalent were administered around and into the bottom of skin surgical model wound in the scapular region. The scar was embedded in paraffin and stained with hematoxylin and eosin, according to Weigert-Van Gieson, and kit for mast cells staining (Biovitrum). Results. On the 12th day epidermis is thicker after introduction of autofibroblasts, but it is more differentiated after transplantation of dermal equivalent with heterofibroblasts. Angiogenesis is also most active after the administration of autofibroblasts. Fibroblasts production of collagen fibers in granulation tissue, angiogenesis and the content of functionally active mast cells indicates the most favorable influence of autofibroblasts transplantation on the wound healing. Conclusion. The effect of dermal equivalent with heterofibroblasts differs from exposure autofibroblasts by several percent: the area of collagen fibers – by 2%, the area of blood vessels − by 5%, the index of degranulation of mast cells – by 4%.


Polycrystalline BaTiO3 prepared from alkoxy-derived high-purity submicron powders was studied. Highly dense bodies with uniform grain size were obtained typically by uniaxial cold-pressing at 3000 psi and isostatic pressing at 30,000 psi followed by sintering at 1300° to 1350°C in air for 0.5 to 1 h. Using the same consolidation parameters and intimate mixing of residual concentrations of highly active fine-particulate rare-earth oxides to act as grain-growth inhibitors, nearly theoretically dense bodies with a uniform microstructure and 1 to 1.5 μm grain size were obtained. Typical microstructures with well-defined 90° and 180° domain patterns characteristic of BaTiO3: were observed. Also, an example of a checkerboard pattern resulting from a 〈111〉 ingrown twin plane in the structure which is independent of the Curie temperature was found. Electrical measurements on the undoped material indicated room-temperature dielectric constant and tan δ values of 5000±500 and 4×10−3, respectively. Very high k values and dissipation factors were observed with the La2O3- and Nd2O3-doped samples.


Embodiments of the present invention there is provided a projection display apparatus, comprising: a light source for emitting a light beam; a first optical path, the first optical path for projecting a light beam from a light source to a first display position; a second light path, the second optical path for projecting a light beam from a light source to a second display position; optical path switching means for switching the light beam emitted from a light source light path between the first and second optical paths; and a light modulation means, the said first optical path and second optical path through each of the light modulating means, said light modulating means configured to beam passing through the light modulating device is modulated to generate a display image. The projection display apparatus can be implemented in multiple different images at the display position.


We describe the electromagnetic and thermal design, performance, and fabrication for two types of radiometric- waveguide load calibrators. A simple theory is presented and used to minimize the total volume of the absorber structure. These devices have been used from room temperature to below 4 K in microwave to millimeter wavebands. The estimated precision of the calibrator is better than 1 mK absolute at temperatures near 2.7 K.


The mid-infrared spectra (4000−400 cm-1) of vinyl fluoride/HCl and vinyl fluoride/DCl mixtures, dissolved in liquefied argon at 105 K, were examined. In both cases, evidence was found for the occurrence of a 1:1 van der Waals complex between CH2CHF and HCl (DCl). At higher concentrations of hydrogen chloride, absorption bands of a 1:2 species were also observed. By using spectra recorded at several temperatures between 95 and 115 K, the complexation enthalpies of CH2CHF·HCl and CH2CHF·(HCl)2 were determined to be −5.78 ± 0.13 and −9.85 ± 0.34 kJ mol-1, respectively. A structural study, using ab initio calculations at the MP2/6-31+G** level, indicates that the complexation can occur either via the fluorine atom or via the π bond. From a comparison of the experimental with the ab initio vibrational frequencies, it was concluded that all observed bands of the 1:1 complex are due to a species complexed via the fluorine atom.


HIV-2 protease(PR2) has been an important target for the design of drugs curing AIDS.Molecular dynamics simulations combined with calculation of binding free energy were carried out to study the interaction mechanism of inhibitor AMP with PR2,the results suggested that van der Waals interaction is the main force of the binding of AMP to PR2.Residue-based free energy decomposition method was also applied to calculate the inhibitor-residue interaction,and the results showed that the interaction of hydrophobic CH-π and CH-O drives the binding of AMP to PR2.The authors expect that this study can provide theoretical hint for the design of dual inhibitors of anti-AIDS.


Objective To investigate the hypermethylation of GSTP1 and DAPK gene and its correlation with clinicopathological features in prostate cancer.Methods Methylation of GSTP1 and DAPK gene was detected by nested methylation specific PCR(NMSP) in 57 prostate carcinoma(PCa) and 35 benign prostate hyperplasia(BPH) tissues.The association between hypermethylation and clinicopathology characters of prostate cancer was analyzed.Results Hypermethylation frequencies of GSTP1 and DAPK gene in PCa tissue were significantly higher than those in BPH tissue(GSTP1: 61.4% vs 2.9%;DAPK: 43.9% vs 8.6%;P 0.01).Hypermethylation frequencies of GSTP1 gene were different among tissues with different Gleason score(χ2 = 11.53,P = 0.001),but were not different among patients with different age,different level of prostate specific antigen(PSA),and different Jewett stage(χ2 = 0.111,1.662,and 1.975,P 0.05).There were no significant differences among patients with different age,different level of PSA,different Gleason score,and different Jewett stage about hypermethylation frequencies of DAPK gene(χ2 = 0.071,0.002,1.290,and 2.309,P 0.05).Conclusion Hypermethylation of GSTP1 and DAPK gene is correlated with tumorigenesis and progression of prostate cancer.


Automatic facial expression recognition has turn into a progressive research area since it plays a major role in human-computer-interaction. The facial expression identification discovers major application in areas like social interaction and social intelligence. A study of a range of methods used in facial expression identification like principal component analysis (PCA), linear discriminant analysis (LDA) is made in this paper. The study is represented in a table form for speedy reference.


The present invention, for the processing of semiconductor wafers, in particular in the compositions for cleaning and chemical mechanical polishing of semiconductor wafers relates to the use of at least one oxidizing agent selected from peracetic acid. The present invention also relates to compositions of use and for their composition. The use of oxidizing agents of the invention provide a good effect while limiting / avoid corrosion of the substrate.


in order to solve the problem which 2 coal floor happened to push the water near the tunnel on the front of 1201 working face of the Dayuan coal industry company.It is reasonably adopted to adjust the grouting scheme so as to realize grouting,closure and plugging according to "three soft"geological structure and hydrology condition.Meanwhile,the mine recovered to rely on the grouping and dewatering at the same time.The project provides assistance for the working face as well as the one.


Ceratopsid (horned dinosaur) cranial material is relatively common in the Upper Cretaceous Naashoibito Member of the Kirtland Formation, San Juan Basin, New Mexico. However, the specimens are fragmentary, making identification problematic. Previously, it has been suggested that the Naashoibito specimens represent Torosaurus utahensis, a chasmosaurine taxon originally known from the North Horn Formation of Utah. This identification has been used to support a Lancian age for the Naashoibito Member and the Alamo Wash local fauna of the Kirtland Formation (e.g., Lehman, 1981; Lucas et al., 1987). Others (e.g., Lehman, 1990) have synonomized T. utahensis with Torosaurus latus, a taxon otherwise known only from the late Maastrichtian Lance and Hell Creek formations. Recent work has upheld the validity of T. utahensis (Sullivan et al., 2005). However, Sullivan and colleagues (2005) have also argued that no previously described ceratopsid specimens from the Naashoibito Member are identifiable beyond the level of Chasmosaurinae indeterminate and therefore are not useful for assessing biostratigraphic correlations and ceratopsid biogeography. Here we describe a partial chasmosaurine ceratopsid parietal from the Naashoibito Member of the Kirtland Formation. Although other fragmentary parietals have been recovered from this unit (e.g., Lehman, 1981; Lucas et al., 1987), the new specimen exhibits unusual morphology: an epoccipital element positioned along the midline. This feature has previously been reported only in Triceratops, a taxon not known from south of the Denver Basin. The occurrence of such a feature in a cera-


Defining the spatial distribution and timing of subsurface fluid percolation is one of the most important factors determining long term performance of the potential high-level radioactive waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The nonwelded interval of the Paintbrush Group (PTn), which overlies most of the potential repository, has high matrix porosities and permeabilities and is mostly unfractured. The Exploratory Studies Facility (ESF) is a 8-km long, 7.6-m diameter, tunnel excavated beneath Yucca Mountain to the level of the potential repository horizon in order to provide access for characterization of these rocks. Several samples collected within the ESF have measured {sup 36}Cl/Cl ratios that record anthropogenic {sup 36}Cl (bomb-pulse {sup 36}Cl), indicating that at least some fraction of the water has traversed the overlying PTn in 40 years or less and that flow is not confined to the matrix of that unit. The presence of a fast path transmitting bomb-pulse {sup 36}Cl to depth appears to require the simultaneous presence of a structure (such as a fault) cutting the PTn and sufficiently high magnitude to surface infiltration to initiate and sustain at least a small component of fracture flow along the connected fracture path associated with the structure. The {sup 36}Cl data have been simulated using the flow and transport model FEHM in order to establish bounds on infiltration rates at the site and to provide greater confidence in the understanding of unsaturated flow processes at the site by showing consistency between the observed and simulated data sets. An analogous effort simulating the distribution of porewater chloride concentrations is providing an independent means for confirming the conceptual model.


A labor market with equal opportunities is characteristic of developed, intelligent, fair and caring societies. However, in our country, still we can find several examples of labor discrimination and occupational segregation because of gender reasons. Our school girls are effective users of mixed educational system. The fact that they obtain better preparation and worse employments suggest that an educational nonsense, a squandering of talent and a gender injustice. It is essential to work the Academic Professional Orientation educationally so that/in order that the students could design their futures in equality, without the traditional subordination of the feminine role to the masculine role as the key provider; and also without hinder the professional masculine development. In this article, there are different activities and resources to sustain the educational performance above mentioned from the conscience of the problems, of the strategic resources and of the need of exigency of a real co-responsibility that exist nowadays.


Summary: We present a distributed and fully cross-platform d atabase search program that allows the user to utilise the idle clock cycles of machines to perform large searches using the most sensitive algorithms. For those in an academic or corporate environment with hundreds of idle desktop machines, DSEARCH can deliver a 'fr ee' database search supercomputer. Availability: The software is publicly available under the GNU g eneral public licence from http://www.cs.may.ie/distributed Contact: firstname.lastname@example.com Supplementary Information: Full documentation and a user manual is available f rom http://www.cs.may.ie/distributed


Bigraphs are a universal computational modelling formalism for the spatial and temporal evolution of a system in which entities can be added and removed. We extend bigraphs to probabilistic bigraphs, and then again to action bigraphs, which include non-determinism and rewards. The extensions are implemented in the BigraphER toolkit and illustrated through examples of virus spread in computer networks and data harvesting in wireless sensor systems. BigraphER also supports the existing stochastic bigraphs extension of Krivine et al. and using BigraphER we give, for the first time, a direct implementation of the membrane budding model used to motivate stochastic bigraphs.


This article deals with the actions of a group of local organizations in the face of socio-environmental risk, mainly caused by the pollution of a river in a region shared by the states of Puebla and Tlaxcala. I refer to the Coordinadora por un Atoyac con Vida (NGO for an Atoyac with Life), the Red de Jovenes en Defensa de los Pueblos (Youth Network in the People's Defense) and the Centro Fray Julian Garces de Derechos Humanos A.C. (non-governmental Fray Julian Garces Center for Human Rights), which for two decades have publicly denounced the devastating environmental impact that industrial development is causing in the Alto Atoyac Basin.


From 1885 until 1914 Viennese society was caught in a persistent conflict between newly emerging mass social movements and the established political and intellectual traditions of Viennese Liberalism which had occupied a position of considerable prominence in German Austria since the 1850s. Intellectuals and politicians rooted in the values and privileges of Liberalism found themselves confronted in the 1890s with social phenomena that not only were difficult to integrate into the systems of municipal and national politics that the Liberals had fashioned between 1861 and 1867 but also implied the economic and moral unsuitability of those systems for Viennese and Lower Austrian society. Standard political issues which older Liberals had found so appealing, such as anticlericalism, seemed less and less viable as one Liberal election defeat followed another. When the anti-Semitic coalition led by Karl Lueger secured the election of Catholic priests to the Viennese Gemeinderath and Lower Austrian Landtag in key bourgeois districts in Vienna like the Landstrasse and the Alsergrund in the early 1890s, political antiSemitism demonstrated its worth as a symbolic mechanism to undermine the cultural loyalty that white-collar Mittelstand groups had formerly accorded the Liberal tradition.' Not only were the anti-Liberal mass movements creating a new political language, but they seemed intent on co-opting into their own dynamic growth much of the political organizational structures and constitutional traditions of Liberalism itself. The remarkable, success of Christian Socialism and Social Democracy lay not only in the novelty of their radicalism but in the relative moderation of their legitimist conservatism.


In recent years due to depletion of fossil fuels, high oil prices and emission problems with conventional fuels such as gasoline and diesel, there has arisen a need for alternate fuels. Biodiesel is an important alternate fuel and that has been used here. In this paper blending method of Methyl tertiary butyl ether with diesel and its performance and emission characteristics were studied in detail. Transport vehicles greatly pollute the environment through emissions such as CO, CO2 , NOX, unburnt or partially burnt HC and particulate emissions. Fossil fuels are the chief contributors to urban air pollution and major source of Green House Gases (GHGs) and considered to be the prime cause behind the global climate change. Though diesel fuelled compression ignition engine can operate at high thermal efficiency creates more emission of HC and CO, the high level of NOX poses problems. The high combustion temperature and lean mixtures used are the reasons. This paper presents the results of performance and emission analyses carried out in diesel engine fuelled with Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether(MTBE) and its blends with diesel, Mahua and Pongamia. Engine tests have been conducted to get the comparative measures of Brake Specific Fuel Consumption (BSFC), Brake Thermal Efficiency (BTE) and emissions such as HC, CO, NOX. The results indicates that Pongamia with methyl tertiary butyl ether shows far better emissions results than diesel and mahua.


Abstract The effect of operation temperature and furfural/oil ratio on a single-stage furfural refining process for two distillates was studied. The acid number, basic nitrogen, refractive index and aniline point of each of the distillates and the refined oils were measured. They were assumed as four oil components, and the liquid-liquid equilibrium data and corresponding partition coefficients of the pseudo-components could be determined through mass conservation equations and simulated based on the artificial neural networks method. A multistage mathematical model for the refining process was established and solved numerically to give the refined oil quality and recovery under various furfural/oil ratios, temperatures, and stages, which showed a good agreement with those obtained from a pilot plant and the separatory funnel experiments under similar operation conditions. This paper may provide a useful way to assist in determining the optimum conditions and designing plant for the furfural refining process.


The Mid-Frequency Aperture Array (MFAA) forms part of the second phase of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA-2) and will operate between the frequencies of 450 and 1450MHz. When complete in 2030, MFAA will deliver more than 10,000m2 per Kelvin of sensitivity using $\boldsymbol{O}(10^{6})$ antennas in a phased array. The antennas will be distributed within 1024 stations, each approximately 13m in diameter distributed over a maximum baseline of 200km. To deliver the science, we also envisage a large central core area of antennas. This paper highlights the challenges in delivering such a large array and describes a smaller prototype to be realized over the next five years.


Establishing and improving the internal control system is inevitable to the establishment of modern enterprise system.However,currently quite a number of enterprises haven't fully understood the importance of the system and haven't set down specific and comprehensive internal control system that is combined with their own future development goals.Functions of accountants are mostly reflected in the reimbursement and doing accounts,which results in the overall lack of effective internal financial control.This is not only relevant to insufficient systematic extent of regulatory internal control system but also closely related to the enterprise staff and enterprise culture.Therefore,enterprises at the present stage should change concept,enhance risk awareness and improve the construction of controlling environment.Meanwhile,they should strengthen staff training to greatly enhance the quality of managers and staff and strengthen audit and supervision and launch self assessment of internal control and bring the construction of internal control into the performance appraisal system.


Current Technology Issues The development of handheld and portable Raman system has brought the relatively unknown analytical technique into the main stream. Currently the majority of the available portable or handheld systems are based off of a closely related dispersive design. This design has its advantages due to the low power requirements, small size, and the resolution needed to identify a multitude of compounds. A characteristic of this basic design is that it only measures an extremely small fixed volume, which is sufficient when analyzing bulk pure substances. However, most of the portable and handheld applications today require high spectral resolution and a large laser interrogation area since most compounds and samples are mixtures or heterogeneous. Another issue is the tight laser focus needed for the efficient collection of the scattered Raman light. This tight focus increases the laser power density at the sample which creates intense heat buildup. This intense heat can be damaging to the sample, which can be easily observed on delicate SERS substrates, or it can be dangerous to the user and instrument if the samples are flammable or explosive.


In today's society, the identity verification is a serious key problem with the rapid development in the domain of computer and network technology. Hence, the necessity for a superior and more consistent methodology for identity authentication becomes more prominent. As biometric identifiers are relatively tough to counterfeit, mislay or share, biometric recognition approach appears to be more effective and reliable than conventional passwords or PINs. Owing to its low forgery risk, consistency and aliveness detection, Finger Vein Recognition (FVR) has emerged to be the most promising and novelist biometric technique. Finger vein pattern is defined as the hypodermic vein structures arbitrarily developing a network of blood vessels underneath the skin of a finger to recognize individuals at a very high level of accuracy. However, it is challenging to extract a more reliable and accurate finger vein pattern due to the random noise, low contrast, illumination variation, image deformation and blur. Not much research has been conducted on effective frequency domain feature extraction techniques, hence, considering the above issues, this research presents an efficient feature extraction approach which employs the Local Directional Pattern (LDP), which is robust in the existence of random noise, ageing effects as well as illumination changes. Support Vector machines (SVM), which is a powerful machine-learning binary classifier, is implemented in order to enhance the recognition performance by classifying finger vein patterns as either imposter or genuine. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach achieved significant performance and better classification accuracy on HKPU database. An accuracy of 97.5% with an Equal Error Rate of 0.81% is achieved indicating superior results over existing techniques.


This paper tackles the structures and energetics of various simulated GeO2 open-frameworks. The viability of as-synthesized germanates upon template extraction, i.e. calcination treatment, and of germanates as zeotypes is discussed.


The paper presents some less known theoretical views of the recently deceased Nobel laureate, Maurice Allais, which significantly diverge from certain 'unquestioned truths' of mainstream economics. Although a liberal and a cofounder of the Mont Pelerin Society, Allais was opposed to globalization and the simplified doctrine of free trade, and advocated reasonable protectionism. A convinced European and a proponent of European confederation, he was opposed to the Maastricht Treaty for its excessive emphasis on free trade. In his opinion, political union should precede economic integration. Finally, although a liberal and a monetarist, Allais did not believe in the self-regulating power of financial markets. He argued that radical reforms of the international financial and monetary system were necessary, by which the regulating mechanisms would be institutionalized. In 1988, he won the Nobel Prize in Economics 'for his pioneering contributions to the theory of markets and efficient utilization of resources'.


A variety of projects are underway to develop applications and products based on the data sets in the National Library of Medicine's Visible Human project and in the Voxel Man atlas project (see ibid., p.7-9). Several of them are presented, as well as updates on other medical graphics applications; they include the following: 3D volumetric rendering of human colon via CT scans; Interactive Volume Browser on the World Wide Web; and Voxel System for holographic viewing of medical applications.


Objective To investigate the neuroprotective effect of panaxynol on primary cultured cortical neuron against oxidative stress. Methods Viability of panaxynol acted on neuron oxidative stress was monitored by MTT assay and FCM method. Scavenging effects of panaxynol on free radicals were observed in vitro. Effects of panaxynol on SOD activity and GSH-Px, and MDA content in primary neuron injured by H_2O_2 were also determined. Results Panaxynol (2—16 μmol/L) could dose-dependently protect neuron from oxidative stress induced by H_2O_2; 8 μmol/L of panaxynol could decrease necrosis and apoptosis rate of neuron significantly (P0.01). Panaxynol (30—100 μmol/L) could scavenge free radicals. Panaxynol (2—8 μmol/L) could significantly improve the activities of SOD and GSH-Px, and inhibit MDA formation (P0.01) in primary cultured neuron injured by H_2O_2. Conclusion The protective effects of panaxynol on neuron against oxidative stress may be related with the increase of SOD activity in cytoplasm.


In their recent review, 'Geoengineering with seagrasses: is credit due where credit is given?,' Johannessen and Macdonald () invoke the prospect of carbon offset-credit over-allocation by the Verified Carbon Standard as a pretense for their concerns about published seagrass carbon burial rate and global stock estimates. Johannessen and Macdonald () suggest that projects seeking offset-credits under the Verified Carbon Standard methodology VM0033: Methodology for Tidal Wetland and Seagrass Restoration will overestimate long-term (100 yr) sediment organic carbon (SOC) storage because issues affecting carbon burial rates bias storage estimates. These issues warrant serious consideration by the seagrass research community; however, VM0033 does not refer to seagrass SOC 'burial rates' or 'storage.' Projects seeking credits under VM0033 must document greenhouse gas emission reductions over time, relative to a baseline scenario, in order to receive credits. Projects must also monitor changes in carbon pools, including SOC, to confirm that observed benefits are maintained over time. However, VM0033 allows projects to conservatively underestimate project benefits by citing default values for specific accounting parameters, including CO2 emissions reductions. We therefore acknowledge that carbon crediting methodologies such as VM0033 are sensitive to the quality of the seagrass literature, particularly when permitted default factors are based in part on seagrass burial rates. Literature-derived values should be evaluated based on the concerns raised by Johannessen and Macdonald (), but these issues should not lead to credit over-allocation in practice, provided VM0033 is rigorously followed. These issues may, however, affect the feasibility of particular seagrass offset projects.


Recent studies show an increase in the frequency of compound extremes in air temperature and precipitation in many parts of the world, especially under dry and hot conditions. Compound extremes have a significant impact on all spheres of human activity, such as health, agriculture, and energy. Features of atmospheric circulation are closely related to the occurrence of anomalies in air temperature and precipitation. The article analyzes the relationship of atmospheric circulation modes with compound extremes that have had the greatest impact on the Atlantic–European region over the territory of Eastern Europe over the past 60 years on extreme air temperature and precipitation. Combinations of extreme temperature and humidity conditions (indices)— cold-dry (CD), cold-wet (CW), warm-dry (WD) and warm-wet (WW)—were used as compound extremes. Indices of compound extremes were calculated according to the E-OBS reanalysis data. Estimates of the relationship between two time series were carried out using standard correlation and composite analyses, as well as cross wavelet analysis. Phase relationships and time intervals for different climatic indices were different. The period of most fluctuations in the indices of compound extremes was from 4 to 12 years and was observed during 1970–2000. The coherent fluctuations in the time series of the WD and WW indices and the North Atlantic oscillation (NAO) index occurred rather in phase, those in the time series of the CD and WD indices and the Arctic oscillation (AO) index occurred in antiphase, and those in the time series of the WD and WW indices and the Scandinavia pattern (SCAND) index occurred in antiphase. Statistically significant increase in the number of warm compound extremes was found for the northern parts of the study region in the winter season with positive NAO and AO phases.


Mopuru Rishitha, Ph.D Research Scholar Department of Biotechnology, Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, India Janardhan Gude Senior scientist, Micro SynbiotiX, Ireland Dowlathabad Muralidhara Rao* Associate Professor, Department of Biotechnology, Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Anantapuramu, Andhra Pradesh, India ABSTRACT Channa straita waste was collected from fish landings of Anantapuram, for a period between October 2013-September 2014. Since these species are landed only during certain corners of the year, specimens of uniform size from all three species were alone taken into consideration for the production of fish oil. The fish body oil was extracted from the tissues of Channa straita employing four different extraction methods, namely Bligh & Dyer, Modified Bligh & Dyer, Mcgill & Moffat and Direct Steaming. From the results it is proved that direct steaming method as the finest extraction process due to its winsome qualities such as higher yield, economic viability, less laborious and less time consumption. Analytical properties of the crude fish oil were evaluated separately for freshly prepared samples and for 30 days old samples which were stored in refrigerator at 0C. These analytical values of the crude oil are well within the acceptable standard values for both fresh and stocked samples. It is important to note that the values for both fresh and 30 days old refrigerated samples did not having much variation.


Both ammonium (NH4) and nitrate (NO3) have been proven to be crucial building components of accumulating plant biomass in forests(Knute et. al, 1984 & Pastor et. al, 1984). We wanted to examine the volumetric relationships between the microorganisms that process these compounds and the amount of the compounds themselves throughout a secondary successional forest of different stand ages. We sampled 45 plots in the A soil horizon throughout the University of Michigan Biological Station burn plot chronosequence from 3 different forest age stands, comparing differences of NH4, NO3, total microbial mass and amino N content between sites. We found significant differences between NH4 and NO3 content as well as a significant relationship between amino N and NH4 across stand age. In addition to NO3 and NH4 interactions and cycling properties with biomass accumulation and nutrient leaching, these differences in data could be related to the unique attributes of forests in different successional periods such as amounts of leaf litter, species composition, or soil pH (Knute et. al, 1984, Mcclung, G; Stenger 1995; Bauhus & Co ̂té, 1998). Introduction An important limiting factor of production in forest ecosystems has been linked to organic nitrogen content in soil and rate processes of the nitrogen cycle (Knute et. al, 1984 & Pastor et. al, 1984). The role of soil microbial biomass is well established as a major component in the cycling of soil nitrogen turnover, soil respiration and ecosystem productivity. (Marumoto et. al, 1982b; Van Veen et al., 1987; Duxbury et al., 1989; Jenkinson and Parry, 1989; Bauhus & Co ̂té, 1998). Turnover is influenced by temperature, season, moisture, salinity, disturbance, leaf litter, stand age and other factors have implications for the growth and survival of forest trees and for net primary production in forest ecosystems (Bhabani et. al, 1995; Yuki et. al, 2013; Knute et. al, 1984, Mcclung, G; Stenger 1995; Bauhus & Co ̂té, 1998). Both ammonium (NH4) and nitrate (NO3) have been proven to be crucial building components of accumulating plant biomass, and few studies have been conducted in northern temperate forests examining microbiomass relationships with ammonium and nitrate content throughout forest ages. We hypothesized nitrate, ammonium, amino-N, and total microbial N content is greater in older forest stands because microbial communities in older stands would have had longer times to develop. We also hypothesized there is a positive relationship between amino N and ammonium content in soil because ammonium indicates decomposition by microbes, and that there is a positive relationship between amino N and nitrate content in soil across stand age because microbes participate in nitrification. Understanding these relationships more thoroughly can help us understand microbial ecosystem functionality throughout time and mineralization rates that could relate to potential productivity, which is one important component to consider as a future carbon sequestration outlet with the shifting atmospheric CO2 levels (Reich et. al, 2006). Methods We took 15 random samples throughout forest stands of ages 35 years, 61 years, and 104 years, extracted by soil core. We determined to sample from the A layer because it has the most activity and microbe abundance (Agnelli et. al, 2004).We separated the soil samples from leaf litter and other particulate matter by tweezing and sieving thoroughly. Soil was then measured into pair sets of 4 grams of fumigated soil and non-fumigated soil. Fumigated soul was stored in CHCl3 for 48 hours to kill microbes and to extract amino nitrogen, then transferred to 40mL of 3M K2SO4 and shook for 60 minutes for homogenization in a benchtop shaker. We then filtered the solution through #42 GF filter paper into an NH4 and NO3 ninhydrin solution. We followed the same procedure for the non-fumigated samples with the exception of storing the soil in CHCl3 for 48 hours to avoid extracting amino N in the microbes. We then subtracted non-fumigated from corresponding fumigated samples to obtain an overall difference that has been shown to be reliable in estimating microbial volumes in soil (Joergensen & Brookes, 1980). We analyzed NO3, NH4, Amino N and total microbial N amounts using ANOVA across the different forest stand ages and also regressed NO3 and NH4 with amino N to assess relationships between these components of the nitrogen cycle. Results One-way ANOVA yielded significant results in NH4+ (F2,39, p=<.000), NO3 (F2,39, p=.003) across stand ages, but not total microbial N (F2,39, p=.863) or amino N (F2,39, p=.273). Regression of amino N and NH4 returned a significant relationship between the variables (R2=0.365, P<0.000, α=.05) while amino N and NO3 did not share statistically significant (R2=0.081, P<0.06, α=.05) relationship. All relationships can be further examined in figures of the Appendix. Discussion Ammonium, a cation, is retained within the soils by cation exchange, whereas nitrate, an anion, is excluded from cation exchange sites and easily leached from most soils, which could account for part of the significance level difference (Robertson, G. Philip, and Peter M. Vitousek). Nitrate could also be used by plants to build biomass, attributed to the never ceasing production of biomass accumulations within forests and accounting for some nitrate loss, especially in the 35 year aged stand because of high productivity rates. NH4 availability followed a general trend of being highest in the oldest aged stand, which could be attributed to higher accumulations of organic matter on soil surfaces in older forests and possibly diversified communities of microbes (Smithwick, 2005). This trend can also be associated with increases in microbial biomass due to increased forest productivity with increased age, which is not statistically significant in our model but is notable in our data (Myrold et. al, 1989). Both thickness of organic matter and assessments of microbial communities would need to be addressed in different forest ages to further examine the possibility of these relationships. Nitrogen availability also tends to decrease as forests age (Bauhus 1998), a trend we did not see with our data. Both lacks of microbial accumulation and decreasing trends of nitrogen availability in our data could be credited to the age of our oldest stand being relatively young in the North American Temperate Zone. An age of 104 years may not be old enough to detect these trends which may be characteristic of old growth forests. Future studies would be encouraged to compare organic matter volumes on the soil horizon, soil pH, and types of microbial communities present to assess other relationships and possible trends across a larger range of stand ages. These examinations could more accurately explore other relationships and possible trends in nitrate, ammonium, and microbial mass allowing us to view the overall process of the soil focused nitrogen cycle throughout the forest aging process.


The article presents the results of seed and feed productivity of mixed crops of winter vetch with winter triticale when cultivated on sod-podzolic sandy loam soil of the Kaluga region


Recent theoretical work has suggested that Lyα nebulae could be substantially polarized in the Lyα emission line, depending on the geometry, kinematics, and powering mechanism at work. Polarization observations can therefore provide a useful constraint on the source of ionization in these systems. In this Letter, we present the first Lyα polarization measurements for a giant Lyα nebula at z≈ 2.656. We do not detect any significant linear polarization of the Lyα emission: PLyα = 2.6% ± 2.8% (corrected for statistical bias) within a single large aperture. The current data also do not show evidence for the radial polarization gradient predicted by some theoretical models. These results rule out singly scattered Lyα (e.g., from the nearby active galactic nucleus, AGN) and may be inconsistent with some models of backscattering in a spherical outflow. However, the effects of seeing, diminished signal-to-noise ratio, and angle averaging within radial bins make it difficult to put strong constraints on the radial polarization profile. The current constraints may be consistent with higher density outflow models, spherically symmetric infall models, photoionization by star formation within the nebula or the nearby AGN, resonant scattering, or non-spherically symmetric cold accretion (i.e., along filaments). Higher signal-to-noise ratio data probing to higher spatial resolution will allow us to harness the full diagnostic power of polarization observations in distinguishing between theoretical models of giant Lyα nebulae.


Infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). SARS-CoV-2 triggers an immune response with local inflammation in the lung, which may extend to a systemic hyperinflammatory reaction. Excessive inflammation has been reported in severe cases with respiratory failure and cardiovascular complications. In addition to the release of cytokines, referred to as cytokine release syndrome or "cytokine storm," increased pro-inflammatory lipid mediators derived from the omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) arachidonic acid may cause an "eicosanoid storm," which contributes to the uncontrolled systemic inflammation. Specialized pro-resolving mediators, which are derived from omega-3 PUFA, limit inflammatory reactions by an active process called resolution of inflammation. Here, the rationale for omega-3 PUFA supplementation in COVID-19 patients is presented along with a brief overview of the study protocol for the trial "Resolving Inflammatory Storm in COVID-19 Patients by Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids - A single-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled feasibility study" (COVID-Omega-F). EudraCT: 2020-002293-28; clinicaltrials.gov: NCT04647604.


Tautog, Tautoga onitis, is an abundant species of fish in estuaries of the northeastern United States. Planktonic tautog larvae are abundant in summer in these estuaries, but there is little information on rates of growth of tautog larvae feeding on natural assemblages of food in the plankton. We examined abundance and growth of larval tautog and environmental factors during weekly sampling at three sites along a nearshore-to-offshore transect in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, USA during summer 1994. This is the first study of a robust sample size (336 larvae) to estimate growth rates of field-caught planktonic tautog larvae feeding on natural diets, using the otolith daily-growth-increment method. The study was over the entire summer period when tautog larvae were in the plankton. The sampling sites contrasted in several environmental variables including temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), and chlorophyll a concentration. There was a temporal progression in the abundance of tautog larvae over the summer, in relation to location and temperature. Tautog larvae were first present nearshore, with a pronounced peak in abundance occurring at the nearshore sites during the last 2 weeks in June. Larvae were absent at this time further offshore. From late June through August, larval abundance progressively decreased nearshore, but increased offshore although never approaching the abundance levels observed at the nearshore sites. The distribution and abundance of tautog larvae appeared to be related to a nearshore-to-offshore seasonal warming trend and a nearshore decrease in DO. Otoliths from 336 larvae ranging from 2.3 to 7.7 mm standard length had otolith increment counts ranging from 0 to 19 increments. Growth of larval tautog was estimated at 0.23 mm·day−1, and length of larvae prior to first increment formation was estimated at 2.8 mm indicating that first increment formation occurs 3–4 days after hatching at 2.2 mm. Despite spatial and temporal differences in environmental factors, there were no significant differences in growth rates at any of three given sites over time, or between sites. Because larval presence only occurred at a narrow range of temperature (17–23.5 °C) and DO (6.5–9.3 mg·l−1), in situ differences in growth did not appear to be because of differences in larval distribution and abundance patterns relative to these parameters.


In critically ill COVID-19 patients, proper management of sedation is an important issue. Therefore, for this purpose, several strategies and protocols have been proposed. In this paper, we illustrate an approach focused on lung damage, and both the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles of drugs used. In line with this, during high flow nasal (HFN), continuous positive airway pressure, or non-invasive ventilation, dexmedetomidine-based light sedation can be helpful for maintaining the respiratory driving and improving the patient comfort. A worsening in the respiratory clinical picture with mechanical ventilation may require deep sedation with the use of clonidine. The latter may reduce the hypnotic doses, allowing improved hemodynamic stability. When respiratory performance improves, dexmedetomidine can replace clonidine to reduce the time to extubation.


The paper discusses concepts related to an asset management approach for managing a pavement network. It explains the relation and difference between an asset management system and a pavement management system. It also describes needed elements from a pavement management system supporting an overall asset management system. Following a brief overview of both pavement management and asset management concepts, this paper discusses issues comparing pavement management and asset management, a description of components that should be included in either cases and/or both cases, and a description of the benefits that can be achieved applying asset management concepts on pavements. One of the major outcomes from this paper can be to facilitate the methods and tools that should be used in communicating messages clearly to stakeholders of infrastructure assets, especially a pavement network. Other outcomes include uses of management tools for a better network level management of pavements. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E212095.


: High strength steel hot forming technology plays an important role in achieving lightweight vehicles, improving the safety performance of vehicles. The traditional hot forming product has high strength, but the plasticity is usually low and comprehensive mechanical performance is not high. Recent years, in order to achieve both high strength and high plasticity of the hot forming parts, performance gradient distribution hot forming technology has become the hotspot of scholars. The process control of material gradient properties hot forming technology is summarized through the analysis of strengthening mechanism of performance gradient distribution hot forming technology. The current methods to realize performance gradient distribution of hot forming technology are analyzed from the perspective of process, which contains detail description about how to control the initial heating temperature, cooling rate, and how to improve the mold material and the mold and forming contact area with the aim of achieving the material microstructure and performance gradient distribution. The performance gradient distribution hot forming technology research status at home and abroad is summarized and analyzed. The main direction and key scientific problems of performance gradient distribution hot forming technology, including the theoretical basis, the heating technology implementation, performance gradient distribution mold design are discussed. Performance gradient distribution hot forming technology plays an important role in precision forming, lightweight, high performance, short process, low cost and environment friendly characteristics. It is an important direction for future development of hot forming technology.


A super-passive cooling technique based on a thermal paste is proposed for PV efficiency enhancement in elevated temperature conditions. A mixture between carbon nanotubes and graphene having a promising Seebeck coefficient is chosen. An overall enhancement in efficiency by around 58% was reached while thermoelectrically supplying hundreds of micro-Watt per PV Watt.


The current in a semiconductor under a high electric field is studied by solving the Liouville equation. The formal theory is developed using the Stark ladder representation, and the infinite series of a perturbation expansion for the weak electron-phonon coupling is evaluated. The effect of an electric field on the scattering matrix is studied in terms of the self-energy due to higher-order scatterings. It is shown that the real part of the self-energy, as well as the imaginary part, has a role in the transport properties. The results are applied to the velocity overshoot and the ballistic effect in a short semiconductor device. It is found that the velocity overshoot is realised by the inelastic nature of the scattering while the ballistic effect arises from the variation of the self-energy with time or the correlation effect.


The invention provides an approximate web document detection method based on content and position features. In the approximate web document detection method disclosed by the invention, noise information in a page is eliminated before webpage features are calculated; therefore, influence of the noise content in the page on an approximate web document detection process can be effectively reduced; on the basis of selective analysis of a page text, in combination with a key concept, distribution characteristics and position features in a webpage text are compared, such that the approximate page detection precision is increased; the advantages of an indexing mechanism and a retrieval system in massive data are sufficiently utilized; a reverse index is used as a storage and access medium for keyword item vectors and position feature vectors in the page; the execution efficiency and the feasibility of the method are improved; in the method disclosed by the invention, the page content and the position feature vectors are used as basis for approximate page judgement; dependence on a related corpus and a conception semantic net is greatly reduced; the applicability of the method is enhanced; and thus, the approximate detection range of web documents is widened.


There is a recognised gap between what climate science can currently provide and what end users of that information require to make robust adaptation decisions about their climate-related risks. This issue has been identified as a major barrier to successful climate change adaptation outcomes and is emphasised within the water resource management and agricultural sectors because of high uncertainty surrounding precipitation projections. This paper details the outcomes of a survey and workshop aimed at better understanding this gap. To bridge the gap, it is recommended that communication and packaging of climate information be improved via a formalised 'knowledge broker'. It is also suggested that a 'terms of reference' for key climate change-related terms be developed and agreed upon by both climate science providers and end users to reduce the misuse of terminology and subsequent confusion. Further, it is recommended that additional research be conducted into natural variability and baseline risk to provide a realistic background on which climate change projections and associated uncertainties are assessed. Finally, for successful climate change adaptation, new tools and methods are needed that deal explicitly with end user needs and the practical limitations end users face (e.g. time, funding, human resources, politics) when attempting to make robust decisions under climate change-related uncertainty.


Laboratory process automation is an important requirement for streamlining and standardizing technical procedures. Despite the extensive use of magnetic cell separation, only the latter steps in these procedures have been automated. Currently magnetic cell labeling is done manually followed by automated magnetic separation (e.g. AutoMACS and Isolex). Additionally, current technology only allows for processing of a single sample at a time. Our objective was to develop a fully automated system to magnetically separate multiple blood and bone marrow samples. The major barrier to automation of cell labeling is that these procedures typically require a centrifugal wash step, which is relatively expensive to automate and requires bulky equipment. We had previously developed a magnetic cell labeling/separation system call EasySep ® (Stemcell Technologies) which does not require a centrifugal wash step. We have now fully automated EasySep ® and present the RoboSep™ instrument which magnetically labels and separates 4 samples at once, with up to 2×10 9 total cells per sample or 8×10 9 total cells. The instrument operates in a standard biosafety hood and uses sterile disposable pipette tips to ensure aseptic operation and avoid cross-contamination between samples. Standardized automation protocols have been developed for both positive and negative selection. With positive selection, the desired cells are magnetically labeled and then purified by a sequence of magnetic wash steps. With negative selection, unwanted cells are magnetically labeled and then depleted. To demonstrate the suitability of RoboSep™ for automated positive selection of hematopoietic progenitors and stem cells, we performed CD34+ cell selection from previously frozen cord blood (CB) and mobilized peripheral blood (MPB). For the CB separations, the CD34+ cell content was enriched from 1.2±0.4% to 96.6±3.1% with a recovery of 45±9% (n=9, mean ± 1 SD). For the MPB separations the CD34+ cell content was enriched from 0.7±0.1% to 96.7±3.1%, with a recovery of 45±13% (n=4). To test RoboSep in negative selection we used an EasySep ® antibody cocktail depleting cells that express any of CD2, CD3, CD11b, CD11c, CD14, CD16, CD19, CD24, CD56, CD66b, and glycophorin A to isolate hematopoietic progenitors from bone marrow (BM) and MPB. CB separations required the addition of anti-CD41 to the antibody cocktail for depletion of platelets. The table below shows results for negative selection from BM, CB and MPB. Manual separations performed in parallel with the above automated separations showed comparable purity and recovery, indicating that we have succeeded in automating both positive and negative selection procedures. The RoboSep instrument processes up to 4 tissue samples at once and provides the opportunity to isolate multiple cell subsets from the same sample by combining positive and negative selection methods in a single automated procedure.


According to the broad field of activities of physical and rehabilitation medicine (PRM), the spectrum of scientific topics and methods is very extensive. It ranges from research on mechanisms of disease and treatments to the outcomes of PRM interventions and programs to the concepts of disability and functioning and societal aspects of the provision of rehabilitation services. Stucki and Grimby[1] provided a model to operationalize the field of science in PRM along the dimensions from cell to society and from basic to applied professional sciences [Figure 1].


In the face of the reform demand of the current training mode of applied technical talents in criminal investigation, combined with many shortcomings in the actual teaching process of investigation major, this paper will focus on the practical training, design the criminal investigation simulation training system with 3ds Max, Unity3D and other software programs as the core, integrate and package the system with ASP.NET framework, form a standard Web application, and publish it on the server. The system will complete the hierarchical structure design according to the MVC design pattern, and the functional modules will cover the whole process of criminal investigation, thus realizing the high reduction and reproduction of virtual simulation training environment and training projects, and innovatively introducing virtual simulation teaching methods and online teaching forms into criminal investigation professional courses. It is not only conducive to improving students' comprehensive ability and professional quality, but also conducive to overcoming the disadvantages of traditional practical teaching mode, and providing an effective new mode and method for cultivating high- quality applied criminal investigation technical talents.


A nutritional growth promoter for multi-stem ginseng belongs to the agricultural technology field. The invention solves the problem of changing ginseng from single-stem to multi-stem. The invention can be prepared according to the weight percentages as follows: B9 0.10%-0.40%, chito-oligosaccharides 0.30%-1.00%, compound amino acid 0.50%-1.50%, monopotassium phosphate 0.10%-0.20%, ferrisulphas 0.02%-0.08%, boric acid 0.05%-0.15%, manganous sulfate 0.05%-0.15%, copper sulfate 0.02%-0.08%, zinc sulfate 0.10%-0.20%, ammonium molybdate 0.05%-0.10%, and water 100.0%. B9, chito-oligosaccharides, compound amino acid, monopotassium phosphate, ferrisulphas, boric acid, manganous sulfate, copper sulfate, zinc sulfate, and ammonium molybdate are respectively dissolved in little water, and then mixed with the rest water to prepare nutrient solution which is used in foliage spraying. The nutritional growth promoter is used for cultivating multi-stem ginseng with increased production and improved quality.


Humans are an inseparable part of their environment through their dependence on ecosystems and the services ecosystems provide. The mismanagement of ecosystem services increases human vulnerability. Examples like the Irish Potato Famine (1845-1850), the Canadian dustbowl (1920s), or the current Californian pollination crisis show how past unsustainable use of ecosystem services lead to human harm. Projections of ecosystem service supply under global change alert us to potential negative trends in the future. Using these examples the author discusses three general reasons for unsustainable management of ecosystem services, and explores how environmental science can facilitate sustainable management. Environmental scientists alone cannot provide the information and the tools that are needed to lessen the vulnerability of a region. However, they can make essential contributions by identifying ecosystem services, and providing the best current understanding of the dynamics of complex ecosystems, including human management. Sustainable management of ecosystem services requires a sustained active dialogue between a free media, an alert and well-informed public, candid scientists and policy makers – in other words, it requires abundant social, economic and environmental resources.


The crystal structure of N-(1-adamantyl)urea (tricyclo[3,3,1,13,7]decan-1-urea, C11H18N2O) has been determined by X-ray diffraction. The crystal belongs to the monoclinic system, space group P21/c with a = 13.070(2), b = 8.942(1), c = 9.390(1) ', β = 109.819(8)°, V = 1032.5(2) '3, Mr = 194.27, Z = 4, Dc = 1.250 g/cm3, μ = 0.081 mm-1, F(000) = 424, R = 0.0427 and wR = 0.1076 for 1105 observed reflections with I 2σ(I). The structure of the title compound consists of an adamantly cage which is a stable tricyclo structure with chair conformation and the substituted urea forms the interlayer-type crystal structure via hydrogen bonds between the molecules.


We choose the southwestern metropolis,Chengdu,as the subject in the study.Besides,we carry out the questionnaire,in-depth visit among the suburbanites and the relevant departments,then processing the data we get by SPSS.The result describes the current situation,from which we conclude four indices about urbanization,namely population,economy,culture and residential environment In view of these,we analyze how the college suburbanization improves and optimizes the urbanization of the population,suburban economy,suburban culture and suburban residential environment.


Base on Marx's cost theory,the coal cost composition was analyzed including the contents.According to the present cost composition status of the coal enterprises,the paper analyzed the problems existed in the available coal cost composition.From a view of the scientific development,the paper provided the idea to realize the rationalized coal cost composition.


In September the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hosted its third summit focused on reducing the availability of opioids online.


The present report describes the case of a 43-year-old woman with acute inferior myocardial infarction, in whom the culprit vessel was posteromedially located, and various diagnostic or guide catheters could not be engaged. The culprit vessel was directly cannulated using a guide wire, which allowed for a successful coronary intervention.


"SIX DAYS SHALT thou labor and do all thy work." but the seventh day is your own and you may create masterpieces if you can. At any rate this is the way the East London Group has chosen to dispose of the day of rest. From the small club room off the Bow Road, where its members first held their meetings and classes, the East London Group has risen to conquer the world. Beginning five years ago with an exhibition at White-chapel it has advanced onto West London where today it finds permanent lodging in the Lefevre Galleries.


Not long ago, television news was a no-cry zone. The top newsmen were celebrated for their emotional control in the face of gut-punching developments. War, death, terrorism, plague--nothing rattled their composure. Not anymore -- Fox News anchor Glenn Beck.


Dracunculus medinensis (Guinea worm, Medina worm and Dragon worm) is one of the parasitic worms string length reaches up to over a meter in the subcutaneous tissue of humans and some primate tropical taken place, the disease can be painful and sometimes fatal. Zahhak name is Arabic of "Dahak" in the Avesta as "Azhy Dahak". Zahhak legend is one of the most ancient Persian mythologies . Ferdowsi, consistent with cultural beliefs, symbolic and poetic language, but the source of truth, has described the adventure. The authors speculate that the snake lies on the shoulders Zahhak, in fact these are Dracunculus worm parasite. This present report is the first historical account of the development of the Dracunculus parasite disease in mammals that is mentioned in historical and literary texts.


The introduction of sustainability asks for complex solutions and requires multidisciplinary competences that Facilities Management educations have to integrate. Whereas research has demonstrated that FM can play a central role in implementing sustainable solutions, it appears that practitioners don't have sufficient access to knowledge and tools to develop their practice efficiently. In particular, methods to integrate all the stakeholders and above all the users, indispensable to the success of these initiatives, seem missing. This paper presents the assessment of a summer school aiming at providing 35 students from three Scandinavian countries with a holistic understanding of sustainability including the users' perspective. We discuss the pedagogical challenges related to this kind of event as well as their potential contributions to develop tools of relevance for both educational and professional purposes. The summer school concept is building on Project-Based Learning. The supporting staff includes academic teachers, researchers and practitioners. The challenge is to create a pedagogical platform merging both academic and professional interests, methods and criteria for success. The material for this qualitative study are gathered through participant observations formal progress and assessment sessions. The summer school took place in March 2017 in Trondheim Norway, here we present our preliminary results.


Characteristics of annual and seasonal precipitation variation are explored in the upstream of Minjiang River (UMR), Southwestern China, spanning from 1960 to 2015. The moment of method (MOM), linear regression method, Mann–Kendall test, sequential cluster analysis, and Morlet wavelet analysis were utilized. The results clearly show the following: (1) Distribution of precipitation is uneven in space, with more in the south and less in the southeast. Decade average of annual precipitation reached the lowest in the 2000s and increased during 2010–2015 at all gauging stations and UMR. (2) Areal annual precipitation exhibited an insignificant decreasing trend with a rate of 4.47 mm/10a, which was mainly attributable to decreased summer precipitation. Spring precipitation exhibited an insignificant increasing trend and winter precipitation remained unchanged. (3) The change points mainly appeared in the 1980s and 1990s. And the almost periods of study area were generally 2–5 years, 7–11 years, and 15–20 years. (4) The increasing trend of annual precipitation is relatively obvious at higher altitudes, while the decreasing trend is more significant at low altitude stations.


Eleven known samples of mixed powder of cocaine and sodium hydrogencarbonate were measured by an X-ray diffractometer; the 1/Io values at 18 or 19 20-values were used for data base. Multivariate analyses (such as cluster analysis, cluster analysis from deviation and principal component analysis) were carried out by the use of a 12X18 or 12X19 matrix, and the approximate cocaine contents in unknown samples were determined. The accurate cocaine contents were calculated from the principal component score. The calculated values of the cocaine content agreed well with the theoretical values.


Introduction . Iran, with more than 10 species of Pyrus , is one of the important genetic resources for this genus in the world, and Fars province is one of the centers of origin. In our research, cytogenetical investigation of native wild pear species of Fars province, including P. glabra Boiss., P. syriaca Boiss. and, probably, a natural hybrid of them, (P. glabra  × P  syriaca ), was carried out using a video analysis system. Materials and methods . Seed germination of different species was done on damp filter paper in petri dishes, and root tips were collected for karyotypical investigation. After pretreatment, fixation, hydrolysis and staining, samples were prepared for observation under the microscope and chromosome morphology was studied. Analysis of the species genome (length of each chromosome, length of long and short arm, ratio of long arm to short arm and ratio of short arm to long arm) was done and the chromosomal type of each species was determined using Levan et al. 's method. Then the karyotypic symmetry of species was studied by Stebbins' method. Results and discussion . The results revealed that all of the genotypes, with 2n = 2x = 34, were diploid. Based on Stebbins' table, genotypes 1 and 2 of P. glabra were classified into group 1A, P. glabra × P. syriaca into group 2A and P. syriaca into group 2B. Genotype plots, according to the A1 and A2 parameters and Stebbins' cross classes, revealed the same results. Similarity and differences of species in chromosomal aspects were investigated and the results shown in a dendrogram.


The software for calculation the thermal conditions of the hot rolling mill is developed. The software includes several mathematical models of the temperature distribution along the thickness of the strip and working rolls. The base of all models is the heat equation with different boundary conditions. The type of model is defined by the current zone (rolling gap, interstand gap, cooling zone on the surface of the roll). The heat flows in the boundary conditions for a strip at the interstand gaps are taking into account the parameters of interstand cooling systems. The information about the construction and settings of the nozzles and roll anti-peeling systems is used for calculating the heat flow on the surface of the working roll.


Transdev Harrogate and Harrogate rugby club are making easier to get to the grounds on Rudding Lane. The Harrogate to Leeds 770 bus will drop fans on ...


................................................................................................................................. vi CHAPTER 1.INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Wind Hazard .......................................................................................................................1 1.2 Bridge Aerodynamics .........................................................................................................3 1.3 Vehicle Dynamic Performance on the Bridge under Wind.................................................5 1.4 Structural Control on Wind-induced Vibration of Bridges.................................................7 1.5 Present Research.................................................................................................................8 CHAPTER 2. MODAL COUPLING ASSESSMENTS AND APPROXIMATED PREDICTION OF COUPLED MULTIMODE WIND VIBRATION OF LONG-SPAN BRIDGES.................. 10 2.


Techniques related to enhancement of CO2 absorption use selection of an enzyme coordinated with selection of an absorption solution having a pKa to enhance or maximize the CO2 capture rate. The techniques may use various relationships between process variables such as temperature, concentration, and so on, in order to provide efficient CO2 capture.


Wang Haiming regarded "value" as the original concept of ethics in his New Ethics and set "is-should be" system as the original concept system,which is inconsistent with ethical facts.All values come from the soil of fact and the original fact of ethics is benefits-seeking in the cycle of "man is to live because of his birth,and he has to reproduce so as to live".Therefore,"benefit" is the original concept of ethics,and the original concept system should be built on "benefit".This system is manifested in the form of responsibility corresponding to right and the form of harm-interest corresponding to love-hatred.In the original concept soil is born "ethical behavior",revolving around which is developed the "is-should be" and "should be-must be" system.From "ethical behavior" is derived the type theory of ethical behavior;from the "is-should be" is derived the ethical system to "turn man into real man";from "should be-must be" system is derived the self-motivation virtues to "turn man into great man".


To study the effects of ocean acidification on the physiology of phytoplankton requires that the key chemical parameters of the growth medium, pCO 2 , pH and Ω (the saturation state of calcium carbonate) be carefully controlled. This is made difficult by the interdependence of these parameters. Moreover, in growing batch cultures of phy-5 toplankton, the fixation of CO 2 , the uptake of nutrients and, for coccolithophores, the precipitation of calcite all change the inorganic carbon and acid-base chemistry of the medium. For example, absent pH-buffering or CO 2 bubbling, a sizeable decrease in pCO 2 occurs at a biomass concentration as low as 50 µM C in non-calcifying cultures. Even in cultures where pCO 2 or pH is maintained constant, other chemical parame-10 ters change substantially at high cell densities. The quantification of these changes is facilitated by the use of buffer capacities. Experimentally we observe that all methods of adjustment of pCO 2 /pH can be used, the choice of one or the other depending on the specifics of the experiments. The mechanical effect of bubbling of cultures seems to induce more variable results than other methods of pCO 2 /pH control. While highly 15 convenient, the addition of pH buffers to the medium induces changes in trace metal availability and cannot be used under trace metal-limiting conditions.


The study was designed with a view to isolate, identifies and characterizes Campylobacter species from broiler meat samples (leg muscle, breast muscle and cloacal skin) which were collected from KR market at Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh during the period from January 2013 to May 2013. A total of 50 samples were subjected to bacterial isolation and identification by using cultural and biochemical techniques. Furthermore, the isolated Campylobacter species were characterized by antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Among the 31 positive Campylobacter isolates 70.97% (n = 22) were Campylobacter jejuni, and the rest 29.04% isolates (n = 09) were Campylobacter coli. Campylobacter jejuni were resistant to ampicillin, tetracycline and nalidixic acid and susceptible to gentamicin, chloramphenicol and azithromycin. Furthermore, Campylobacter coli were resistant to ampicillin, tetracycline and erythromycin and susceptible to streptomycin and chloramphenicol. Out of 31 Campylobacter isolates, 86.36% Campylobacter jejuni, and 100% Campylobacter coli were detected as multidrug resistant. The findings of the study revealed the presence of multidrug resistant Campylobacter species in broiler meat of KR market at Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh. To the best of our knowledge, this study represents the first time report of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli from broiler meat in Bangladesh.


Co-firing coal and biomass in existing power plants facilitates influential advancement in the use of renewable energy resources and carbon emissions reduction. Biomass is intended as a CO2-zero net emission because, during its rise, it uses the same fraction of CO2 from the air as that released during its combustion. In addition, the content of nitrogen and sulfur in biomass is lower than in coal. Therefore, the emissions of NOx and SOx can be minimized by co-firing it with coal. In general, the effect of biomass direct co-firing on safety, pulverizing system performance, furnace efficiency, and NOx emission in full-scale furnaces is rarely studied. In this study, biomass direct co-firing was carried out in a 55 MW tangentially fired pulverized coal furnace. The effects of biomass co-firing on safety, the performance of the pulverizing system, furnace efficiency, and pollutant emissions (unburned carbon and NOx) are studied. The results show that the blending of biomass fuel with less than 20% of coal has no issue with respect to auto-ignition and safety. The performance of the pulverizing system is affected up to a certain limit due to the difficulty of grinding the biomass particles into required fineness. The biomass co-firing up to 20% is feasible, but greater than this percentage will severely affect the furnace efficiency. The co-firing of biomass enhanced the NOx reduction significantly and further improved the performance of the SNCR process. This study could provide guidance for the application of biomass co-firing in industrial furnaces.


In this paper, we introduce a new covariance based feature descriptor to be used on "colored" point clouds gathered by a mobile robot equipped with an RGB-D camera. Although many recent descriptors provide adequate results, there is not yet a clear consensus on how to best tackle "colored" point clouds. We present the notion of a covariance on RGB-D data. Covariances have not only been proven to be successful in image processing, but in other domains as well. Their main advantage is that they provide a compact and flexible description of point clouds. Our work is a first step towards demonstrating the usability of the concept of covariances in conjunction with RGB-D data. Experiments performed on an RGB-D database and compared to previous results show the increased performance of our method.


In this paper we compare the performance of three indices in an inflation forecasting experiment. The evidence not only suggests that an evolved neural network is superior to traditionally trained networks in the majority of cases, but also that a risky money index performs at least as well as the Bank of England Divisia index when combined with interest rate information. Notably, the provision of long-term interest rates improves the out-of-sample forecasting performance of the Bank of England Divisia index in all cases examined.


The rapid technological changes that have occurred have caused many new societal and personal problems. A wellness life style based upon leisure is one element that has helped combat these problems. Leisure is a preventive tool, if prescriptively used, that helps individuals cope effectively. There is a demand for a new leisure science and·personnel who know how to utilize these new principles. CURRENT HEALTH PROBLEMS, TRENDS IN HEALTH CARE, AND DEMAND FOR RECREATION AND LEISURE SERVICES PERSONNEL Today's world is characterized by high technology, an information explosion, and multiple options. Taken together with changing family structures, an aging population, jobs that make minimal physical demands on workers, and quests for instant results and a higher standard of living, these factors lead to dissatisfaction and little tolerance for frustration. According to one expert, boredom has become a major problem. For example, a survey of 180 suburban high school juniors in the Chicago area showed that 178 of them considered boredom their number one problem (Walsh, 1979). The leisure age is both depersonalizing and emotionally isolating. With its focus on the future, one must expect and accept uncertainty, change and the need for many alternatives. People respond to the changes around them, changes that are reflected in the media. Yet the media presents too many stimuli to be absorbed. Values are shifting rapidly and one must earn more income just to meet the rising costs of living. Uncertainty about what is right or wrong leads to a search for easy solutions that are quick and painless. The nature of life in the latter half of the 20th century is affecting human behavior to the extent that new special population groups are emerging, including victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse, the homeless, and those suffering from recently identified diseases such as eating disorders, Alzheimers', and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome,


—The purpose of this white paper is to showcase and summarize our work for a game-theoretic approach to the asset guarding scenario. While traditional optimal control based solu- tions exist, a game-theoretic based solution may be able to offer more insight since the scenario is non-cooperative. We formulate the asset-guarding scenario as a reach-avoid differential game, meaning that one player tries to reach a goal while avoiding the other player. Simultaneously, the other player tries to defend the goal and catch the first player. This paper explores a game- theoretic approach for the decision-making through our Quasi-Nash Optimal (QNO) solution algorithm, as well as for evaluating the post-game results. The QNO algorithm's game level performance is compared to a proportional navigation based algorithm and some computation time results are provided. We conclude that a finer level of discretization with a long time horizon is a necessary condition for the possibility of any encouraging results. Furthermore, we show that the computational complexity grows exponentially in the level of discretization, making our brute force method intractable.


The present invention is intended to faithfully incorporate rhythm and melody of the music source, also provides a massaging device for performing massage more effectively arrange the sequence of the accent based on this. Therefore, the massage device of the present invention is provided with a motor (5a, 10, 11) massaging mechanism (4, 5) to provide mechanical stimulation to the body by the drive of the control device for controlling the operation of the motor and (13) and, a control unit (13) is a waveform converting apparatus including a smoothing circuit, a differentiating circuit for converting the waveform of the acoustic signal input from the sound source (the a), the waveform converting circuit such as the integrating circuit (18), a low-pass filter, and a specific frequency band signal selecting device having a high-pass filter and a band-pass filter (17), the control signal output from the waveform converter (18) and the specific frequency band signal selecting apparatus (17) of the motor and it is configured to control the operation.


Preferred embodiments include methods of monitoring the performance of the filter positioned in the airflow in a semiconductor processing system. The method includes that the air flow at a location upstream of the filter to detect molecular contaminants present in the air stream to sampling, identifying a target substance upstream of contaminant, the concentration of the target substance selecting a non pollutant among the contaminants having a density greater than, measured by measuring the non-contaminants in the air stream, and the performance of the filter from the measured values for the target substance of non-contaminating substances at a plurality of locations it includes. The plurality of positions include a position downstream of and position in the filter of the filter. Furthermore, the present monitoring methods include creating a numerical representation of chromatograms of the air flow taken at a position upstream of the filter. The present monitoring method include non-contaminants having a lower molecular weight than the target substance. Furthermore, the sampling stage during the monitoring process of the heat-resistant compounds include collecting polymer compounds and low molecular weight compounds. Filter comprises an absorbent material.


The financial balance of each country's social security system is a concern for countries, professional groups, and individuals. If the first social security systems were based on the principle of social solidarity and objectively the financial resources collected from the active generations were sufficient to cover the risks of the social security branches, nowadays the supporters of this principle are fewer. An objective problem is also the achievement of the system maturity state that occurs after 60-70 years after the scheme's development that is almost after a period equal to a generation's age. For the projection of social security models, demographic, economic, fiscal and legislative variables are typically used. In this article, the researcher approached the social security models. Since between social security and demography there is a biunique relationship, the researcher presented econometric and OLG models.


The need for large-scale measures to privatize state property no longer evokes doubt in theorists and nontheorists alike and requires no further argumentation. While "inertia of thinking at the local level" previously had to be overcome when introducing various economic innovations connected with the latest campaign for making the transition, e.g., to a new model of cost accounting, today it is no longer necessary to persuade anyone or win anyone over. The appropriation of state property has ceased to be a forbidden fruit that is accessible to only a narrow stratum of the administrative-managerial apparatus and has become the subject of the aspirations of the majority of citizens in various social groups and collectives, who have not only recognized the declining nature of the old economic system but who have also come to believe in the effectiveness of the new, market-oriented society.


We present an analytical and numerical study of the equations of motion for bunches coupled by transverse wakefields. We base our study on a recent lattice design for the damping rings in the baseline configuration of the International Linear Collider. Using the macroparticle model, and assuming resistive wall wakefield coupling, we present numerical results on the time evolution of the multibunch modes. Decay modes display growth after initial decay, and mode amplitudes exhibit high-frequency oscillations. These phenomena are not expected if the beta function is assumed to have a constant, averaged value. We show analytically that they can come from coupling between modes caused by variation of the beta function in a real lattice. The effect is shown to be comparable to the effect of a nonuniform fill pattern and significantly larger than that of the higher-order mode wakefield localized in the rf cavities. Turning to the case of constant beta function, we develop a more complete treatment of the equations of motion. We derive general formulas for the bunch trajectories, and show that such formulas can only be valid in the limit of small wakefield coupling.


Abstract - This paper presents a novel control algorithm and visual measurement for the autonomous navigation of a non-holonomic robot team while preserving a specified formation. The control errors are defined relative to the leader robot of the team in terms of the actual position of each robot and its desired position in the formation. The stability analysis as well as a robustness analysis for the proposed control system is presented. This paper also includes some experimental results to show the good performance of the proposed control system. Keywords - Formation control, autonomous mobile robots, non-linear systems control. I. INTRODUCTION There is a steady growth of applications where the purpose is to coordinately control a group of robots assigned to a specific task. Examples of tasks that require the cooperation of several robots are: surveillance operations, search and exploration, rescue, survey and mapping, and tasks that need organized robot teams in specific formations such as moving objects, cooperative handling of objects, etc. The research on coordinated robots starts after the introduction of the behavior-based control paradigm (Brooks, 1986). Basically, there are three approaches for robot coordination reported in the literature: leader tracking (Monteiro et al., 2004; Desai et al., 1998), behavior methods (Fredslund and Mataric, 2001; Balch and Arkin, 1998), and virtual structure techniques (Belta and Kumar, 2002; Lewis and Tan, 1997). Most of the proposed coordination control systems are not based on dynamic systems and control theory, largely on account of the complexity of multi-robot systems, in particular when considering non-holonomic mobile robots. However, in order to guarantee the system stability, it is necessary to resort to using the tools from control theory and dynamic systems (Das et al., 2002; Yamaguchi et al., 2001). Some relevant works on cooperative robotics can be found in Yamaguchi et al. (2001) and Fierro et al. (2001). Yamaguchi et al. (2001) presents a distributed control scheme and shows simulations for final static formations. Fierro et al. (2001) proposes a hierarchical control structure that allows the switching of controllers in order to get a stable formation based on sensing their relative positions to neighboring robots, under a strategy of distributed control. Regarding the sensor system, some important contributions have been made in the field of cooperative robotics using omnidirectional images by authors like Das or Zhu. In Das et al., (2002), all the robots have their own catadioptric system, allowing a decentralized strategy and eliminating the need of communication between the robots. It proposes a framework where a robot can switch between controllers to follow one or two leaders, depending on the environment. However, all the processing is done on an external computer and the use of many omnidirectional systems (one for each robot) makes the team expensive. The work in Zhu et al., (2000) proposes a cooperative sensing strategy through distributed panoramic sensors on team mate robots to synthesize virtual stereo sensors for human detection and tracking. The work focuses on the stereo composing and does not address the team formation control. The main contribution of this work is the proposition of a novel stable formation control algorithm for the autonomous navigation of a mobile robots team. By using just one catadioptric vision system on the leader robot, it is able to obtain the posture of each follower robot in its own framework; with this information the leader calculates the control actions to achieve and maintain the desired multi-robot system configuration. The stability of the overall control system is proved based on Lyapunov theory and it is also guaranteed that the control errors are ultimately bounded in presence of measurement and estimation errors. The remainder of this paper is organized as follows. Section II presents the kinematics model of the considered robots. Section III defines the error model used for designing the controller. Section IV presents the proposed controller and the stability analysis for the formation control system; it also includes a robustness analysis for the control system. Section V shows the results from laboratory experiences, and Section VI reports some conclusions of the work.


Today governments and the private sector all over the world, recognize the influence of strategic orientation on firm performance as a key strategy under entrepreneurship development. Firms are encouraged to become entrepreneurial in order to enhance their performance under regional integration regimes. Regionalization is the coming together of nations, to attain goals which cannot be achieved in isolation. Regionalization results in expanded markets, which is a challenge to manufacturing firms, as the case of firms in Kenya. Strategic Orientation is recognized as a remedy to the challenge. The study adopted both quantitative and qualitative exploratory research design. The study sample comprised of 138 firms, within 5 Sub-sectors of manufacturing firms located in Nairobi and Surrounding area. The findings revealed that performance of Kenya's firms are significantly influenced by strategic orientation. The study concluded that Kenya's manufacturing firms intent on enhancing their performance urgently need to adopt strategic orientation.


The organizational factors which can influence the "effectiveness" of a management science activity are discussed in this paper. The discussion is based on some preliminary findings from a series of studies, performed by Northwestern University, on the life histories of OR/MS groups in 66 large U.S. companies.

Many companies could be observed having difficulties in absorbing their new management science functions. Such factors as the level of managerial support, client receptivity, organizational and technical capability of an OR/MS group i.e., the type and quality of its personnel and leadership, the organizational location, group reputation, the relevance of projects performed, and other variables are noted as being significant in determining effectiveness.

How well established a group was in the organization is identified as being a critical factor in how these variables would influence the potential for a group's success or failure. This level of "establishment" is defined in terms of four life-cycle phases, namely, Pre-birth, Introductory, Transitional and Maturity. A case study demonstrating the appearance of these phases is presented.

Successful implementation of a group's output is discussed as a possible measure of effectiveness. Client "receptivity" is related to the freedom permitted to a group, by their clients, to select projects, gather data, and implement proposals.