Details of the band gaps within semiconductor materials are of paramount importance to a wide range of technological applications. We present the results of two hybrid exchange, B3LYP and PBE0, approximations to density functional theory for the band gaps of zinc‐blend and wurtzite structured III–V materials. Agreement with experimentally derived band gaps at characteristic points in the first Brillouin zone is at least as good as that obtained with correlated calculations, perturbation theories and screened exchange functionals. Using experimental lattice constancies for unite cells we conclude that B3LYP functional provides results on energy gaps that are close to experimental values than with PBE0.


Advertising is one of the very important promotional tools for any marketer. Marketers are spending enormous money for advertisement worldwide. Celebrity endorsement plays a vital role in advertising. Celebrity endorsement creates some impact on the buying decision of any customer. In India celebrities from cinema industry and sports are endorsing various products. In this study, importance of Shahrukh Khan as a brand endorser and his impact on various advertisements for goods and services are studied. Two hundred and twenty five college students from various disciplines at Thanjavur were included for primary data collection. College students' opinion about celebrity endorsement in general and also particularly about the various advertisement endorsed by Bollywood actor Shrukhkhan were studied. Findings of this study reveal that celebrity endorsement is indeed useful to brand recall and sales of goods and services. In India Sharukh khan really play a vital role in the Ad industry and create both positive as well as negative impacts among college students. Findings of the study also reveal that SRK can raise the sale of any product and he can convert the mass brand to class brand.


A method is described for obtaining criteria con- firming the optimality of solutions found either by integrating the Euler-Lagrange equations, or by applying the Pontrjagin necessary condition. The method is based on convexity considerations, and its success in a given problem depends on the judicious choice of certain arbitrary auxiliary functions. 1. In the classical calculus of variations, a number of procedures are available which make it possible, at least in principle, to confirm the extremal character of a solution found by integrating the Euler-Lagrange equations. However, the practical usefulness of these procedures is rather limited, since they depend on auxiliary information—such as the existence of a field of extremals, or the knowledge of a general integral of the associated Hamilton-Jacobi equation—which often is not easy to come by. In the theory of optimal control, the situation is even less satisfactory, and verification of the optimality of the solutions provided by the Pontrjagin principle is possible only in relatively simple cases. We shall describe here a method which yields sufficient conditions for optimality and which does not require the knowledge of quantities which, in practice, are difficult to obtain. Instead, the success of the method depends on the judicious choice of certain arbitrary auxiliary functions. 2. We begin by illustrating our procedure in the case of the variational problem


An analysis of 553 patients with mammography of the past 10 years is reported and the usefullness of method demonstrated. Diagnosis was achieved clinically in 74.2% and radiologically in 88.6%. Clinical and radiological examination together will give the correct diagnosis in more than 90%.


This paper presents a novel episodic method to learn a robot's nonlinear dynamics model and an increasingly optimal control sequence for a set of tasks. The method is based on the Koopman operator approach to nonlinear dynamical systems analysis, which models the flow of observables in a function space, rather than a flow in a state space. Practically, this method estimates a nonlinear diffeomorphism that lifts the dynamics to a higher dimensional space where they are linear. Efficient Model Predictive Control methods can then be applied to the lifted model. This approach allows for real time implementation in on-board hardware, with rigorous incorporation of both input and state constraints during learning. We demonstrate the method in a real-time implementation of fast multirotor landing, where the nonlinear ground effect is learned and used to improve landing speed and quality.


This study was designed to find possible relationship between QTc prolongation and erythrocyte or plasma lithium concentrations. Fifty-six patients with bipolar disorder entered this case- control study. Subjects were between 17 to 63 years of age and were receiving lithium alone, or lithium plus haloperidol or lithium plus thioridazine. The exclusion criteria were past history of cardiovascular, hepatic, renal or metabolic disorders or using other medications known to cause rhythm disturbances. The case group included males with QTc≥ 450ms and females with QTc≥470ms while the control group included males and females with QTc<450 and QTc< 470ms, respectively. Serum sodium and potassium levels, erythrocyte and plasma lithium concentrations as well as lithium ratio were determined for all subjects and compared between the case and control groups by independent sample t-test. The mean of these levels were not different between the case and control groups. Additionally, no correlations were found between QTc and erythrocyte or plasma lithium concentration, lithium ratio, serum sodium or potassium levels. Analyzing the data for patients treated with lithium alone showed no significant correlations between QTc prolongation and erythrocyte or plasma lithium concentration, lithium ratio or serum potassium level. However, a significant correlation was found between serum sodium concentration and QTc prolongation. It should be noted that QTc prolongation occurred six times more in patients who were taking thioridazine and lithium concomitantly. This study noted no influence of sex or co-administration of haloperidol with lithium on QTc prolongation. It is concluded that plasma or erythrocyte lithium levels may not be able to predict QTc prolongation and its consequences.


Although the true extent and severity of child poisoning by medicines is still uncertain and the subject of controversy, there is general agreement that the packaging of medicines should be of such a standard that it reduces the risk of accidental poisoning to a minimum. Packaging designs incorporating such safety features were first developed in the United States where, from 1970, legislation required certain products, including medicines containing salicylates, to be placed in these child-resistant packs. In the United Kingdom the Medicines Commission has also been involved in similar measures since 1973 when at


The synthesis of acetyl salicylic acid from salicylic acid and acetic anhydride was studied with microwave radiation and anhydrous sodium bicarbonate as catalyst.The influential factors upon the reaction were investigated.The experimental results showed that the appropriate conditions were:molar ratio of salicylic Acid to acetic anhydride was1:2.0,weight of catalyst was 5% of the salicylic acid,microwave power was 425W,the time of radiation was 60s.The yield was about 89.7%.


Title of Document: CAREER RESILIENCE AND CONTINUING SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS: THE DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OFTHE SPECIAL EDUCATION CAREER RESILIENCE SCALE Arden E. Sotomayor, Doctor of Philosophy, 2012 Directed by: Dr. Debra Neubert, Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education The purpose of this study was to develop and field test the Special Education Career Resilience Scale (SECRS) as an instrument to assess the career resilience of special education teachers. Four scales, two measuring resilience, one measuring coping behaviors, and one measuring perceived administrative support, were used to comprise the SECRS in an attempt to construct a survey with items that would reflect the four domains of the Career Resiliency Framework (i.e. Theme Acceptance, Support for SelfAwareness, Conversion, and Connectedness). Cognitive interviews, expert opinion, and pilot testing were all used during the initial stages of development. The final version of the SECRS was field tested with a sample of 567 continuing and non-continuing special education teachers from suburban and rural school systems. Exploratory factor analysis revealed that an interpretable factor structure could not be derived. Subsequent analysis of each subscale that comprised the SECRS resulted in the derivation of a 2-factor simple structure for the Theme Acceptance subscale only. Analyses of individual item scores between continuing and non-continuing special educators revealed statistically significant differences in the latent construct of career resilience for two items (TA2 and SSA1), and for one item (SSA17) when disability type was considered. A significant main effect for both teaching status and disability type was found for the Theme Acceptance subscale between the non-continuing/low incidence group and all other groups (i.e. the continuing/low incidence group, continuing/ high incidence group, and noncontinuing/high incidence group). These results are discussed in light of the limitations of the study and areas for further research are suggested. CAREER RESILIENCE AND CONTINUING SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS: THE DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF THE SPECIAL EDUCATION CAREER RESILIENCE SCALE by Arden E. Sotomayor Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2012 Advisory Committee: Professor Debra Neubert, chair Professor Patricia Alexander Professor Phillip Burke Professor Jeffrey Harring Professor Rebecca Silverman © Copyright by Arden Elaine Sotomayor 2012


Relational arrays represent measures of association between pairs of actors, often in varied contexts or over time. Such data appear as trade flows between countries, financial transactions between individuals, contact frequencies between school children in classrooms, and dynamic protein-protein interactions. Elements of a relational array are often modeled as a linear function of observable covariates, where the regression coefficients are the subjects of inference. The structure of the relational array engenders dependence among relations that involve the same actor. Uncertainty estimates for regression coefficient estimators -- and ideally the coefficient estimators themselves -- must account for this relational dependence. Existing estimators of standard errors that recognize such relational dependence rely on estimating extremely complex, heterogeneous structure across actors. This paper proposes a new class of parsimonious coefficient and standard error estimators for regressions of relational arrays. We leverage an exchangeability assumption to derive standard error estimators that pool information across actors and are substantially more accurate than existing estimators in a variety of settings. This exchangeability assumption is pervasive in network and array models in the statistics literature, but not previously considered when adjusting for dependence in a regression setting with relational data. We demonstrate improvements in inference theoretically, via a simulation study, and by analysis of a data set involving international trade.


Background One hypothesis of the pathophysiology of pre-eclampsia is that placentally derived, yet unidentified, vasoactive factors are released into the maternal circulation, causing hypertension. Objective To determine if diadenosine polyphosphates, new potent vasoconstrictors, are present in human placenta. Methods and results Human placental tissue was homogenated and fractionated by size-exclusion chromatography, affinity chromatography, anion-exchange chromatography and reversed-phase chromatography. In fractions purified to homogeneity, diadenosine diphosphate, diadenosine triphosphate, diadenosine tetraphosphate, diadenosine pentaphosphate, diadenosine hexaphosphate and diadenosine heptaphosphate were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry, retention-time comparison and enzymatic cleavage analysis. Conclusions The presence of diadenosine polyphosphates in human placenta makes them possible candidates for involvement in the pathophysiology of pre-eclampsia. However, their contribution to the pathophysiology of eclampsia requires substantiation in further studies.


As the issue of immigration has become more politicised over the last decade in European countries, it is important to understand public immigration attitudes. Although the academic literature has produced many studies and surveys on immigration attitudes, it can be argued that increasing complexities of immigration realities are overlooked. Based on a comparative panel survey in six European countries, this chapter draws on a range of measures. Among other things, it distinguishes between immigration attitudes depending on the geographical origin of immigrants, impact perceptions from immigration on the host country, and different reasons for immigration. Further, it investigates the conceptual as well as the empirical structure of public attitudes toward migration. The results show that the most important factor structuring the different dimensions of immigration attitudes is the geographical origin of immigrants. Here, three immigrant groups structure public attitudes: Immigrants from Western Europe, immigrants from Eastern Europe, and immigrants from Africa and the Middle East. The perceived consequences of immigration were less important than the groups in structuring immigration attitudes. Further, while the reasons people have for immigrating were less important as a factor, the support for immigration was partly dependent on why people immigrate. The chapter also highlights similarities and differences across countries and time.


To estimate the scale effect on the modeling of fishing nets, six prototypes and two models of plane nets were prepared in experiments. The ratio of the twine diameter between the model and the proto type satisfied Tauti's law of similarity. Drags of each net, which were mounted on a streamline frame, were measured in a flume tank. The measured drags of the prototype nets were compared with the drags converted from the measured drags of the model nets according to Tauti's law. The results showed that the converted drags of the prototype nets were higher than the measured drags. These differences caused by the change of the drag coefficient can be expressed as a function of Reynolds number in Tauti's law. To correct the scale effect on the converted drag, the curve relating the drag coefficient, Cd, within the wide range of Reynolds number, Re, Cd-Re curves, should be confirmed by experiments for many kinds of net.


This chapter demonstrates that the common distinction between creative interpretation and integrative interpretation, usually applied to rabbinic legal midrash, may be fruitfully implemented for Qumranic legal hermeneutic as well, in spite of the embryonic nature of the sectarian exegesis. Our survey demonstrates the existence of Qumranic rules which were an actual product of biblical interpretation, thus enabling us to peer into the very factory wherein the foundations of halakhah were formulated. It also presents examples of religious rules which were arbitrarily attached to biblical prooftexts. In these cases, an independent, extant tradition was connected artificially to a Pentateuchal verse (impurity of the components of a house; distancing burials from cities; moral rationale for corpse impurity). This phenomenon sheds light on the existence of ancient non-biblical traditions in these Jewish circles of Second Temple era. It also illuminates the sectarian quest for biblical authorization. Keywords: creative interpretation; integrative interpretation; Qumranic legal hermeneutic


The chapter gives details of language policy and management in nine regions: Singapore and Malaysia, East Africa, former Soviet nations, China and the Koreas, The European Union, India, Israel, Indonesia and Ireland.


The present study aims to identify the essential characteristics required for the EFL practicum supervisors from their perspective. The questionnaire validity and reliability was tested through application to a sample of (7) supervisors. Then the questionnaire was distributed to the participants, which consisted of (20) EFL supervisors for the practicum of the EFL student teachers. The results were processed statistically and showed that there is an agreement among the participants in determining the importance of all essential characteristics required for the practicum supervisors. Moreover, there are no statistically significant differences of the perspective of the participants due to the academic qualification, its type and number of years of experience. The study recommended that the essential characteristics required for the practicum supervisors should be a prerequisite for choosing supervisor from the English Language Department, training courses should be held for the supervisors in order to raise their efficiency, and a special guide for the practicum supervisors should be developed.


Bilingual speech recognition gradually becomes an attractive research topic because bilingual writings or speech is present in almost everywhere in present scenario. Bilingual speech recognition is the process of recognizing two different languages in the speech signal. In this research it is proposed to develop a bilingual speech recognition for isolated words uttered in English and Tamil language. There are two major modules in the proposed system are, language recognition and speech recognition. Experimental results show that the English utterances of female having higher accuracy (93.6%) than male utterances in language recognition. The performance of system using six hidden layer is higher (approximately 90% for all male and female utterances) when compared to the other hidden layers.


We show in principle that a hysteretic superconductor‐insulator‐superconductor junction can function as a subharmonically pumped mixer with gain. The mixer can be operated either as a nearly linear downconverter or as a highly nonlinear threshold detector. The gain in the linear mode is an inverse function of the pump power. We present the results of computer analysis of both mixing modes.


Peter R. Day is a social work tutor at Hull University and he maintains his contact with social work practice through his work with a social services department district office. He previously worked as a professional adviser (mental health) with the same department and has also been a psychiatric social worker in child and adult psychiatry. His interests include communication processes in casework and counselling.


We present the modeling, parameter identification and design procedure of a linear voice-coil motor. A numerical simulation has been carried out to facilitate system integration. In particular, we use electromechanical analogy and the time-domain identification procedure with the eigensystem realization algorithm to predict the system response. In order to evaluate the performance of the voice-coil motor, we conducted an experimental investigation. Voice-coil motors mounted on a ball bearing housing are used for generating counter forces to cancel the transverse vibrations of a shaft. A controller is designed by using generalized predictive control. Multiple channel active control systems are implemented on the platform of a digital signal processor. Numerical and experimental results indicated that the designed actuators were effective in suppressing the periodic disturbances in rotors.


Experimental investigations on a 53◦ leading-edge sweep diamond wing configuration with rounded leading-edge contour as part of the NATO Science and Technology Organization (STO) task group AVT-183 (Applied Vehicle Technology panel) are presented. The results obtained in a low speed wind tunnel facility include aerodynamic forces and moments and steady surface pressures. Special emphasis is laid on the effects of different leading-edge roughness, which is applied in the experimental analyses to ensure turbulent boundary layer characteristics on the entire diamond wing surface. The results show that the flow separation onset and the emerging leading-edge vortex are very sensitive to the roughness height applied to the diamond wing leading-edge. Both reasonably-tripped and over-tripped cases are obtained compared to the free transition case, which is discussed in detail. Moreover, comprehensive analyses on both the short term and the long term repeatability of the related cases are presented. Based on this analysis, one specific leadingedge roughness is defined as the target flow case, which provides the baseline for the flow field investigations and general CFD validation within the task group AVT-183.


To explore how learning strategy and self-efficacy predict achievement in different situations,762 middle school students of different grades(grade 2 and grade 5) were surveyed in this comparative study.The data was collected by questionnaire.The main findings of this study are 1) The grade 2 and 5 students' cognitive strategy had different mediating effects between meta-cognitive strategy and achievement of mathematics;2) The resources management strategy: environment management,effort management,time management and support seeking strategy positively predict the achievement of mathematics within Grade 2 students,while only effort management and time management strategy have positively forecast in Grade 5;3) Self-efficacy can positively predict the achievement of mathematics within grade 2 vs.grade 5.These results show that learning strategy has different prediction functions on achievement in different situations,while self-efficacy's prediction function keeps steady.


… The "historic world" is ending—that world in which major powers habitually engage in power contests and weaker nations live as their proteges. The world of "alarums and excursions," of the traditional patriotic lore we have learned in school—this world is ending.We live instead in the midst of a transition between this traditional world and a dimly recognizable new world. Two new forces will be important in shaping this new world. One is the overriding common interest of all major nations in avoiding a nuclear war; the other is the awakening of national consciousness in all societies, even the smallest and technologically least developed.


In Ditylenchus dipsaci the morphologically different anterior and posterior regions of the terminal excretory duct are separated by a constriction. Immediately posterior to the constriction is a valve-like structure composed of dense pieces integral with the wall of the duct. The posterior region is sometimes dilated at intervals along its length. The same structures are present in D. myceliophagus and D. destructor, but the dense pieces appear less well developed. A possible mode of action for the excretory system is discussed. The tylenchoid excretory system is characteristically asymmetric and tubular with the single lateral canal confined to one chord. A long terminal duct leads posteriorly from the excretory pore to the lateral canal and a large sinus nucleus is present in the wall of the lateral canal (2). Additional structures have, however, been reported in the excretory system of some tylenchs. Luc (9) noted a thickening in the wall of the excretory duct of Radopholus lavabri Luc; Coomans (4) reported a "small spherical body" in the excre-tory duct of Rotylenchus goodeyi Loof & Oostenbrink which became indistinct after fixation; Geraert (7) reported that a thickening of the wall of the excretory canal was more marked in Pratylenchus spp. Filipjev than in Paratylenchus spp. Micoletzky, and Ellenby & Smith (6) showed an ampulla on the excretory duct of larvae of Heterodera rostochiensis Wollenweber. Sanwal (10) reported a "beak-like structure" occurring in the terminal duct of Radopholus gracilis DeMan immediately behind the excretory pore; he also noted differences in the appearance of the terminal duct between living and dead nematodes. Debray & Maupas (5) and de Bruyn Ouboter (1) reported a constriction and am-Received for publication 10 November 1969. 260 pulla in the terminal duct of Ditylenchus dipsaci Kfihn which Cobb (3) had not seen. Wu (12) observed the excretory system of D. destructor and found an excretory canal, excretory sinus and associated large nucleus from which a long sclerotized terminal duct led to the exterior. We have examined and compared the excretory systems of D. dipsaci, D. myceliophagus J. B. Goodey and D. de-structor Thorne and report here some structures not previously described. MATERIALS AND METHODS D. myceliophagus and D. destructor were extracted by modified Baermann funnel (8) from cultures on A garicus bisporus (Lange) and Chaetomium (Kunze ex Fr.) sp., respectively. D. dipsaci was obtained from daffodil (Narcissus sp. L.). After extraction, nematodes not used immediately were stored at 4 …


Freezing-tolerant and conductive hydrogels have attracted tremendous interest as promising materials for flexible sensors under the gelid condition. In this work, a freezing-tolerant, dual-responsi...


The novel exchanger titanium(IV) tungstovanadate has been prepared by sol-gel method. The characterization of sensor has been done with FTIR, SEM, EDS and X-ray diffraction studies. Membranes containing different composition of electroactive material and epoxy resin as binder were prepared. The membrane with 60 % electroactive material and 40 % epoxy binder gives the best response. Potentiometric result shows that the sensor can be used in the concentration range of 10 -7 to 10 -1 M Cd(II) ions with a near Nernstian slope of 21 mV/ decade. The electrode shows a fast response time of < 10 sec. The working pH range of the electrode is 2.62 to 8.66 and it behaves well in the partially non aqueous medium upto 30 % concentration of ethanol, methanol and acetone. Fixed interference method was used for determining the selectivity coefficient with respect to different metal ions like Pb 2+ , Cr 3+ , La 2+ , Co 2+ , Hg 2+ , As 3+ , Cu 2+ , Ni 2+ , Mn 2+ , Sm 3+ etc . and effect of internal solution was also studied. The developed sensor can be used as an indicator electrode in the potentiometric titration of Cd(II) against EDTA and oxalic acid.


Quantitative analysis of steel for very light elements such as carbon using the x-ray fluorescence spectrometric techniques is beset with numerous practical difficulties. These problems owe their origin mainly to (i) their having very low magnitude of fluorescence yield and (ii) ultrasoftness of the x-ray photons generated by them. In spite of significant advances over the past 10–15 yr in (a) excitation sources, (b) dispersive spectrometers, (c) detection devices, and (d) reductions of optical path absorption, their exploitation for routine applications is still far from complete. The present state of developments in the area of very light element analysis is well-documented in excellent reviews by Henke, Baird, and Baun.


Rhaponticin which is the effective constituent of Rheum hotaoense C.Y.Cheng et C.T.Kao was isolated and identified.The rhapontiein standard samples were made by ourselves.A high performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed for the determination of rhaponticin in Rheum hotaoense C.Y.Cheng et C.T.Kao.The isocratic elution of methanol-acetonitrile-water (35:5:60) was used as the mobile phase.The UV detection wavelength was set at 260 nm.The calibration curve was linear in the range from 0.427 to 4.190μg,with a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.9994.The average recovery was 99.12%.The results showed that the method is simple,stable and reli- able.It is suitable for controlling the quality of Rheum hotaoense C.Y.Cheng et C.T.Kao.


N. El Bardiji, K. Ziat and M. Saidi. Laboratory of Physico-Chemistry of Materials, Natural Substances and Environment, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, Abdelmalek Essaâdi University, Tangier (Morocco). ...................................................................................................................... Manuscript Info Abstract ......................... ........................................................................ Manuscript History Received: 05 September 2019 Final Accepted: 07 October 2019 Published: November 2019


Cyclisation of N-methoxy-N-acylnitrenium ions generated from N-methoxyamides of 6-methoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-1-acetic acids with a hypervalent iodine compound proceeds through a spirocyclic intermediate followed by ring expansion to form 1,5-benzodiazonine derivatives in good yield.


70 million Americans suffer from poor sleep, 42 million have a chronic sleep disorder, and an estimated 64% report regularly taking a pharmacological sleep aid regularly with well-known risks. A link between vibration and sleep was first observed during investigations of highway hypnosis. We developed a prototype bed producing sub-audible, tactilely perceptible traveling-wave vibration where noninvasive sleep monitors could objectively measure sleep.

 A bed was outfitted with low-frequency effectors (LFEs) and phasers to create infrasonic, low-frequency vibration that traversed the mattress in patterns. Amplitude was adjusted to comfort using a bedside dial. Sleep was monitored over four sequential weeks in a single 22-year-old healthy male subject with 3 devices each employing a unique mechanism: the OuraRing (actigraphy), Google NestHub (GHz radar chip), and SleepScore (ultrasound). No vibration was used during weeks 1 and 4 to establish a baseline/return to baseline. Week 2 vibration was a highly periodic waveform (25 Hz, migrating at 1 Hz), while week 3 vibration was an irregular, chaotic waveform. Objective data was collected from the 3 devices to plot total sleep duration and latency of onset.

 1. Strong agreement was seen among the 3 different sensors 2. Patterned, highly periodic, low-frequency vibration shortened sleep latency by nearly 50% consistently for one week (from 15 to 8 minutes) 3. Chaotic, irregular vibration of week 3 also shortened latency, but less so (from 15 to 12 minutes) 4. Baseline and repeat baseline were statistically nearly identical 5. Sleep duration was not impacted by vibration (mean 7 hours 45 minutes)

 The primary mechanism of improved latency with vibration may be somatic/mental distraction. The subject reported that vibration diverted away from pre-occupying thoughts and was highly pleasant. These observations were reflected in nearly 50% reduction of latency in week 2 and more modest reduction in week 3. Patterned planar vibration appears as effective as prescribed sleep medications, suggesting it may be a useful non-pharmacologic sleep adjunct.

 Jacob Bentley is the recipient of scholarship support for this research from the American Medical Association and AASM.


The effect of high concentration ion matrix on the analysis of low anion concentration in the suppressed ion chromatography was studied. The anions studied were Br-, NO₃-, HPO₄²-, SO₄²-, and C₂O₄²- in the presence of excess NaCl and CaCl₂. In this study we suggested that the erroneous results in the suppressed ion chromatographic determination of small concentration of anions were not caused by the interaction of large amount of cation in the suppressor, but by the interaction of cation with concerned anion in the original solution. The error in the analysis of such anion can not be eliminated just by dilution. Therefore, we suggested that standard addition method might be adequate for analyses of those samples.


To avoid reducing the speckle noise,and meanwhile overcome the limitation of selecting the distribution model,first,characteristics of the difference image(DI) are integrated with an interactive segmentation method not referring to any distribution assumption,to generate change detection maps corresponding to different "seeds",then a voting competition strategy is used to fuse those results to give the final change detection map.During segmenting,the feature of each pixel is set as a vector consisted of the corresponding intensities in the DI and each scale representation of the DI given by stationary wavelet transform(SWT).This kind of features and the decision level fusion make our proposed method robust to the speckle noise.Results on real SAR datasets obtained under the situation that there is no despeckling preprocessing of SAR images confirm the effectiveness of our method.


Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) plasmon changes, as a result of additives and their follow up reaction in solution around zeta space of AuNPs, have been extensively used for analyte detection. Biomolecules like protein or nucleic acid, in conjugated or nonconjugated forms with AuNPs, when allowed to react with complimentary molecule such as antibody or nucleic acid target, lead to visual colour changes and may offer diagnostic test. Using synthetic nucleic acid probes, specific to complimentary target gene in a microbe, conjugated probe-AuNPs were exploiting Au-S bond chemistry. Thiolated nucleotide probes were successfully conjugated on AuNPs to prepare gold reagents that reacted specifically with complimentary gene target and not with non-complimentary sequence, the later failed to stabilise the probe-AuNPs and gave red to blue colour changes in solution after addition of salt. This rapid colour change of probe-AuNPs solution is able to differentiate the presence of complimentary and non-complimentary gene target in test solution, thus offer a strategy for detection of microbial genes.


When Shenzhen eastern water supply tunnel was dug to West Tunnel Village,Henggang Town of Shenzhen City,a large amount of water gushed out of the earth surface suddenly by 200 m~3/h.Later some phenomena occurred,for example,drying of well,land subsidence,local ground collapse and house collapse.In order to find out the cause of the above phenomena,Shenzhen Water Affairs Bureau invited many experts in hydrogeology and engineering geology to discuss on the relevant problems.All the experts thought that the ground collapse was closely related to karst.But according to Shenzhen geological map of 1∶50000-scale and the detailed investigation report,there was no karst stratum in Old House area.So experts considered that there was something wrong with the judgment of the stratum.They suggested to investigate the lithology and the hydrological conditions by means of drilling and physical exploration in such area.Shenzhen Water Affairs Bureau relegated to Shenzhen Investigation Research Institute to add 13 bores in the tunnel axis and 33 bores in the subsidence and collapse area of Old House Village,combined with CT physical exploration and pumping experiments from the bores.The result proved that the subsidence area of Old House Village was in the karst basin and the water gush point was the exit of the groundwater.Besides,the length,extent and rules of karss area development were clarified.It was suggested to adopt full section ductule super forward grouting to reinforce and stop the water in the tunnle construction,and consequently,it crossed the karst segment and the fractured zone successfully.From then on,no subsidence and collaps happen in Old House Village.


Summaries English This paper describes how the three Newtonian laws of dynamics are introduced in the higher grades of secondary schools in the Soviet Union. Particular attention is given to the treatment of the second Newtonian law. The authors reject the widely used method of introducing this law as an equation defining mass from which it is presented as a constant of proportionality between a statically measured force and acceleration. As an alternative, a method is described showing how the concept of mass can be introduced independently of the second Newtonian law. The accelerations resulting from the interaction of two bodies are considered as being a property of the bodies (inertia)‐‐quantified in the concept of mass. The second Newtonian law follows from experiments showing that for bodies of different masses submitted to the same force the products of their masses by their accelerations (ma) are equal and may serve as the measure of the force.


ABSTRACT This article proposes a rotation-restrained energy-dissipation device (RED) for the seismic control of a three-span curved isolated bridge. The configuration and working mechanism of RED are introduced in detail, and the finite element and simplified model are therefore derived. The seismic responses, parametric analysis and ground motion sensitivity analysis of the isolated bridge with and without RED are conducted to study the effectiveness of RED. Results show that RED can significantly reduce the displacement of the deck and the deformation of the isolated bearings, and make the column shear force at middle and side piers more balanced.


Multimedia traffic's burst causes the conflict between resource utility and quality of service. Media access control (MAC) protocol based on Bandwidth on Demand (BoD) is an effective way for this conflict. In DVB-RCS satellite communication systems,the long propagation delay affects stability of BoD and traffic delay performance. This paper proposed a MAC protocol for DVB-RCS broadband satellite system,the key of which is proposed bandwidth request algorithm based on control and traffic linear approximation. Also,the simulation system is built,several simulation senses have indicated that high resource utility and system stability,as well as low traffic delay can be achieved by the MAC protocol.


Recently, user generated data is growing rapidly and becoming one of the most important source of information in the web. Blogosphere (the collection of blogs on the web) is one of the main source of information in this category. In my work for my PhD, I mainly focussed on the blog distillation task which is: given a user query find the blogs that are most related to the query topic [3]. There are some properties of blogs that make blog analysis different from usual text analysis. One of these properties is related to the time stamp assigned to each post; it is possible that the topics of a blog change over the time and this can affect blog relevance to the query. Also each post in a blog can have viewer generated comments that can change the relevance of the blog to the query if these are considered as part of the content of the blog. Another property is related to the meaning of the links between blogs which are different than links between websites. Finally, blog distillation is different from traditional ad-hoc search since the retrieval unit is a blog (a collection of posts), instead of a single document. With this view, blog distillation is similar to the task of resource selection in federated search [1]. Researchers have applied different methods from similar problems to blog distillation like ad-hoc search methods, expert search algorithms or methods from resource selection in distributed information retrieval. Based on our preliminary experiments, I decided to divide the blog distillation problem into two sub-problems. First of all, I want to use mentioned properties of blogs to retrieve the most relevant posts for a given query. This part is very similar to the ad hoc retrieval. After that, I want to aggregate relevance of posts in each blog and calculate relevance of the blog. This part requires the development of a cross-modal aggregation model that combines the different blog relevance clues found in the blogosphere. We use structure based smoothing methods for improving posts retrieval. The idea behind these smoothing methods is to change the score of a document based on the score of its similar or related documents. We model the blogosphere as a single graph that represents relations between posts and terms [2]. The idea is that in accordance with the Clustering Hypothesis, related documents should have similar scores for the same query. To model the relatedness between posts, we define a new measure which takes into account both content similarity and temporal distance. In more recent work, in the aggregation part of the problem, we model each post as evidence about relevance of a blog to the query, and use aggregation methods like Ordered Weighted Averaging operators to combine the evidence. The ordered weighted averaging operator, commonly called OWA operator, was introduced by Yager [4]. OWA provides a parametrized class of mean type aggregation operators, that can generate OR operator (Max), AND operator (Min) and any other aggregation operator between them. For the next steps, I'm thinking about capturing the temporal properties of the blogs. Bloggers can change their interests over the time or write about different topics periodically. Capturing these changes and using them in the retrieval is one the future woks that I'm interested in. Also, studying the relations between blogs and news and their effect on each other is an interesting problem.


Bengaluru's wastewater woes—stinking rivers, fish kills, and froth and fire on lake spillways—have attracted global attention. This notoriety has triggered various policy responses. Mandating large apartment and commercial buildings to treat and reuse their wastewater has been one such response. Scarcity of fresh water lends support to this idea as wastewater reuse can reduce freshwater demand as well.


Abstract Raman scattering spectra in single crystals of lithium tantalate at 180-degree scattering geometry in a wide spectral frequency range (50 ÷ 2800 cm−1) were studied. Raman peaks were found in 1300 ÷ 2000 cm−1 region with frequencies exceeding doubled frequencies of LiTaO3 crystal lattice fundamental vibrations of A1 and E-type. The conditions for the manifestation of bound polar phonons in lithium tantalate Raman spectra were analyzed. The spectral intensity of Raman scattering in the overtone region of the spectrum of lithium tantalate was calculated taking into account the presence of a biphonon, and a satisfactory agreement between theory and experiment was obtained.


Imaging with ultrasonography or computed tomography (CT) is used regularly to evaluate pelvic masses. Tumors of the pelvic floor are much less common than pelvic masses. Sectional imaging can be useful to demonstrate their nature and extent preoperatively. Following is a case report of a solitary neurofibroma of the pelvis and perineum in a young female.


We present an approach to processing logic queries in loosely coupled environments. We emphasize the importance of the loose coupling technique as a practkal solution to provide deductive capabiities to existing DBMS+especially when an efficient access to a very large database is required in the. process of inferencing. We propose the Extended Disjunctive Normal Form (EDNF) as the basis of our approach. The EDNF is an extension of the disjunctive normal form of relational algebra expressions so as to include recursion. The EDNF is well suited for a loosely coupled environment, where an existing DBMS and optimiition can be fully exploited. It also serves as a clear, graphical characterixation of various recursions that can occur in logic queries. We first present the basic form of the EDNF and then use it as a building block to process a more general class of queries. We extend valid usage of Clark% negation-as-failure evaluation technique to incorporate negation for most practical situations. We also propose new criteria for safety and termination in the presence of negation. To the extent of the authors' knowledge, optimixation in loosely coupled environments has not been seriously addressed in previous research. We believe our technique provides significant progress in this dhection.


The ability of the grass frog, Rana pipiens, to elicit an electroretinogram in response to x rays and to light has been investigated. Typical electroretinograms in response to x rays aad to light over a wide range of stimulus intensities and durations afford a comparison of the two responses. Quantitative measurements of amplitude, latent period, rate of rise, and duration, plotted as a function of intensity of stimulus and duration of stimulus, yield threedimensional graphs which sharply contrast the properties of the response to light and to x-rays. Although a remarkable sensitivity of the frog retina to x rays was observed, the response, which, under certain conditions was indistinguishable from the response to light, proved to be a weaker response as judged by the various parameters measured.


Objective To explore the optimal timing and treatment of acquired Lutembacher's syndrome. Methods Sixteen acquired Lutembacher's syndrome patients were studied retrospectively based on records collected between January 2000 and December 2009 in Beijing Anzhen Hospital.There were 9 males and 7 females at age of(39.45±10.23) years.All of them underwent endotracheal intubation,intravenous general anesthesia,and cardiopulmonary bypass.All patients were operated on through a median sternotomy incision into the chest,the right atrium,atrial septal defect to expand with mitral valve replacement and atrial septal defect repair.Postoperative mortality and perioperative complications were observed.During follow-up,periprosthetic leakage was observed using echocardiography,along with the level of residual atrial septal shunt,ventricular size,pulmonary artery pressure changes,and improvement in cardiac function.Results Two of the 16 patients(12.5%) died,one of renal failure,and one of respiratory failure.One patient required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for 3 days,one required continuous renal replacement therapy for 11 days because of acute renal failure,and one experienced respiratory failure and used a respiratory machine for 23 days.All three of those patients recovered.Fourteen patients were followed up for between six months and five years,and the follow-up rate was 100%.The left ventricular end-diastolic diameter was(42.1±5.7) mm,as measured by echocardiography six months post-operation.There was no detectable periprosthetic leakage or residual shunt.The ejection fraction was(67.4%±6.7%),and estimation of pulmonary artery pressure was(23.4±5.4) mm Hg.Twelve patients were class Ⅱ(New York Heart Association) and two patients were class Ⅲ.Conclusion Acquired Lutembacher's syndrome should be treated promptly if patients' left ventricular end stage diastolic volume index is good enough to ensure they can tolerate surgery.Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation(ECMO) should be used early in patients who are anticipated to be difficult to withdraw from extracorporeal circulation perioperatively.


Manyusha shoal,located in the Kou'an straight reach,is a main navigation obstacle in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.Based on the evolution character in the recent period,it shows that the navigation obstacle character is closely related with the scale of Manyusha shoal.Higher and more integral the shoal is,better the navigation condition is.It is concluded that Manyusha shoal and the left and right deep pools produce much scouring-silting change,which is the main cause of the formation of the shoa1,Especially,the reduction of sediment coming from upstream will result in that the shoal is easy to be eroded,while hard to be deposit.So the navigation condition will be severe.Based on an analysis of the navigation obstructing features of the shoal section,this paper proposes the regulation idea which is to maintain the existing pattern of one pool of two slots,to increase and heighten the central bar and adjust the flow distribution of riffle and pool so as to increase the scouring capability of shallow areas and solve the problem of navigation obstruction at the Manyusha shoal of Kou'an straight reach.


We have investigated some of the physiological, biochemical and ultrastructural changes during senescence of a mutant non-yellowing genotype (NY) of Phaseolus vulgaris and a normal yellowing genotype (Y). This mutant senesces in the usual fashion exept that chlorophyll is not degraded. Ratios obtained from a segregating F 2 population indicated that this trait is controlled by two nuclear genes, and that Y is dominant to NY


A simple method based on the effective index method was used to estimate the minimum bend radii of curved SOI waveguides. An analytical formula was obtained to estimate the minimum radius of curvature at which the mode becomes cut off due to the side radiative loss.


The article discusses the main economic reasons that created the social background, on which the internal political situation in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan has sharply worsened since February 2022. The author identifies several trends – a slowdown in economic growth, a collapse in the foreign exchange markets, an increase in inflation, and external debt, growing poverty and income inequality – as demonstrating the failures of the government led by Prime Minister Imran Khan. At the same time, these were not the reasons, according to the author, that led to the replacement of the government in April 2022, but factors of the other, political and foreign policy, nature.


The Mon-Khmer speaking groups are several ethnic groups or tribes liguistically belonging with the Austro-Asiatic language family,these groups live all over Southeast Asia,extending from Malaysia northwards to China,and from Burma eastwards to Vietnam.Where is the cradle of these groups? It is still an issue to be resolved although a lot of scholars have conducted their researches on this topic.This paper is to give a new discussion on it from the author's own viewpoint.


The four inscriptions presented in this chapter were photographed by Bruce Zuckerman and Marilyn Lundberg of West Semitic Research at the National Museum in Nicosia, Cyprus, in 1997, in collaboration with P. Kyle McCarter, Jr., of the Johns Hopkins University. It presents new drawings based on those photographs. The four inscriptions are: 1) a fragment from Chytroi; 2) a dedication to ʿAshtart of Paphos; 3) an inscribed relief from Pergamos; and 4) a fragment of a white marble stele, Tomb, Tourabi, Kition. Keywords: Chytroi; cypriot inscriptions; Kition; Pergamos; Tourabi


The Hall effect in amorphous RE‐TM (RE=Gd, Tb, Dy; TM=Fe, Ni) films with a perpendicular magnetization easy axis was measured. It was found that amorphous RE‐Fe films exhibited a remarkable extraordinary Hall effect as observed previously for Gd‐Co sputtered films, and that the observed Hall effect behavior depended much less on the RE element. It was also found that the Hall voltage in Gd‐Ni films was two orders of magnitude smaller than that in RE‐Fe films. These observations suggest that the TM plays a dominant role in the anomalous Hall voltage in RE‐TM alloy systems.


Changes in the way statistics and probability are being taught in secondary schools areevolving at different rates throughout the world. Considerable progress has been made inthe United Kingdom, and aspirations are high in the United States. In Ireland, however,progress is only now starting to evolve, and this is in spite of (perhaps to a certain extentbecause of) a very strong tradition in mathematics. In recent years Irish statisticians(through the new Irish Statistical Association) have attempted to promote statistics,probability and data analysis through various activities in general, and in secondaryschool education in particular. Efforts of the Irish Statistical Association to promotestatistics through Transition Year Activities in secondary school and in the annual IrishYoung Scientist's Exhibition are highlighted.


B orn in East L.A. This article is an attempt to map in general sense the origins and development of the Chicano movement in The United States. The reason why a term like''Chicano/-a'' was coined and what it means politically, socially, economically and also is going to be discussed in depth. The term Chicano or Chicana (also spelled Xicano or Xicana) was coined to characterize Latinos as American born, but originally based in Mexico. Filmed in 1987, the movie ' 'Born in East L.A. '' is a cultural representation of Xicanos, that's why this movie has become a great source for me to fill the term ''Chicano/-a'' to form the basis for my assignment and be able to be more open in terms of elucidating the new identity called ''chicano''today.


More than 1200 monkeys, 349 Macaca mulatta (rhesus) and 865 Cercopithecus aethiops, were used for poliovirus production in the period 1960-1964. These monkeys were isolated soon after trapping by a method described by Vickers (1962) and shipped to Pearl River, New York. An intrapalpebral tuberculin test and a serological test for simian foamy virus antibodies were performed on each monkey at the beginning of the isolation period. Groups of approximately 50 animals each were isolated in individual


Bayes Decision is being widely used in risk Decisions.By using different decisionfunctions,It can analysis on the monetary and non-monetary factors.When the expected value of the different plans get same,we can choose the right plan by calculating the value for coefficient of variation.


According to ground-source heat pump system running conditions and heat exchanger pipes arrangement conditions of an actual project in Dalian,short-term(one year) and long-term(five years) soil temperature variation were analyzed numerically.The obtained research results can provide theoretical guidance for design and optimization of ground-source heat pump system.


Abstract The lowland rice depends comparative1y more on the nitrogen supply by the soil resources than the other upland crops. Usually, the rice plant utilizes much more native soil nitrogen than the applied fertilizer nitrogen(1). Accordingly, the paddy soil fertility is usually regarded as a nitrogen supplying potentiality of the soil in a narrow sense. Many studies(2) on the soil fertility proplems have been focused on the availability and the recovery of this organic nitrogen. Decause the yield of rice are primarily determined by the liberation of this organic nitrogen.


The study examined changes in the structure and diversity of benthic diatom assemblages from 16 sampling stations covering ca 0.3 km2 of the bottom of industrially polluted Balaklava Bay (Crimea, Black Sea). We analyzed data on diatom abundance and species richness along with measurements of 15 variables: depth, sediment size structure, TOC, metals (Zn, Ni, Cu, Pb, Hg, Cd, Cr, Mn) and organochlorine toxicants (PAHs, pesticides, PCBs). Based on cluster and MDS analyses, two groups of stations were distinguished at 30% similarity level. The fi rst group comprised stations in the inner, most polluted part, and the second corresponded to the outer part of the bay. Diatom assemblages of a certain structure are formed within each group of stations. The species most responsible for similarity/dissimilarity within/between each of the distinguished complexes were determined and are listed. In total, 183 species representing 58 genera were identifi ed. Species richness was highest in the genera Nitzschia Hassal (28 species), Amphora Ehrenberg (19), Navicula Bory (16), Cocconeis Ehrenberg (15), Diploneis Ehrenberg ex Cleve (11) and Lyrella Karayeva (6). Our analyses showed that the combination of depth, percentage of sandy fraction, and the content of TOC, pesticides, PCBs and mercury exerted the most signifi cant impact on diatom assemblage structure and diversity. Changes in benthic diatom taxonomic diversity were evaluated for each station on the basis of average taxonomic distinctness (Δ + ) and variation of the TaxD Index (Λ + ). The taxonomic structure of diatom assemblages in Balaklava Bay is less diverse than the average level expected from the Crimean regional inventory (539 species). The Δ + value (80.89) was lowest for the most polluted part of the bay, where species-rich branches of taxonomic tree structure prevailed. The diatom assemblage in the part less impacted had a higher Δ + value (82.86), closer to the expected average mode (83.67) for the entire Crimean coast. Overall the results highlight problems with the use of taxonomic diversity measures to detect the impact of adverse environmental conditions based on benthic diatom assemblages.


Abstract IS tipping in restaurants simply a social norm where people tip on the basis of some rule of thumb (15% of bill size for example)? Using evidence gathered from surveys of nearly 700 diners in 7 Minnesota restaurants, it is argued that tipping is both a social norm and a means of rewarding good service. Survey evidence suggests that diners use rules of thumb as starting points and then vary gratuities on the basis of service just received, expected future service, whether they dine alone or with a group, alcohol consumption and location of the restaurant. Tipping may be viewed as a game played indirectly between diners in which each diner contemplates tipping, or not tipping, based on expectations of future service and the tipping behavior of other diners. Tipping is commonplace as long as people expect better service when they tip more and the expected payoff to tipping rises when more people tip, but rare otherwise. Neo-classical economics is quite successful in predicting tip size as long as diners view tipping as a pecuniary cost of buying service.


The author reviews the development history of the "Pure Film" briefly,analyzes its constructions and contributions to the film art with the Art Media Determinist Theory,then analyzes the mistakes of the "Pure Film" with some natural scientific theories,finally,explores the main reasons for the "Pure film" 's coming to the end.


A NEW SEMIEMPIRICAL APPROACH WAS ATTEMPTED TO PREDICT THE SLOPE-CLIMBING CAPABILITY OF WHEELS. THIS APPROACH CONSISTED OF DETERMINING THE PULL PERFORMANCE OF FLEXIBLE WHEELS ON YIELDING SLOPES BY TWO EXTRAPOLATIONS: ONE STARTING FROM THE THEORETICALLY KNOWN PULL PERFORMANCE OF FLEXIBLE WHEELS ON UNYIELDING SLOPES, AND THE OTHER FROM EXPERIMENTALLY DETERMINED PERFORMANCE OF RIGID WHEELS ON YIELDING, LEVEL GROUND. THE RESULT IS A PREDICTION EQUATION FOR THE AVAILABLE PULL OF ELASTIC-RIM WHEELS (AS A PARTICULARLY SIMPLE CASE OF PNEUMATIC TIRES) ON DEFORMABLE, INCLINED SOILS IN TERMS OF SOIL DEFORMABILITY, COHESION, AND INTERNAL FRICTION; WHEEL FLEXIBILITY AND LOAD; AND SLOPE ANGLE. VARIOUS REDUCTION FACTORS DEVELOPED TO TAKE SINKAGE AND LOAD EFFECTS INTO ACCOUNT WERE ADJUSTED TO SATISFY KNOWN CONDITIONS AND TO MAKE THE TWO EXTRAPOLATIONS COMPATIBLE. BY SOLVING THE PREDICTION EQUATION FOR ZERO PULL, MAXIMUM SLOPE-CLIIMBING CAPABILITY CAN BE DETERMINED; AND BY SOLVING FOR ZERO SLOPE, THE MAXIMUM PULL/LOAD RATIO ON LEVEL GROUND CAN BE OBTAINED. ALTHOUGH THE EQUATION LACKS THEORETICAL RIGOR, IT MATCHES THE EXTREME CONDITIONS ON BOTH ENDS OF THE SOIL AND WHEEL DEFORMABILITY SPECTRA AND IS THOUGHT TO DESCRIBE INTERMEDIATE CONDITIONS WITH A HIGH DEGREE OF CONFIDENCE. THE EQUATION HAS BEEN CHECKED NUMERICALLY ONLY FOR THE TEST CONDITIONS PROVIDED BY ELASTIC-RIM WHEELS (BENDIX LUNAR WHEELS) BECAUSE THEY EXHIBITED THE SIMPLE DEFORMATION CHARACTERISTICS THAT WERE NEEDED FOR THIS FIRST FORMULATION OF A NEW APPROACH. THE MORE COMPLEX BEHAVIOR OF TIRES CAN BE INCLUDED IN AN EXTENSION OF THE STUDY. /AUTHOR/


The Ergodic Magnetic Layer Experiment on ohmically heated Text demonstrates that a small resonant helical field (m/n = 7/2 or 7/3) with fractional amplitude b̃r/BT of about 10−3 creates a stable ergodic magnetic layer and substantially modifies the boundary heat flow. Field line tracings accurately map the observed perturbed limiter heat load patterns. The level of the intrinsic impurities is reduced, consistent with a lower edge electron temperature, as measured by the electron cyclotron emission detector.


spetrofotometrik olarak tayin edildi. Antioksidan aktiviteleri, ABSTRACT In this study, determination of antioxidant activity for anise and fennel suplied as packed unprocessed from three different regions and processed in three different brands, was carried out by spectrophotometric method. The antioxidant activity was determined by the method of metal chelating capacity. To determine of antioxidant activity in anise and fennel, were used samples which obtained results infusion, decoction and extraction. According to analysis results, the highest and lowest values were obtained to be, unprocessed anise; %89,2±0,5 (infusion), processed anise; %22,5±6,7 (decoction), unprocessed fennel %78,3±0,6 (decoction and infusion), processed fennel; %32,9±2,3 (decoction) respectively. Keyword: Anise, Fennel, Antioxidant Activity, Metal Chelating Capacity, Infusion, Decoction, Extraction


Finer hollow microballoon is expected to improve the chemical and physical properties of conventional Shirasuballoon, glassy balloon and expanded perlite. It is shown that fine microballoons of particle sizes under 20μm and bulk specific volume above 2cm3/g are desired by summarizing those of the conventional Shirasuballoons and glassy balloons. Fine Shirasuballoons are prepared from five kinds of vitric volcaniclastic materials named as Shirasu (or Hakudo); Shinjo-Shirasu, Kakuto-Shirasu, Yoshida-Shirasu, Nakano-Hakudo and Biei-Hakudo. The five kinds of vitric volcaniclastic materials are milled and expanded using a fluidized bed furnace. Fine Shirasuballoons within the above regions are successfully prepared except Shinjo-Shirasu by choosing appropriate heating conditions, which are different among the milled powders. Preparation conditions and some properties of fine Shirasuballoons are presented.


Electro-optical device with being arranged in the image display pixel electrode region on the TFT array substrate; is arranged in the image display peripheral area periphery, constituting the peripheral circuit TFT; it is formed according to the principles covering the peripheral region of at least a portion of the protective film. At least a portion of each pixel opening region of the protective film is not disposed in the image display area. Thus, the liquid crystal electro-optical device apparatus or the like, is provided to the electronic elements such as transistors on a substrate, extend through the life of the device with a protecting film, while preventing the deterioration of display image due to the presence of the protective film caused by mass.


Objectives: Self-closing nitinol U-clips (Medtronic, Inc., Minneapolis, MN) have primarily been used by vascular surgeons to facilitate vessel anastomosis. The advantage of this device is that it obviates the need for suturing when manipulation of the tissue or needle is prohibitive. The current report describes a novel use of the U-clip as an aid in endoscopic reconstruction of the skull base. Methods/Participants: Two patients underwent U-clip assisted skull base repair. The first patient underwent transnasal endoscopic repair of an ethmoidal meningoencephalocele requiring primary dural closure and the second underwent odontoidectomy for basilar invagination via an endoscopic transnasal approach requiring primary closure of the soft tissues. Study Design – Case Series Results: The defects were successfully closed using the U-Clip anastomotic device. No cerebrospinal fluid leaks were experienced postoperatively. Intraoperative evaluation combined with postoperative imaging confirmed a satisfactory reconstruction. Conclusions: The U-clip device may be used as an adjunct in select cases to facilitate endoscopic skull base reconstruction. The use of this tool may prevent tissue migration and enhance dural closure. It may be particularly useful in cases where narrow operative corridors make conventional suturing technically difficult. Abbreviations: CSF-Cerebrospinal Fluid; MRI-Magnetic Resonance Imaging; CT-Computed tomography


Examples, taken from all over the African continent, are vividly described and illustrated by sketch maps and photographs. This introduction to geomorphology has been written for advanced-level geography students in Africa but will also be invaluable for teachers and university students.


Objective To explore the mechanism of traumatic brain injury for inducing neuronal apoptosis.Methods At different times(3,12,24 h and 2,3,7,14 d)after traumatic brain injury,the rate of neuronal apoptosis was evaluated with flow cytometry and the caspase-3 activity in injured brain tissue was detected by caspase-3 fluorescent assay kit.Results After traumatic brain injury,both the rate of neuronal apoptosis and the caspase-3 activity increased rapidly.Three days after injury they reached the peak(14.6±2.4)%and(0.545±0.024)nmol AFC,respectively,then gradually fell down.The rate of neuronal apoptosis was(3.2±0.8)%and the caspase-3 activity was(0.128±0.012)nmol AFC 14 days after injury.But compared with the normal group,they were still significantly higher(P 0.01).The four peptides inhibitor z-DEVD-fmk decreased significantly the rate of neuronal apoptosis and the caspase-3 activity(P 0.01).Conclusion Caspase-3 is involved in neuronal apoptosis after traumatic brain injury.


Despite the promise of molecular testing in identifying infectious and inherited diseases, medical insurers are hesitant to reimburse these services without adequate proof of their clinical and economic value. Many clinical laboratories are integrating molecular diagnostics into their assay menus to diagnose infectious diseases, inherited diseases, cancer and to assist with forensic testing. However, reimbursement uncertainties could discourage widespread use of these expensive procedures. "Reimbursement issues are a major obstacle to the continued growth and expansion of the molecular diagnostics market," said Frost & Sullivan Industry Analyst Eugenia Shen. "Even though molecular-based tests result in better patient care and cost-effectiveness, these benefits are not visible in the short-term." To insure industry success, manufacturers and testing labs must fund studies that document the cost savings and health benefits of early detection through molecular studies as compared to less expensive methods. "While molecular diagnostic technology has many advantages over traditional testing methods, it still has room for improvement," said Shen. "Sensitivity and specificity are usually compromised for one another, so the development of products that possess high degrees of both could assist in the continued development of the market." Technological advances in the lab would also help encourage adoption of molecular testing. The increasing volume of molecular testing methods means that labs are hard pressed to process tests quickly. By automating the tedious steps in conducting tests, labs can accelerate the processing rate and reduce labor expenditures. According to a new analysis from Frost & Sullivan, the US molecular diagnostic market generated revenues totaling $1.3 billion in 2000 and is expected to reach $4.2 billion in 2007.


This paper introduces the basic principle of the implementation of SVPWM on VSR firstly. Three combination methods of the reference space voltage vector V * is discussed in detail. In the end, we compare the three different methods by the use of MATLAB/Simulink and analyse their advantages and disadvantages.


Connecting with the actual example of the construction of the indoor heating matching engineering of the Taonan Area , Yangquan City, this paper introduces the construction techniques and the safety guaranteeing measures of the heating system, which accumulates the experiments for the construction of the heating matching engineering.


Background— Dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) instructions can increase bystander CPR and thereby increase the rate of survival from cardiac arrest. The risk of bystander CPR for patients not in arrest is uncertain and has implications for how assertive dispatch is in instructing CPR. We determined the frequency of dispatcher-assisted CPR for patients not in arrest and the frequency and severity of injury related to chest compressions. Methods and Results— The investigation was a prospective cohort study of adult patients not in cardiac arrest for whom dispatchers provided CPR instructions in King County, Washington, between June 1, 2004, and January 31, 2007. The study focused on those who received chest compressions. Information was collected through review of the audio and written dispatch report, written emergency medical services report, hospital record, and telephone survey. Of the 1700 patients for whom dispatcher CPR instructions were initiated, 55% (938 of 1700) were in arre...


The woodland white-footed mouse Peromyscus leucopus noveboracensis cooccurs with the prairie deermouse P. maniculatus bairdi in old fields and prairies of southern Wisconsin. In order to examine possible mechanisms of this coexistence, fieldcaught individuals of both species were brought into the laboratory for testing. In a seed preference test in which mice were offered two species of old-field grass seeds and two species of native prairie grass seeds, all the mice preferred the old-field grass seeds. Neither species favored either habitat (field or woods) for activity during two 0.5-hr observation periods or for foraging. However, P. m. bairdi removed significantly less food from the woods habitat than did P. 1. noveboracensis and there was a significant difference in preferred nest location, with P. m. bairdi nesting primarily in the field and P. 1. noveboracensis in the woods. In 20 paired behavior trials, P. m. bairdi was dominant in two, P. 1. noveboracensis in 12, and there was mutual avoidance in six. The results suggest that interference competition may, in part, account for the distribution patterns of these species.


vii Chapter 1: Introduction 1 1.1. Background to the study 1 1.2. Problem statement 3 1.3. Aim of the study 3 1.4. Definition of key terms 4 1.5. Abbreviations used in the study 5 1.6. Summary 6 Chapter 2: Literature review 2.


Objectives: This article reports the first estimated h-index values for social work faculty. Methods: Multiple raters blindly assessed two samples of faculty (1) tenure-track faculty at institutions listed in the U.S. News and World Report top 10 (n = 337) and (2) tenure-track editorial board members of 5 highly ranked social work journals (n = 215). Results: Intraclass correlation coefficients for h-index values among the multiple raters ranged from .83 to .92, indicating good reliability. For faculty at top 10 institutions, mean estimated h-index values were 3.97 (SD = 2.87) for assistant professors; 8.59 (SD = 3.72) for associate professors; and 16.14 (SD = 8.35) for full professors. Values for editorial board members were generally similar. Conclusions: These are the first such published data; further research is needed.


The utility model relates to the technical field of optical lens processing equipment, in particular to an automatic ink coating machine for an optical lens. The automatic ink coating machine is provided with a main engine seat, wherein an operating platform is arranged on the main engine seat and is provided with a discharging platform for a lens to be coated, a coated lens discharging platform, a lens carrying mechanism, a receiving rotation mechanism and an ink coating mechanism respectively; the lens carrying mechanism is used for carrying the lens to be coated to the receiving rotation mechanism; and after the periphery of the lens is coated with ink by the receiving rotation mechanism in coordination with the ink coating mechanism, the coated lens is carried to the coated lens discharging platform through the lens carrying mechanism. By the novel ink coating machine, an automatic ink coating process instead of the original manual ink coating process of the lens can be automatically finished according to a set program, so that production efficiency is improved; the ink coating quality of the lens is substantially improved, so that artificial damages and pollution to the lens are reduced, a product has stable quality, and production cost can be reduced to the maximum extent; and simultaneously, damages of the ink and the product to human bodies in the manual operation process are prevented.


Section 17 of the Extradition Act, R.S.C. 1970, c. E-2i, which provides that a deposition is deemed "duly authenticated" (for use at an extradition hearing pursuant to s. 16 of the Act) if authenticated in the manner therein provided or "in the manner provided, for the time being by law" is not satisfied merely by compliance with s. 23 of the Canada Evidence Act, R.S.C. 1970, c. E-io, which provides that evidence of any record of, inter alia, a court of the United


Both continuous-time and discrete-time systems driven by L2-exponential ergodic stationary Markov processes are investigated. We prove that in both cases irreversibility implies the occurrence of nonmonotonic power spectra of some observables. This result combined with the work of Jiang and Zhang [J. Math. Phys. 44, 4681–4689 (2003)] tells us that in the continuous-time case, reversibility can be characterized by monotonicity in all power spectra, while this is not true in the discrete-time case.


We read with considerable interest the letter from M Carone and FG Salerno, in which they commented on our article demonstrating that forced expiratory volume in 1 second/forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) negatively predicts survival in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). As M Carone and FG Salerno described, it is true that lung elastic recoil increases with progression of lung fibrosis in IPF. The idea that high lung elastic recoil makes it difficult to blow expiration fast and consequently makes FEV1/FVC high might be possible. Evaluating real lung compliance by measuring transpulmonary pressure of patients with IPF and assessing an association with FEV1/FVC would be helpful to understand the mechanism, as M Carone and FG Salerno suggested. Cortes-Telles et al. demonstrated a negative relationship between disease severity assessed with total lung capacity and FEV1/FVC, although they excluded patients with FEV1/FVC < 70% and with evident emphysema on chest CT from their analysis. Furthermore, a few studies demonstrated a negative relationship between FEV1/FVC and survival the same as in our study. Therefore, it is likely that lower FEV1/ FVC has a favorable impact on both severity and survival in IPF, considering the consistent results of previous reports including ours. Several reasons might explain the favorable impact of low FEV1/FVC in IPF. The somewhat good effect of smoking, simply negative mirror image of FVC, and increased lung elastic recoil which was proposed in the letter would be candidates. In our data, FEV1/FVC showed a significant negative relationship with survival; however, interestingly, the significant relationship disappeared when evaluated among only never smokers, although the number of patients who were included in the analysis decreased from 114 to 57 (data not shown). Further studies among more patients exclusively with never smokers and/or among patients whose detailed smoking history, such as pack-year, are available may provide some insights. Anyways, we definitely concur with the opinion of M Carone and FG Salerno that further studies are needed to understand the role of airway obstruction which is involved in IPF.


PURPOSE: A refrigerator for a refrigerating vehicle is provided to only transfer the driving force of an engine or an electric motor to a compressor by selectively powering the compressor. CONSTITUTION: A refrigerator for a refrigerating vehicle comprises an engine(10), an electric motor(20), a compressor(30), a radiator(40), a condenser(50), a cooling fan(60), a cooling motor(M1), an expansion valve(70), an evaporator(80), a blowing fan(90), and a blowing fan motor(M2). The engine and the electric motor has a coaxial shaft and are alternately powered. The compressor is powered when the engine or the electric motor is powered and compresses refrigerants. The radiator cools the engine. The condenser is arranged on one side of the radiator and condenses the compressed refrigerants. The expansion valve expands the condensed refrigerants. The evaporator evaporates the expanded refrigerants. The blowing fan forcefully sends air to a freezer. The blowing fan motor powers the blowing fan.


Method for producing a vehicle alternating current generator (1) with: a rotor (3) having a magnetic core, the rotor (3) rotating within a preselected speed range; a stator (2) including a hollow cylindrical stator core (22) having first and second ends opposed to each other, and a plurality of electrical conductors forming windings (21) of the stator (2), the Stator core (22) surrounding a circumference of the rotor (3) and having a plurality of grooves (221) formed therein in which the electrical conductors are disposed; a pair of shell-shaped frame members (4) holding the stator (2); and conductor bridges protruding from the first and second ends of the stator core (22) to define first and second coil end groups (21a, 21b), and the electrical conductors disposed in one of the slots (221), and the electrical conductors arranged in another groove (221) connect to form the stator winding (21), the ladder bridges being designed and constructed to resonate outside the preselected speed range of the rotor (3), wherein, when the alternator (1) is operated to produce an electric power, a magnetic flux generated in the gap pulses in synchronism with the rotation of the motor, and when the magnetic flux pulsates at a fundamental frequency f0, a change in the magnetic force generated between the stator core (22) and the rotor (3) reaches a maximum value, wherein the fundamental frequency f0 (Hz) of the pulsation of the magnetic flux as f0 = (n × T × P) / 60 where n is a number of revolutions of the rotor (3) per minute, T is the number of phases of the windings of the rotor (3), and P is the number of NS magnetic poles of the rotor (3), ...


19 pts with reactive arthritis of urogenital origin, 3 with ankylosing spondylitis, 4 with undifferentiated spondyloarthritis, 4 with psoriatic arthritis and 8 with rheumatoid arthritis were included. Synovial tissue biopsies obtained during arthroscopy of 37 knee and 1 shoulder joints were examined by method of isolation in McCoy cell culture to reveal viable Chlamydia trachomatis. Chlamydia was isolated in 16 from 38 synovial tissue biopsies in all nosologic forms of arthritis except ankylosing spondylitis. In most cases Chlamydia isolation from synovial tissue coincided with presence of urogenital chlamydiosis


Transformation of baroclinic eddies encountering a tall seamount is explored using point vortex and finite-difference twoand three layer models at the beta-plane. The topography is finite in that the seamount penetrates the isopycnal on which the eddy resides, but does not span the entire fluid depth. In numerical simulations the eddies are represented initially by localized potential vorticity anomalies in two upper layers, self-propagating towards a seamount due to the beta-effect. This configuration generalizes recent studies by Herbette et. (JPO, 2005) and Sutyrin (JMR, 2006). The most significant physical mechanism affecting transformation is eddy interaction with the circulations caused by the topography, both by fluid removed from the seamount and by external fluid stranded on or near the seamount. When the radius of the seamount is small, the deviation of eddy trajectory is described well by the point vortex model. For larger size of the seamount, such interactions may result in horizontal and/or vertical splitting of the vortex core, i.e., in increased incidence of eddy destruction. In particular interesting mechanism is found, related to enhancement of topographic circulation by potential vorticity entrained from the approaching vortex core in the middle layer and resulting in strong deformations and splitting of the core in the upper layer. Analytical and numerical estimates of transformed eddy structure and propagation speed indicate that topographic interactions provide powerful mechanisms for significantly influencing baroclinic eddy evolution. The results are compared with observations of Agulhas rings in the vicinity of Vema seamount.


lack of prostate specificity and intercellular localiza-tion of its gene product make this gene a poor serum biomarker. FN1 (fibronectin 1) and VEGF (vascular endo-thelial growth factor) are associated with prostate cancer and encode secreted proteins; however, these genes lack prostate-specific tissue specificity (15–18). The lack of prostate tissue specificity in the expression of these 2 genes may be a major reason why they are not yet used clinically as prostate cancer serum biomarkers. We have developed a bioinformatics protocol for screening candidate serum biomarker sets to identify high-quality markers for experimental evaluation. The in silico secreted protein pipeline provides a rapid screen for identifying biomarkers found extracellularly and is likely to be detectable by serum assays. Tissue specificity profiling compliments secreted protein prediction by identifying the originating tissue components of a biomarker's serum signal and by allowing investigators to select candidate markers with a higher probability of having distinguishable signals. We hope that the use of intelligent bioinformatics analysis before costly experimental evaluation will accelerate the selection of candidate biomarkers that can be successfully translated into novel, clinically useful, assays. Predicting transmem-brane protein topology with a hidden Markov model: application to complete genomes. systematic method for selection of promising serum protein biomarkers to improve prostate cancer (PCa i) detection. Clin Chem2006. Page information to be filled inXXXXXXX 7. Pruitt KD, Tatusova T, Maglott DR. NCBI Reference Sequence (RefSeq): A curated non-redundant sequence database of genomes, transcripts and proteins. Comprehensive gene expression analysis of prostate cancer reveals distinct transcriptional programs associated with metastatic disease. factor gene-460 C/T polymorphism is a biomarker for prostate cancer. Microarray analysis, which enables the comprehensive examination of many thousands of genes in a single experiment, is a promising method for furthering understanding of disease states. Because of the large amounts of probe required, however, microarray analysis has not Table 1. Localization predictions and annotations of prostate cancer-associated proteins. Gene annotation Localization prediction SwissProt localization Tissue specificity KLK3 (PSA) Secreted Secreted protein Primarily prostate ACPP Secreted No annotation Primarily prostate VEGF Secreted Secreted protein Ubiquitous FN1 Secreted Secreted protein Ubiquitous ZWINT Not secreted Nucleus Moderate a AMACR Not secreted Peroxisome mitochondrion Ubiquitous HPN Not secreted Type II membrane Moderate a We analyzed 7 genes by the secretion and specificity prediction methods described above. KLK3 and ACPP (positive controls) possess the secretion and prostate specificity characteristics that we describe as key for serum biomarkers. Negative controls include …


Treatment of endometrial adenocarcinoma in 14 patients with daily injections (750 mg) of 17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone capronate (Proluton Depot Schering) is reported. Biopsy of the neoplastic tissue was done on the 10th day of treatment and hysterectomy was performed after the 20-day course of treatment was complete. In 2 patients no sign of endometrial adenocarcinoma was found in the excised tissue. In 9 cases the neoplasm was still evident but appeared considerably modified. Differentiated adenocarcinoma appeared most sensitive to gestagen treatment. Although these results are not definitive they plead for further study of the effects of gestagens on neoplastic and healthy tissue and on the clinical level for continuing combined hormonal and surgical treatment.


: Handwriting analysis or Graphology is the most widely used tool for personality analysis. Writing is a process in which the brain and muscles are involved. Each time a person writes a particular thing specific neuro-motor control is triggered and almost same pattern is generated. These neuro-motor controls are highly affected by age, behavior, drug addiction etc. That is why Signatures or handwriting are treated as behavioral biometric. Specific behavioral traits are associated with a specific signature pattern. These patterns can easily be decoded by skilled graphologists. This paper proposes an automated technique to identify some basic traits of the person on the basis of his/her signature. The proposed system uses basic signature traits like proportion, size, baseline, slanting and space to identify behavioral traits of the signer. Personality types are divided into four pairs of dominant traits. Each pair consist of two extremes. The signer is characterized on the basis of these dominant classes.


The adoption of Eastern Christianity in the year 988 as the state religion of Kiev Russia. This event became a turning point in the history and culture of the Russian state, leading to count from 862. On the basis of the cultural analysis of historical sources becomes particularly evident initial period of the transition from paganism to Orthodoxy.


Research surrounding family businesses is saturated with talk of trouble. Academics and practitioners often miss what works well and how a business can build on its strengths and create a vision for the future. Usually the focus is on the succession process rather than the question of whether a family business can be sustained across generations and by what means. There needs to be a change of perspective that addresses how families can refine their businesses without perpetual navel gazing.


Aberrant expression of the dystrophin-associated protein complex is thought to underlie the pathogenesis of Duchenne dystrophy, Becker muscular dystrophy, and severe childhood autosomal recessive muscular dystrophy. Recently, our laboratory identified an agrin receptor from Torpedo electric organ postsynaptic membranes. It is a heteromer of 190- and 50-kDa subunits with similarity to two components of the dystrophinassociated protein complex of a- and b-dystroglycan. We now confirm the relationship between theTorpedoagrin receptor and mammalian dystroglycans and provide further information about the structure of the a-dystroglycan-b-dystroglycan complex. The sequences of three peptides from each Torpedo subunit were 69% identical to mammalian dystroglycans. An antiserum to mammalian b-dystroglycan recognizes the Torpedo 50-kDa polypeptide. Additionally, like a-dystroglycan, the 190kDa agrin receptor subunit binds laminin. Previous studies have indicated that a- and b-dystroglycan arise by cleavage of a precursor protein. Tryptic peptide mapping of both subunits and amino-terminal sequencing of Torpedo b-dystroglycan indicate a single cleavage site, corresponding to serine 654 of the mammalian dystroglycan precursor. Gel electrophoresis analysis indicates there is at least one intrachain disulfide bond in b-dystroglycan. These results provide precise primary structures for a- and b-dystroglycan.


Vedolizumab is a gut‐selective treatment approved for Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Recently, a subcutaneous formulation of vedolizumab was approved. The aims of this study were to evaluate efficacy, safety, pharmacokinetics, patient experience and costs following a switch from intravenous to subcutaneous vedolizumab treatment.


NADPH oxidase (NOX)-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS) and copper (Cu), an essential micronutrient, have been implicated in vascular inflammatory diseases. We reported that in proinflammatory cytokine TNFa-stimulated endothelial cells (ECs), cytosolic Cu chaperone Atox1 functions as a Cu-dependent transcription factor for NOX organizer p47phox, thereby increasing ROS-dependent inflammatory gene expression. However, the role and mechanism of Atox1 nuclear translocation in inflamed ECs remain unclear. Using enface staining and nuclear fractionation, here we show that Atox1 was localized in the nucleus in inflamed aortas from ApoE-/- mice with Angiotensin II infusion on a high fat diet, while it was found in cytosol in those from control mice. In cultured human ECs, TNFα stimulation promoted Atox1 nuclear translocation within 15 min, which was associated with Atox1 binding to TNFα receptor associated factor (TRAF)4 in a Cu-dependent manner. TRAF4 depletion by siRNA significantly inhibited Atox1 nuclear translocation, p47phox expression and ROS production as well as its downstream VCAM1/ICAM1 expression and monocyte adhesion to inflamed ECs, which were rescued by overexpression of nuclear targeted Atox1. Furthermore, Atox1 colocalized with TRAF4 at nucleus in TNFα-stimulated inflamed ECs and vessels. In summary, Cu-dependent Atox1 binding to TRAF4 plays an important role in Atox1 nuclear translocation and ROS-dependent inflammatory responses in TNFα-stimulated ECs. Thus, the Atox1-TRAF4 axis is a novel therapeutic target for vascular inflammatory disease such as atherosclerosis.


Research organizations are mainly focusing on the development of environmentally and socially compatible technologies for the resource poor farmers to improve their present farming system for increasing the production and productivity. This prime objective of the research organizations is not fulfilled unless the technologies reach the end users. Information about the technological advancements has to be brought to the notice of the end users for its successful adoption. The access of the farming community to the knowledge generation system is very weak and this needs a strong and effective linkage between development organizations and farming system (Sathiadhas and Immanue, International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 8 Number 10 (2019) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com


This newsletter contains the following papers: Diffusion and Localization of Positive Muons and Pions in Copper; Muonium Atoms Compared to Hydrogen Atoms and Hydrated Electrons Through Reactions with Nitrous Oxide and 2-Propanol; Micelle-induced Enhancements of the Reactivity of Muonium Atoms in Dilute Aqueous Solutions; Spin Depolarization by Diffusion on Lattices; and Spin Depolarization of a Quantum Particle on a Linear Chain with Alternating Larmor Frequencies. (FI)


This study uses case studies to determine the career transition process of student-athletes in beach volleyball at the Malang State University. The case study is a detailed description and in-depth case disclosure of a phenomenon. This case study was conducted on 2 student athletes in beach volleyball at the Malang State University who already have a minimum achievement at the provincial level. Collect data using a semi-structured interview instrument and process the data using the thematic analysis method. This research was conducted at the Faculty of Sports Science, Malang State University. The results of the research based on the data obtained, there are three themes related to this research: 1) Challenges when being a student-athlete; 2) Student athletes' barriers and 3) Athletes' thinking patterns when they become student-athletes. This article also compares previous studies related to student-athlete career transitions.


Vehicle sensor system, which responds to the collision of an object (0) with the front bumper (12) of a vehicle (10) such that either the folding of the rear end of the bonnet (13) of the vehicle (10) or the development of a near the hood (13) provided hood airbag (80) is initiated, said sensor system includes a plurality of bumper sensors (21A to 21C, 61A, 61B) which are mounted in spaced positions in the width direction of the vehicle (10) on the front bumper (12); and a control unit (30, 70), the signals from the respective bumper sensors (21A to 21C, 61A, 61B) detected in deformation speeds (V1, V2, V3; V21, V22) converts, wherein the adjacent bumper sensors (21A to 21C, 61A, 61B) associated with the deformation speeds (V1, V2, V3; V21, V22) are added to effect a control to the effect that either the rear end of the hood (13) is folded or a hood airbag (80) is triggered, if the addition result ...


A ground penetrating radar has been used to estimate the depth of groundwater table. The GPR measurements were conducted on esker deposits along the same profile and repeated five times during the year in autumn, spring, two times in summer and again in autumn. A shielded transmitting antenna with a nominal frequency of 250 MHz was used during the surveys. The accuracy of ground penetrating radar measurements to estimate the depth of groundwater occurrence is discussed in this paper. The results of estimation of groundwater table from GPR is compared with the level of groundwater table measured in piezometer.


-A tibia of a juvenile theropod, from the Kirtland Formation of the Alamo Wash region, San Juan Basin, New Mexico, bears a distinctive cnemial crest and is identified as 0rnithomimus antiquus. The diagnosis of 0. antiquus is expanded to include this feature, but a comprehensive revised diagnosis of this dinosaur is deferred to a more comprehensive study. 0rnithomimus velox and 0 . edmontonicus are junior subjective synonyms of 0. antiquus as there are no morphological features that distinguish them from one another.


in the late 1960s, the Israeli economy entered a depth phase, with armament and finance as the principal vehicles of differential accumulation. The winners of the two decades of crisis were none other than the dominant capital groups, which gained from the stagflation of the Israeli economy in the 1970s with its concomitant militarisation and intensification of the Middle East conflict, and Israel's growing dependence on US assistance. Refocusing their view on the broader region of the Middle East, again searching for those who won from the regional conflicts and energy crisis of the 1970s and 1980s, the authors circle in on the major oil companies, the OPEC countries, the arms manufacturers and key financial institutions — the 'weapondollar-petrodollar coalition'. The growing symbiosis between these groups is claimed to have developed in the context of the 'commercialisation of arms exports on the one hand, and the politicisation of oil on the other' (p. 26). As international arms trade was increasingly privatised in the 1960s, thus necessitating direct money payments for arms, and oil became increasingly subject to state control, the intertwining of the profits in the two sectors led to an establishment of a pattern of 'energy conflicts' (p. 198), which erupted after each sustained period of negative differential accumulation in the oil sector (and consequently, in the arms export sector). The shift towards a new breadth regime of high technology and corporate amalgamation in the 1990s replaced the trigger-happy 'weapondollarpetrodollar coalition' with the 'technodollar-mergerdollar coalition', dominated by large high-tech firms and financial institutions that demanded peace in the Middle East. Although the thesis may, at first sight, evoke murky images circulated by various conspiracy theorists, Nitzan and Bichler provide an account that is too serious and too well documented to entertain such fears.


THE increasing pressure of national and international competition is forcing firms to rationalise even further, especially in the field of assembly. In order to perform assembly tasks with the least possible expenditure of time, assembly facilities, space requirements and personnel, it has become necessary to include these objectives in the development stage of the product. Therefore, assembly‐oriented design now provides a good opportunity for rationalisation.


For the past twenty years, The Game Conservancy has monitored abundances of cereal invertebrates in over 100 fields in Sussex in late June. The total number of invertebrates (excluding Acari, Collembola and Thysanoptera) recorded per sample has dropped by almost half in the course of the study, corresponding to a quarter of what was present in pre-pesticide times. This overall change was the result of widespread declines in Araneae and Opiliones, Lepidoptera, Aphididae (Hemiptera), Parasitica and Symphyta (Hymenoptera), Staphylinidae, Cryptophagidae and Lathridiidae (all Coleoptera) and Lonchopteridae (Diptera); these groups constituted 72%, on average, of the total by number . Taking Staphylinidae as an example, the decline occurred equally across all farms, in Tachyporus and non-Tachyporus spp. alike and, within Tachyporus, across age classes and species. The staphylinid decline could not be attributed to weather , to hedgerow removal or to changes in proportions of spring and winter cereals. A possible cause was a drop in the availability of fungal food, as the level of mildew and rusts infecting crops dropped in line with the increasing use of foliar fungicides.


This pilot randomized clinical trial assesses the feasibility and acceptability of a computer-facilitated screening questionnaire for substance use and practitioner-delivered brief intervention vs usual care among youths at primary care clinics.


Electroless composite coatings are widely applied in industry due to the excellent properties of the particles in them. The study status and development trends of electroless composite plating worldwide were reviewed. The process research of electroless composite plating with substrates of Ni-P and Ni-B as well as the structure and properties of the coatings was discussed from the aspects of hardness, wear resistance and self-lubricating property, which demonstrated that the study on electroless composite plating still focused on wear resistant and self-lubricant coatings. The applications of various eletroless composite coatings were introduced, and the developments were prospected.


A considerable class of nonlinear systems can be described or approximated by polynomial functions with sufficiently high order, therefore can be described in tensor notation compactly. For the plants with polynomial functions in the state and input, a globally stable feedback control, using finite-time tensor product of an augmented state vector, is designed in this paper. Combining the input with the ordinary state to form the augmented state vector, the plants are dealt with as uniformly like linear systems. The concept of a quotient set is used to discard redundant information in the design. A genetic algorithm is employed to complete the design. The relative proofs and simulation are presented.