Abstract : Unique instrumentation was developed for high-precision time - resolved ultrasonic velocity measurement. Such instrumentation is not available commercially nor, as far as is known, has such a capability ever been developed previously. It has a significant potential for materials studies and possibly other areas as well, as for instance noninvasive biomedical applications. It was demonstrated that with such instrumentation, applied stress even of modest values can be detected at depths of at least 1 cm in aluminum. Furthermore, such detection was shown to be quantitative, i.e., the amplitude of the effect is proportional to stress magnitude, and its shape is responsive in the predicted manner to locality of the stress. In view of item 3, below, it is evident that this concept is a viable basis for nondestructive characterization of subsurface residual stress in metals. Methods for data inversion to obtain stress profiles from measured velocity were explored and it was found that two techniques give good results with simulated data and relatively large amounts of additive noise, namely: (a) generalized matrix inversion with constraints and (b) least mean squares parameter fitting. Keywords: Nondestructive evaluation; Ultrasonic sound; Pulsed heat; Acoustoelastic phenomenon; Metal stress.


The rule of origin has penetrated to many fields of international trade, played more and more important role in international trade, and become important component part of foreign trade policies of many countries. In order to create fair trade environment, the non-favorable trade measures such as anti-dumping should be put to the application scope of the rule of origin agreement in WTO. The unification and application of the rule of origin of WTO are beneficial to the development of international and domestic trade and beneficial to the perfection of China's legal policies concerning foreign trade. It is urgent to make and apply the rule of origin to prevent trade protectionism.


Fast hologram generation is the key for the study on Computer Generated Hologram(CGH).In order to accelerate the generation speed of CGH,a fast scheme based on Cuda parallel computing was proposed.Firstly,the objects were sampled by means of OpenGL depth buffer,and objects points set was acquired.Then with the optimization of traditional look-up table algorithm,storage space was reduced,a short look-up table was produced offline and stored in the GPU texture memory.Finally,a reasonable parallel computing program was designed to generate CGH.The experimental results showed that the algorithm was effective and feasible,and the speed was increased by about forty times with the parallel computing technology.At the same time,the use of OpenGL provided an idea for computer-generated interactive holograms.


Background: In DISCOVER, a multinational randomized controlled trial, emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide compared with emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate demonstrated noninferior efficacy for HIV prevention and improved bone mineral density and renal safety biomarkers at week 48. Here, we report outcomes analysed after all participants had completed 96 weeks of follow up.

Methods: Adult cisgender men and transgender women who have sex with men with a high risk of acquiring HIV were randomly assigned (1:1) to either of two study arms. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02842086.

Findings: 5,387 participants were randomly assigned to receive emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide (n=2,694) or emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (n=2,693), contributing 10,081 person-years (PY) of follow-up. There were eight HIV infections in emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide users (0·16 infections/100 PY [95% CI 0·07–0·31]), and 15 in emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate users (0·30 infections/100 PY [0·17–0·49]). Emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide was noninferior to emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate for HIV prevention, as the upper limit of the 95% CI of the infection rate ratio (IRR) was less than the prespecified noninferiority margin of 1·62 (IRR 0·54 [95% CI 0·23–1·26]). Approximately 78% to 82% of participants reported taking study medication more than 95% of the time across all study visits.  Rates of sexually transmitted infections remained high and similar across arms (21 per 100 PYs for rectal gonorrhea and 28 per 100 PY for rectal chlamydia). Emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide continued to demonstrate superiority over emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate in all six prespecified bone mineral density and renal biomarkers. There was more weight gain among emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide users (median weight gain 1·7 kg vs. 0·5 kg, p<0·0001)

Interpretation: Emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide is safe and effective for longer-term PrEP in cisgender men and transgender women who have sex with men.

Trial Registration: This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02842086.

Funding: Gilead Sciences, Inc.

Declaration of Interests: DP has received research grants and/or honoraria for advisories and/or conferences from Viiv, Gilead, Janssen and MSD. CDS reports grants and personal fees from Gilead Sciences, during the conduct of the study; personal fees from AbbVie, grants and personal fees from Janssen- Cilag, grants and personal fees from MSD, grants and personal fees from ViiV Healthcare/GSK, outside the submitted work. YS, RE, SC, AK, CC, MD, and DMB are employees of Gilead and shareholders of Gilead stock. Other disclosures are forthcoming.

Ethics Approval Statement: This study was approved by central or site-specific review boards or ethics committees.


Within the context of nonlinear system identification, the LS-SVM formulation is extended to define a partially linear LS-SVM in order to identify a model containing a linear part and a nonlinear component. For a given kernel, a unique solution exists when the parametric part has full column rank, although identifiability problems can arise for certain structures. The solution has close links with traditional semiparametric techniques from the statistical literature. The properties of the model are illustrated by Monte Carlo simulations over different structures, and iterative forecasting examples for Hammerstein and other systems show a good global performance and an accurate identification of the linear part.


Poverty in India has been one of the persisting problems since a long time. In the words of our second Prime Minster Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri, "Of all the problems facing us, none is more distressing than that of poverty in which tens of millions of our countrymen continue to live."


General Sir Claude Auchinleck, Commander in Chief of the Middle East Forces, with other officers at an inspection of the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) held in Cairo, World War II. Taken on 5 October 1941 by an official photographer.
Quantity: 1 b&w original photographic print(s).
Physical Description: Cellulosic film negative


1 The receptors mediating endothelin‐evoked contraction of human coronary artery have been investigated in isolated segments of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD). 2 Endothelin‐1 (ET‐1) was 10 times more potent in distal than in proximal segments but the potency ratio between ET‐1 and ET‐3 (endothelin‐3) was similar and close to 100 in any segment of the artery. 3 BQ‐123, an ETA receptor antagonist, competitively antagonized the response to ET‐1 of distal segments (pA2 equal to 7.47). In the proximal segments, part of the contractile response was BQ123 sensitive, but the antagonism was non‐competitive. In both groups of segments, the response to ET‐3 could be completely blocked by BQ‐123. 4 These observations indicate that ETA receptors mediate the contractile response to ET‐1 in distal, pre‐resistant coronary arteries, but that other ET receptors are also involved in the contractile response of proximal segments.


Mecoptera of the Nearctic Region are, in general, more like those of the eastern Palaearctic than of any other faunal region. But the fossil record shows that our major extant genera have been in the northern continents since Early Cenozoic. Panorpidae and Panorpodidae probably entered North America by way of Beringia in the Eocene or Oligocene. Nearctic Bittacidae probably came from the Neotropical Region, but a few exhibit peculiar affinities with some eastern Asiatic species, suggesting migration out of the Nearctic into the Palaearctic. Boreidae appear to have been of North American origin but are now Holarctic; they are unknown as fossils. The Meropeidae were probably widespread in mid–Mesozoic but now are found only in eastern North America and western Australia.


The appearance and clinical significance of round cells and acid mucosubstances in the tumour stroma were investigated in 80 patients with epidermoid carcinoma of the tongue. It was found that on t...


The socio-political scene and economic structure of the NeoAssyrian Empire influenced the Ancient Near East in many ways. An overview of the interpretation of Neo-Assyrian records 1 in the light of archaeological evidence, mainly from seventh century Ekron (Tell Miqne), may contribute to understand why this city seemed to flourish during the seventh century B.C.E.. The article is an attempt to demonstrate that archaeological data dating from the 7 th century B.C.E. in Israel/Palestine opens new perspectives when interpreted keeping the socio-political and economic structures of the Neo Assyrian Empire in mind.


Organic diagenesis represents the processes altering the quantity and the quality of the sedimentary organic matter (SOM) during the first stages of burial, mainly under the action of heterotrophic microorganisms. Once anoxia is established and sulfate is completely consumed from pore water, methanogenesis takes over on the degradation processes, leading to the production of CH4. This process is critical as it is responsible for the production of about 20 % of the global gas resources. Methanogenesis lasts until sediment temperature no longer allows microbial survival or the residual MOS becomes too refractory. Traces of life in the subsurface are found at deeper depths and there are questions about how these microorganisms can survive were the SOM is known to be refractory. Wellsburry et al. (1997) and Parkes et al. (2007) have addressed this phenomenon and revisited the concept of thermal maturation of the SOM. They observed, that low thermal stress (30 90 ° C), over periods spanning from weeks to months, could increase microbial degradation rates of the SOM in laboratory experiments. Following the same hypothesis, Ravin et al. (2017) observed, on a natural sedimentary series, that sediment temperatures around 30 °C could activate the SOM, otherwise refractory, fueling the deep biosphere. There is therefore a hypothesis that abiotic reactions induced by heat stress can lead to the production of labile organic compounds to feed the deep biosphere. In this context, the objective of this work is to characterize the thermolabile potential of the SOM and to determine the its kinetic parameters. We chose a very immature recent marine sediment sample from the ODP Site 1082 located offshore of Namibia, an area influenced by the Benguela upwelling current system. To investigate the kinetics of the thermal degradation of the MOS, the kerogen was pyrolyzed in sealed gold tubes under isothermal temperatures ranging from 150 to 225 °C during 9 to 72 h. The kerogen and the pyrolysis residues were characterized using solid state CP-MAS 13C NMR.


The prevalence of thermophilic strains of Campylobacter sp. in the intestinal contents of slaughtering pigs and in the slaughtering environment was examined in the years 2001 to 2003. A comparison of the results revealed a distinct decline in the occurrence of Campylobacter sp. in pigs and in the slaughtering environment. In the year 2001 altogether 34% positive findings of Campylobacter sp. were determined in a total of 316 samples; in the year 2002 there were 27% positive findings from altogether 610 samples, and in the year 2003 the positive samples accounted for 16% of the 300 samples drawn. Campylobacter sp. were detected most frequently in the contents of the intestines (caecum) (86 strains) and in the swab samples from the surface of the hind limbs in the anal area (17 strains). Campylobacter sp. were only detected in the slaughtering environment in isolated cases. It is clearly evident from the results, that the absolute majority of the isolated strains consisted of C. coli, in line with the findings in relevant literature. In 2001, 16 out of 109 strains of isolated Campylobacter sp. were identified as C. jejuni, and in the year 2002 only 8 out of 167 strains. In the year 2003 we were unable to identify any of 47 isolated bacteria as C. jejuni.


The fundamental principles of the Russian and international anti-extremism legislation are considered in the article which includes historical aspect. Legal gaps become apparent, and the lines of approach current problem are given. The problems of realization of citizens' constitutional rights to freedom of expression and artistic freedom in practice are also considered in the article. Right to freedom of expression and artistic freedom is regulated by considerable amount of international legal generality documents, for example, the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms 1950, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 1966. The national anti-extremism legislation and praxis of recognition extremist materials are analyzed the weaknesses of different extremist materials recognition procedure become apparent, and solutions of the existing problems on the example of the Russian Federation current legislation analysis and judicial practice are given. The current legislation gaps in the area of extremist materials recognition are formulated in article. The value for society of extremist materials placement in the Federal list (further by the text – FLEM) which conducts the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation, adjudicated as extremist is determined. Keywords—right to freedom of expression; right to artistic freedom; extremism; extremist materials


[. xEX If a finite-dimensional linear subspace M is prescribed in C[X] and if f is any element of C[X], then there exists inM an element of best approximation to f. In other words, the distance from f to the setM is achieved by at least one element of M. The chief example of such approximation is that in which X is an interval and M is taken to be the space of polynomials having degree -<n. In all but certain exceptional eases, the determination of a best approximation is a complicated numerieM process which involves the solution of systems of nonlinear equations. Because of this difficulty, various approximate methods are often substituted. One of the simplest of these consists in selecting a finite subset Y inX and then solving the approximation problem on Y instead of X. The latter task can be accomplished by simpler procedures requiring only a finite number of steps. The reliance which may be placed upon the resulting approximation as a substitute for the best approximation depends upon a number of factors, especially the "density" of the subset Y and the modulus of continuity of f. These matters were first studied by Motzkin and Walsh in [7], and that work has inspired the present investigation. Our results below are arranged so that many of the general theorems are followed by one or more results specialized to the ease of algebraic polynomials on the interval [-1, 1]. The specialized results are labeled with suffixes a, b, c, etc. Some of the theorems given here appeared several years ago in a research report of limited distribution [3]. 2. If Y is any subset of X, we define the density of Y to be the number


Of 40 patients with pyloric ulcers, 26 (65 per cent) presented a characteristic clinical syndrome consisting of atypical pain, nausea and vomiting, and weight loss.No difference was noted in clinical presentation, course, or prognosis between ulcers limited to the pylorus and ulcers on the gastric or duodenal side of the pylorus. Furthermore, ulcers frequently appeared to migrate across the pylorus on follow-up studies. Therefore, we believe that all ulcers that involve the pylorus should be considered pyloric ulcers, regardless of extent.Two malignant ulcers were found; one was an adenocarcinoma and the other a lymphoma. Neither could be differentiated on roentgenographic or gross pathologic examinations from benign ulcer.


We investigate quintessence and phantom dark-energy scenarios, in which the scalar fields evolve in nearly flat potentials and are nonminimally coupled to gravity. We show that all such models converge to a common behavior and we provide the corresponding approximate analytical expressions for w({omega}{sub {phi}}) and w(a). We find that nonminimal coupling leads to richer cosmological behavior compared to its minimal counterpart. In addition, comparison with baryon acoustic oscillation and the latest supernovae data reveals that agreement can be established more easily and with less strict constraints on the model parameters.


Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are recognized as leading causes of significant human suffering, loss of productivity, and economic burdens on our society. WMSDs are associated with work patterns that include fixed or constrained body positions, continual repetition of movements, force concentrated on small parts of the body, cold environment and vibration. Main effort to protect workers from WMSDs should focus on avoiding repetitive patterns of work through engineering controls which may include mechanization, ergonomic design of tools and equipment, and workplace layout. Where elimination of the risk factors is not practical, administrative controls involving job rotation, job enlargement and enrichment, teamwork should be considered.


[Objective] The Doppler radar data about a super monomer hailstorms in the northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in the Zhongchuan Airport in the Lanzhou City on September 6,2010 was studied.[Method] By dint of routine data and radar data,the low vortex shear line type and the super monomer hailstorm around the Zhongchuan Airport in the Lanzhou City on September 6,2010 were expounded.Basic product and secondary product of Doppler radar were used in this process to reflect the characteristics of strong convection weather.Some characteristics of this process shall be explored.[Result] A small gush of cold air from the cold vortex of 500 hPa in the middle and high layer provided impacts.The warm shear line provided water vapor and energy in the 700 hPa.There was strong convective weather in the upper air.Such 10 minutes of hailstorm was rarely seen in the drought land in the northwest.The characteristics of the strong convection were distinct and typical.The front showed no echo form.However,it can not be reflected in "strong wedge" in another form.In this process,characteristics of BWER and middle scale cyclone were distinct.And this was a typical hailstorm process caused by super monomer.[Conclusion] The study provided some helpful references for the forecast of strong convection weather in the Zhongchuan Airport in Lanzhou City.


Readers of the Journal of Geology may have noted the coincidence that the same nomenclature of fold measurement has been used in two recent papers by different authors (Ross, 1962, fig. 8; Ramsay, 1962, fig. 1, B). The first eight pages and thirteen figures of Ross's paper consist entirely of methods and conclusions that I described in an undergraduate lecture course five years ago. When in subsequent research I realized that the methods of my earlier work on the geometry of deformed intersecting planes were incomplete and the conclusions wrong, I published the results in an amended theory (Ramsay, 1961). Although in his recent paper Ross quotes this revised work, the methods, reasoning, and results that he describes are identical with those contained in my earlier lecture notes, and I should like to point out here the fallacies which he has apparently not appreci-


This study investigated the first author's process of implementing new literacy practices as a teacher in a Finnish first-grade classroom from a poststructuralist perspective by using nexus analysis (NA). We concentrated on two essential concepts in NA, Bourdieu's habitus and Goffman's interaction order, which we linked to Grundy's curriculum theory. This set of concepts gave us the tools with which to understand how and what kinds of teacher's actions play a role in curriculum implementation, and offered us a perspective on the complex development of interaction order in the classroom community. The first-grade teacher's one-year-long curriculum implementation was structured by reproduction of the teacher's habitus. In this reproduction, the development of the interaction order of the teacher and her pupils played a central role. The move from traditional practices into new ones required the teacher's constant attention and a reflective attitude. During the school year, implementation of the literacy curriculum formed a cyclical process in which the curriculum interests alternated. Although this study was limited to Finnish school culture and the cultural heritage of learning and teaching literacy in Finland, the study offers also an internationally valid example for developing and researching the processes of literacy curriculum implementation.


Scattering analysis of a thin, single-layer radiator with parity, time-reversal, duality symmetry is discussed. The analysis is based on the network description of the radiator by a scattering matrix in conjunction with the transformation of its electromagnetic field by parity, time-reversal, and duality operators. The full-wave simulation of the radiator is also presented.


These pages relate to information and reporting of changes in circumstances for housing benefit (hb) and council tax reduction (ctr)


This paper reviews the evolution of the theme, underlying theory, research focus of the theory of MNEs during the past 55 years. And the stages of the theoretical' leaps' are further explored. The explanatory strength and limitation of the mainstream theory are discussed. The problem with the emerging knowledge-based approach to the theory of MNEs is mentioned and the knowledge governance approach as a further research direction is put forward finally.


For a general family of graphs on $\mathbb{Z}^n$, we translate the edge-isoperimetric problem into a continuous isoperimetric problem in $\mathbb{R}^n$. We then solve the continuous isoperimetric problem using the Brunn-Minkowski inequality and Minkowski's theorem on Mixed Volumes. This translation allows us to conclude, under a reasonable assumption about the discrete problem, that the shapes of the optimal sets in the discrete problem approach the shape of the optimal set in the continuous problem as the size of the set grows. The solution is the zonotope defined as the Minkowski sum of the edges of the original graph.
We demonstrate the efficacy of this method by revisiting some previously solved classical edge-isoperimetric problems. We then apply our method to some discrete isoperimetric problems which had not previously been solved. The complexity of those solutions suggest that it would be quite difficult to find them using discrete methods only.


This article is a summarization and reflection of the objectives,contents and problems in the process of building its own characteristic database in the library of Sichuan Normal University.The purpose is to offer some experience so as to further the construction of the characteristic databases both in Sichuan Normal University and other universities.


In a period of historical transformation, Chinese government should make systematic and all-round choices according to the characteristics of historical transformation and the actual state of society. Specifically, the strategies Chinese government should take into account lie in ten fields, namely, ideology, institution, economic body, culture, organization, social structure, education, living, politics and social insurance.


Abstract : A STUDY WAS MADE OF THE TECHNOLOGY OF OBTAINING ALLOYED MOLYBDENUM BY THE METALLO-CERAMIC METHOD WITH A MINIMUM AMOUNT OF GASES, ESPECIALLY OF O, and a strict limiting of the content of C. The C in the alloys was detected by the volumetric and conductometric methods. The size of the grain of the original powders of Mo was investigated with the microscope and by the method of adsorption of the metal; the content of gas in the powders and in the baked moldings was determined by gas extraction. Carbon (above 0.05%) acts as a deoxidizer in the presence of open pores in the moldings heated to 2100 C in a vacuum of 0.001 mm Hg. More than 0.1 to 0.2% of C, in the alloy, does not lower the amount of O, but leads to the formation of the second phase in the form of filaments between the grains of the solid solution. The degree of decarbonization of the Mo basically depends on the presence of moisture in the H atmosphere, and in the case of the vacuum caking it depends on the content of O in the original powder. (Author)


The changes of acrylamide content of extruded products,by adding different kind and different concentration of additives,were systematically investigated in this paper.The result indicated that the added food ingredients including trehalose,soybean peptide,tea polyphenols,folia bambosae extractive and CaCl2 had significant effect on the acrylamide content of extruded products(p0.05).There was a reduction of 80% for acrylamide content of extruded products compared to the contrast when 0.5% CaCl2 was added.Also,there were reduction of 50% for acrylamide content of extruded products compared to the contrast when 3% soybean peptide and 0.3% folia bambosae extracts were added,respectively.


In our recent investigation, a 3.3 kJ Mather type plasma focus was used to synthesize FeCo nano-particles. The tops of the anodes normally used were replaced by the materials to be synthesized using different numbers of focus shots. It is observed that the characteristics of the nano-particles depend not only on the numbers of focus shots but also on the angular position of the mounted sample. SEM results show that the size of the nano-particles is smaller when the sample is mounted at a bigger angular position. The size of the particles increases linearly with the increase in the number of focus shots. EDX shows that the FeCo nano-particles are stoichiometric. The magnetic properties measured using a vibrating sample magnetometer identify the soft magnetic nature of the FeCo nano-particles. The saturation magnetization has been found to increase in samples prepared with a higher number of focus shots using repetitive plasma focus NX2.


Phencyclidine (PCP) is a dissociative drug and has been known to be an antagonist of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor. We examined possible effects of acute treatment with PCP on neuropeptide Y (NPY) immunoreactive nerve fibres and cell bodies in rat forebrain by immunocytochemistry combined with morphometric analysis. Following the treatment, significant alterations were observed throughout the cerebral cortex, compared with controls. NPY-positive perikarya were increased in number (178%) whereas NPY-positive fibres and terminals were decreased in area (38%). The result suggests that the cortical NPY neuronal system is controlled, at least partly, by glutamatergic inputs via NMDA receptor-mediated mechanisms.


Poly(vinyl acetate-co-crotonic acid) is synthesised starting from crotonic acid obtained from sewage sludge through the integration of (thermo)chemical and biological approaches, resulting in the valorization of a waste into a resource in a circular economy perspective.


The civil aviation aircraft engine was studied in this paper,and the performance reliability of the engine was also studied by use of performance degradation theory.Firstly,by analyzing the performance degradation process of the engine,the time-varying performance degradation model based on state space method was built,and the performance trends were predicted by using Kalman filtering.Then,considering the correlation of multiple performance parameters,the real-time performance reliability prediction model was developed by using stochastic process theory to predict the degradation time of engines.These models were applied to practical situations.It shows that the proposed methods are feasible and the prediction accuracy meets the needs of the project.Also,it provides a foundation for scientific management of engine fleet of airlines.


Distance relay is one of protection components in transmission line. It is widely used as the main protection that gives a tripping signal to the Circuit Breaker (CB) when the fault occurs in the system. When short circuit faults occur in transmission line, the distance relays provide the protection and trip the CB by disconnecting the faulty portion from the healthy section. The main purpose of this research is to find the detection of Cross-Country Fault (CCF) on Distance Protection (DP). During this CCF condition, the faults are in an abnormal condition. This research is performed on a simple circuit model and IEEE test system with 6 buses, 9 buses and 14 bus systems. By using PSCAD/EMTDC software, the Mho characteristics and Bergeron model type of the transmission lines are modelled and have been simulated to generate the output current and voltage that are used to calculate the reach impedance for protected Zone 1. From the simulation results, it can be observed that the fault voltage and current are almost at the same values with the previous research on the normal fault. It means that the voltage and current will become highly fluctuated during the CCF condition. The result analysis is based on CCF with different locations at the same voltage level and CCF with different locations at different voltage levels. To study the performance of CCF condition, the outputs of all types of fault were considered in this project. It is found that the relays in most of the fault's conditions are operated in the protected zone. Finally, it can be concluded that the effect of CCF on DP are successfully identified


This article examines the issues for black professionals in welfare organisations and black students in higher education as we interact with each other as black people. It offers a blend of empirical description and theorising of the group dynamics that occur as black professionals and black students interrelate in black-only groups. It shows how diverse and complex the issues are and it invites us to re-think the notion of 'black identity'. The politics of identity is the politics of how individuals and members of minorities perceive themselves (as opposed to the hegemony that society might impose upon them). The struggle for hegemony is not only played out on a national or international stage but also between groups and individuals within groups.


I Theories of Action.- 1. Prichard's Theory of Voluntary Activity.- 2. Prichard, Davidson, and the Notion of Agency.- 3. Objections and Qualifications.- 4. Secondary Uses of Action Language.- 5. Three Theories of Action.- 6. The Metaphysics or Ontology of Action.- 7. Concluding Remarks.- II The Springs of Action.- 1. Preliminary Remarks on Volition.- 2. Intentions and Other Pro Attitudes.- 3. Intention, Belief, and Action.- 4. A Conception of Volition.- 5. Reasons and Purposive Explanations.- 6. Voluntary and Intentional Action.- 7. Concluding Remarks.- III Deliberation.- 1. Aristotle on Deliberation.- 2. Decision and Choice.- 3. Deliberation and Ends.- 4. The Question of Validity.- 5. Deliberation and Choice.- 6. Bayesian Deliberation.- 7. Concluding Remarks.- IV The Logic of Practical Reasoning.- 1. Sellars's Theory of Practical Inference.- 2. Binkley's Theory of Practical Reasoning.- 3. Castaneda's General Theory of the Language of Action.- 4. Normative Statements and Practical Reasoning.- 5. Concluding Remarks.


In this study we aim to study in what way the Strength of motivation of the Romanian medical students has been influenced by harsh economic conditions that led to a massive migration. We conducted a cross-sectional study on a sample size of N=1516. We applied The Strength of Motivation for Medical School-Revised (SMMS) questionnaire and a questionnaire that examines the opinion of the students about migration. The mean value of motivation was 48 (maximum score is 75), 85% of the students have the intention to migrate. The determining factor of studying medicine abroad that correlates significantly with the Strength of motivation is represented by the better work conditions. Students studying in the South of the country want to practice primary in France, students in the North West and in the Center choose to practice medicine in Germany, and students from the East would like to go to Great Britain. The students with a high Strength of motivation are driven by the desire of the students to practice medicine abroad. Higher salaries don't represent the principal factor for leaving the country. The percent of 85% of the students aiming to practice medicine abroad, represent a concerning result for all of us because it took the form of brain drain.


In this research, we describe teaching based sweeping control for grinder robot has been proposed as a system which is suitable to work utilizing pressure sensitive alternative to human. Teaching method is used for grinder robots operations because of their position accuracy, path accuracy, and machining reaction force. A grinder robot for two-dimensional iron plate was developed on the basis of an force sensor based teaching method. An automatic-path-generation method and experimental results using specific points was adopted to reduce the number of teaching points and time. And also, in order to determine the proper machining conditions, various machining conditions such as grinder-wheel rotation speed and robot moving speed, were evaluated.


Several issues are absorbed in practise and research of law applying, concerning the protection of consumers in "traditional" business and services. But issues conserning customer protection in specific fields of individual and legal persons education, health, science are not investigated and therefore create difficulties in pratice. Aim of this article is to study theoretical and practical issues concerning customer protection in education. Overall it should be noted, that protection of consumer rights in education in Latvia is difficult under the present circumstances, this is followed by quality what is not controleld and is not transperant, stimulates violation of consumer rights. Therefore it must be separate between administrative regulation and civil regulation, concerning protection of consumer rights in education, is required. It will be the base for partition of both law enforcement and the courts, encouraging the customer, society and its member's confidence in the education system. It also will guarantee the quality of education and justice. It also describes the nature of consumer protection in Latvia. In addition, modernization is required of Consumer Rights Protection Law with specific regulations concerning protection of consumer rights in education.


A new guidance device is one of the first instruments of its kind to provide surgeons with objective data pre- and postoperatively for placement of a small-aperture corneal inlay (Kamra, AcuFocus).


The coherent point target analysis provides an approach to exploit the temporal and spatial characteristics of interferometric signatures of long-term InSAR data stack and derive the surface deformation map. If temporal decorrelation and atmospheric heterogeneities could be separated from the phase signal, the extended technique of Differential-InSAR may improve the accuracy in deformation detection from centimeter to millimeter. This paper concentrates on the coherent point target analysis of long-term ERS-1/2 data set in Shanghai city, which has been affected by subsidence for more than eighty years. Using the methods of stacked differential interferograms, the phase series along time series due to atmospheric differences can be decreased through iterative procedures, and the deformation velocity can be measured in coherent targets. The 24 scenes from the ERS-1/2 satellites covering the test area, shanghai between 1992 and 2000 were chosen and processed. The products based on the Coherent Point Target analysis are compared with ground leveling data. The construction of subsidence phenomena will be characterized by the InSAR result. Validation of deformation model obtained using InSAR technology with the data collected from ground leveling monitoring system is discussed.


The eikonal distorted-wave method is applied to single ionization in proton-helium collisions at laboratory energies of 300 keV, 500 keV, 1 MeV, and 3 MeV. The angular distributions of scattered protons agree well with recent experimental results, showing substantial improvement over the plane-wave Born approximation especially at large scattering angles {Theta}. The momentum distributions of the ejected electrons at fixed values of {Theta} are calculated. In particular, those of the electrons ejected mainly in binary proton-electron collisions are studied in detail. The momentum distributions of the recoil He{sup +} ions at fixed values of {Theta} are also discussed by comparing with the results of recent coincidence measurements. At such small {Theta} at which the plane-wave Born and the eikonal distorted-wave approximations give nearly the same cross sections and are expected to be accurate, these approximations lead to average momenta of recoil ions significantly lower than the measured values.


Curriculum evaluation provides insightful information that helps make decisions to maintain, modify or stop a program. Evaluating students' perspectives of an existing program is an important technique used in assessing its relevance to the global economy. The study evaluated students' perspectives of the food and nutrition program at the University of Cape Coast and its implications on curriculum change. Out of a total of 336 students, 129 made up of 62 first and 67 final year students were purposively selected for the study. Two sets of questionnaires were developed and self administered to students. In all, 116 questionnaires (62 final year students; 54 first year students) were retrieved giving a response rate of 90%. Results showed that 52% of the students were well informed about the program through the university admission brochure prior to enrollment. Students reported several overlaps in different courses and recommended synchronizing course outlines. Seventy (60%) of the students rated science based courses as very important (nutrition and health; food storage and preservation) and non science courses less important (food production and service; other catering related courses). Students labeled some courses as irrelevant in contemporary times and recommended their removal and replacement with more relevant ones. In addition, students requested for more practical lessons to equip them with the requisite skills needed to compete for jobs after graduating. Students indicated health related jobs as their first choice of employment with few interested in teaching. It was concluded that the existing program though developed to train students to teach food and nutrition in the second cycle schools in Ghana has lost its focus, rather students are more interested in being trained to work in the health sector rather than teach. Thus it is important to review the courses and update them to reflect changing trends in the global economy.


Globalized economy has led firms to introduce new innovations in the market quite frequently. Optimal Introduction time is an important strategic decision for firms because an early introduction may not take off as customers; channel members and other required partners might not be receptive enough, on the other hand too late an entry results in loss of opportunity for the firm. The decision is even more critical when introducing successive generations over time. In this study, the authors have developed an analytical approach to help decide the optimal introduction time for successive generational product. The timing decision depends on whether firms push the product to market before competitors or invest more time in process & product design and improvement. The authors have examined the case where a firm introduces successive generations of a durable product for which demand is characterized by an innovation diffusion process. Results are supplemented by a numerical example.


Rainfall runoff process differs depending on if it occurs in a rural area or an urban area. While surface flow is dominant in an urban area, in a rural area, groundwater flow is also important. However, in Korea, most studies for a watershed runoff event simulation by the storm water management model (SWMM) have used only the surface flow module regardless of the runoff characteristics for a basin. The purpose of the study is to evaluate application results of the SWMM for a rural area and to suggest the necessity of considering runoff characteristics of a basin in a watershed runoff event simulation. Two basins, which can represent urban and rural areas, are selected: the Guro 1 Pumping Station Basin and the Milyang Dam Basin. Watershed runoff event simulations were conducted by including the groundwater module of the SWMM and the results were derived by an automatic calibration. The calibration results for the watershed runoff event simulation model of the Guro 1 Pumping Station Basin were quite similar to the observed hydrograph, even when the groundwater module is not included. On the other hand, calibration results for the watershed runoff event simulation model of the Milyang Dam Basin were poorly done when the groundwater module is not considered. When we derived the calculated runoff hydrograph by the watershed runoff event simulation model with the groundwater module for the Milyang Dam Basin, the results were well fitted into the observed data. Thus, runoff characteristics should be considered for a watershed runoff event simulation by the SWMM.


Derivative spectroscopy is applied for the first time to the determination of alpha- and beta-acids in hops. The second derivative of the absorption spectrum provides adequate resolution for the simultaneous analysis of these compounds without any previous separation technique. The method is simple and rapid since the measurements are performed in a single scan. The results are comparable to those obtained by the ASBC photometric method and correlate well with the HPLC method (EBC).


Miller, Hildy, and Lillian Bridwell-Bowles, eds. 2005. Rhetorical Women: Roles and Representations. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press. $60.00 hc. $25.00 sc. viii + 261 pp.When the category under analysis is women, in this case women rhetoricians, the case for essentialism must be given its due. So begins Hildy Miller and Lillian Bridwell-Bowles's Rhetorical Women: Roles and Representations. Themes loop through the Miller and Bridwell-Bowles anthology, primarily centering on reclaiming the term "voice" for feminist rhetoric. Miller and Bridwell-Bowles prefer "voice" to "ethos" or "persona," calling on bell hook's notion of "coming to voice." They are well aware of the critiques that have been leveled at this tradition, but with Susan Jarratt and Nedra Reynolds ("The Splitting Image: Contemporary Feminisms and the Ethics of Ethos" James S. Baumlin and Tita French Baumlin's Ethos: New Essays in Rhetorical and Critical Theory, Dallas: SMU Press, 1994) they "reject the most radical postmodern theories that would entirely deny rhetorical agency." They claim that voice is a valid and important term. When situated in the context of lived experience, audience, authority, and persona, voice recalls agency-the roles and representations enacted by the rhetor (10).Miller and Bridwell-Bowles's chosen genre is thus appropriate to the task of reclaiming voice in these terms. What more effective way to combat the spectre of essentialism and master narrative than to invite the voices of many? In their introduction, they speak of "variations of that shaping pivotal moment in which women 'come to voice,'" (12), claiming, in a clever and evasive fashion "if there is a women's rhetoric, it is as elusive, contradictory, and fragmentary as the footprints of Ariadne" (13). The strongest theme that emerges in the anthology, almost overwhelming the debate over voice, is the concept of rhetoric as action. Throughout the anthology, the essays reinforce the notion that there is no rhetoric without what Kate Ronald and Joy Ritchie describe in their essay, "Pedagogy and Public Engagement," as the "so what" of writing, teaching, and speech. Ultimately, it is the postmodern fettering of action that Miller and Bridwell-Bowles combat as they resituate "voice," while attempting to dodge the essentialist critique.The first section of Rhetorical Women focuses on "Representing Women Rhetors." Its function is the recovery of little-known rhetoricians like medieval writers Julian of Norwich and Angela Merici. Other better-studied writers, such as Mary Wordy Montagu and Sarah Winnemucca Hopkins, are given a rhetorical reading, rather than the more typical literary one. The project of recovery undertakes to "consider how women at various historical moments found ways to speak and write and make their influence felt" (17).Each of the essays in this section is strong, but of particular interest is the one by Julia Dietrich, which takes up Julian of Norwich and Angela Merici. Dietrich oudines the development of rhetoric in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, arguing that these two women made a distinctively feminist contribution in this era. Julian of Norwich, in the late fourteenth century, used the "empirical authority of seeing" (30). Dietrich observes that "she appears to have been writing for an audience who shared her desire to see for themselves" (30). Angela Merici, her second subject, a fifteenth-century Italian, in her "warrants and reasons reveals an engaging practicality, based in her personal experience and observation" (35). In both cases, the appeal to common sense contrasts with male rhetoricians of the period whose warrants most often were based in scripture. Dietrich's analysis involves a somewhat nuanced interpretation of voice, the theme alluded to in the introduction. "The first audience is always the self" (26)-she implies that self cannot be revealed through writing because "we cannot know how much of the rhetorical work of making the radical acceptable was done to convince themselves and how much was consciously chosen for another audience" (26). …


Conservatism was conceived by the constructors of the C Scale as a generalized factor that affected all or most social attitudes. With the exception of Bagley's (1970) rotation, there has hitherto been available only unrotated factor matrices which demonstrate the existence of 'general', 'sexual', 'racial' and 'religious' conservatism factors. Some problems encountered whilst interpreting unrotated matrices are discussed. Also reported is an oblique rotation yielding 15 first-order factors which were subsequently reduced to four essentially uncorrelated third-order factors. The meaning of these factors is discussed. It is suggested that there are attitudes that cut across a simple liberal-conservative polarity and that this notion is in accord with events in New Zealand and elsewhere.


The object of this paper is to help library and information staff to promote themselves and their services, so that they present an efficient and capable image of their work. The paper brings together some straightforward ideas and practical marketing methods which can be used in the library and information field.


There is a high risk of reocclusion after successful lower limb angioplasty. Platelets play a central role in this process. The aim of this study was to investigate the antiplatelet effect of a combination of aspirin and clopidogrel compared with aspirin alone in patients with claudication undergoing endovascular revascularization.


This paper examines how consumer debt impacts middle-class households. Interest payments on this debt reduce spendable income and household living standards. We argue that it is necessary to account for interest payments on consumer debt when measuring income inequality and the size of the middle class, and then estimate the impact of doing this using the Survey of Consumer Finances datasets since the 1980s. We find that both greater income inequality and rising interest payments on past debt are squeezing the middle class, with interest becoming more important in the 2000s. We conclude with some policy proposals to aid middle-class households.


Based on the periodical section models,the three-dimensional numerical simulation on inside flow and heat transfer of different structural parameters of the spiral groove tube were investigated and we obtain micro-distribution of the flow velocity field and temperature field in the state of turbulence.The simulation results show that with the increase of groove depth,both the heat transfer performance and resistance coefficient increase and with the increase of thread pitch,both the heat transfer performance and resistance coefficient decrease.Finally,the correlation of resistance coefficient and Nusselt are presented from the simulation data.


The present invention discloses an automatic navigation tractor, includes a vehicle body, a front wheel, two rear wheels, the tow hook and a battery, and the left and right front side of the vehicle body are provided an ultrasonic sensor, is also provided with a numerical control apparatus on the vehicle body and the gyroscope , the steering wheel and drive wheel unity composite, the composite wheel driven by a drive motor reducer assembly mounted within the drive wheel, and the large gear mounted on the driving wheels of the front wheel supporting the following composite connector, mounting the composite before the above steering wheel supporting motor reducer gear assembly driven by the sub-wheel steering drive. Tractor of the present invention is characterized by high precision steering, steering space is small, compact, high-rigidity, automatic driving along a path consisting of obstacle avoidance, the position and attitude positioning and automatic steering angle correction, high level of automation.


To study the effects of metallicity and evolution on the appearance of the Be phenomenon in the B stars population, we observed several fields in the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds (LMC and SMC, respectively) which have different metallicities. Thanks to the FLAMES-GIRAFFE multi-fibres spectrograph on the VLT-UT2, we obtained spectra of 520 stars in the LMC-NGC2004 and SMC-NGC330 regions. We used 2 settings at medium resolution: R=8600 for the red setting which contains H$\alpha$ and R=6400 for the blue setting which contains H$\gamma$, H$\delta$, \ion{He}{I} 4026, 4388, 4471 \AA. The latter setting was used to obtain fundamental parameters of the stars by fitting the observed spectrum with theoretical spectra. We used TLUSTY (Hubeny & Lanz 1995) to compute a grid of model atmospheres with abundance adopted from Korn et al. (2002) for the LMC and from Jasniewicz & Thevenin (1994) for the SMC. Thanks to the GIRFIT code (Fremat et al. 2005a), we obtained the fundamental parameters \teff, \logg, \vsini~and radial velocity (RV) for each star of the samples.We took into account the effects of fast rotation (stellar flattening and gravitational darkening) for Be stars to correct their apparent fundamental parameters. Then we compared the rotational velocities between fields and clusters in the SMC and in the LMC respectively, between the LMC and the SMC, and between the MC and the Milky Way (MW). The results show an increase in Vsini with decreasing metallicity in B and Be stars populations. The evolutionary status and ages of Be stars were also investigated.


In order to provide fundamental data on utilization of dehumidifier in greenhouses, a condensing type dehumidifier using ground water as a coolant was developed and tested dehumidification performance. The developed dehumidifier was applied to greenhouse with fog cooling system and effect of dehumidification on improvement of evaporative cooling efficiency was analyzed. Results of the dehumidifier performance test showed that dehumidification using ground water as a coolant was sufficiently possible in fog cooling greenhouse. When the set point temperature of greenhouse cooling was 32℃ and as temperatures of ground water rose from 15℃ to 18℃, 21℃ and 24℃, dehumidification rates decreased by 17.7%, 35.4% and 52.8%, respectively. As flow rates of ground water reduced to 75% and 50%, dehumidification rates decreased by 12.1% and 30.5%, respectively. Cooling efficiency of greenhouse equipped with fog system was distinctly improved by artificial dehumidification. When the ventilation rate was 0.7 air exchanges per minute, dehumidification rates of the fog cooling greenhouse caused by natural ventilation were 53.9%~74.4% and they rose up to 75.4%~95.9% by operating the dehumidifier. In case of using the ground water of 18℃ and flow rate of design condition, it was analyzed that whole fog spraying water can be dehumidified even if the ventilation rate is 0.36 exchanges per minute. As a utilization of dehumidifier, it is possible to improve cooling efficiency of fog system in naturally ventilated greenhouses.


The invention relates to a method for preparing a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) conducting material by compounding polyaniline/carbon black/polyethylene. The method comprises the following steps of: adding quantitative phenylamine and a certain amount of carbon black into hydrochloride solution; performing ultrasonic dispersion and slowly dropwise adding quantitative ammonium persulfate hydrochloride solution with mechanical stirring; repeatedly washing the product with deionized water; performing extraction filtration on the product until the product is neutral; performing banburying on the high-density polyethylene and the polyaniline/carbon black uniformly according to proportion in a banbury mixer; discharging the mixture, slicing and pelletizing; and sheeting the sliced material on a flat vulcanizing machine and extruding the sheets into cables. The polyaniline subjected to 'oxidation-reduction doping' is wrapped on the surface of the carbon black, the polyaniline/carbon black composition can be relatively well dispersed in high-density polyethylene (HDPE), HDPE or vinlacetate copolymer (EVA) and polyaniline (PANI)/CB are mixed and molded and then cross-linked through electron irradiation, so the structural stability of the PTC material is further improved and the service life of the PTC material can be prolonged.


One fundamental problem in Earth Vision is to accurately find the locations and identify the categories of the interesting objects in the aerial images, for which oriented bounding boxes (OBBs) are usually employed to depict better the objects emerging with arbitrary orientations. However, the regression of the OBBs always suffers from the ambiguous problem in the definition of the regression targets, which often reduces the convergency efficiency and decreases the detection accuracy. Although there are some methods like the binary segmentation map that can handle this problem, it brings a new problem of ambiguous background pixels in the OBBs. In this article, we propose to cast the OBB regression as a center-probability-map (CenterMap)-prediction problem, thus largely eliminating the ambiguities on the target definitions and the background pixels. The predicted CenterMaps are then used to generate the OBBs. The CenterMap OBB representation is simple, yet effective. Furthermore, to distinguish better the interesting objects from the cluttered background, a weighted pseudosegmentation-guided attention network is adopted to provide the object-level features for predicting the horizontal bounding boxes and the OBBs. The experimental results on three widely used data sets, i.e., DOTA, HRSC2016, and UCAS-AOD, demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed method.


Disinfection & Sterilization if done properly, it can prevent transmission of many diseases among the doctors, healthcare personnel and patients. The risk of infection is high in the dental office because the oral cavity is rich in aerobic, anaerobic bacterial flora and many viral pathogens. The method of disinfection and sterilization depends on the use of the medical devices: Critical instruments (pierce the tissue) should be sterilized, Semi critical instruments (come in contact with the mucosa) should be sterilized & Least critical instruments (touch the Surfaces during treatment) & should be disinfected. Cleaning should be done by high-level disinfection and sterilization. Current guidelines of disinfection and sterilization must be strictly followed by doctors, healthcare personnel.


The extraction of actinides and of cesium and strontium from nitric acid or sodium nitrate solutions is done with CMPO and crown ethers, respectively. As the extraction is done from a highly concentrated nitrate solution,and nitrate being a very hydrophilic anion, the extraction of the associated cation is severely restricted. A way to get round this difficulty is adding a lipophilic anion. The cobaltabisdicarbollide anion fulfills this requirement. It can be used alone for the extraction of cesium, or in the presence of polyethylene glycol for the extraction of strontium. In synergy with CMPO, Russian scientists from Khlopin Radium Institute proposed to their US homologues a mixture of CMPO and dicarbollides to treat the huge volumes of radioactive liquid waste stored in Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) using UNEX (UNiversal solvent EXtraction). In spite of high performances, as more than 99% of cesium, strontium and actinides are removed, this process presents some drawbacks: The implementation of a diluent, fluoropol, containing fluorine, that is unacceptable in facilities treating liquid waste free from fluoride, and the difficulty of implementing a process containing two components in the organic phase. The aim of this project was to provide extractants that can be used in more acceptable diluents than the fluorine based fluoropol and that have only one component in the diluent. (The unequal loss of the two components in the extraction process forces an adjustment of the concentration of the extracting agents, that makes the management of the process difficult). Moreover, it was likely that linking CMPO or crown ethers to the borane clusters could lead to compounds that would improve in terms of efficiency and selectivity. Besides, the search for simpler molecules or for molecules that can be purified easily was also one of the targets of this project. New ways of synthesis, enabling direct bonding of selective groups such as phosphorous oxides, crown ether rings of different size (or CMPO) on dicarbollide moieties was an important breakthrough in the chemistry of dicarbollides. From studies carrried out in this project, it can be concluded that crown ethers bonded to dicarbollide were more soluble in NPHE than the mixture of crown ethers and dicarbollides. Adequate comparisons were achieved using more lipophilic and more selective crown ethers (benzo or cyclohexano derivatives) than the basic crown ethers, that are too soluble in water to be used in liquid liquid experiments. In spite of this, dicarbollides bearing crown ethers are more efficient than the mixture of the two separated compounds at the same concentration in NPHE. The same trend is observed with CMPO linked to dicarbollides. With these, the extraction of trivalent actinides and lanthanides is extended at higher nitric acid concentrations. As for a mixture of CMPO and dicarbollides, stripping was not possible in pure water, it was proved that the addition of DTPA and salts to the stripping solution permitted the back extraction of lanthanides.


Objective: Leptin and adiponectin are important hormones secreted from adipocytes that are involved in the regulation of energy homeostasis and might contribute to the link between obesity and insulin resistance. The aim of this study was to determine the relationships among various adipokine measures (leptin, adiponectin, and the ratio of leptin to adiponectin (L/A)), insulin resistance, and obesity. Material and Method: The study included 110 obese and 90 non-obese subjects. Fasting glucose, insulin, HDL cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), LDL cholesterol (LDL-C), leptin, adiponectin and anthropometric parameters were measured. Each subject's homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index and leptin to adiponectin ratio (L/A) were calculated. Results: The L/A ratio was significantly correlated with HOMA-IR in both obese (r=0.25, p<0.01) and non-obese (r=0.68, p<0.01) subjects. In obese subjects, leptin and the L/A ratio were significantly correlated with body mass index (BMI) (p<0.01) and waist (p<0.01) and hip (p<0.01) circumferences and adiponectin was significantly correlated with HOMA-IR (r=-0.68, p<0.01). Best cut off value of L/A for BMI was found to be 0.78, sensitivity was 93.6% and specificity was 81.1% according to receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Conclusion: The results suggest that the L/A ratio might be a more sensitive and reliable indicator of insulin resistance in obese subjects than adiponectin or leptin concentrations.


In this paper, a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)-aided underlay cognitive radio network is investigated. An RIS is utilized to improve the secondary network (SN) reliability and robustness while simultaneously increasing the physical layer security of the primary network (PN). Toward this end, closedform expressions for the SN outage probability, PN secrecy outage probability, and PN probability of non-zero secrecy capacity are derived. To increase the eavesdropping signals of the PN, the eavesdropper uses two combining techniques, namely maximal ratio combining and selection combining. Furthermore, the advantages of the proposed system model are verified through numerical and simulation results.


Significance Dendritic cells (DCs) of the immune system are critical for displaying foreign antigens to T lymphocytes, a process called "antigen presentation." This process may involve Vacuolar protein sorting 34 (Vps34), a protein implicated in diverse cellular processes, including endocytosis, an extracellular product uptake system, and autophagy, an intracellular degradation system. Here we have generated and analyzed mice in which the Vps34 gene is specifically knocked out in DCs. These animals displayed defects in the survival and function of a subset of DCs specialized in presenting antigens from dead cells to T cells. Thus our findings have revealed a critical contribution of Vps34 in DC functions that may have important implications for targeting this pathway for therapeutic purposes. The class III PI3K Vacuolar protein sorting 34 (Vps34) plays a role in both canonical and noncanonical autophagy, key processes that control the presentation of antigens by dendritic cells (DCs) to naive T lymphocytes. We generated DC-specific Vps34-deficient mice to assess the contribution of Vps34 to DC functions. We found that DCs from these animals have a partially activated phenotype, spontaneously produce cytokines, and exhibit enhanced activity of the classic MHC class I and class II antigen-presentation pathways. Surprisingly, these animals displayed a defect in the homeostatic maintenance of splenic CD8α+ DCs and in the capacity of these cells to cross-present cell corpse-associated antigens to MHC class I-restricted T cells, a property that was associated with defective expression of the T-cell Ig mucin (TIM)-4 receptor. Importantly, mice deficient in the Vps34-associated protein Rubicon, which is critical for a noncanonical form of autophagy called "Light-chain 3 (LC3)-associated phagocytosis" (LAP), lacked such defects. Finally, consistent with their defect in the cross-presentation of apoptotic cells, DC-specific Vps34-deficient animals developed increased metastases in response to challenge with B16 melanoma cells. Collectively, our studies have revealed a critical role of Vps34 in the regulation of CD8α+ DC homeostasis and in the capacity of these cells to process and present antigens associated with apoptotic cells to MHC class I-restricted T cells. Our findings also have important implications for the development of small-molecule inhibitors of Vps34 for therapeutic purposes.


The article considers the reaction-diffusion equations modeling the infection of several interacting kinds of species by many types of bacteria. When the infected species compete significantly among themselves, it is shown by bifurcation method that the infected species will coexist with bacterial populations. The time stability of the postitive steady-states are also considered by semigroup method. If the infected species do not interact, it is shown that positive coexistence states with bacterial populations are still possible.


This study evaluates the cash flow performance of hospitals that are at greater risk of closure, specifically small rural hospitals. The study finds that positive cash flow small hospitals own a gr...


The solution to the problem of optical nonlinear filtering based on the use of nonleastsquares probability criteria is discussed, in particular the criterion of maximum probability of finding filtering errors within given boundaries. The possibility of using the approach developed here to solve problems of minimax filtering is analyzed, and corresponding examples are given


Abstract Let $A, B$ be two square complex matrices of the same dimension $n\leq 3$. We show that the following conditions are equivalent. (i) There exists a finite subset $U\subset { \mathbb{N} }_{\geq 2} $ such that for every $t\in \mathbb{N} \setminus U$, $\exp (tA+ B)= \exp (tA)\exp (B)= \exp (B)\exp (tA)$. (ii) The pair $(A, B)$ has property L of Motzkin and Taussky and $\exp (A+ B)= \exp (A)\exp (B)= \exp (B)\exp (A)$. We also characterise the pairs of real matrices $(A, B)$ of dimension three, that satisfy the previous conditions.


The object of this investigation is to determine if extirpation of the ovaries has any definite effect on the structure and especially on the proliferative activity of the thyroid gland. For this purpose the thyroid gland of the guinea pig was used, for it has been studied previously in a series of investigations by Loeb (1) and his associates, Gray (2), Rabinovitch (3), and McCordock (4). These authors used two methods for determining the effect of various factors on the thyroid gland. In the first place, Loeb (5), in experiments begun in 1919, used the intensity of compensatory hypertrophy which follows extirpation of three-fourths or more of this organ, as a convenient indicator of the activity of the gland. In the second place, Loeb, Gray, McCordock and Rabinovitch made use of the normal gland and here attempted a quantitative measurement of the effect of various factors on the thyroid gland by studying in a quantitative manner the number of mitoses in the acini together with the changes in the size o...


The system temperature Ts at the inputs of the ALMA front ends is expected to range from about 50 K (band 1, SSB) to about 1000 K (band 10, DSB), depending on frequency, atmospheric conditions, and pointing elevation. Since the nominal signal level at each digitize is Po = 1 mW in bandwidth B = 2 GHz, a net gain of kTsB/Po = 75.6 dB to 88.6 dB is required. Various losses will be incurred on the signal path, including 9 dB of power division (in Downconverter), 5 to 20 dB in variable attenuator headroom, about 6 dB in padding (for matching), 7 dB in second mixer conversion loss, estimated 11 dB in insertion loss of various components, and estimated 8 dB in cables and connectors. The required active gain is then 122 to 150 dB. Since most of the active gain is fixed and independent of band, and in order to allow for worst-case component tolerances and the possibility of additional padding, the actual active gain will be larger than 150 dB. In order to support total power radiometry, it has been suggested that the net gain must be very stable. There is no actual specification on this. The ALMA Project Book [1] mentions only a 1% limit in connection with calibration accuracy, but a limit on the fractional power gain fluctuation of δG/G = 1 × 10 has been proposed in recent discussions. This follows from a desire that the sensitivity not be limited by the instrumental gain fluctuations, but rather by thermal noise or by fluctuations in atmospheric emission. In [2], it is argued that the most stringent requirement occurs for on-the-fly total power scanning with 8 GHz bandwidth, and that for this case the 1 × 10 value applies at intervals of 1 sec in order that the gain fluctuation noise not exceed the thermal noise. In [3], it is argued that this mode will incur errors due to fluctuation of atmospheric emission of about .015 K at 230 GHz at the 50th percentile; this has the same effect as δG/G = 1 × 10 if Ts = 150 K. Documents giving a formal requirement for ALMA are in preparation [4][5]. At other time scales, different requirements may prevail. For beam-switched total power continuum (using subreflector nutation), fractional gain stability as small as 1.3× 10 might be needed in order not to limit sensitivity, but only for time intervals of .05 sec (assuming 10 Hz switching with 20% transition time). For interferometry, the gain should be stable over a gain calibration cycle, which may be several seconds to several minutes [4], but the fractional variation can be several×10−3 since the calibration error is unlikely to be less than 1 × 10. Fractional gain stability better than 1 × 10 is very difficult on any of these time scales, especially since the large total gain must be implemented in many separate stages. With K identical stages having independent gain fluctuations, each must have a fractional stability 1/ √ K times the total. In practice, the stages are not at all identical, so some must be much better than this. Also, gain variations caused by the environment are unlikely to be independent among stages; for identical but fully correlated fluctuations, the fractional stability of each stage must be 1/K times the total. In ALMA, the active components of the signal processing chain may be classified as follows. • Cold RF amplifier (bands 1 and 2 only); • SIS mixer (bands 3–9) or cold Schottky diode mixer (bands 1 and 2); • Cold IF amplifier, 4–12 GHz; • Room temperature IF amplifier(s), 4–12 GHz; • Room temperature baseband amplifier(s), 2–4 GHz.


Objective:To assess the value of central venous catheter in treatment of refractory urinary retention in children.Methods: Seven boys with acute urinary retention,who underwent failed routine drainage from Aug.2007 to Jun.2008,received paracentric suprapubic cystostomy via disposable central venous catheter.The patients were followed up for 2-11 months and the outcomes and complications were observed.Results: The catheterization processes were successful at the first try,with the mean operation time being(3.2±0.4) min,ranging 2-5 min.The drainage outcomes were satisfactory and there were no complications.Conclusion: Suprapubic puncture and drainage with central venous catheter is safe and effective for children with urinary retention and is worth popularizing.


This article highlights the importance of motion pictures in the Transvaal Chamber of Mines' strategy to recruit and educate African workers for the Witwatersrand gold mines during the interwar years. Responding to the need for an ever-expanding workforce, in the mid-1920s industry officials began producing and exhibiting recruiting films in the reserves and protectorates in a bid to establish hegemony over labour reservoirs. Miners on the Rand were also shown films promoting western medicine and safety procedures in a bid to reduce contagion and worksite injuries. These films, overlooked in the historiography to date, are an important source for historians as they were among the earliest examples of colonial cinema produced south of the Sahara, and provided tens of thousands of African villagers with their first opportunity for viewing motion pictures. Accounts in white newspapers smugly reported on spectators 'running in terror' from the screen, but Chamber memos show that officials recognised the ability of Africans to understand the nuances of filmic narrative. Moreover, the films themselves provided a new venue that made it possible for potential recruits and their families to critique the minutiae of labour contracts and working conditions on the Rand. Africans enjoyed the medium, but they were not its victims.


Electron microscopic observations of sections from adrenal cortex obtained from a twenty‐four‐year‐old male with hypertension were made. In the zona glomerulosa the cells showed a large nuclear‐cytoplasmic ratio. The mitochondria had a dark matrix and plate‐like inner structure. The agranular endoplasmic reticulum revealed a close association with lipid granules. The Golgi apparatus was prominent and frequently accompanied by centrioles. Free ribosomes were abundant. The zona fasciculata can be subdivided into two layers. In the outer layer the cells are characterized by numerous large lipid granules. Two kinds of mitochondria are discernible; one with a pale matrix and tubulo‐vesicular or vesicular inner structure and the other with a dark matrix and tubulo‐vesicular or lamelllform cristae. In the inner zona fasciculata and reticularis there are two types of cells besides the dark cells. The type 1 cells have a compact cytoplasm, elliptic or irregularly shaped mitochondria with a dark matrix and tubulo‐vesicular or vesicular internal structure. The type 2 cells are large and ovoid, having a clear transparent cytoplasm. The mitochondria are numerous having a clear matrix and almost exclusively vesicular inner elements. Abundance in agranular endoplasmic reticulum, decreased lipid granules, and cytoplasmic incisions are common in both the inner fasciculata and reticularis. In addition the zona reticularis is characterized by increased number of dark cells, numerous pigment bodies, and the appearance of huge mitochondria.


[Excerpt] The current pandemic is a classic example of a wicked problem that has no immediate solution, is unique, and one which conventional processes fail to tackle. Considering Singapore's proud history as a trading nation it is perhaps sad, and a little ominous, that Robinsons is shuttering its stores forever. Set up in 1858, Robinsons is an iconic department store intimately tied to Singapore's history. But the business world does not dwell on sentimentality and Robinsons joins a long list of well-known retailers that have succumbed to the pressures of Covid-19 worldwide - Debenhams in the UK being another one of them.


We investigate the simultaneous observability of infinite systems of vibrating strings or beams having a common endpoint where the observation is taking place. Our results are new even for finite systems because we allow the vibrations to take place in independent directions. Our main tool is a vectorial generalization of some classical theorems of Ingham, Beurling and Kahane in nonharmonic analysis.


The Pomeranian Bay in the south-western part of the Baltic sea has an area of 4300 km2 and a volume of 51.4 km3 and contains a fresh-water inflow of 17.3 km3/a from a catchment area of 137,220 km2. There were evaluated 18 investigations of specific dates at 14 stations in the years 1976 … 1978: 229 … 235 hydrochemical measurements and 75 phytoplankton investigations. It can be demonstrated by multiple regression analyses that the nutrient concentrations are mainly determined by the fresh-water inflow and the mixing ratios, phytoplankton having a secondary effect. Of the nutrients mainly ammonium influences the phytoplankton development and the oxygen production, the full utilization of the nitrogen stock being limited by an N/P ratio of 48 in the surface water and of 41 in the bottom water layers. Obviously, a limitation of the primary production is out of the question due to the high turnover rates of phosphorus. The N/P ratio is also a clear evidence of the great influence of the inflowing nitrate-rich freshwater on the nutrient situation of the bay.


The second-largest order statistic is of special importance in reliability theory since it represents the time to failure of a 2-out-of-n system. Consider two 2-out-of-n systems with heterogeneous random lifetimes. The lifetimes are assumed to follow heterogeneous general exponentiated location-scale models. In this communication, the usual stochastic and reversed hazard rate orders between the systems' lifetimes are established under two cases. For the case of independent random lifetimes, the usual stochastic order and the reversed hazard rate order between the second-largest order statistics are obtained by using the concept of vector majorization and related orders. For the dependent case, the conditions under which the usual stochastic order between the second-largest order statistics holds are investigated. To illustrate the theoretical findings, some special cases of the exponentiated location-scale model are considered.


1. Objectives The Face is an important standard for the classification of Sasang Contitutions. We are developing 3D Face Automatic Recognition Apparatus to analyse the facial characteristics. So We should examine a shape demobilization error of 3D Face Automatic Recognition Apparatus. 2. Methods We compared facial shape data be demobilized by 3D Face Automatic Recognition Apparatus with facial shape data that be demobilized by 3D laser scanner. The subject was two korean men. And We analysed the average error and the maximum error of two data. In this process, We used one datum point(the peak of nose) and two datum line(vertical section and horizontal section). 3. Results and Conclusions In each this comparison, the average error of vertical section was 1.962574mm and 2.703814mm. and the maximum error of vertical section was 16.968249mm and 18.61464mm. the average error of horizontal section was 4.173203mm and 21.487479mm. and the maximum error of horizontal section was 3.571210mm and 17.13255mm. Also We complemented this apparatus a little and We reexamined a shape demobilization error of 3D Face Automatic Recognition Apparatus again. Accuracy of a shape demobilization was improved a little. From now on We complement accuracy of a shape demobilization in 3D Face Recognition Apparatus.


We thank Y.P. Moodley and co-workers for their thoughtful letter in response to our manuscript on the natural history of progressive fibrosing interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) [1]. We agree that early identification of patients with progression of their ILD is important to enable prompt implementation of appropriate treatment. The inclusion criteria for the INBUILD trial reflected current approaches used to identify patients with progressive ILD. However, we acknowledge that the pattern of progression of ILD varies among individual patients, and no single set of criteria will capture all of them. No set of criteria will cover all patients, but the inclusion criteria used in the INBUILD trial were effective at identifying a population of patients with progressive ILD https://bit.ly/3mKkzzi


Leslie Green's The Authority of the State* is a fine addition to the burgeoning literature on political authority. It makes an impressive case that nationstates claim an authority none can justify, thus failing to create any general obligation of obedience. Anarchism does not follow, however, because citizens have many reasons, both moral and prudential, to comply with just (and nearly just) laws, regulations, and orders. Green's own recommendation is that we cultivate the virtue of civility: a self-restraint commending us not to invoke the faults of social arrangements as an excuse for non-compliance. Unlike obedience, civility never requires us to surrender our judgment to the state. Coupled with other grounds for compliance, civility blocks the alleged bad consequences of denying the state's self-image as having the authority to impose the binding, content-independent duty of obedience on us.


The highest gross monetary returns (Rs. 25479 ha - 1 ), sorghum grain equivalent yield (40.77 q ha - 1 ) and LER (1.68) were obtained with normal planting of sorghum at 45 cm and one row of cowpea as intercrop in between the rows of sorghum. The increased benefits are 19.33 per cent for gross monetary returns and 19 88 per cent for sorghum grain equivalent yield over sole sorghum.


A simple and convenient judging method will be given. It is used to judge whether an n×n nonnegative real matrix A is an inverse M-matrix or not. By using the method, we reduce the order of an n×n matrix A gradually until the reduced matrix can be judged by the definition of inverse M-matrixes. At the same time, aglorithm and its operation problem are also been studied.


It is commonly said that patients (or their representatives) have no right to demand that treatment must be continued when medical carers believe it is "futile" to continue it. There are certainly many judicial statements to this effect, some of which are quoted in this paper. However, there are various ways that courts can intervene, even if they do not order directly that treatment must be provided or continued. First, patients or their representatives may argue the process of decision making was unfair or that they were unfairly discriminated against when treatment has been refused. To date, these arguments have met with limited success so far as enabling patients to have treatment provided or continued against medical advice. More recently, however, some patients have challenged the lawfulness of a proposed treatment regime by advancing human rights arguments, based in turn on a broader aspect of patients' "best interests" than best medical interests.


We have calculated structural, magnetic and electronic properties of corundum-type α-Fe2O3 from first principles using densityfunctional theory (DFT) and the DFT+U method to account for correlation effects in this material. Although the correct magnetic ground state is obtained by pure DFT, the magnetic moments and the band gap are too small, and a predicted structural phase transition coupled with a transition from the insulating high-spin to a metallic low-spin phase at a pressure of 14 GPa is not seen in experiment. We find that considering the Coulomb interaction directly by including a Hubbardlike term U into the density functional greatly improves the results with respect to band gap and magnetic moments. The phase transition is shifted to higher pressures with increasing values of U and disappears for U > 3 eV. Best overall agreement of structural, magnetic and electronic properties with experimental data is obtained for U = 4 eV.


The objective of this study is to understand the impacts of the key network parameters--demand level, network size, and number of cities--on airline routing of city pairs, specifically on whether they should be served with nonstop or transfer flights. This objective is accomplished by using an approximate model under the single-hub network, at minimal cost. The proposed routing strategy uses angles to divide city pairs into two groups, based on their relative locations: those served by nonstop flights and those served by transfer flights. Costs that would be minimized include airline operating costs and the passenger costs of schedule delays, en route time, and transfer delays. The relationships between the optimal angle and netowrk parameters are explored with a circular network configuration. The passenger demand is assumed to be homogeneous. A numerical example of applying the model to the U.S. airline network is presented. According to the model, demand has a positive and significant impact on the use of nonstop flights. However, number of cities and network size have negative and insignificant impacts. According to the model, as the time value of schedule delays alone increases, the time value of en route time alone decreases, or as the time value of all delays decreases, more city pairs should be served with transfer flights. The total cost is generally not sensitive to the angle size. The model also reflects the hubbing phenomenon and the impact of demand on shaping the routing patterns in the U.S. airline network.


The dry cementless concrete having high chemical resistance to be easily applied to the housing bottom plate, and use the fly ash, blast furnace slag and powdered alkali activator casting to produce a no-slump of cementless concrete of dry type embodiment, and just by carrying out the stripping of the steel mold before curing can prevent the adhesion of the steel mold, and, pouring because the dry cementless concrete age faster the initial strength is excellent and chogyeol compared to normal concrete point, the by stripping immediately and can easily maintain the housing bottom plate-like with a complex shape, and also, fly cementless concrete that enable the ash and blast furnace slag, because the chemical resistance to a very superior to general cement concrete dry cementless the durability of the housing bottom plate with This really solidify, dry cementless housing bottom plate, and a manufacturing method used for concrete can be provided.


Contrary to a previous report that Birch reduction of C60 affords C60H36 as the principal product, laser desorption-laser photoionisation time-of-flight (L2TOF), laser desorption Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR), and liquid secondary ion mass spectrometry (LSIMS) show collectively that a mixture of polyhydrofullerenes, containing C60H18 through to C60H36 with a skewed distribution centred on C60H32 is formed, the discrepancy in results arising from the thermal lability of this mixture of polyhydrofullerenes when subjected to the elevated temperatures (>250 °C) required for mass spectroscopic studies using direct-insertion heated probes.


Vehicular Ad-Hoc Networks (VANETs) have received a great attention recently due to their potential and various applications. However, the initial phase of the VANET has many research challenges that need to be addressed, such as the issues of security and privacy protection caused by the openness of wireless communication networks among the city-wide applied regions. Specially, anomaly detection for a VANET has become a challenging problem, due to the changes in the scenario of VANETs comparing with traditional wireless networks. Motivated by this issue, we focus on the problem of anomaly detection in VANETs, and propose an effective anomaly detection approach based on the convolutional neural network in this paper. The proposed approach takes into account the spatio-temporal and sparse features of VANET traffic, and it uses a convolutional neural network architecture and a loss function based on Mahalanobis distance to extract and estimate the traffic matrix. Then, reinforcement learning is used to implement anomaly detection. Furthermore, a comprehensive assessment is provided to validate the proposed approach, which illustrates the effectiveness of this approach.


Today organizations are a complex system, composed of different types of elements, working together. Given the nature of organizations, they must deal with change, at some point of their lifecycle, in order to improve their activity. Since they are complex systems, deciding what changes to do or not, is not a trivial problem to solve. Furthermore, there may be several enterprise scenarios to choose from in a given situation. In this work we intend to analyse the problem of selecting enterprise scenarios, and propose a methodology to guide and formalize, this kind of analysis. Our methodology is based on the multi criteria analysis, and proposes GQM as a method to select and align metrics with business objectives, and also incorporates SWING, as weighting method in order to compute a global scenario score, from the value of single metrics. Regarding the metrics it is also presented in this thesis a group of metrics that allow to differentiate scenarios based on the quantity of change impact they produce on the overall architecture. Since there are dependencies between enterprise architecture elements, changing an element will in most cases cause the need to change other related elements, and this is change impact is what the proposed metrics aim to quantify.


Over three-quarter of the world"s population is using herbal medicines with increasing trend globally. Plant medicines may be beneficial but are not completely harmless. The aim of this study is to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of raw lemon and honey against different enteric human pathogens.Antimicrobial activity of lime juice is characterized by damage to the cell wall resulting in changes in cell morphology analysis of bacteria. Mixing lime juice with honey was also shown a maximum zone of inhibition against pathogenic fungi Candida albicans. Traditionally in Indonesian, lime juice added honey is often used as a cough medicine.


The Periadriatic Fault System (PFS) is one of the most important tectonic element in the Alps, separating the Europe-verging collisional wedge from the S-verging Southern Alps. The PFS developed in a dextral transpressional regime during the Cenozoic, following the Adria-Europe collision. The area between the Passeier and the Eisack rivers (Meran, NE Italy) is a key area for the understanding of the interactions among the PFS, the Giudicarie Fault and the fault network here active in the middle to late Cenozoic. Here the elsewhere E-W trending PFS rotates to a NE-SW trend, impliying significant changes in the fault kinematics and evolution.


The thesis of this research is that Christian theology, church praxis and especially a comprehensive missional approach to ecclesiology need to embrace place. Christian life and a healthy congregational culture must be grounded in the surrounding context – the neighbourhood. It acknowledges the re-emergence of place as a topic of concern in both sociological and theological work, and attempts to contribute towards the reflection on its implications for spirituality, congregations and mission. The aim of this contribution is to answer the research question: what are the contours of a missiological engagement with a theology of place? The scope of a research article limits this contribution to an introduction of the importance of the theme, establishing the importance of a theology of place and proposing the incarnation as an appropriate missiological point of departure to reflect on a theology of place.


Abstract Background The incidence of psychotic disorders varies across replicable social and environmental gradients at both an individual and a population level, such as higher rates of disorder in urban and migrant populations. However, the factors underpinning this are unclear. The EU-GEI study was established to investigate the incidence as well as the genetic and environmental determinants of first episode psychosis in a multi-national setting. The aim of the present study was to investigate the variance found in the incidence across the 17 catchment areas in the 6 countries (England, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Brazil) included in this study at both individual and population level, and identify putative predictors of psychosis risk. Methods We conducted a population-based study of the incidence of non-organic adult ICD-10 psychotic disorders (F20-F33). Demographic data (age, sex, ethnicity) and OPCRIT diagnoses were collected, and denominator data was estimated from government sources. Crude incidence rates were directly standardised to the 2011 England and Wales Census population to account for population differences in age, sex and ethnicity. Multilevel Poisson regression was carried out to investigate variance in incidence between catchment areas by latitude, population density, and percentage of unemployment, owner-occupied houses and single-person households as markers of catchment-area level social fragmentation, using official government statistics and data from the 2011 European Population and Housing Census. Results We identified a total of 2,774 cases over 12.94 million person-years at risk, leading to a crude incidence of 21.4 per 100,000 person-years (95%CI: 19.4–23.4). The age pattern of incidence differed between men and women: crude incidence peaked in men aged 18–24 (61.0 per 100,000 person-years, 95%CI: 59.0–63.1) and declined sharply thereafter, for women rates also peaked in the youngest age group (27.0 per 100,000 person-years, 95%CI: 24.9–29.1) but decline was more gradual and there was a small but robust secondary peak after age 45. By age 35, 68% of male cases had presented to services, compared to 51% of female cases. Age-sex-ethnicity standardised incidence of all psychotic disorders varied 8-fold across settings. Poisson regression revealed higher rates in minority groups (IRR: 1.6, 95%CI: 1.5–1.7), and an association between greater catchment area-level owner-occupancy and lower incidence (IRR for a 10% increase: 0.8, 95%CI: 0.7–0.8). No relationship was found for other putative environmental risk factors, including latitude and population density. Results were similar for non-affective and affective disorders. Discussion Variance in treated incidence was substantial and was only partially explained by standardisation for age, sex and ethnicity, and Poisson regression including catchment-area level risk factors. For the prevention of psychosis two main lessons can be learned: services focused on early intervention should not have an upper age limit as half of all female (and 32% of male) cases present after age 35, and future examinations of variance should focus on socioenvironmental and not geographical determinants.


The invention discloses an air-activated type food self-heating composition, and a preparation method and application thereof. The self-heating composition comprises the following effective compositions: a zinc powder, active carbon, an electrolyte and a catalyst. A self heating device prepared by employing the self-heating composition does not need water as an activator, is convenient to use, begins to release heat when a packaging bag is torn, and can started at various operational environments with the temperature of -30 DEG C or more. An air activating manner is employed, and the temperature of the self heating device reaches 80 DEG C or more within 60 s, and the time of the product maintaining 80 DEG C or more is not less than 10 min. The ratio of the food net content to the weight of the self heating device is not lower than 5:1. No toxic and combustible gases are generated during heating, and hydrogen and water vapor are not generated in the heat release process, and the safety and the crypticity are both good. The product does not generate obvious smell, does not need water during usage, is clean, and does not generate any pollutants on the food packaging bag.


After ten years or so of growth in educational technology, questions have been raised about its various resources, objectives, priorities, and future commitments. Susan Sayer, producer at the University of Salford Audiovisual Media Centre, makes an appraisal. She believes that educational technology is in danger of irrelevancy and institutional failure (particularly at university level) if it does not become part and parcel of the lecturers' armoury‐‐wholly subservient to their needs and dedicated to educational research at all levels. The article implies that overemphasis on hardware is a common pitfall, and maintains that sophistication in technology is no index of its usefulness. It discusses the relevance of a systems approach to the daily needs of lecturers, the role of television and desirable objectives and procedures for a department of media and technology in an educational institution.


Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are promising candidates for large-area full-color flat panel displays due to their ease of fabrication and convenience for many applications.1 OLEDs work through the passage of an electric current across a fluorescent or phosphorescent organic layer resulting in an excitation/emission profile of the material used. With OLEDs, the injection efficiency of electrons is a critical parameter and depends to a great extent on the work function (the minimum energy needed to move an electron out of a substance) of the electrode. A thin hole-injection layer (HIL) or an anode buffer layer (ABL) between the indium tin oxide (ITO) anode and the organic emitting layer are usually adopted to enhance the performance of the hole-injection process.2–6 Thus, current electroluminescent devices typically have the following layered configuration: ITO anode/HIL or ABL/organic emitting layer/tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq3)/lithium fluoride (LiF)/aluminum cathode. Our recent work suggests that either an HIL composed of metal phthalocyanine (MPc) or an ABL of Li-doped zinc oxide (LZO) should improve the holeinjection efficiency.7–9 The organic, inorganic, and Al layers of our test device were successively deposited using vacuum vapor evaporation at room temperature. The LZO powders with a doped concentration of 5% Li were prepared by sintering a mixture of ZnO and Li2CO3 powders in air. Various MPc layers were tested for their effect on injection efficiency (see Figure 1). The turn-on voltage of the devices decreases from 5.3V to 4.3V when CoPc or CuPc layers are inserted: see Figure 1(b). Compared to the non-MPc device, higher emission efficiency was observed in all MPc devices. The CuPc device achieved the highest efficiency as shown in Figure 1(c). For the same emission intensity, the higher efficiency suggests that a much lower current density is required. Figure 1. Characteristics of organic LEDs with a variety of MPc hole-injection layers: (a)current density versus voltage (J-V), (b) luminescence versus voltage (L-V), and (c) luminescence versus current density (L-J). All the devices consisted of a stacked structure of: ITO/MPc(10nm)/NPB(60nm)/Alq3(75nm)/LiF(1nm)/Al(200nm). NPB: N,N-bis(naphthalen-1-yl)-N,N-bis(phenyl)benzidine, a hole transport material.