Nature has a circulatory and mutual relation with human beings in coexistence. Due to acceleration of global warming, however, the risk of undermining the natural environment, which is the root of life, has been caused. Under these circumstances, companies started producing naturalism products by arguing real natural components in the trend of emphasizing the health, but it is difficult for consumers to make a proper choice because the types and criteria for harmful ingredients are not distinct. To identify such situation, the study extracted the results of adjective images of all product colors on the website of The Face Shop and Innisfree, excluded overlapping colors and produced color chips for a survey. To draw results, the survey was conducted based on purchase experience, safety, friendliness and compatibility of package color and examined the consumer preference of participants in their 10s to 60s. According to the results, purchase experience in naturalism cosmetics was high in all age groups, which motivated the progress of the survey. When it comes to safety, friendliness and compatibility of package color, each age group showed divided preferences for color, which indicated significant difference in statistics; preferences were different from the color and tone of commercial cosmetic packages. As there are no distinct characteristics targeting young consumers in the color of naturalism products, these products are recognized as regular products available for any age. Based on these research results, awareness of color as being "customized" will be ensured as complex elements are not considered in purchasing naturalism products where suitable color is used by reflecting difference in preferences, but products can be selected by visual reaction. It is expected to lead to securing loyal customers and ultimately having a positive impact on shift in a corporate image and sales.


This article describes the experience developed at the University of Concepcion during the process of developing and managing its Strategic Plan 2006-2010. It addresses the alignment of corporate foundations around the strategic objectives proposed and the consistency and adherence to internal development plans of each Faculty in relation to the University overall plan. It also includes the creation of a base for a Management Control System associated to the ongoing monitoring plan. During the development of this process, the University of Concepcion has identified several critical factors for success that shares with the academic community, at national and international levels.


The embodiment of the invention provides the detection methods and device of a kind of leakage of application memory, this method comprises: detecting the target application of starting in independent detection application;Obtain the contextual information of the target application;The contextual information is inputted into the detection application, to monitor the RAM leakage of the target application.The embodiment of the present invention avoids the integrality for destroying tested application, improve the stability of tested application, and, due to that can guarantee the integrality of tested application, in addition to also can detecte the RAM leakage of announced application, substantially increasing the versatility of detection in the RAM leakage for the application that can detecte debugging version, the stability of announced application is improved, the generation of memory overflow problem is reduced.


The present invention is by mixing silica airgel in the regular cement mortar, by allowing the cement mortar can best express the second heat insulation, hydrophobicity, lightweight silica airgel has, thermal insulation and fire resistance is very superior than ordinary cement and water resistance is excellent so the weight is for a method of manufacturing a lightweight cement mortar with silica airgel thermal insulation, water resistance, fire resistance can be made lighter and the silica airgel cement mortar functionality. In this way solidification of the combined mixture with water after kneading not have the high temperature refractory insulation cracks and shrinkage produced, such a method for manufacturing the high temperature refractory insulation, and in hard cure made in a short period of time, place the porous formation by the foaming It becomes, at the same time can be a maximum insulating effect to be cured by using a porous filler. In addition, it does not generate any toxic gases, even if hayeoteul contact with the flame.


The optical transfer function in the case of observation through the atmosphere is studied, taking into account the effect of fluctuations of the concentration of the scattering particles owing to atmospheric turbulence. The conditions under which the distorting effect of these fluctuations on optical image quality is strongest are determined.


Recognition of music, the ability to hear an excerpt and determine (for
example) its composer, is made possible by our unconscious awareness
of the music's unique patterns of musical features. One could compare it
with the study of fingerprints, though voice recognition is a more
suitable analogy. The aim of this chapter is to bring to light the features
which enable recognition of John Adams's piano music, and to trace the
origins and development of those features. Since Adams composes al
the piano, and since a majority of his works have been written for piano
or for ensembles including a piano, this will go some way towards
making a general study of his compositional style.


PURPOSE: An adhesive film for semiconductors is provided to improve a productivity of a semiconductor package by enabling peeling off of the adhesive film from a lead frame or a sealing resin after a sealing operation. CONSTITUTION: An adhesive film for semiconductors protects a real portion of a lead frame by applying an adhesive film thereon. The adhesive film for semiconductors is used for a peeling operation after a sealing operation. The adhesive film for semiconductors includes a support film(1) and a resin layer A(2). The support film is formed on one or both sides of the support film. The support film is undergone a surface treatment. The surface treatment is selected from the group consisting of a chemical treatment, a sand mat treatment, a plasma treatment, and a corona treatment.


The objective of the present work is to provide an efficient technique for off-line recognition of handwritten numeral strings. It can be used in various applications, like postal code recognition or information extraction from fields of different forms. The proposed solution uses convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to implement two classifiers, one for digit recognition and one for numeral strings composed from two digits partially overlapped. Both classifiers are trained without negative examples. By comparing the results of the classifiers it can decide if the image contains one digit or two partially overlapped digits. The use of the two-digit strings classifier completely relieves our method from the usage of segmentation. The method is evaluated on a well-known numeral strings database - NIST Special Database 19 - and the results are comparable with the best results from literature, even if those are using elaborate segmentation and training with negative examples.


In the manufacturing of formaldehyde from methanol, there are so-called an oxidation method of using air in excess and so-called a dehydrogenation method of using insufficient air. In the manufacturing of formaldehde by the latter method of using methanol in excess in the presence of a single metal catalyst, the author has investigated on the reaction conditions, the method of suppressing the side reaction, the catalyst, and the diameter of reaction furnace, etc.in order to study a possibility of using a single reaction furnace of large size without mixing of water in methanol.This first report deals with the reaction conditions.The result indicated that a standard ratio of air/CH3OH should be taken the value of 0.834 l air/g CH3OH from equilibrium theory and its optimum value was found to be 0.80-0.95 l/g CH3OH from the experimental result. Nearly 100% of reaction rate was obtained with the reaction temperature at 700°C and the standard ratio of 0.834 l air/g CH3OH, but the optimnin temperature of reaction was indicated to be in the range of 580-680°C as there was the problem of side reaction.Also, a caution was necessary for side reaction, especially the formation of carbon monoxide, by noting the temperature of gas after passing through the catalyst layer as well as the temperature of catalyst layer.The space velocity up to the maximum of 80×104 has been experimented.It was indicated that the space velocity had not much influence on the rate of reaction of methanol and the formation of carbon dioxide, but there was a remarkable effect on the formation of carbon monoxide and it was increased with an increase of space velocity.Also, the formation of carbon monoxide was increased by increasing the rate of gaseous flow in spite of the space velocity was kept constant.


Introduce fuzziness query methods of the simple fuzziness query and of the fuzziness query's condition is tabloid or is for short and of the fuzziness query of SELECT-SQL. Provide two source programs of general function to realize the very fuzziness query. Utilize SELECT-SQL to compose general query programe that currency and executive rate are very good.


The goal of this chapter is to generate new conceptual, clinical, and empirical perspectives about principles of change that are relevant to the treatment of depression. It provides an opportunity for the authors of the previous three chapters to present their views about convergences and differences in the implementation of principles, the clinical helpfulness of these principles, the possible ways of combining them, as well as the principles that should be investigated in future research. The chapter also includes comments from the editors on each of these issues, as a way to engage conversations and/or future collaboration between researchers and clinicians.


This paper describes the application of a digital computer simulation model to design a large facility for assembling and testing approximately 30,000 motoreducers a year. The simulation model is designed and calibrated entirely on actual operating data, and used in conjunction with statistically designed experiments to evaluate the effects of various controllable factors on the size and configuration of the department level facility. The paper shows that a relatively simple and straightforward simulation model can provide quite insightful and valuable results, yet still be well within the capabilities and budget of the "ordinary practitioner" of management science in facilities planning.


The research purpose. The article analyzes the state of the Crimean Peninsula after it became part of the Russian Empire based on the travel notes of German Baron August von Haxthausen in the 1840s. The source stands out for its use of significant statistical material and a thorough description of the cities of Crimea. The methodological foundation of the research approach to the study of travelogues as "literature of fact". The main research findings. The informational potential of Haxthausen's travelogues allows for the reconstruction of imperial influence on the topography of Crimean cities, the devastation that occurred after the peninsula's incorporation into the empire, the destruction of architectural monuments, and the decline of the "old" (Tatar) Crimea and the development of the new (Russian) Crimea, which involved the development of strategic cities, particularly Sevastopol. By analyzing Baron Haxthausen's notes on his visits to places of social activity and communication with representatives of ethnic communities on the peninsula, one can trace the interethnic relations between the indigenous peoples of the peninsula and the Russians, representatives of the occupying power, highlight the cultural and religious life, and recreate the daily life of the peoples of the Crimean Peninsula, namely the Tatars, Karaims, Armenians, and Greeks. The author drew attention to the decline of the "old" (Tatar) Crimea and the development of the new Russian Crimea, which consisted in the development of strategic cities (in particular Sevastopol). Being under the ideological influence of imperial myths, entertainment, and the extraordinary attention of local authorities, without professional knowledge of the history of the region and not being initially familiar with the tsarist measures to maintain control over the annexed region, the author sometimes reproduced the actions of the tsarist government in the region too complementarily. However, his long stay in the Crimea shows that Baron A. von Haxthausen's views changed. The devastation of the land, religious and social oppression of the local population, and the destruction of architectural monuments did not escape his attention. Conclusions. Attention is drawn to the differences between A. von Haxthausen's observations and the declarations of Russian officials, as well as the partial censorship of the text of the travelogues, which led to some historical errors and inconsistencies in the notes. Keywords: A. Haxthausen, travel notes, Crimea, cities, ethnic composition.


This book dicusses the national, regional, and transnational appropriations of Kartini – a young Javanese woman who lived in Jepara, Central Java, between 1879 and 1904.  She is recognised internationally as an iconic feminist and nationalist Indonesian figure and is, after Anne Frank, the most widely-read and influential, (originally) Dutch-language author worldwide in the 20th and 21st centuries. Since 1911, her letters,  first published in Dutch as "Door duisternis tot licht" (lit. "Through Darkness Into Light"), have been translated into numerous languages including French, Russian, Japanese, Javanese, Sundanese, and Arabic. There are also several versions of Indonesian and English translations. In the 1960s, a republication of the first 1920 English language translation of a selection of her writings was included in the UNESCO Collection of Representative Works.


In recent years wind power integration has substantially increased in southern states of Australia. At present South Australia has the highest wind generation capacity of any region across the country. This large capacity penetration would likely displace existing synchronous generation fleet. These wind generators have neither enough inertia response nor governor support to control major frequency excursion. Under high wind power availability and cheaper import from neighboring region, South Australian grid could depend on few synchronous machines for frequency regulation. Under such a scenario, a big contingency may produce a severe frequency excursion in the network. Consequently, system may face a considerable amount of load shedding, which may degrade the standard of network service quality. To understand these issues, this paper investigates frequency response of a power system in presence of high wind penetration. The network under consideration loosely represents South Australian power system. Additional frequency control strategy, such as deployment of synchronous condensers to enhance network frequency response is also studied.


We previously reported that trans-stilbene is metabolically activated to estrogenic compounds by a liver microsomal enzyme system. In this study, we demonstrated the structural requirement for estrogenic activity of various stilbene derivatives including proestrogens. High estrogenic activity in 4,4′-dihydroxystilbene, 4-amino-4′-hydroxystilbene, 4,4′-dihydroxy-α-methylstilbene, hexestrol, and diethylstilbestrol (DES), moderate activity in 4-hydroxystilbene, 4-aminostilbene, 4-hydroxyazobenzene, and 4-hydroxy-4′-nitrostilbene, low activity in 4-nitrostilbene, 4,4′-dihydroxydibenzyl, resveratrol, and 4-hydroxy-α-methylstyrene, and marginal activity in 4,4′-dimethoxystilbene and 4-hydroxymethylstilbene were observed in an estrogen reporter assay using the estrogen-responsive human breast cancer cell line MCF-7 and a binding assay with rat uterus estrogen receptor. In contrast, α-methylstilbene, 4,4′-dimethoxystilbene, 4-hydroxymethylstilbene, dibenzyl, tolan and azobenzene also exhibited estrogenic activities after incubation with liver microsomes of 3-methylcholanthrene- or phenobarbital-treated rats in the presence of NADPH. These results suggest that the structural requirements for the estrogenic activities of stilbene derivatives are a p-hydroxyl group in the A-phenyl ring, vinyl linkage, and a B-phenyl ring for the maximal activity, and hydrophobicity of the linkage for higher activity as observed in DES. p-Nitro and amino groups in the A-phenyl ring are also effective for the estrogenic activity.


We apply recent advances in dynamic competitive analysis to open economy macroeconomics and draw out implications for comovement among consumption, output, trade balances, government deficits, and exchange rates. The real economy is a stochastic exchange model with complete markets. With time-separable preferences, cross-country risk-sharing implies perfect correlation between consumption in different countries, even when preference and endowments differ. With mild restrictions on the endowment process, this also implies a positive correlation between net exports and output in every country. With introduce money using a cash-in-advance constraint and show that any correlation between exchange rates and the balance of payments can be made consistent with the theory.


The present study was carried out to evaluate antioxidant activity of Hedera helix stems extracts and also to investigate the main phyto constituents in the bio-active extract. N-hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and methanol 80% extract were tested for free radical scavenging activity on model reaction with stable 2,2diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH). The results showed that ethyl acetate was the most active one as antioxidant agent and phytochemical analysis of that extract revealed the presence of triterpenes, saponins, flavonoids, tannins and carbohydrates. The results suggest new chemical classes of natural antioxidant


The article provides historical and pedagogical analysis of ways to implement Bologna process in higher education system of Ukraine. It was found out that according to the requirements of Bologna system the basic regulatory document determining organization of educational process in definite areas of training, majors and educational and qualification levels is curriculum containing mandatory and optional parts. Mandatory part of curriculum consists of the subjects established by industry standards of education.  The arrangement of learning mandatory subjects of the curriculum is indispensable and cannot be changed. Optional part of curriculum consists of two segments: subjects chosen by the university (the choice of higher educational establishment) and subjects chosen by a student out of proposed list (the choice of a student). It is stated that the list of optional subjects is determined by universities according to the concept of specialists' training at university in order to satisfy educational and qualification needs, effective utilization of potential and traditions of higher educational establishment, demands and needs of labor market. The main objective and tasks of a subject, content and requirements to knowledge and skills of students are defined by curriculum and education program of a subject. It is highlighted that although Bologna process is policy and targeted cooperation of European pedagogical universities, institutes, schools, centers, but educational scientific community of higher educational establishments clearly understands that it is not enough just to transfer one of the components of Bologna system (namely development of curriculum and education program of subjects, introduction training modules according to the number of credits, assessment of academic achievements of students with use of credit-module system of education arrangement) into the content of education because of absence of clear recommendations, experience and physiological readiness of students and teachers for that. Key-words: Bologna process, curriculum, educational program, module, credit, credit-module system of education arrangement, mandatory and optional parts of curriculum.


Zinc naphthenate was treated firstly by HNO 3 to digest the easily dissolved components,then evaporated,dried,and carbonized at about 300℃,the big molecule are cracked to smaller molecule or residue of carbon.Finally,it was digested to colourless and transparent solution by mixed acid of HNO 3 with HClO 4,which is called as caronize dissolution digestion method.Zn was determined by FAAS with RSD of 1.13%.The method is rapid,accurate,and convenient,and the results are satisfactory.


This paper focused on past and future research possibilities in the field of business policy. In spite of several decades of teaching and interest in business policy, little progress towards an explanatory or predictive field of study has developed. Compared to fields like production management -- operations analysis or organization theory -- behavior development, little significant research is going on. Even conceptual schemes have only recently developed and few of them have been empirically supported. This paper reviews the work done in policy. It reviews the work of the stages of development theorists who contend they follow Kuznets or Rostow. The most prominent of these are Bruce Scott and Associates at Harvard. Thain, Filley, Lippitt and Schmidt and Cannon. In fact they develop typologies or ideal models. It also comments on the substantial work done by Igor Ansoff and his associates. Finally the paper reviews the group of theorists who have focused on the relationship between strategic choice and o...


Based on the studies of survey information available, geological characteristic of Hupeng quartz-vein-type gold deposit, Jinping, Guizhou is made a summary, its genesis is made a preliminary discussion, and next-step prospecting direction are described.


•  Introduction •  Perlecan: a pro‐angiogenic proteoglycan •  Endorepellin, a C‐terminal fragment of perlecan with anti‐angiogenic activity •  Syndecans in cancer biology •  Glypicans and the control of cancer growth •  Role of heparanase and proteoglycan remodelling in cancer •  Decorin and growth control •  Genetic evidence for a role for decorin in carcinogenesis •  Mechanism of decorin action: suppression of β‐catenin and Myc levels •  Lumican in cancer biology •  Conclusions and perspectives


Williamson is not directly concemed with the semantics of assertionmarkers, although he assumes that his view has implications for such an undertaking; he says: 'in n~tural languages, the default use of declarative sentences is to make asseliions' (1996/2000: 258). In this paper I will explore Williamson's view from this perspective, i.e., in the light of issues regarding the semantics of assertion-markers. I will end up a slightly different account, on which, rather than KR, what is constitu-


Surfaces of polyethylene and n‐hexatriacontane were for the first time studied by high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS). The vibrational band energies and intensities were recorded and compared to transmission infrared data. The attribution of most of the bands to methyl, methylene, and C–C vibrations is straightforward; but some of the bands remain unassigned. The intensities of the methyl associated electron energy losses are greatly enhanced. This confirms the extreme surface sensitivity of the spectroscopy and is consistent with a C–C skeleton preferentially oriented perpendicular to the surface. Measured cross section data vs electron impact energy (E0) show that while a dipolar‐type interaction mechanism is dominating some regions of the cross‐section curve, other resonance scattering may contribute significantly for low and high E0. This cross‐section curve shows also that the polymer surfaces are to be considered as a ''condensed gas,'' with weak intermolecular interaction, in...


Molecular dynamics simulations in a multibaric–multithermal ensemble have been carried out for Lennard-Jones systems of 108 and 256 particles. Using reweighting techniques, the temperature dependence of the isobaric heat capacity is calculated, and a liquid–solid coexistence curve on the pressure-temperature plane is also determined from heat capacity peaks. The curve is in good agreement with those obtained by other methods in previous reports.


The dissipation mechanism of the magnetic energy in turbulent collisionless space and astrophysical plasmas is still not well understood. Its investigation requires efficient kinetic simulations of the energy transfer in collisionless plasma turbulence. In this respect, hybrid-kinetic simulations, in which ions are treated as particles and electrons as an inertial fluid, have begun to attract a significant interest recently. Hybrid-kinetic models describe both ion- and electron scale processes by ignoring electron kinetic effects so that they are computationally much less demanding compared to fully kinetic plasma models. Hybrid-kinetic codes solve either the Vlasov equation for the ions (Eulerian Vlasov-hybrid codes) or the equations of motion of the ions as macro-particles (Lagrangian Particle-in-Cell (PIC)-hybrid codes). They consider the inertia of the electron fluid using different approximations. We check the validity of these approximations by employing our recently massively parallelized three-dimensional PIC-hybrid code CHIEF which considers the electron inertia without any of the common approximations. In particular we report the results of simulations of two-dimensional collisionless plasma turbulence. We conclude that the simulation results obtained using hybrid-kinetic codes which use approximations to describe the electron inertia need to be interpreted with caution. We also discuss the parallel scalability of CHIEF, to the best of our knowledge, the first PIC-hybrid code which without approximations describes the inertial electron fluid.


In this study, the effect of elicitors such as yeast extract (YE), methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and salicylic acid (SA) on the accumulation of eurycomanone in Eurycoma longifolia cell cultures were investigated. Suspension cells of E. longifolia was cultured in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 30 g/L sucrose, 1.25 mg/L naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and 1 mg/L kinetin at a shaking speed of 120 rpm. Elicitors were added in the culture at different concentrations and times to stimulate eurycomanone accumulation in the Eurycoma longifolia cells. Eurycomanone content was determined by HPLC with a C18 column, flow rate of 0.8 mL/min, run time of 17.5 min, and a detector wavelength of 254 nm. The stationary phase was silica gel and the mobile phase was acetonitrile: H2O. Non-elicited cells were used as the control. The study showed the effect of different elicitor concentrations, YE at 200 mg/L, MeJA at 20 μM and SA at 20 μM stimulated high production of eurycomanone. In which, treatment of 20 μM MeJA after 4 days of culture resulted in the highest accumulation of this compound (17.36 mg/g dry weight), approximately 10-fold higher than that of untreated cells (1.70 mg/g dry weight).


In this paper, the development of a compact and lightweight power assist device for lower back flexion and extension, when carrying a heavy load, is presented. For investigating the effect of the device, we model a human body as a planar seven-link system, and we analyze a compression force in the lower back, particularly at the disc between the fifth lumbar vertebra and the first sacrum. We built two prototypes of the device, and we apply the model to real data acquired by the prototype. The analysis results show that the proposed device can reduce the compression force in the disc. A controller for the device is developed, which can follow a voluntary human motion using surface myosignals.Copyright © 2003 by ASME


Download your eBook: 1. Click the Download (Offline) link for the eBook you have chosen. 2. If you are not logged into your My EBSCOhost folder, you will be prompted to do so. 3. Select a Checkout period from the drop-down menu and click the Checkout & Download button. 4. The eBook will be added to the Checkouts area of the folder. 5. When prompted, tap to open the eBook with the Bluefire app. 6. Select Read Now to open your eBook and begin reading. Android Tablet Download an eBook


Automated cheque processing isa system for horizontal histogram isdivided andemployed forHough recognition ofimportant information contained inabankcheque.transform. Toobtain ahigherspeed, thinning operation is Suchasystemrequires skewdetection atitsfirst step. Accuracy addedtoHoughtransform (6). Thisapproach caused the ofchequeprocessing isaffected bytheprecision ofdetecting the skewofthescanned version ofthecheque. This paper proposes a methodtoperform wellonimages that contain bothtext and robust algorithm against noise forskewdetection ofcheque illustration. Despite alltheefforts, thecomputational images. Thisscheme isbasedontheprojection profile and complexity ofHoughtransformed based schemes isstill high. physical structure ofthecheque and,detects theskewquicklyIn(7), theUppermost (UCA), Lowermost (LCA)andCentroid andprecisely.


Partial gastrectomy for «difficult» duodenal ulcers is connected with high danger of insufficiency of duodenal stump. We have set a goal to create a simple and relieble method of plastic covering of duodenal stump with use of demucosated antral wall, convenient in difficult clinical and anatomical situations. A new method of plastic covering of duodenal stump during partial gastrectomy for «difficult» duodenal ulcers has been elaborated in experiments on 10 cadavers of peoples diyeing from concurrent deseases, and on 12 dogs. Performing of pneumopression on 3-rd, 5-th and 7-th postoperative days in experiments on dogs has showed relieble hermetism of duodenal stump during incrising of intraluminal pressure till 150 mm Hg. Hystological examination of excised preparatcs has showed complete epitalisation of inverted sero-muscular conus on 30-th postoperative day. Our data allow to recommend described method of plastic covering of duodenal stump during partial gastrectomy for «difficult» duodenal ulcers in clinical practice.


Introduction: Higher quality care for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) may be associated with better outcomes. Methods: This prospective observational study recruited adults diagnosed with CTS from 30 occupational health centers, evaluated physicians' adherence to recommended care processes, and assessed results of the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ) and Short Form Health Survey version 2 (SF‐12v2) at recruitment and at 18 months. Results: Among 343 individuals, receiving better care (80th vs. 20th percentile for adherence) was associated with greater improvements in BCTQ Symptom Severity scores (−0.18, 95% confidence interval [CI] −0.32 to −0.05), BCTQ Functional Status scores (−0.21, 95% CI −0.34 to −0.08), and SF12‐v2 Physical Component scores (1.75, 95% CI 0.33–3.16). Symptoms improved more when physicians assessed and managed activity, patients underwent necessary surgery, and employers adjusted job tasks. Discussion: Efforts should be made to ensure that patients with CTS receive essential care processes including necessary surgery and activity assessment and management. Muscle Nerve 57: 896–904, 2018


This book is one of several recent text books on discrete dynamical systems (as defined by recursion formulas or difference equations) intended for use in an undergraduate course. The book differs from others of its kind by not presenting a theory of difference equations that parallels a standard theory of differential equations. Instead, the author's goal is an introduction to complex and chaotic dynamics, and he develops his material so as to arrive at this goal as quickly and efficiently as possible, with a prerequisite of only multivariable calculus and linear algebra. Thus, already in the first of seven chapters of the book the reader is exposed to the fundamentals of asymptotic dynamics, equilibria, periodic cycles, limit sets, stability theory, and to a preliminary treatment of chaos. This introduction is followed in the second chapter by a more detailed study in one dimension (scalar difference equations or maps) that includes bifurcation theory, conjugacy and a definition of chaos (a definition that follows Li and Yorke and is the first of several definitions given in the book). The development of dynamical systems is interrupted in the third chapter by the presentation of various linear algebraic topics that are likely not covered in an undergraduate course, but which are needed in Chapter 4 where there appears a thorough development of linear systems in n-dimensions. Chapter 5 covers nonlinear systems in n-dimensions. Here the reader will find discussions of contraction, dissipative and quasibounded maps; some global stability theorems; the standard linear stability theory (minus the stable manifold and Hartman/Grobman theorems, it should be pointed out); and the standard types of local bifurcations (including the bifurcation of invariant loops). Chapter 6 deals with chaotic dynamics, where the standard topics are defined and studied at an undergraduate level: attractors, sensitivity to initial conditions, dense periodic orbits, transitivity, conjugacy, and Lyapunov exponents. The author discusses several different technical definitions of chaos and relates them to each other. While this could be a source of confusion in an undergraduate course, it does serve to illustrate the complicated nature of chaos theory. Many carefully chosen examples illustrate these complicated issues. The book closes with a chapter of four case studies involving applications from biology and atmospheric physics. An appendix includes a large collection of Mathematica programs for carrying out many tasks relevant to dynamical systems. The book includes a good selection of exercises. J M Cushing Department of Mathematics & Program in Applied Mathematics University of Arizona Tucson, AZ 85721 USA E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


use when treating patients with recent hospital stays, nursing home residency or immunocompromise. This study documents increased vancomycin use treating CAP between 2007 and 2015 and seeks ways to limit this. Methods: Bryn Mawr Hospital is a 250-bed community teaching hospital in the USA. An active antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) since 2010 increased awareness of MDR pathogens during a sepsis management campaign and later promoted short course antibiotic therapy for UTI's and pneumonias. Review of infectious diseases consultations from Sept-Dec 2007 and Oct-Dec 2015 identified over 100 consecutive pneumonia cases from each period. Hospital-acquired pneumonias were excluded as were cases with initial therapy based on known pathogens. CAP cases were entered into a database and sorted by initial antibiotic therapy and eventual duration. Results:


A personal perspective on the study of experimental models of hydrocephalus is offered. Many animal models are available; each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Detailed study of more than one model is needed to clarify the pathogenesis of hydrocephalus-induced brain damage in the immature nervous system. Further information is needed about the mechanism of axonal injury in periventricular tissue, changes in the extracellular compartment, water dynamics within brain tissue, the role of neurotrophic factors in hydrocephalus, and the sites of injury in chronic 'arrested' hydrocephalus. Insight into the multifactorial nature of the brain damage may allow us to develop supplemental pharmacologic therapies, which could protect the brain and promote recovery in the pre- and postshunt period.


— In this paper, design and analysis of a millimeter wave dual- and dual-polarized antenna for 5G millimeter communications system is presented. The proposed design has a compact structure with size of 5 × 5 mm2. It consists of a rectangular patch with a crossed-slot etched off in the patch to reduce the interference between the two targeted 5G bands of 28 and 38 GHz. To achieve dual polarization performance, the radiating patch is fed by two different $50- \Omega $ microstrip transmission lines. The antenna has -10dB impedance bandwidths of 2.6GHz (26.8–29.4 GHz) and 2.5GHz (37.7–40.2GHz) to cover 28/38 GHz mobile communication bands respectively. The antenna has the merits of miniaturized dimensions, stable broadside radiation patterns with high gains and low cross polarization in both bands of operation.


This paper describes a step-up DC-DC converter, which main task is to increase the volta ge from a low level drawn from a photovoltaic (PV) panel, to a high controlled level for a connected inverter. The conve rter also provides an electrical isolation of PV panels from the grid. In the DC-DC converter a resonant LLC topology is use d. The converter operates at high switching frequency t o achieve small size of the power transformer. The mai n benefit of this converter is zero-voltage switching (ZVS) of primary MOSFETs and zero-current switching (ZCS) of rectifier diodes over the entire operating range. Advantage of used topology is that the converter can be contr olled by a simple 8bit microcontroller (MCU). A laboratory model with maximum 95.5 % efficiency was built to verify properties of the LLC resonant DC-DC converter. Keywords—LLC resonant converter, zero-voltage switching (ZVS), zero-current switching (ZCS)


In both cell culture based model systems and in the failing human heart, β-adrenergic receptors (β-AR) undergo agonist-mediated down-regulation. This decrease correlates closely with down-regulation of its mRNA, an effect regulated in part by changes in mRNA stability. Regulation of mRNA stability has been associated with mRNA-binding proteins that recognize A + U-rich elements within the 3′-untranslated regions of many mRNAs encoding proto-oncogene and cytokine mRNAs. We demonstrate here that the mRNA-binding protein, AUF1, is present in both human heart and in hamster DDT-MF2 smooth muscle cells and that its abundance is regulated by β-AR agonist stimulation. In human heart, AUF1 mRNA and protein was significantly increased in individuals with myocardial failure, a condition associated with increases in the β-adrenergic receptor agonist norepinephrine. In the same hearts, there was a significant decrease (50%) in the abundance of β-AR mRNA and protein. In DDT-MF2 cells, where agonist-mediated destabilization of β-AR mRNA was first described, exposure to β-AR agonist resulted in a significant increase in AUF1 mRNA and protein (100%). Conversely, agonist exposure significantly decreased (40%) β-adrenergic receptor mRNA abundance. Last, we demonstrate that AUF1 can be immunoprecipitated from polysome-derived proteins following UV cross-linking to the 3′-untranslated region of the human β-AR mRNA and that purified, recombinant p37 protein also binds to β-AR 3′-untranslated region mRNA.


Two 3 ×3 Latin Square experiments were carried out to examine effects of supplementary feeding with multinutrient blocks on digestibility of the major nutrirent components and nitrogen equilibrium in Xiangnan bullocks. The results showed that multinutrient blocks increased growth rate (P0.01) and feed efficiency (P0.05) of the bullocks. The daily gain of the cattle fed with the blocks was increased by 24.99%, 16.12% and 22.92% than those fed with rice straw, ammoniated rice straw and hay, respectively. The blocks also increased the cattle's intake and digestibility of DM, OM, CP, NDF and ADF in the forages and decreased amounts of the above major nutrient components excreted. The nitrogen intake, nitrogen retention and net protein utilization of the bullocks fed with multinutrient blocks were also improved significantly (P0.05 or P0.01). The experimental results illustrated that feeding cattle with multinutrient blocks as supplement was one of the effective methods to increase cattle productivity.


Rabbits are frequently used for the examination of the pharmacokinetics and effectiveness of antibiotic substances. However, antibiotics vary substantially in protein binding affecting the concentration of the antimicrobially effective unbound drug. We hypothesized that the binding properties of vancomycin, meropenem and ceftriaxone might vary between human and rabbit plasma. In an in-vitro study we observed dose dependent variability in protein binding of antibiotics between species. Thus, in-vitro-pre-studies are required to guarantee for translational conditions.


Artificial neural networks (ANN) are used to correlate and predict the solubility of air gases (oxygen, nitrogen, and argon) in saline solutions. Several network architectures were considered in the study and correlated and predicted values of solubility were compared with values obtained from the literature. The model is general in the sense that just one model can correlate and predict the solubility of any of the three gases. As a measure of the accuracy of the method, the average relative deviation, the average relative absolute deviation, and the maximum relative absolute deviation are evaluated. The ANN model obtained give lower deviations than analytical models presented in the literature. The chosen ANN model give absolute deviations lower than 1% with some few exceptions and maximum relative absolute deviations are always below 6%.


The Raman spectra of titanium nitride thin films with various N deficiencies have been observed. Both the first and second order Raman scatterings are presented; the former increases with decreasing N concentration. The spectra in these thin film samples are better than those in bulk samples as shown in the previous results A new low frequency mode is clearly resolved and can be explained as the second order difference band.


This paper presents the acoustic and linguistic properties of Turkish Whistle Language. Whistle Language is a natural communication method usually used for far-distance interaction in some regions in the world. In a whistled speech, auditory features of spoken languages are transposed. Therefore, whistle languages carry some properties of vocal speech with its own vocabulary, grammar, phonology and prosodic features. There are a few places in the world using this whistled communication style and Kuskoy region in Turkey is one of them. Although there are some researches on Turkish Whistle Language, unfortunately there have been a limited number of scientific publications in the literature. On the other hand, the research results present very stunning results such as people can still continue articulating some words while whistling and there is a high understandability rate while communicating. Therefore, it is described as an incomplete form of Turkish Language. The research results also indicate that Turkish Whistle Language is a non-tonal language transposing formants and therefore it can be used to evaluate the formant changes in the transform of a language. These research results indicate many other valuable properties of Turkish whistle language. But, unfortunately there has not been a collective study combining all these properties. Besides, there are still unclear and conflicted points in the literature as can be implied in this paper. This study aims to bring together the research results to underline the distinct features of Turkish Whistle Language and to motivate researchers to go forward on this subject. The paper is mainly focused on acoustic and phonetic properties of Turkish Whistle Language. Historical or cultural based details are out of the scope of this study.


Abstract : Thermochemical relationships in synthesis of refractory compounds have been considered. The heat generated from elemental reactants in this synthesis process provides the thermal input for the gasless combustion process. Trends are shown that relate position of the elemental reactants in the periodic table and gram molecular weight of the reacted products to a thermochemical potential factor (TPF). The TPF is obtained by dividing heat of reaction with adiabatic reaction temperature. Suggestions are made to perform laboratory scoping experiments with BeB2, ScH2, TiB2, and W2C to confirm the thermochemical relationships in self-sustaining synthesis. (Author)


Objective To explore the clinical effect of self-made prescription resolving depression and detoxification powder(Jieyu Qingdu San) originated from the theoretical concept of traditional Chinese medicine in treatment of patients with herpes zoster.Methods According to experience in treatment of herpes zoster,authors adopted the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression(HAMD)(24 items) as rating system to study and analyze the psychological status of patients with herpes zoster.According to the pathogenesis,therapeutic method for moving qi(gas) and to nourish xu(weakness),purging fire to detoxify and freeing the collateral vessels to relieve pain were combined with modern pharmacological knowledge to formulate the self-made prescription for resolving depression and detoxifying powder in treatment of 146 patients with herpes zoster.Satisfactory effectiveness had been obtained.Results Most of patients with herpes zoster suffered from depression in varying degree.The clinical effect of self-made prescription resolving depression and detoxifying powder in treatment of patients with herpes zoster.is satisfactory,and its effective rate reached 95.89%.Conclusion The application of resolving depression and detoxification powder shows satisfactory efficacy in treatment of patients with herpes zoster and it can dramatically reduce the incidence of post-therapeutic neuralgia without any adverse reactions.Along with its reasonable price and convenience in clinical application,it is recommended for widely clinical application.


Upon his leaving office in 1981, the foreign policy of Jimmy Carter's administration was generally regarded as an abject failure. Yet most analyses of the Carter administration's performance on the global stage have overlooked its approach toward Eastern Europe which was the most engaged, and ultimately effective, United States policy toward the region in the postwar era. The primary architect of this policy was Carter's National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski, widely regarded as the most influential voice on United States-East European relations throughout the Cold War. As J. F. Brown has noted, "nobody has understood the basic forces at work in Eastern Europe" better than Brzezinski and "nobody has done more to keep Eastern Europe, qua Eastern Europe, within the purview of American attention."1 The evolution of Brzezinski's views toward Eastern Europe are essential in understanding the Carter administration's approach toward the region. The son of a Polish diplomat, Brzezinski established an academic reputation in the 1950s examining the fragmenting nuances of what was hitherto regarded as a Soviet dominated monolith. Brzezinski believed that (by definition) George Kennan's policy of "containment" implied a tacit acceptance of the Soviet domination of Eastern Europe. Yet he was also a vocal critic of John Foster Dulles' version of "liberation" noting that the stated goal of "rolling back" Soviet power was based on empty sloganeering that held little in the form of long term strategy. According to Brzezinski, this was made clear at the 1955 Geneva Conference when the Eisenhower administration created the impres sion that it was primarily interested in gaining Moscow's commitment to reducing world tensions, and that political change in Eastern Europe was no longer a priority issue. Thus, Brzezinski contended that when the 1956 Hungarian uprising gave legitimate hope of rolling back Soviet power in Eastern Europe, the United States was unwilling to back the rebellion, while a slavish adherence to the all or nothing military doctrine of "massive retaliation" removed any scenario which would force the Soviets to fight a local war in Eastern Europe backed by "limited, yet effective foreign


To study the relationship between the expression level of CD58 in PBMC and degree of HBV infection. CD58 mRNA levels were detected by the reverse transcription real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR method and the percentage of CD58 positive cells is detected by flow cytometer from samples in all patients and normal controls. The following results were obtained: the level of CD58 mRNA and the percentage of CD58 positive cells in patients with HBV infection were significantly higher than those in control. Based on severity of HBV infection, the patients were classified into four groups. The levels of CD58 mRNA increased significantly in an order from mild chronic, moderate chronic, severe chronic to severe hepatitis groups. The levels of CD58 mRNA and the percentage of CD58 positive cells in PBMC from patients with HBV infection were positively correlated with levels of ALT and AST in serum. All results indicated that the expression level of CD58 was related with the degree of HBV infection and the degree of liver damage.


Theoretical soundness and technical feasibility of treating the problem of document ranking in IR as an inference problem in Bayesian Networks, was studied recently. A pilot framework was also proposed there. In this paper, we provide two implementations of the framework: BNBM25, the one based on BM25, and BNMATF, which is based on MATF, a recently proposed innovative ranking function. We empirically verify the effectiveness of these two implementations on several standard test collections. Positive, significant results are obtained. Potentials of this BN-based framework in addition to its verified effectiveness are also discussed. As a result of the study, we believe that the technique is promising, worthy of further analysis and application.


Fossil fuel fired steam generators designed and built prior to 1970 generally incorporated a particulate reduction system as the sole emission control. This is because other gaseous and solid emissions were not a significant issue during the 50s and 60s. There are several trends that these boilers and the industry have experienced since then: boilers have aged and their pressure parts and auxiliary equipment condition has deteriorated; increased commercial competition calls for fuel flexibility, optimum performance, reliability and maintenance; solid fuel quality has been deteriorating, gas and oil market and availability are volatile; environmental awareness has risen dramatically, thus requiring more stringent and more comprehensive emission requirements that the operating boilers must comply with; a new combustion technologies have been developed. At the same time, the existing turbine generator equipment, if reasonably maintained, is capable of providing competitive and reliable electrical power production. Different approaches can be taken to provide a new steam generating source for the existing turbine cycle: retirement of old boilers and building new ones; boiler modification and switching to different fuels and technologies; boiler modernization and addition of emission control equipment (such as low-NO{sub x} burner, SCR, SNCR, FGD, etc.). This paper addresses an alternative solution:more » conversion of conventional boilers to fluidized bed technology. Foster Wheeler Energy Corporation (FWEC), which successfully competes worldwide with the two proven technologies (conventional boilers and fluidized bed), has accumulated substantial on-site experience indicating that the fluidized-bed option can provide a significant cost/benefit advantage.« less


Purpose – This study aims to describe the behavior of blocks in the system under consideration using systems modeling language (SysML) state machine diagrams. In this paper, formalization and model checking for SysML state machine diagrams have been investigated. Design/methodology/approach – The work by Zhang and Liu (2010) proposed a formalization of SysML state machine diagrams in which the diagrams were translated into CSP# processes that could be verified by the state-of-the-art model checker PAT. In this paper, several modifications have been made and new rules have been added to the translation described in that work. Findings – First, three translation rules were modified, which apparently are inappropriately defined according to the SysML definition of state machine diagrams. Next, we add new translation rules for two components of the diagrams – junction and choice pseudostates – which have not been dealt with previously. Further, we are implementing the automatic translation system on a web-bas...


The ignition process of different prototypes of passively Q-switched laser spark plugs was investigated. Energy transfer, plasma temperature, shock wave and flame kernel formation were analyzed considering the effect of laser pulse trains and fluid flow.


Resumen en: In this article, we explore the main features of metropolitan governance in Canada. The first part of the paper is devoted to a brief overview of the c...


This paper describes our experience with the design, implementation and validation of a user model for adapting health promotion dialogs with ECAs to the attitude of users toward the agent. The model was conceived in agreement with the theory of social emotions in communication. It integrates a linguistic parser with a dynamic Bayesian network and was learnt from a corpus of data collected with a Wizard of Oz study


Amat Escalante's unflinchingly brutal drama 'Heli' reflects the director's desire to bear witness to the reality of the violence of Mexico's drug wars. But amid the depiction of everyday horrors and casual torture, a deeper note of humanity and hope emerges from the glom.


The article actualizes the problem of continuous pedagogical education in modern Russia as a specific educational cluster of social, scientific-theoretical and practical interest for the interested communities. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the fundamental transformation of the organizational, content and technological components of high school education system in accordance with the requirements of the digital economy. In this regard it is necessary to disclose the strategy of modern higher education institution in achieving high effectiveness of work according to the inquiries of the society and the state due to globalization, informational openness requiring multi-level education, variability and continuity. The leading method to research the problem is modeling, which reflects a practice-focused approach to the creation of a multi-component model of a modern teacher. The article reveals the key aspects of the implementation of the intra higher education institution project "Continuous pedagogical education: from professional guidance to postgraduate support". The model reveals aspects of continuous pedagogical education by means of early professionalization and professional selection of school graduates to higher education institutions having a penchant for teaching activities, targeted recruitment of applicants, updating of the system and technologies of pedagogical professional education on the basis of digitalization of the educational environment according to the requirements of the personality, society, state, multidimensional support of a young teacher during the post-degree period, involvement to the competitive movement for the purpose of professional skill leveling.


The invention provides a method for cleaning a polished sapphire substrate wafer and belongs to the technical field of crystal processing and manufacturing. By the method, manual cleaning can be replaced completely and the one-step cleaning passing rate reaches the advanced level in the industry. The method comprises the following steps: soaking the polished sapphire substrate wafer into SM-007 acidic liquid at room temperature and cleaning for 15 to 30 minutes; soaking the sapphire substrate wafer into pure water at room temperature and ultrasonically cleaning for 5 to 10 minutes; soaking the sapphire substrate wafer into SP-2200 alkaline liquid and DP-020 alkaline liquid respectively at the temperature of 45 DEG C, performing ultrasonic treatment and throwing up and down at the same time, cleaning in the SP-2200 alkaline liquid for 15 to 20 minutes and cleaning in the DP-020 alkaline liquid for 10 to 15 minutes; between the two-time cleaning steps and at room temperature, soaking the sapphire substrate wafer into pure water, performing ultrasonic treatment and cleaning for 1 to 5 minutes by throwing up and down at the same time; and performing quick dump rinse (QDR) cleaning on the wafer and spin-drying.


board of directors in a private corporation. 4. The utility commission should maintain personnel policies which are either in harmony with, or a part of, the policies maintained by the municipality. This is especially important with respect to wage levels, collective bargaining, civil service, and pension plans. 5. The funds of the utility should be kept separate from other funds of the municipality. Disbursement of utility funds should be made so that the municipality and the utility commission are always aware of the utility's financial condition. The Waukesha utility management is closely patterned after this model. Its commission is composed of the mayor, an alderman represe tative, and the three commissioners, all of whom enjoy voting privil ges. To fulfill the ideal concept, however, the commission should be changed to include a board of five commissioners


distracted from their trauma symptoms, grounded, and in a safe place with their body. She includes baking, gardening, wrapping blankets around the body in a therapy session, or creating objects of safe permanency as suitable anchors. My own patients have also described anchors as a vital component of the process to recovery. Although I do not agree with the author's contention that clay work is a useful intervention for trauma I do agree with her description of early-stage intervention and found this a helpful guide to working in this field. On reflection it might have been better if she had written two separate books, one on the clay field, and another on trauma, rather than attempting to combine the two topics in one volume. All of her chapters are full of photographs of people's arms and hands working with the clay field. Overall I would very much recommend this book not only to broaden the knowledge of assessment tools but also to increase awareness of the link with neuroscience and movement.


In section 1, we present a number of classical results concerning the generalized Gamma convolution ( : GGC) variables, their Wiener-Gamma representations, and relation with Dirichlet processes. To a GGC variable, one may associate a unique Thorin measure. Let $G$ a positive r.v. and $\Gamma_t(G)$


Wetting agent is designed to reduce the surface tension of the liquid and spread more easily across or penetrate into the soil against water repellency. The effect of wetting agent to seed germination is not clear. Using germination enhancer is one of the methods to increase the germination speed of turfgrass seeds and to shorten establishment period. The objective of the study was to evaluate germination enhancer and wetting agent for quick establishment of various Kentucky bluegrass cultivars. The germination enhancer was used at two levels of 0.3 and 0.6 ml kg-1 as low and high, respectively. Two levels of wetting agent were of 0.46, and 0.92 ml m-2 as low and high, respectively. Germination enhancer has no synergistic effect with wetting agent. When quick establishment is required, selection of cultivar would be more effective instead of using germination enhancer and wetting agent. Among Kentucky bluegrass cultivars, 'Award' had the greatest turfgrass coverage for establishment and the greatest turfgrass color and quality based on the result of the study. When quick establishment is required, selection of cultivar would be more effective instead of using germination enhancer and wetting agent.


Background: Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) prevalence is increasing throughout the world. Although, most important risk factor for development of MDR-TB is inadequate and irregular previous treatment for tuberculosis, but newly treated patients are also at risk due to either spontaneous mutations or transmission of drug-resistant strains. The conventional tuberculosis drug susceptibility tests are sensitive and specific but they are not rapid. Newer molecular methods help in rapid diagnosis. GeneXpert MTB/RIF is a rapid method to detect MTB and rifampicin resistance. Rifampicin resistance is an initial indicator of multidrug resistance. We have tried to ascertain the prevalence of Rifampicin resistance in newly diagnosed and previously treated pulmonary tuberculosis patients.
Methods: This study was a prospective cross sectional study that involved all newly diagnosed and previously treated pulmonary tuberculosis patients attending the Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Muzaffarnagar Medical College, Muzaffarnagar from January 2018 to Dec 2018. In the District Hospital, Muzaffarnagar,the sputum specimens were sent for GeneXpert MTB/RIF .On the basis of the result, the patients were labelled as Rifampicin resistance.
Results: A total no of 118 sputum samples were sent to District Hospital,Muzaffarnagar for GeneXpert MTB/RIF . Among these 118 patients, 102 patients were newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis and 16 patients were previously treated pulmonary tuberculosis . Prevalence of Rifampicin resistance TB was found to be 0.98 % among newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis, and 25 % among previously treated pulmonary tuberculosis patients.
Conclusion: In conclusion, our results showed that the prevalence of Rifampicin resistance TB was high in previously treated pulmonary tuberculosis patient in comparison to newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis patient. Proper administration of first line drugs for susceptible cases is most efficient method in preventing drug resistance.


Application of the Δμ X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy analysis technique to a polybenzimidazole-membrane-based high-temperature (170 °C) polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) under varying conditions reveals binding-site details for H, CO, and biphosphate on a platinum nanoparticle anode surface. A synergistic interplay between CO and biphosphate adsorption is found, so that with increasing CO in the gas feed (below 3–4 % in H2), an increased biphosphate coverage becomes visible, apparently because small amounts of adsorbed CO force more localization of the phosphate species, which is believed to be adsorbed on top of the existing H overlayer. Increasing the concentration of CO (well above 4 %) causes CO poisoning to takeover and dramatically decrease the activity, though, compared to low-temperature PEMFCs, huge amounts of CO can still be tolerated. Adding small amounts of water (less than 7 mg min−1) with CO to the anode feed reduces the amount of adsorbed phosphate and, thereby, increases the activity.


We present stability results for dissipative interconnected parameterized systems controlled by model predictive controller (MPC). According to the extensive literature, numerous results have been already developed to stabilize dissipative systems. However, they are still not explored enough in the context of MPC. Therefore, it naturally arises the need to investigate stability properties of dissipative dynamics for this particular class of controllers. In order to construct the efficient algorithm it is a fundamental requirement to get the full information about the plant dynamics. In general, this is very hard to obtain or, even not possible at all. Hence, we aim to stabilise the approximate dynamics containing a set of unknown parameters. Typically, for this type of problems the controller relies on a properly defined adaptation rule which forces the unknown parameter to converge inside a specified closed, convex set. Eventually, the controller drives the state solution to the optimal set-point. Asymptotic stability properties are analysed with respect to the specific quadratic supply rate and linear protocol. We assume that the output is available for a feedback all the time.


A spectrofluorimetric titration analysis of the proton dissociation and the interactions of human serum transferrin with hydrogencarbonate was performed at pH 7·0–9·0. Apotransferrin loses a single proton probably per binding site with Ka = (6·80 ± 0·35) × 10−9M. This proton dissociation is independent of the hydrogencarbonate concentration. Apotransferrin does not interact with CO32−. However, it interacts with two HCO3−, exhibiting two different affinity constants; the dissociation constant presumably for the C-site is KC = (4·40 ± 0·15) × 10−3M and that for presumably the N-site is KN = (3·60 ± 0·30) × 10−2M. These interactions are independent of pH and occur with the unprotonated and protonated apotransferrin species with the same low affinities. Such affinities are probably induced by ionic interactions involving the side chain of the arginine residues in each of the two binding sites. As for the proton dissociation, it can occur with one of the other side-chains of the amino acid residues of these binding sites.


Results: Average particle size of nanosuspension was between 159 to 435nm and zeta potential ranges from 20.7 to 53.5 mV. The statistical analysis of data revealed that drug: polymer ratio(X ) as dependent variables. The nanosuspensions were studied for particle size analysis, X-ray diffraction analysis and surface morphology by scanning electron microscopy. The in vitro release study of Naproxen from nanosuspension was carried out using dialysis bag with molecular weight cut-off value of 12,000 to 14,000 Daltons.


Squash leaf curl Geminivirus (SqLCV) was isolated for the first time in Egypt from squash (Cucurbita pepo L. cv. Eskansarani) plants growing in Qaluobiya Governorate. Squash plants infected with whiteflies exhibited leaf curl and severe stunting symptoms which were observed on newly grown leaves. Vein banding was also observed on leaves showing vein clearing. Furthermore the enations often start from the lower surface of the symptomatic leaves. Double antibody sandwish-enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA) was used to confirm the identity of the isolated virus from squash plants. Polyclonal antibodies specific to SqLCV were reacted positively in DAS-ELISA. No serological reactions were observed with other cucurbit viruses like Zucchini yellow mosaic Potyvirus (ZYMV), Squash mosaic Comovirus (SqMV), Cucumber mosaic Cucumovirus (CMV), Watermelon mosaic Potyvirus (WMV), Moroccan watermelon mosaic Potyvirus ( MWMV) and Papaya ring spot Potyvirus (PRSV). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was used for the detection and identification of the isolated virus from nucleic acid extracts of infected squash plants using degenerate oligonucleotide primer for detection of Geminiviruses group. The viral DNA amplified product was approximately 1.3 kb as estimated by agarose gel electrophoresis. DNA-DNA hybridization assays of viral genome have been used for detection of the present virus isolate using specific DNA probe prepared for SqLCV. No PCR product and hybridization signals were observed with DNA extracted from healthy plants. To confirm the identification of the isolated virus as SqLCV, a high reliable sensitive nested-PCR technique was employed using a newly designed set of specific primers. These primers were successfully directed the amplification of SqLCV coat protein gene (AR1) core region of approximately 419 bp. The 419 bp AR1-core region DNA fragment from isolate SqLCV was purified and sequenced. The comparative nucleotide sequence analysis showed 99-98% between SqLCV-EG and other two isolates, Israel and Cairo, respectively.


Health challenges of the world increase daily while medical practitioners and medical facilities ratio to the increasing population is nothing to write home about. As revealed by World Health Organization (WHO), the world is in need of additional over four million medical practitioners. The few available medical facilities and medical personnel are concentrated in the urban centers which tend to make the situation worst in the rural areas. These among other challenges in the health sector make computer based diagnosis systems desirable. Typhoid fever otherwise known as Enteric fever is a trauma to most developing countries of the world with prevalent cases in Africa. It is on the record that more than six hundred thousand deaths occur annually as a result of typhoid fever. This number is very high due to many factors which include insufficient medical facilities, insufficient medical personnel, poor diagnosis and treatment. In this work, a new diagnosis and treatment system was developed to handle typhoid fever cases. A promising machine learning technique-decision tree algorithm was used on labeled set of typhoid fever conditional variables to generate a decision tree and classifiers for the diagnosis of typhoid fever and treatments were provided according to the level of severity of the disease. The accuracy of the system was measured on both the training set and testing set with the detection rates of 100% and 95% respectively. The system was implemented using Visual Basic as front end and MySQL as backend.


The current research aimed at designing a program using kinetic dexterity and knowing its impact on the creative thinking of a kindergarten child. The researchers used the experimental method by using the experimental design of two equal and equivalent groups, one of them is an experimental group that uses the kinetic dexterity program, and the other is a control group that uses the traditional program. On a sample of(40) children from Shalaby Primary School Kindergarten in Minya Governorate, Distribution moderation and parity were found between them in some age variables(age height weight intelligence) and test scores in(Torrance Creative Thinking Scale), and the necessary tools were built to be used in the research, which are represented in(Torrance Scale for Creative Thinking, and the proposed program designed by researchers). The most important results revealed that the program using kinetic dexterity had an impact on the development of creative thinking among the children of the experimental group. Also, the traditional program had a positive role in developing some creative thinking skills for the children of the control group, and that the proposed program using kinetic dexterity had a more positive effect than the traditional program in developing creative thinking under consideration. The researchers recommend the use of kinetic dexterity because of its positive impact on the creative thinking of the kindergarten child.


HE Physiological Theory of Medicine was originated by Broussais (I772-I838) and was a combination of the theories that had immediately preceded it. According to him life depended upon external irritation produced by heat, which excites new chemical processes, while these in turn stimulate regeneration, assimilation, as well as contractility and sensibility. When the functions supported by heat cease, death ensues. Health depends upon moderate action of external irritants; disease, upon either their weakness or their extraordinary strength. He saw nothing ontological about disease. In therapeutics he admitted the healing power of Nature. Febrile and inflammatory diseases were all treated by the withdrawal of nourishment, carried to the extreme. Bleeding was the main treatment-leeches and lancet.


This paper shows an approach for detecting fake statements made by public figures by means of artificial intelligence. Several approaches were implemented as a software system and tested against a data set of statements. The best achieved result in binary classification problem (true or false statement) is 86%. The results may be improved in several ways that are described in the article as well.


The goal of this paper is to identify the main determinants of the risk premium in some European currency markets just before the EMU. To do this the authors propose an exchange rate model and derive a formula for the forward premium. This formula includes money and production variables and is quite standard, except for the inclusion of macroeconomic policy risk. This inclusion is the main theoretical contribution of the paper. Under some standard assumptions, this formula simplifies substantially and becomes amenable to regression analysis. Then, using standard measures of money and production and the interest rate swaps, which are intended to be measures of macroeconomic policy risk, the regression is estimated. This inclusion is the main empirical contribution of the paper.


The present study aims at investigation of the performance of nanofibrous filter, containing magnesium oxide (MgO) nanoparticles, for bioaerosols removal from the air stream. It synthesizes two types of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and PAN/MgO nanofibers via electrospinning technique, and investigates the antibacterial properties of the produced nanofibers through disk diffusion. The air containing staphylococcus epidermidis is introduced into the filter test rig by a nebulizer and air sampling from the microorganisms takes place before and after the filters by means of a cascade impactor with blood agar culture medium, with the filters, themselves, examined at two states of UVC radiation and dark. The mean diameters of PAN/MgO and PAN are 221.38±65.56 nm and 320.25±87.35 nm, respectively, with the mean length of the inhibition zone for these nanofibers calculated as 0 (for PAN) and 2.8 mm (for PAN/MgO). It turns out that the mean percentage of filtration efficiency is higher in case of PAN/MgO than PAN nanofiber filter; however, the former displays higher mean pressure drop than the latter. For both types of nanofibers under UVC radiation, the mean percentage efficiency for bioaerosol removal is higher than in the dark.


As a result of the analysis, we establish throughout the world - there is a critical situation in economic management. A way out of the critical situation, based on new knowledge, solving new tasks and event-based digital management of structural complex systems in economics, is proposed. The new objects in management of economics are chosen: public authorities, socio-economic systems, processes of quality management of the socio-economic life of a person, safe living space. The management criteria are safety and quality of objects and systems. The new knowledge for management in economics is introduced: new types of Boolean event-propositions, risk scenarios for system failure, new types of logical and probabilistic risk models. We propose to solve the following new tasks in economics: modelling, analysis and management of one system and a group of logically unified systems (models); management of the State and development of systems; quality assessment of control systems. The special software for event-related managing economics is described. The content of the training course of additional education for economists and teachers is given.


Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection causes significant morbidity and mortality among transplant recipients. Although it is still not clear if a preemptive strategy is superior to a prophylactic strategy, many transplant programs elect for preemptive treatment for post‐transplant CMV infection. In order to improve the preemptive strategy, we analyzed a series of liver recipients by means of quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Ninety‐one liver transplant recipients were monitored by real‐time PCR for CMV, and the results were analyzed in terms of preoperative conditions. Multivariate analysis revealed fulminant hepatic failure as an underlying disease (odds ratio, 6.8; 95% CI, 1.2–39.2), while an ABO‐incompatible graft (odds ratio, 5.0; 95% CI, 1.3–19.1), and a serological combination of the donor (D) being positive with the recipient (R) being negative for CMV (D+/R−) (odds ratio, 5.8; 95% CI, 1.3–26.0) were independently associated with the development of significant CMV infection. Patients with risk factors had higher peak CMV DNA concentrations than those without, and developed CMV infections faster (P = 0.0002). Screening of recipients according to risk factors and PCR monitoring may result in an optimization of the preemptive strategy.


In search of an answer to this question, David W. Leyshon of Jacobs Engineering Inc. reports on the discussions of a seminar on fertiliser screening held at the 1998 AIChE meeting in Clearwater.


on the part of all teachers to adopt curriculum for the gifted; and c) a well-monitored instructional program. 5. The RDIM is totally conceptualized around a pullout model of program organization. Consequently, it is built on the least sound grouping approach used to serve the gifted. There is little published research to verify that this approach is particularly effective, and there are many who question its value, as the most complicated grouping approach to administer in current practice. The RDIM focuses on compacting without accelerating and enrichment without content focus. It implies that creative productivity can precede proficiency, and that high interest in an area presages high level performance in that area. All of these ideas are difficult to accept, not only based on interpretation of some of the same research cited by the authors but also based on practical program development experience with gifted students and their schools. The RDIM may be innovative, but it falls short of providing a theoretical base for current practice. (Joyce VanTassel-Baska)


In the article the theoretical foundations of independent study have been considered. The author proposes methodological provision of students' independent study in engineering graphics which was approved with the students of specialty professional training (design).


This paper, based on data from interviews with a selective sample of self-identified gang females, compares the practices and characteristics of three gangs, highlighting the interrelationship of drugs, delinquency, and social context. Using themes developed from the classical gang delinquency study of Walter Miller in 1958 (Journal of Social Issues, XIV, no. 3), this paper argues that just as he was able to discern major "focal concerns" among lower-class gang males, the same might be said of gang females. However, during the era in which Miller was writing, gang females were still considered mere "appendages" of male gangs and left unanalyzed. This paper refocuses attention on the importance of gang female agency, showing how the degree of autonomy obtained by gang females is shaped by the entrepreneurial success of their delinquent activities, especially in the field of drug sales.


Combined with projects,it introduces the construction technology of the closing part of continuous steel bridge,puts forward the things need to be paid attention in the construction of closing part,and discusses the linear controlling adjustment in the cantilever casting of bridge construction,which accumulates experience for the cantilever casting of bridge construction of pre-stressed concrete beam bridge.


We study the problem of learning high dimensional regression models regularized by a structured-sparsity-inducing penalty that encodes prior structural information on either input or output sides. We consider two widely adopted types of such penalties as our motivating examples: 1) overlapping-group-lasso penalty, based on '1='2 mixed-norm, and 2) graph-guided fusion penalty. For both types of penalties, due to their non-separability, developing an e‐cient optimization method has remained a challenging problem. In this paper, we propose a general optimization framework, called proximal gradient method, which can solve the structured sparse learning problems with a smooth convex loss and a wide spectrum of non-smooth and non-separable structured-sparsity-inducing penalties, including the overlapping-group-lasso and graph-guided fusion penalties. Our method exploits the structure of such penalties, decouples the non-separable penalty function via the dual norm, introduces its smooth approximation, and solves this approximation function. It achieves a convergence rate signiflcantly faster than the standard flrst-order method, subgradient method, and is much more scalable than the most widely used method, namely interior-point method for second-order cone programming and quadratic programming formulations. The e‐ciency and scalability of our method are demonstrated on both simulated and real genetic datasets.


The objective of this study is to develop a fully biodegradable composite rod (i.e. Green composite) made from fibers of banana leaf waste reinforced in polylactic acid (matrix) at a different fiber volume ratio (0%, 10%, 20%, and 30%). Rods have been made as per ASTM standard (ASTM D7205) by using single screw extruder. The microstructural characteristics and various mechanical properties have been investigated namely: tensile, flexural and impact testing of composite rod. Results show that pure PLA rod has a maximum strength of 15.82 MPa. In the case of reinforcement, the maximum tensile strength of 28.37 MPa, the flexural strength of 24.67 MPa and impact strength of 3.11 kJ m−2 has been achieved at the fiber volume ratio of 30%. The presence of fibers and the possible failure zones has been analyzed by means of scanning electron microscopy. Differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical analysis proved that the thermal strength and damping effect of the composite is increased by adding the reinforcement.


Due to the lack of compliance regulatory system in the overall popularity of internet finance times, financial chaos such as assets tampers and trade disavowing, and simultaneously mutual trust crisis, happen now and then. Based on this phenomenon, this paper draws into blockchain technology, strengthens its compliance, promotes its financial supervision and management tools function, and builds the underlying compliance chain platform to support the service and application of financial market from the technology, application and management three levels. The implementation effect simplifies that compliance chain will help to construct a safety and compliant trade environment, so as to a new ecological of financial security.


(Dated: Single crystals of the orthorhombic compound AuSn 4 have pronounced layered properties and become superconducting below T c = 2 . 35 K. Here we explore the band structure and superconductivity of AuSn 4 , through magnetoresistance, Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM), Angular Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy (ARPES) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The two lattice constants of the surface studied by ARPES and STM are very similar. In ARPES, we find anisotropic rhombic-like splitted electron Fermi surfaces around the Γ point. From STM, we observe that the superconducting density of states vanishes at the Fermi level and there is a large distribution of gap values on the Fermi surface around ∆ 0 = 0 . 46 meV, which is close to ∆ = 1 . 76 k B T c expected from BCS theory. We also observe superconducting features in the tunneling conductance up to temperatures about 20% larger than bulk T c . We tentatively adscribe the increased T c , as well as a large splitted electron band at the Fermi level identified in ARPES to structural defects close to the surface. Our results stress the relevance of defects in the electronic properties of compounds having very similar lattice parameters.


Abstract : The proposed research develops cutting-edge machine learning techniques to improve the performance of a wide spectrum of robust and intelligent classification tasks. Structured prediction, one of major challenges in statistical machine learning, is a classification or regression problem with non-iid data where the prediction variables are typically interdependent in complex ways with dependencies encoded in a graphical model to capture the sequential, spatial, relational or recursive structure of output variables. Semi-supervised learning, another example of the four major challenges in statistical machine learning, is a technique which makes use of both unlabeled and labeled data for training typically a small amount of labeled data with a large amount of unlabeled data. Traditinal approaches optimize surrogate functions of performance measures for structured prediction. In this project, we propose to design novel machine learning algorithms that directly optimize performance measures for classification and ranking problems.


In observing recent theoretical developments in the field, it is apparent that two distinctive yet relatively separate areas of study have emerged — entrepreneurial cognition and entrepreneurial learning. This conceptual paper aims to create some measure of reconciliation between these two perspectives to provide a more robust and multidisciplinary conceptual platform for understanding the entrepreneur. We augment an appreciation of the social dimensions of the learning process by which entrepreneurs cognitively acquire and transform knowledge. Through the application of influential practice-based theorizing we offer an integrative organizing framework that places participation at the heart of entrepreneurial practice, knowledge and identity.


Labor Relations at a Major Airline: Exploring Employee Performance Strategies by Christian J. G. Popp MBA, Andrew Jackson University, 2005 BS, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, 2000 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration Walden University September 2016 Abstract Globally, the aviation industry supports 58.1 million jobs in related industries and U.S. airlines alone generated 11.8 million jobs. Airline performance, productivity, and profitability depend on employees. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the strategies that U.S. airline leaders use to improve employee performance. The study was grounded with the Harvard model of human resource management. A stratified purposeful sample of 14 managers and 10 frontline staff from a Florida airline participated in semistructured individual interviews and a focus group, respectively. The data from these interviews were analyzed using Moustakas's modified van Kaam method. The themes that emerged from analysis included: an emphasis on the individual interaction and verbal affirmations between managers and frontline staff, additional career development opportunities for employees, not only for performing in their role but improving performance and level of commitment to the organization. Furthermore, managers and employees arrived at the same conclusion about organization culture and commitment—individuals have to feel they are contributing to the overall mission and feel valued in doing so. For the latter to occur, leaders need to engage employees inGlobally, the aviation industry supports 58.1 million jobs in related industries and U.S. airlines alone generated 11.8 million jobs. Airline performance, productivity, and profitability depend on employees. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the strategies that U.S. airline leaders use to improve employee performance. The study was grounded with the Harvard model of human resource management. A stratified purposeful sample of 14 managers and 10 frontline staff from a Florida airline participated in semistructured individual interviews and a focus group, respectively. The data from these interviews were analyzed using Moustakas's modified van Kaam method. The themes that emerged from analysis included: an emphasis on the individual interaction and verbal affirmations between managers and frontline staff, additional career development opportunities for employees, not only for performing in their role but improving performance and level of commitment to the organization. Furthermore, managers and employees arrived at the same conclusion about organization culture and commitment—individuals have to feel they are contributing to the overall mission and feel valued in doing so. For the latter to occur, leaders need to engage employees in continuous dialogue and be completely transparent, and employees need to be open to feedback and share their motivations and goals. Social change implications include improved management and labor relationships within the U.S. airline industry, which ultimately benefits the flying public through greater stability and better service. Labor Relations at a Major Airline: Exploring Employee Performance Strategies by Christian J. G. Popp MBA, Andrew Jackson University, 2005 BS, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, 2000 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration Walden University September 2016 Dedication I dedicate my doctoral work to my family and many friends. A special feeling of gratitude to my loving parents, Georg and Rosemarie Popp whose words of encouragement and push for tenacity ring in my ears. Their example to work with dedication and to aim and pursue high goals gave me the energy to continue even as things did not go as smoothly as I hoped. My sister Julia who never doubted my success in this endeavor and is very special to me. I also dedicate this doctoral study to my many friends and colleagues who have supported me throughout the process. I will always appreciate all they have done, especially Brian North, Angela Corridan, and Michael Carbone who were instrumental in securing needed approvals to collect data. I dedicate this work and give special thanks to my mentor Richard Rolland for the encouragement and fantastic leadership example he has set, which has and will continue to guide my professional development. Lastly, I want to thank my school teacher Winfried Feldes who saw my potential years before others or I recognized it. Acknowledgments I wish to thank my committee members who were more than generous with their expertise and precious time. A special thanks to Dr. Jamie Patterson, my committee chair for her countless hours of reflecting, reading, encouraging, and, most of all, patience throughout the entire process. I can say with certainty that Dr. Patterson's commitment to my success is the reason I have the great fortune to celebrate today. Therefore, from the bottom of my heart, thank you, Dr. Patterson. I also would like to thank Dr. Banks for agreeing to serve on my committee.


brated "Cambridge controversy" concluded, are somewhat dubious. Blau and Kahn's defense of institutions that act to combat inequities in labor markets is commendable, but in the context of the putsch for labor market flexibility being engineered by states in most advanced industrial economies, a more critical reflection on the nature of the state is essential. This is necessary precisely because orthodox labor economic theory has been called into service to justify labor market deregulation and to inform the endeavors of a number of states to reduce the role of trade unions. What is lacking in this analysis of labor market outcomes, is the critical consideration of the economic, social, and political forces that inspire institutional interventions and the regulatory environments that govern wage determination and conditions on employment and shape labor market formation more generally. The critical appreciation of the changing regulatory environment requires moving beyond neoclassical economic theory because it cannot per se provide the means for elucidating why what is after all a political agenda has gathered such momentum.


An upper bound of the infinity norm for the inverse of $ SD{D_1} $ matrix is presented. We apply the new bound to linear complementarity problems (LCPs) and obtain an alternative error bound for LCPs of $ SD{D_1} $ matrices and $ SD{{D}_{1}} $-$ B $ matrices. In addition, a new lower bound for the smallest singular value is also given. Numerical examples show the validity of the results.


Phase-correlated CT, as it is used for cardiac imaging, is the most popular and the most important but also the most demanding special CT application, today. Ba- sically it fulfills the task of depicting a quasi-periodically moving object with significantly reduced motion artifacts. Although the image quality using phase-correlated proto- cols and reconstruction techniques is significantly better than the image quality obtained with standard (not phase- correlated) techniques there still are motion artifacts re- maining and further improvements in temporal resolution are still required. These can be either obtained by further increasing the rotation speed or by having more than one source-detector system rotating around the patient. Increasing rotation speed is mainly an engineering issue and due to increased centrifugal forces it appears unlikely to go significantly below the trot = 0.33 s that are available already. We therefore consider a spiral cone-beam CT scan- ner that has G tubes and detectors mounted and call this device a multi-threaded or G-threaded CT scanner. Aim- ing for improved temporal resolution the relative temporal resolutionis studied as a function of the motion rate (e.g. the heart rate fH) and the degree of scan overlap (i.e. the pitch value p for spiral scans or the number of rotations for a circle scan that corresponds to 1/p) for various configu- rations. The parameters to optimize for are the number of threads G and the interthread angles �˜ and �ˆ �. Due to practical reasons we restrict ourselves to double-threaded (G = 2) and triple-threaded (G = 3) although our optimiza- tion algorithm can cope with any number of threads. For G = 2 we found the optimum whenever the angle be- tween the tubes is 90 ◦ and when both threads are mounted in the same axial plane. Mounting the threads longitudi- nally offset results only in a slight reduction of the temporal resolution. The optimum interthread angles for G = 3 are 60 ◦ or 120 ◦ ; both result in identical temporal resolution val- ues. We further found that the mean temporal resolution achievable with an optimized multi-threaded CT scanner is a factor of G better than the mean temporal resolution ob- tained with a single-threaded scanner. This finding meets the expectations. Approximate image reconstruction of multi-threaded rawdata is performed by modifying the EPBP cone-beam reconstruction algorithm. Reconstructions of a simulated cardiac motion phantom are shown and turn out to improve with increasing G.


Variations in the performance of parallel and distributed systems are becoming increasingly challenging. The runtimes of different executions can vary greatly even with a fixed number of computing nodes. Many HPC applications on supercomputers exhibit such variance. This not only leads to unpredictable execution times, but also renders the system's behavior unintuitive. The efficient online detection of variations in performance is an open problem in HPC research. To solve it, we propose an approach, called vSensor, to detect variations in the performance of systems. The key finding of this study is that the source code of programs can better represent performance at runtime than an external detector. Specifically, many HPC applications contain code snippets that are fixed workload patterns of execution, e.g., the workload of an invariant quantity and a linearly growing workload. This observation allows us to automatically identify these snippets of workload-related code and use them to detect variations in performance. We evaluate vSensor on the Tianhe-2A system with a large number of parallel applications, and the results indicate that it can efficiently identify variations in system performance. The average overhead of 4,096 processes is less than 6% for fixed-workload v-sensors. We identify a problematic node with slow memory by using vSensor that degrades the performance of the program by 21%. A serious issue with network performance is also detected that slows down the Tianhe-2A system by 3.37 times for an HPC kernel.


We describe an integrated detection system based on upconverting phosphor particles bound to capture sites on the inside surfaces of rectangular wick capillaries. This deice can be used with either antibody or nucleic acid to detect specific micro-organisms. The system uses a high- power, 980 nm, semiconductor diode laser to illuminate 200 X 300 X 20 micrometers capture surfaces. The rectangular capillary wicks are held in a tray that is inserted into the detection system, positioning the capture surface at the object plane of the optical system. Phosphorescent light emitted from the capture surface is collected by a high numerical aperture microscope objective and directed through a series of filters onto either a CCD camera or a photomultiplier. A combination of band-reject filters attenuates the 980 nm laser excitation light and its harmonic at 490 nm, and a tunable liquid crystal filter provides for rapid scanning from 400 to 750 nm. The data acquisition and control is controlled by a laptop PC with a custom GUI interface developed using LabWindows/CVI. The system can detect a single phosphor particle bound to a capture surface.


A b s t r a c t . Microtus tatricus occurs in the Carpathian Mountains of Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine and Romania - a list of current distribution records is given. The species' distribution range is insular on the scale ofits entire distribution and fragmented within each mountain range inhabited. The overall attitudinal range is 650-2350 m a.s.l., with the largest number of collecting sites situated between 1100-1700 m a.s.l. The total range size of M. tatricus was estimated as 840 km 2 and the total population size at between 200,000-250,000 individuals. A possible reduction in the species' distribution range is discussed.


This paper investigates the interaction between innovation and imitation costs for heterogeneous ideas (industries). It analyzes the effect of various patent-related policies under the common patent length across different industries. It also looks at a policy that will strengthen trade secrets such as the Soleau envelope policy. Under the common term of patent with moderate assumption about the joint distribution of costs, the model predicts the existence of imitating products which are successfully invented around the original patent.