Faced with fluctuating network traffic and unknown underlying network traffic dynamics, developing an effective orchestration model with low network cost is still a critical issue in Network Functions Virtualization (NFV)-enabled networks. Thus we propose a Deep Reinforcement Learning based Quality of Service (QoS)/Quality of Experience (QoE)-Aware Adaptive Online Orchestration (DRL-QOR) approach to adapt to the real- time network variations. We formulate the stochastic resource optimization as a Parameterized Action Markov Decision Process (PAMDP), with QoE and specific QoS requirements as key factors in formulating the reward function, aiming to maximize QoE while satisfying QoS constraints. Then we propose DRL-QOR to solve the Non-deterministic Polynomial hard (NP-hard) problem with consideration of improving the long-term profits, where deep neural network combinatorial optimization theory is extended under the constraints of the binary integer programming model. Extensive experimental results in real USANET topology demonstrate that our proposed DRL-QOR converges fast during the training process. Compared with other benchmarks that only consider the current system performance, it shows good performance in QoE provisioning and QoS requirements maintenance for orchestrating SFCs.


Background Given the high prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the Chinese population, it is necessary to estimate the T2DM incident attributable to obesity and physical inactivity. Methods We analyzed the data from the Shanghai Men's and Women's Health Studies, including 56,691 men and 70,849 women aged 40–74. The hazard ratios (HRs) and the population attributable risks (PARs) were calculated by Cox regression model and model-based estimation. Results A total of 3,315 male and 5,925 female cases were identified during 519,157 and 981,504 person-years, up to 31 December 2017. Excess weight, abdominal obesity were associated with the increased risks of T2DM both in women and men, while physical inactivity was only associated with an increased risk in men. A large proportion of T2DM incident cases can be attributed to excess body weight (women: 48.6%; men: 41.5%) and abdominal obesity (women: 50.4%; men: 30.3%). Physical activity was negatively associated with the risk of T2DM (Ptrend<0.01). The PARs adjusted for confounders were 3.6% for physical inactivity in men and 1.7% in women. Conclusions Excess weight and abdominal obesity accounted for a large proportion of T2DM incident cases in men and women; a small part of T2DM cases were attributed to physical inactivity in men. Weight control is of great significance in curbing the epidemic of diabetes.


Energetic materials are extensively used as propellants in rockets demanding the understanding of their chemical and thermal stability for safe storage and transportation as well as ease of decomposition. Nitromethane (NM) is one such material with significant performance advantage over other mono propellants. In this manuscript, we report the detailed molecular-level behavior of NM under static and dynamic compression. Dynamic compression experiments were performed up to ∼6.4 GPa using a 2 J/8 ns Nd: YAG laser coupled with time-resolved Raman spectroscopy (TRRS) setup. Static compression experiments were performed up to ∼20 GPa using a diamond anvil cell. During laser-driven shock compression, NM undergoes three phase transitions at 1.1, 2.5, and 3.4 GPa. However, in the case of static compression, the corresponding phase transitions were observed at 0.3, 1.3–1.8, and 2.5 GPa. TRRS was also performed at 300 mJ (1.47 GW/cm2), 500 mJ (2.45 GW/cm2), and 800 mJ (3.9 GW/cm2) and intensity ratios of shocked and un-shocked Raman peaks were utilized to experimentally calculate the shock velocities, which were determined to be 2.66 ± 0.09, 3.58 ± 0.40, and 3.83 ± 0.60 km/s, respectively. These experimental results were corroborated with the one-dimensional (1D) radiation hydrodynamics simulations, performed to obtain shock pressure. The shock velocities at these laser intensities were calculated to be 2.98, 3.69, and 3.92 km/s, respectively, which are in reasonably close agreement with our observed results.


Bacterial cellulose (BC) can be used in several areas of applied science, especially for tissue regeneration and regenerative medicine, lately, bacterial cellulose mats are used in the treatment of skin wound healing such as burns and ulcers, because of the morphology of fibrous biopolymers serving as a support for cell proliferation, its pores allow gas exchange between the organism and the environment [1-5].


We prove that the category of Z n 2 -manifolds has all finite products. Further, we show that a Z n 2 -manifold (resp., a Z n 2 -morphism) can be reconstructed from its algebra of global Z n 2 -functions (resp., from its algebra morphism between global Z n 2 -function algebras). These results are of importance in the study of Z n 2 Lie groups. The investigation is all the more challenging, since the completed tensor product of the structure sheafs of two Z n 2 -manifolds is not a sheaf. We rely on a number of results on (pre)sheaves of topological algebras, which we establish in the appendix.


In this paper, the implications of melt compatibility on thermal and solid-state properties of LLDPE/HDPE blends were assessed with respect to the effect of composition distribution (CD) and branch content (BC). The effect of CD was studied by melt blending a metallocene and a Ziegler-Natta (ZN) LLDPEs with the same HDPE at 190C. Similarly, the effect of BC was examined. In both cases, resins were paired to study one molecular variable at a time. Thermal and solid-state properties were measured in a differential scanning calorimeter and in an Instron mechanical testing instruments, respectively. The low-BC m-LLDPE (BC=14.5 CH3/1000 C) blends with HDPE were compatible at all compositions; rheological, thermal, and some mechanical properties followed additivity rules. For incompatible high BC (42.0 CH3/1000 C) m-LLDPE rich blends, elongation at break and work of rupture showed synergistic effects, while modulus was lower than predictions of linear additivity. CD of LLDPE showed no significant effect on thermal properties, elongation at break or work of rupture; however, it resulted in low moduli for ZN-LLDPE blends with HDPE. For miscible blends, no effect for BC or CD of LLDPE was observed. BC of LLDPE has, in general, stronger influence on melt and solid-state properties of blends in comparison with CD.


The performance of broad band electrically small beamed receiving arrays operating in the high-frequency band (3 to 30 MHz) and in a random noise environment is studied. The concepts of system noise figure (SNF) and signal-to-noise ratio improvement factor (SNIF) are proposed as criteria for comparing one array antenna receiving system to any reference antenna system when the conditions of operation are defined. Graphical representations of SNIF for the two- and four-element antenna systems versus a single-element system are presented. SNIF is shown to depend on the geometry of the array, on the phasing network, and on the ratio of atmospheric noise power to internal system noise power.


The purpose of this study is to characterize the potential effects of utterance-level fundamental frequency (F0) on the acoustic contrasts of vowels as expressed relative to the mid-central vowel schwa. This is a follow-up to a previous study [Kuo, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 141, 3840 (2017)] based on a hypothesis of schwa as a speaker-defined reference for vowel contrasts. The hypothesized reference schwa is made up of the averaged first and second formant (F1 and F2) frequencies from many tokens of schwa produced by a given speaker. Motivated by the potential interactions among F0, spectral sampling, and articulation, the present study evaluates the effects, if any, of utterance-level F0 on vowel contrasts relative to schwa. Utterance-level F0 is measured for breath groups at the sentence level. Vowel contrasts are expressed as the Euclidean distances between vowels and the reference schwa in the F1-F2 space. Specifically, two questions are of interest. First, are the Euclidean distances between vowels and the...


ABSTRACT This paper deals with cryptanalysis of one hash function based on isotopy of quasigroups [J. Dvorský, E. Ochodková, V. Snášel: Hash functionbased on quasigroups, in: Proc. of Mikulàšska kryptobesídka, Praha, 2001, pp. 27-36. (In Czech)], [J. Dvorský, E. Ochodková, V. Snášel: Hash functionsbased on large quasigroups, in: Proc. of Velikonoční kryptologie, Brno, 2002, pp. 1-8. (In Czech)]. Our work enhances the paper [M. Vojvoda: Cryptanalysisof one hash function based on quasigroup, Tatra Mt. Math. Publ. 29 (2004), 173-181], where the simplified studied hash function, based only on the quasigroup of modular subtraction, was successfully cryptanalysed. In this paper we show how to construct collisions, 2nd preimages, and also preimages for the full hash function based on isotopy of quasigroups.


The US Department of Energy in its May 1992 analysis of energy from municipal solid waste (MSW) concluded that as an energy resource, MSW is unique. It can be used to produce energy, displace fossil fuel and improve the environment by reducing the amount of wastes that must be landfilled and by conserving energy and natural resources. In addition, because MSW is considered a renewable biomass fuel, it meets most state public utility commission requirements for alternative fuel usage. Moreover, as a domestic resource, energy dollars and their positive effect on the economy are kept at home. Ogden Projects (Ogden) operates 25 of the more than 140 modern waste-to-energy facilities in the United States today. In fact, because of Ogden's unique ability to closely match utility boiler steam requirements with its proprietary massburn technology, Ogden has emerged as the industry leader in utility repowering using municipal solid waste. Pertinent equipment upgrades designed to provide long-term, reliable electrical generation in full compliance with electrical generation in full compliance with the Clean Air Act Amendments allow the repowered facility to provide the least cost of generation to the utility. Current installations and the benefits of waste-to-energy repowering are described.


The article examines the current problem of the space industry – the risks arising in the production process. The object of the study is the enterprises of the rocket and space industry of the Russian Federation, the subject of research – their possible risks.


The main goal of this thesis is the study of percolation on isoradial graphs, and, more precisely, to show criticality and universality of arm exponents for these models. An isoradial graph G is a planar graph embedded in the plane in such a way that every face is inscribed in a circle of radius 1. To each edge e we attach a parameter p(e) ∈ [0, 1], which is an explicit function of the length of e. We associate to G a canonical percolation model, under which each edge e is taken open with probability p(e) and closed with probability 1− p(e), independently of other edges. Thus, isoradial graphs provide a large class of planar percolation models expected to be critical and to belong to the same universality class. These models include the critical homogeneous bond percolation on the square, triangular and hexagonal lattices. More generally, isoradial graphs have proved to be a particularly convenient setting for the study of various statistical mechanics models. We will focus on two features of critical percolation models. The box crossing property (or RSW property) states that the probability of crossing rectangular domains of given aspect ratio is bounded away from 0 and 1, uniformly in the size of the domain. The arm exponents are constants that describe the asymptotic behaviour of certain unlikely events, such as that the cluster of a given vertex has large radius. Using the star–triangle transformation, and its particular affinity with percolation on isoradial graphs, we manage to convert one isoradial graph into another, while preserving certain features of the percolation model. These features are related to existence of open connections; in particular we prove the universality of the box-crossing property and of the arm exponents across a large class of graphs. The box-crossing property is known to hold for certain isoradial graphs, such as the homogeneous square lattice, hence it extends to the studied models. Arm exponents however are not known to exist for any planar bond percolation model, and we make no progress on this point. We also give a detailed account of how the box-crossing property implies criticality, as well as a certain form of isotropy of the critical phase. This is then used to prove scaling relations that relate the arm exponents to other critical exponents.


This thesis is written to achieve some objectives as follows: (1) To get a clear
description about the students' problem in identifying language features of
Descriptive text, (2) To know the highest percentage of the errors types, (3) To know
the distribution of errors on the students' work.
The method used in this study is descriptive method. The research was carried
out at SMA Negeri 5 Surakarta, on May 8th, 2009. The population of the research is
the first grade students of academic year 2008/2009 that of class X-9. There are 37
students used as the sample. Random sampling by lottery is used to get the sample.
To get the data, the writer uses test as the instrument, i.e an essay test. The total
number of items is 40. The six types of the language features of Descriptive text are
observed.
Based on the collected data, there are 686 errors found in the students'
worksheets (46,35%). The writer finds that there are 191 grammar errors (27,84%)
out of the total number of error, 187 appropriateness errors (27,25%) out of the total
number of errors, and 308 grammar errors and appropriateness errors (44,89%) out of
the total number of error. Language features in this study are limited to tenses,
preposition, agreement, noun phrase, vocabulary, spelling and capitalization. The six
types of errors having the highest frequency are: 107 errors in tenses (7,22%), 88
errors in preposition (5,94%), 112 errors in agreement (7,56%), 104 errors in noun
phrase (7,02%), 140 errors in vocabulary (9,45%), 40 errors in spelling (2,70%), 95
errors in capitalization (6,41%). From the frequency, the writer can identify the
students' mastery as high as 53,7%. Referring to Suharsimi's opinion, it is classified
as poor.
This analysis is very useful for the teacher and students. It helps the students
to know their weaknesses and difficulties in developing English grammar and
structure, especially in developing language features of Descriptive text. The number
of errors, indicate the effectiveness of teacher's teaching technique. Teacher also can
plan and determine an effort in teaching process to minimize the errors.


There is a solution of the problem of stress-strain state determining in a concrete thick-walled tube, when the temperature field and the neutron fluence at the inner face are set. The mutual action of the specified factors is identified in this axisymmetric problem, as well as influence of inhomogeneity of shell materials, which is due to radiation and heat impact. The problem reduces to a differential equation with variable coefficients. The allowance for the mutual action of the specified factors and the variable Young's module lets to arrive to a more accurate solution.


Objective: To investigate the inhibition roles of dimethylarsinic acid (DMAA) on cultured SGC7901 gastric cancer cells and its possible mechanisms. Methods: The cultured SGC7901 gastric cancer cells were treated with 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30mmol/L concentrations of DMAA. The cytotoxicity caused by DMAA was assessed by MTT assay. The morphological changes caused by DMAA were detected under laser confocal microscope. The formation of nuclear fragmentation and nuclear bodies were analyzed by gel electrophoresis. Results: The cytotoxicity of DMAA on SGC7901 gastric cancer cells increased along with the increase of the concentration of DMAA. Morphological changes caused by low concentration of DMAA were observed, including condensation of cellular chromatin, nuclear fragmentation and apoptotic bodies. High concentration of DMAA mainly caused the neorobiosis. And gel analysis also showed that the fragmentation of internucleosomal DNA was apparent when the concentration of DMAA was below 5 mmol/L, but disappeared above 10 mmol/L. Conclusion: It is concluded that DMAA can cause the death of SGC7901 gastric cancer cells mainly via apoptosis at low concentration but primarily necrosis at high concentration.


When corporate insiders sell their stock in quantities that deviate from firm-specific trends, their trades are more likely to precede bad news over a horizon of several months, but not in the short run. This is consistent with insiders avoiding "suspicious timing" when engaging into "suspicious amounts" of trading, the combination of which would likely result in Rule 10b-5 securities lawsuits. Furthermore, the occurrence of abnormal sales is negatively associated with the ex-ante litigation faced by the firm. I also find that patterns of discretionary accruals and unmanaged earnings are indicative of managers using accruals to avoid reporting a loss after their abnormal trades and delay the report of earnings decreases two quarters away from their abnormal sales. In terms of stock returns, there is a smaller amount of good news following abnormal trades that are contemporaneous to loss-avoiding discretionary accruals, which is consistent with managers timing their trades and accruals to maximize their proceeds. By contrast, there is a greater amount of positive returns following trades during quarters where accruals offset an earnings decrease, which suggests managers delay the recognition of bad economic news to avoid litigation. More generally, trades in firm-years subject to high litigation cost precede greater positive stock returns, even if they eventually predict bad news. Finally, abnormal returns and trading volume around SEC filing dates of insider sales indicate that the market reacts to insider sales disclosure after the implementation of Section 403 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which stipulates that insiders must report their trades within two business days. In particular, returns around those filings are associated with the probability that a trade is not motivated by liquidity needs.


A method for measuring low gamma‐ray contamination in a fast neutron field is described by which a single detector is operated sequentially as an ionization chamber and as a proportional counter. The range of collecting voltage for which the apparent gas multiplication is independent of particle type or mode of operation was determined. The method attains high accuracy in the measurement of the ratio of neutron to total dose and has been applied to several neutron sources.


Pulsed evolution of energy in the interior of a transparent insulator as a result of focusing of high-power laser radiation generates a shock wave propagating along the insulator. This effect presents an opportunity for investigating shock waves which appear in high-energy large-scale experiments. The present paper reports a study of the dynamics of the development of damage and of the motion of a shock wave resulting from the focusing of high-power laser radiation in the interior of an argon crystal and justifies the use of this material for model purposes. The results are used to find the physical parameters describing the dynamics of changes in the principal characteristics of a shock wave in this case and in large-scale experiments. A comparison is made with the published experimental data.


In this work project there are presented the final finds of a three year long work (March through October of years 2011, 2012, 2013) on "final taxonomic estimation of Rhopalocerofauna of Sharr Mountain and its surroundings," a period coinciding with the adulthood of rhopalocera. Considering the vast gradient of altitude from the Pollog Valley (380 m), all the way to the highest peaks, at Sharr Mountain (2748 m) where almost all vegetative strips are represented. This voluminous study about this region was for its first time undertaken by us, and it was ignored by other local and foreign researchers, or they just did it casually. The study was concentrated at 5 stations at Pollog Valley, 11 at Sharr Mountain and 2 stations at Mavrovo National Park. The collection of scientific material was conducted starting in early spring, until late fall, using aerial entomologic nets and was preserved until its lift up, in entomologic envelopes and mattresses, with indicators referring to the collection spot, date, biotope, name of collector and notes about vegetal coating. This study resulted in collecting a rich material of about 2000 exemplars, part of which was picked up, designated and prepared for the creation of the scientific stockpile, intended for the Biology Department of the State University of Tetova. Based on the overall fauna analysis so far, it results that this material has defined 152 species, belonging to 72 kinds and 6 families. Compared to the European rhopalocerofauna (482 species), (EU–441 species) known so far and the Macedonian one (201 species), that of Sharr Massif (152 species), it makes up 36% and 76% of them, respectively, thing that indicates the rich composition of the rhopalocerofauna species of this massif, compared to their respective area they occupy. Considering this evidence, we can state that the Sharr Mountain and its surroundings' Rhopalocerofauna accounts for a very rich and diversified habitat considering the fauna aspect. Key words: Rhopalocerofauna, species composition, distribution, Sharr Mountain, Mavrovo, Macedonia


Annual growth rhythms of Liriodendronc hinense Seedlings from 6provenances(Jinping of Yunnan,Anji of Zhejiang,Wuyi Mountain of Fujian,Liping of Guizhou,Quanzhou of Guangxi,Lushan Mountain of Jiangxi) were studied.The results were as follows:(1) The variance analysis of different provenances showed that the differences between tree heights were significant.(2) The height growth of them was fitted by Logistic equation.The results showed that the growth patterns of height of different provenances were similar to ' S ' curves.(3) The height growth process of annual seedling was analyzed by the Sequence Cluster Method.The results indicated that the growth process of the seedling height could be divided into four stages,juvenile stage ;early growth stage ;rapid growth stage and late growth stage.Wuyi Mountain provenance entered the rapid growth stage at first and lasted the longest time.Lushan Mountain provenance entered the rapid growth stage at lasted and last the shortest time.The height increment of Anji provenance in the rapid growth stage accounted for the largest proportion of the annual height increment,up to 56.05%,Wuyi Mountain provenance second,and Lushan Mountain provenance the lowest,only 34.29%.(4) 6provenances were analyzed by hierarchical clustering,then were divided into 3groups.The first group included Quanzhou provenance,which had the best height growth.The second group included Jinping,Anji,Wuyi Mountain,Liping provenances.The last group included Lushan Mountain provenance.


Herbal medicines are one of the giant creations of nature. Several medicinal agents developed from natural sources, which open a new era of health sciences. Cassia sophera is a prevalent medicinal plant that is locally known as "Kasondi", belonging to the family Caesalpinaceae. Many secondary metabolites like alkaloids, tannins, anthraquinones, flavonoids are isolated from roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and seeds of C. sophera, which are very effective against several diseases.

Cassia sophera has an enormous potential in public health to protect from diabetes, microbes, and cancer. Hence, the aim of the present review is to collect the reported antidiabetic, antimicrobial, and anticancer activity of Cassia sophera along with detailed discussion about mechanism of action of various phytoconstituents.

Antidiabetic activity of Cassia sophera is due to the activation of β cell and stimulation of surviving pancreatic β-cells to release more insulin. Plasma membrane disruption, inhibition of cell wall formation, inhibition of cell division by the Cassia sophera is the prime causes of antimicrobial activity. The anticancer activity of the plant is mainly due to the prevention of reactive oxygen species formation, induction of cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and angiogenesis.

The findings from this review article confirm the potential activities and mechanisms of various phytoconstituents responsible for preventing diabetes, cancer, and microbial infections. Further investigation regarding possible pharmaceutical side effects, contraindications, drug interactions involving drug synthesized from C. sophera should be carried out by the researchers.


The purpose of this paper is to quantitatively evaluate the improvement that can be obtained, in the coding of graphics, by using more sophisticated encoding schemes than run-length. These schemes are now well within the reach of today's technology. In the broad class of encoders by coordinates, three isoentropic encoding schemes are considered: 1) encoding of isolated points, 2) encoding of unidimensional patterns, 3) encoding of two-dimensional patterns. Although the three systems are all conceptually straightforward, they require an increasing complexity of encoding-decoding operations. This complexity is balanced, however, by a larger compression factor for the more complex schemes. The results obtained with these encoding schemes are finally compared to those of a run-length coding scheme for the case of a first-order Markov model of the source.


A continuously tuneable, quasi-continuous-wave (cw), ultraviolet source for resonance Raman spectroscopy has been developed. The third and fourth harmonics of a picosecond mode-locked titanium: sapphire laser were generated in nonlinear crystals. The pulses which resulted from these processes were spectrally narrow (10–15 cm−1) and had low peak powers (<1 kW), while the system as a whole provides high average powers. Fourth-harmonic wavelengths were generated from 208 to 230 nm with average powers from 15 to 40 mW, while the third harmonic ranged from 255 to 305 nm with over 90 mW of power. The UV light was well collimated and focused well, and the power was stable for hours. Resonance Raman spectra of tryptophan and phenylalanine were recorded to demonstrate the practical application of this system. Spectra with excellent signal-to-noise ratios were recorded in 6 min with no deleterious effects from nonlinear processes. The selective enhancement of tryptophan scattering in a 1:10 molar solution of tryptophan to phenylalanine makes clear the advantage of a continuously tuneable UV source. Elaboration of this system to the full tuning range of titanium: sapphire lasers will create a laser source suitable for resonance Raman spectroscopy throughout the ultraviolet region (205–400 nm).


Compounds according to formula I, and pharmaceutically acceptable salts, solvates and prodrugs thereof, the chemical uncoupler useful for example in treating obesity: [Formula 1] In the formula, R1 and R2 are independently hydrogen, nitro, cyano, halogen, alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, haloalkyl, aralkyl, heteroaralkyl, alkoxy, alkylamino, - C (O) O-R4, -C (O) NR5R6 , Halogen, haloalkyl, hydroxyalkyl, cyano, nitro, or - (CH Sil, -C (O) -R4, -NR5C (O) -R4, aryl, substituted with one or more substituents selected from heteroaryl, more aryl or heteroaryl wherein aryl, alkyl, halogen , haloalkyl, hydroxyalkyl, alkoxy, haloalkoxy, aralkyl, aralkenyl, aralkynyl, -OC (O) -R4, -C (O) -R4, -C (O) -NR5R6, -NR5C (O) -R4 or, cyano, it may be substituted with one or more substituents selected from phenyl substituted with nitro or hydroxy; Y is, -S (O) - or -S (O) , The other substituents not phenyl. .BACKGROUND


This paper analyses the existence and globally exponential stability of a class of cellular neural networks with distributed delays, with assuming global Lipschitz conditions on the activation functions, applying the idea of vector Lyapunov function, Young inequality and Halanay differential inequality with delay, some sufficient conditions are obtained to ensure the equilibrium point.


The objective of this research project is to investigate the variability within a very limited number of performance measures of urban bus transit systems. The performance measures focus on vehicle productivity, on effectiveness of use, on efficiency of operations, on labor productivity, on operating conditons, and on expense allocations. The variability is explored in terms of potential relationships with system's size, the occurrence of consistent "best" and "worst" performances in the field, and with a number of factors that characterize the operational environment within which the systems perform.


and reuse/ recovery targets. End-of–life vehicles present a valuable source or raw materials (table 1, figure 1) with a wealth of potential, which can be after appropriate selection and further processing used as input for further production. [4] The changing automotive material mix over the past fifteen years and evolutionary technology trends for the future relative to automobile architecture for improved safety and environmental performance have and will continue to increase the recycling technical challenge. Numerous and wide-ranging initiatives are being pursued all over the world today to help pass on a sound natural environment to future generations. Automotive production is one of Slovakian leading industries. Because of urgent priority on protecting the environment, it is inevitable for manufacturers to be engaged in ongoing efforts to develop more environmentally friendly automobiles and a more viable infrastructure for them – one in which provisions for environmental protection, including recycling, constitute an essen-tial part. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a tool for the systematic evaluation of the environmental aspects of a product or service system through all stages of its life cycle. The article is focused on some possibilities of improving the environmental safety of motor vehicles especially by application of the LCA in automobile production.


Assessment measures for river health are guided by a general thinking of river ecosystem,focused on building up relations between river changing and biological process and aimed at establishing a comprehensive assessment system which gives attentions to both the rational development and the ecosystem protection.A brief introduction of the representative assessment standards for river health overseas is given,and then the measures and key points of physical-chemical assessment,habitat assessment,hydrological assessment and bio-assessment are reviewed respectively herein as well.


Background. The research was carried out within the project «Oral history of Irkutsk and technologies oral history in an interdisciplinary perspective». An analysis of the array of in-depth interviews obtained during the implementation of the project reveals a significant number of fragments reflecting the internal conflict of the speaker's ideas about some fragment of the real world, which is in the center of his attention at a certain moment of speech. A current issue is to identify linguistic and discourse markers that objectify the presence of this conflict. One of these markers is vse-taki to which the article is devoted.
The purpose of the work is to clarify the idea of the status of this unit, its semantic, pragmatic and functional features, based on the understanding of the existing lexicographic tradition and the analysis of empirical material.
The material of the research is the data of traditional explanatory dictionaries and the Active dictionary of the Russian language, as well as examples of contextual use of vse-taki, extracted from the RNC. Methods and techniques of definitional, structural-semantic, contextual and corpus analysis are used.
The results of the research showed that vse-taki should be qualified as a particle which is used (a) as a marker of the opposition of the existing state of affairs to a hypothetical, but more standard one; (b) as a marker of the reason for the implementation of one of the two alternatives; (c) as a marker of the speaker's emotional reaction to the coincidence of fragments of the mental and real world.
The field of practical implications of the results is theoretical semantics and discourse analysis (including in social research). The results can be used in semantics, pragmatics, discourse theory university courses.


For the purpose of exploring the information storage methods in public-style website,the author offers a new model and some usable methods for information storage.By comparing websites of different styles and analysing the traits of public-style website as well as user requirements,the author holds that the infromation storage model in public-style website can be Point-Style Model.


Objective To investigate the expression of Livin and Survivin in nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC) and their correlation with metastasis and recurrence.Methods Immunohistochemisty was employed to determine the expression of Livin and Survivin in 80 NPC tissues and 30 chronic nasopharyngitis tissues.Results Livin and Survivin expression was significantly higher in NPC than that in chronicnasopharyngitis tissues(P=0.000).The protein expression of Livin was significantly correlated with the cervical lymph node metastasis,distant metastasis,the recurrence of tumor and the clinic stage(P0.05);The protein expression of Survivin was significantly correlated with the T stage,the cervical lymph node metastasis,distant metastasis,the recurrence of tumor and the clinic stage(P0.05).There was a significantly positive relationship of Livin with Survivin(γ=0.239,P=0.033).Conclusion The overexpression of Livin protein and Survivin might enhance the NPC proliferation and malignance and play an important role in progress of NPC.


The hard disk drive to prevent spin-up error is disclosed. The hard disk drive is an interface block, at least one disc, and the at least one of spin-up (spin-up), and a controller for controlling the operation, the controller is up operation spin the at least one disk of the disk before performing after line so that control of the power consumption of the interface block, and controls the at least one disc to perform a spin-up operation.


AbstractIn this study, the optimal design of a pipe network is proposed using a simulation–optimization model. Simulation and optimization were performed using the finite-element method (FEM) coupl...


The H-10 borehole complex, a group of three closely spaced boreholes, is located 4 miles southeast of the proposed Waste Isolation Pilot Plant site in west-central Lea County, New Mexico. The holes were drilled during August and October 1979 to obtain geologic and hydrologic data to better define the regional ground-water-flow system. The geologic data presented in this report are part of a site-characterization study for the possible storage of defense-associated radioactive wastes within salt beds of the Salado Formation of Permian age. The geologic data include detailed descriptions of cores, cuttings, and geophysical logs. Each borehole was designed to penetrate a distinct water-bearing zone: H-10a (total depth 1318 feet) was completed just below the Magenta Dolomite Member of the Rustler Formation of Permian age; H-10b (total depth 1398 feet) was completed just below the Culebra Dolomite Member of the Rustler Formation; and H-10c (total depth 1538 feet) was completed below the Rustler Formation-Salado Formation contact. The geologic units penetrated in borehole H-10c are surficial alluvium and eolian sand of Holocene age (0 to 5 feet); the Mescalero caliche (5 to 9 feet) and the Gatuna Formation (9 to 90 feet) of Pleistocene age: formations in the Dockum Group (Chinlemore » Formation, 90 to 482 feet and Santa Rosa Sandstone, 482 to 658 feet) of Late Triassic age; and the Dewey Lake Red Beds (658 to 1204 feet), the Rustler Formation (1204 to 1501 feet), and part of the Salado Formation (1501 to 1538 feet), all of Permian age. The sections of the Rustler and Salado Formations penetrated by borehole H-10c are complete and contain little or no evidence of dissolution of halite and associated rocks, indicating that the eastward-moving dissolution within the Rustler or on top of the Salado, found west of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant site, has not reached the H-10 site.« less


VERIMAG has on open post-doc positions on Coq developments for distributed algorithms Contracts: for 12 months Location: Grenoble, France Hosting institution: VERIMAG laboratory (Universite Grenoble Alpes, CNRS Grenoble Institute of Technology) Scientific advisors: Karine Altisen, Pierre Corbineau, Stephane Devismes How to Apply & Contact Information Please send information requests/applications to Karine.Altisen univ-grenoble-alpes.fr, Pierre.Corbineau univ-grenoble-alpes.fr, (...)


Objective To understand the plasma Platelet Microparticiles(PMPs)level and its clinical significance in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).Methods Venous blood samples were obtained from 96 of T2DM patients and 30 of non-diabetic control subjects.PMPs,CD61P positive on platelets,were quantified by flow cytometry.Meanwhile,plasma levels of PLT,FPG,TC,TG,HDL-C,LDL-C and LP(a)were detected,as well as the levels of MA and TRF from urine samples.Results PMPs counts were significantly greater in 2 year or up 2 year groups than in controls.PMPs count was associated with levels of urine MA and TRF,but not related with other indexes.Conclusion PMPs may be a marker of microvascular disease in Type 2 diabetes.


In this paper, the performance of generalised spatial modulation (GSM) and spatial modulation (SM) is studied assuming channel estimation errors (CSEs) and correlated Rayleigh and Rician fading channels. A new, simple, accurate and general analytical closed-form upper bound for the average bit error ratio (ABER) performance of both systems is derived. The analytical bound is shown to be applicable to correlated and uncorrelated channels, as well as to small and large scale multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems. The results demonstrate that GSM is more suitable for large-scale MIMO systems than SM. The performance gain of GSM over SM is about 5 dB. The results also show that SM is very robust to CSEs. Specifically, the performance degradation of SM in the presence of CSEs are 0.7 dB and 0.3 dB for Rayleigh and Rician fading channels respectively. Lastly, the findings in this paper underpin the suitability of both GSM and SM for future large-scale MIMO systems.


The purpose of the ongoing transformation of the US health care delivery system is to achieve high‐quality, accessible, and affordable medical care. Attainment of these goals depends largely on physicians, who acquired not only medical knowledge and clinical skills, but also have management, information technology, leadership, team building and interpersonal skills. In addition, personal integrity and high ethical standards with a deep sense of social responsibility are critical attributes for modern physicians to possess. Demands to educate such health care professionals have profound affect on changes in the medical school curricula, which now integrate and emphasize teaching of professionalism and its values. Learning professionalism takes time and experience; therefore, medical students need proper exposure to professional values from the first day of medical school. The traditional Gross Anatomy course is now utilized to introduce the fundamental concepts of professionalism. The dissection laboratory exposure teaches students respect, responsibility, and confidentiality. Today's medicine is a field of collaboration, and first year medical students, through anatomy laboratory, are able to experience teamwork, develop communication and leadership skills, as well as recognize their own limitations. Presently, Gross Anatomy is regarded as more than a traditional course of human structure; it is viewed as a course where new skills and competencies are taught to students entering the medical field.


A survey on the nature and prevalence of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) and monodon baculovirus (MBV) infection in Penaeus monodon postlarvae collected in hatcheries in the centre and the south of Vietnam was conducted from mid December 2001 to mid May 2002. A total of 471 samples were collected and subjected to nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis for WSSV. Of these, 388 samples were also tested for MBV using rapid staining with Malachite green. The prevalence of WSSV infection in postlarvae collected from hatcheries and nurseries was 20.6% (95% CI: 17.1-24.6%), whereas 46.4% (95% CI: 41.4-51.5%) prevalence was found in samples tested for MBV. In addition, it was found that the prevalence of WSSV infection fluctuated according to sampling month and was the highest in February (37.7%; 95% CI: 28.7-48%) while the prevalence of MBV infection remained the same throughout sampling period. Samples from the central region, which supplies approximately 80% of postlarvae for grow-out ponds in southern provinces, displayed a slightly higher prevalence of WSSV infection (21.1%; 95% CI: 16.3-26.7%) than those from the south (15.7%; 95% CI: 9.17-25.3%), although this difference was not statistically significant. The prevalence of MBV infection in postlarvae from the central region was not significantly different the prevalence in samples from the south (44.3%, 95% CI: 37.9-50.8% and 46%, 95% CI: 33.5-58.9%, respectively). Differences in prevalence indicated that quality of postlarvae varies according to production areas and sources of supply. The implications of the findings for shrimp health management in Vietnam are discussed. Oanh D.T.H., N.T. Phuong. 2005. Prevalence of White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) and Monodon Baculovirus (MBV) infection in Penaeus monodon postlarvee in Vietnam. In P. Walker, R. Lester and M.G. Bondad-Reantaso (eds). Diseases in Asian Aquaculture V, pp. 395-404. Fish Health Section, Asian Fisheries Society, Manila. Diseases in Asian Aquaculture V Dang Thi Hoang Oanh et al


While the macroscopic anatomy of the urinary bladder and the kidneys is well known, the ultrasound anatomy of these organs still remains difficult for physicians. The objective was to develop a multimedia computer-based program that helps to reduce the time necessary for learning ultrasonography in dogs and cats. Therefore, the program contains many ultrasound films and images, which are clearly marked. Additionally, colourful diagrams explain the ultrasound examination. Although the urinary bladder is comparatively easy to scan the surrounding structures are often confusing. Many of these structures such as the neighbouring fat are not especially mentioned in macroscopic anatomy. The program clearly demonstrates the advantages of the ultrasound method. For example, the physiological urinary jet into the urinary bladder is compared to urinary jet after application of a diuretic agent (furosemide). The ultrasound anatomy of the kidneys and the related structures are described in detail and illustrated by anatomic preparations and sketches. The comprehensive visual and audio representation of the Doppler ultrasonography of renal vessels is intended as an advanced training for already experienced physicians. The structure of the program is designed with regard to didactic and ergonomic aspects. The user can go through the program step by step or move freely using a navigation bar, visual links (viewer) or one of the various links. Nevertheless, all pages are clearly marked to keep track. The structure of the program is similar in all sections, starting with the anatomical topography and the patient preparation. After a detailed description of the scanning procedure the resulting ultrasound images are demonstrated. The last part includes different techniques of Doppler ultrasonography. The self-explaining multimedia structure of the computer-based program enables an autodidactic training of the ultrasound b-mode and the Doppler ultrasonography of the urinary tract and the kidneys for physicians with little experience as well as for advanced investigators.


In the title compound, C17H18N4O2S·H2O, the thiourea derivative is almost planar, with an r.m.s. deviation for the non-H atoms of 0.057 Å. The hydroxyl groups lie to the same side of the molecule as the thione S atom, a conformation that allows the formation of intramolecular O—H⋯S and O—H⋯N hydrogen bonds. In the crystal structure, the thiourea and water molecules self-assemble into a two-dimensional array by a combination of Owater—H⋯Ohydroxyl, N—H⋯Owater and Owater—H⋯S hydrogen bonds and C—H⋯π interactions.


1. Introduction The papers in this collection all address some aspect of the following question: In a phonological model developed within the framework of Optimality Theory (Prince and Smolensky 2004), what restrictions, if any, should be placed on Gen, the function that generates a candidate set from a given input form? This paper makes the case that restrictions on Gen must not be considered in isolation; their effects on Con, the constraint set, must be taken into account as well. In particular, allowing Gen a greater degree of freedom in generating subsyllabic structure helps maintain a more restrictive, functionally grounded constraint set. After a background discussion of the relationship between representational complexity and freedom of analysis, this paper presents an explicit set of representational assumptions about subsyllabic structure (§2) and shows that representational complexity has implications for Con as well as for Gen, in the context of a sonority-based analysis of liquid-specific onset restrictions (§3). Additional syllabification-related predictions of the version of Gen presented here are also considered (§4).


Chapter 4 describes how a purposeful shift toward upscale audiences led to a change in narratives about labor unions and workers in newspapers. Instead of being "with" the workers, the newspaper narratives began to go "against" the workers because they inflict inflationary damage and inconveniences on the newspapers' new upscale consumers. Moreover, mainstream media newspapers shifted their focus to reporting on upscale strivers with the new office "workplace" lifestyles column, and with a new emphasis on personal finance reporting, for America's budding individualist entrepreneurs. With the working class bereft of journalism that spoke to their lives, the emerging conservative media filled a gap, but only for the white working class whose grievances they stoked.


The methods used for the determination of — log [] fall naturally into two groups: (a) Electrometric, and (b) Colorimetrie methods. Electrometric methods were first introduced into analytical practice in 1897 by Böttger(l) who determined the neutral point in titrating acids with alkalis by using a gas chain; subsequent improvements were made by Hildebrand (16), Gumming and Gilchrist(10); Hasselbalch(15), W. M. Clark(6), Michaelis(19), Walpole(28, 29) and others. The method has been applied to the measurement of [] of biological fluids with considerable success*. It was first applied to the measurement of [] of soil suspensions by G. Fischer (12) in Germany in 1914 and subsequently in America by Sharp and Hoagland(23), and by Gillespie(13, 14) and his co-workers.


Digital transformation is ubiquitous, affecting all aspects of human life and benefiting the performance of organisations. Existing literature has shown that implementing digital transformation in higher education institutions remains a challenge. HEIs are unaccustomed to the radical shifts of this transformation and the course of digital transformation in higher education faces several barriers. These barriers impede organisations from realising the potential benefits of in universities. Consequently, the barriers were categorised into contextual, social, technical, and cultural. The aim of this study is to identify and categorise the barriers to digital transformation in HEIs digital transformation. For HEIs fostering digital transformation, understanding the barriers is crucial to accomplishing it. This study has examined existing barriers that higher education institutions need to consider in their digital transformation journey. To that end, a systematic literature review was conducted on the barriers of digital transformation. We contribute in providing a basic understanding of possible barriers in order to overcome them and improve the likelihood of success.


We show that the complete and orthonormal representation 〈λ|, which is constructed in terms of guiding centers and canonical momenta for describing the coordinate of an electron in a uniform magnetic field, provides us with a direct algebraic approach to deriving the correct wave functions for studying quantum Hall effect. The squeezing transformation for electron's motion radius in the 〈λ| representation is also discussed, normally ordered squeezing operators are derived by virtue of the technique of integration within an ordered product of operators.


This paper presents a manipulator which is able to handle heavy materials for agricultural applications. The characteristics of agricultural operation are discussed and extracted. As the manipulator for handling heavy materials is analyzed using kinematic indices, the parallel type manipulator is shown to be superior to the other manipulators (i.e. the polar coordinate type, articulated type and cylindrical coordinate type manipulators). A parallel type manipulator has therefore been designed and developed. The robotic harvesting experiment was carried out using the parallel type manipulator in a watermelon field.


This paper describes the use of a Genetic Algorithm (GA) for the problem of Offline Point-to-Point Autonomous Mobile Robot Path Planning. The problem consist of generating "valid" paths or trajectories, for an Holonomic Robot to use to move from a starting position to a destination across a flat map of a terrain, represented by a two dimensional grid, with obstacles and dangerous ground that the Robot must evade. This means that the GA optimizes possible paths based on two criteria: length and difficulty. First, we decided to use a conventional GA to evaluate its ability to solve this problem (using only one criteria for optimization). Due to the fact that we also wanted to optimize paths under two criteria or objectives, then we extended the conventional GA to implement the ideas of Pareto optimality, making it a Multi Objective Genetic Algorithm (MOGA). We describe useful performance measures and simulation results of the conventional GA and of the MOGA that show that both types of Genetic Algorithms are effective tools for solving the point-to-point path planning problem.


— This research highlights the problem of mathematical modelling of the Moebius strip. Shape-finding of tensioned membrane surface bordered by Moebius strip is investigated. Moebius strip has the mathematical property of being non-orientable and with only one side and only one boundary component. In this research, the possibility of adopting the form of Moebius strip as surface shape for tensioned membrane structure has been scrutinised. The combination of shape and internal forces for the purpose of stiffness and strength is an important feature of tensioned membrane surface. For this purpose, shape-finding needs to be carried out. Nonlinear analysis method is used for computational shape-finding analysis in this research. Development and pattern of prestress in the resulting tensioned membrane surface is also studied. Shape-finding has been found to converge for Moebius strip with midcircle radius R over half-width W , R/W = 0.7, 1.2, 1.7, 2.2 and 2.7. The way of mathematical modelling presented in this paper forms the basis for computer designer to consider the Moebius strip, R/W = 0.7, 1.2, 1.7, 2.2 and 2.7 applied in tensioned membrane structure. Such in-sight will lead to improvement of rural basic infrastructure, economic gains, sustainability of built environment and green technology initiative.


Nyctanthus Arbortristis Linn. is an medicinal plant having application in various disorders and have particular emphasis on potency specified in the screening assa ys. The present study was designed to evaluate the antiinflammatory and analgesic activities of the metha nolic and chloroform extract of leaves of Nyctanthu s Arbortristis Linn. (Family-Oleacea).The aim of the study is to a ccess the anti-inflammatory activity against carrag eenen induced Rat Paw oedema. The analgesic activity was determin ed for its central and pharmacological actions us ing Eddy's Hot Plate, and Tail Immersion Method. Therefore, it concluded the methanolic and chloroform extract of the leaves of Nyctanthus Arbortristis possessing anti-inflamma tory and analgesic activities.


A novel Si interposer with microjet array cooling structure for RF high power GaN integration is presented in this work. The Si interposer is fabricated by stacking 3 wafers to form 2 layers of self-adaptive net microchannels and microjet array. The microfluids converge to form microjets in the bottom layer, then disperse in the top layer in 4 directions at net nodes. The cooling performance of the Si interposer is analyzed using finite element method (FEM) in COMSOL Multiphysics. The analysis results illustrate that the hotspot cooling capacity of the Si interposer depende largely on the flow rate of the coolant. The RF performance and temperature distribution of X-band GaN Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) power amplifier (PA) with static power density of ∼ 480 W/cm2 bonded on the Si interposer were measured in a test cube. The electrical measurement results validate that the cooling performance of the microjet impingement is able to provide the safety operating conditions of GaN MMIC PA. The thermal measurement results demonstrate that the hotspot cooling capacity of the Si interposer enabled GaN PA with hotspot heat density over 323.2 W/mm2 to operate safely with low flow rate at 70 °C. The interposer is a promising solution for high power integration in silicon-based RF microsystem.


Abstract Fertility differentials between geographical areas (Hills and Terai) and landholding and education groups within the areas were analysed from the first longitudinal sample surveys conducted in Nepal. Results indicated that fertility is higher in the Hills than in the Terai among older women who have been married for longer periods. The periodic return of Gurkha soldiers to the Hills, and differences in health conditions which may contribute to higher foetal wastage among Terai women, are suggested as a possible explanation for the difference. Within both Hill and Terai areas fertility was generally higher among those with larger than those with smaller landholding and in the Hills fertility was inversely related to education; however, in the Terai fertility varied directly with education. Differences in breastfeeding patterns between women who had received different amounts of education within the geographical areas may account for this latter finding.


The invention provides a programmable dedicated science-grade digital single-lens camera with general processor architecture, and relates to the technical field of cameras. The programmable dedicated science-grade digital single-lens camera specifically comprises a general processor, a charge coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor and a wireless fidelity (WIFI) module, wherein the CCD or the CMOS image sensor is connected with the general processor through a universal serial bus (USB) high-speed serial interface or a dedicated image interface. By the programmable dedicated science-grade digital single-lens camera with the general processor architecture, application software wrote by a user can run inside the camera.


The study into the effect of user groups of different types on the water quality of swimming pool was undertaken. Samples were taken from three locations, before and after swimming of user groups. The samples were analyzed for Chlorine, temperature, pH and electrical conductivity. Pre-swim habits of swimmers were also recorded. It is observed that free chlorine concentration increases during use of pool. There is steady increase in EC, but not significant change in pH and temperature.


Histone deacetylases (HDACs) play a crucial role in transcriptional regulation through modulation of chromatin structure. The class I HDAC, HDAC3, is involved in maintaining endothelial cell integrity.1 Sustained activation of the x-box binding protein 1 (XBP1), an endoplasmic reticulum stress response transcription factor, results in the development of atherosclerosis in apoE−/− mice.2 HDAC3 and XBP1 are similarly expressed in the bifurcation regions of the aorta. In this study, we investigated whether cross-talk existed between HDAC3 and XBP1, and its role in the maintenance of endothelial cell integrity. Our study demonstrated that disturbed flow upregulated HDAC3 and unspliced XBP1 (XBP1u) protein production through the KDR/PI3K/Akt pathway. Knockdown of XBP1 by shRNA lentiviral transfection ablated disturbed flow-induced HDAC3 upregulation. Similarly to HDAC3, overexpression of XBP1u by adenoviral gene transfer increased Akt phosphorylation at Serine473 and haem oxygenase 1 gene transcription, which showed a protective role in hydrogen peroxide-induced apoptosis of endothelial cells. Co-immunoprecipitation assays demonstrated that HDAC3 physically associates with XBP1u and this could be enhanced by disturbed flow and VEGF treatment. The use of truncated HDAC3 constructs demonstrated that XBP1 binds to the central section of HDAC3. Further experiments indicated that overexpression of XBP1u increased the binding of HDAC3 to IRE1α, Akt and PI3K, especially after VEGF treatment. In contrast, sustained activation of spliced XBP1 decreased HDAC3 protein production through transcriptional suppression, leading to endothelial apoptosis. These results suggest that XBP1u protects endothelial cells from oxidative stress by interacting with HDAC3. Targeting this interaction may provide novel therapeutic strategies for vascular disease via maintaining endothelial integrity.


Complex pollution with high aerosol and ozone concentrations has recently been occurring in several densely populated cities in China, raising concerns about the influence of meteorological factors, including synoptic circulation and local conditions. In this study, comprehensive analyses on the associations between PM2.5, PM10, and O3 and meteorological conditions were conducted based on observations from radar wind profiler, microwave radiometer, automatic weather station, and air quality monitoring sites in Beijing during the spring of 2019. The results showed that the boundary layer height and temperature inversion were negatively (positively) correlated with PM (O3) concentrations, modulating the degree of air pollution. Five identified synoptic patterns were derived using geopotential height data of the ERA5 reanalysis, among which Type 1, characterised by south-westerly prevailing winds with high pressure to the south, was considered to be associated with severe PM and O3 contamination. This indicates that air pollutants originating from southern regions exert a major influence on Beijing through the transportation effect. In addition, high temperature, relative humidity, and low wind velocity exacerbate pollution. Overall, this study provides significant information for understanding the vital roles played by meteorological elements at both the regional and local scales in regulating air contamination during spring in Beijing.


The evolution of cities based on the technology progress is providing a huge potential to enhance activities, services and economic development towards a better life quality. But cities have to deal with managing the growing diversity of data, applications and devices needed to develop services, and to tailor these services to each citizen's requirements. The establishment of human-centered computing methodologies for developing services leads cities towards the Open Innovation, meant as the key to develop innovative ecosystems characterized by real-life experiments that result in new services. PEOPLE project represents a step towards this evolution by putting in practice the concept of human-centred computing in real scenarios (Livings Labs), where citizens participate continuously and actively in the creation and validation of new tailored services. The outcomes of implementing the methodology proposed by PEOPLE develop, implement and deploy innovative services based on ICT infrastructures with guidelines set by citizens, covering users' real needs sustained by collaborative basis.


Two types of √3×√3 surfaces, silicon-rich and carbon-rich, have been observed in a series of annealing processes. Rocking curves from the surface structures of both √3×√3 surfaces have been analyzed by reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) dynamical calculations. The silicon-rich √3×√3 surface is determined to be terminated with Si adatoms on T4 or H3 sites of the silicon terminated bulk surface. It is considered that the carbon-rich √3×√3 surface consists of a C honeycomb structure. From the results of Auger spectra and RHEED rocking curves, the phase transition from the silicon-rich to the carbon-rich √3×√3 phases is caused by adsorption of atomic hydrogen on the silicon-rich √3×√3 surface.


An enterprise wireless clustering deployment is comprises of cluster of Wireless Local Area Network (LAN) Controllers (WLCs), intended to provide collaborative services such as load balancing of Access Points (APs), distributed mDNS gateway, etc. Since these cluster deployments are typically very large, configuring individual WLCs is difficult. Presented herein are techniques to incorporate WLC cluster deployments with an authenticated distributed ledger to securely store the configuration and subsequent changes (e.g., only maintain changes from the previous one, using dictionary method: key-value pair to identify the difference). This avoids the use of control Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS) connection between AP and WLC for sharing the configuration, thereby giving access to the ledger based on the service registered by the worker WLCs or APs. For example, a worker WLC would register for services such as load balancing, mDNS gateway etc., to obtain the relevant configurations. Similarly, APs would register for wireless service to get configurations and policies based on the Site Tag (location). DETAILED DESCRIPTION Enterprise wireless clustering deployments are typically comprised of clusters/groups of Wireless Local Area Network (LAN) Controllers (WLCs), intended to provide collaborative services such as load Balancing of Access Points (APs), distributed mDNS gateway etc. A cluster is typically includes WLCs with designated roles as "Leader" or "Worker." One WLC out of all WLCs in the cluster would be elected as the Leader using a consensus algorithm. The Leader WLC is the point of contact for all configurations, image management, load balancing (distribution) of APs among Worker WLCs, etc. 2 M and Kenchaiah: SECURE AND EFFICIENT METHOD TO DISTRIBUTE CONFIGURATIONS IN WIREL Published by Technical Disclosure Commons, 2020 2 5926X Since cluster deployments are typically very large (would include WLCs ranging from 3 to 10 or more), configuring individual WLCs is difficult. As such, in conventional arrangements, all configurations are handled only on the Leader WLC. Subsequently, whenever Worker WLCs connect to the Leader, the Leader WLC pushes the whole configuration to them. For sending the configurations, basic methods such as FTP/TFTP are used. For security reasons, these configurations would be sent using rsync or over IPSec, SSL/TLS tunnels. It is noted that the configurations are sent from Leader WLC to each Worker WLC independently. In addition, for any configuration changes on the Leader WLC, the Leader WLC needs to update all Worker WLCs with the same configurations independently. There are also methods which fetch the configuration from the devices for any configuration change and then store the latest configuration. With these methods, the system loses the order of changes, the identity of who made the chance, and do not provide a distributed backup or distributed store. In a cluster deployment, for a given Site/Location, policies are defined and mapped to the Site Tag on the Leader WLC. These Site Tags are mapped to the Worker WLCs and APs based on the Site location (either through static configuration or dynamically, i.e., AP Site Tag is deduced during discovery phase itself). Whenever a Worker WLC connects to the Leader WLC, the Leader WLC pushes all the configurations required based on the Site Tags to the Worker WLC independently. Similarly, whenever an AP sends a discovery request to the Cluster, the Leader WLC would do load balancing and elect the Worker WLC based on the Site Tag and sends back a discovery response along with this Site Tag. Subsequently, when the AP sends a join request along with Site Tag (after CAPWAP Control DTLS tunnel establishing) to the Worker WLC, it would use this Site Tag to send the policy configurations for it. The AP uses the configuration to service the wireless network. Along with Control DTLS tunnel, the AP would establish CAPWAP Data DTLS tunnel with the Worker WLC for handling client specific data traffic. From Cluster point of view, there are several drawbacks with these conventional methods. For example, the Leader WLC needs to push the configuration to every Worker WLC upon connectivity. In addition, for any change in the configuration, the Leader WLC need to push the same to every Worker WLC. If any changes are done (by mistake) 3 Defensive Publications Series, Art. 2847 [2020] https://www.tdcommons.org/dpubs_series/2847 3 5926X directly on the Worker WLC, it is difficult to trace. It is also difficult to track the changes that are made (without versioning system) and by whom (e.g., initially WLC1 could be Leader where configurations are done, but due to hardware failover, now WLC2 could be Leader, where administrator is performing changes). There are also drawbacks with these conventional methods from the AP point of view. For example, each AP would establish a Control DTLS connection with the Worker WLC to share the configurations and image download. The whole Global and Site specific configuration has to be downloaded from the WLC for every AP independently. For any change in the configuration, the WLC needs to push the new changes to every AP in the deployment. In addition, clustering deployments also poses multiple security vulnerabilities while communicating among WLCs and APs, including:  Control plane vulnerabilities (Controller compromising): In a clustered environment, single compromised WLC can use to manipulate configurations of all the other WLCs in the network.  Link Level vulnerabilities: Communication between WLCs and APs is susceptible to vulnerabilities like man-in-the-middle attack, eavesdrop the configurations and policy information, fabricate falsify policy information and that can circulate legitimately in distributed Wireless Cluster deployments. As such, there is a need for a mechanism for devices to securely store configuration changes in a distributed way to share with other devices. In addition, the mechanism should be optimal to fetch configurations later (i.e., store the configuration required against the service offered or based on site/location etc.,) and also consider efficiency (in-terms of memory requirement (i.e., store only the different configurations compared with the previous versions). The techniques presented herein are configured to track the "who, what, when" associated with a configuration change in the private Blockchain. The techniques presented herein also addresses issues with the addition of a new worker WLC ("device"), replacement due to hardware failure, and allow the cluster to self-configure the new worker WLC without the need for external 3rd party systems. The techniques presented herein also 4 M and Kenchaiah: SECURE AND EFFICIENT METHOD TO DISTRIBUTE CONFIGURATIONS IN WIREL Published by Technical Disclosure Commons, 2020 4 5926X consider the optimization and efficiency to handle huge configuration of Wireless LAN Controller. The techniques presented herein propose to incorporate WLC cluster deployments with an authenticated distributed ledger to securely store the configuration and subsequent changes (i.e., only maintain previous changes, using dictionary method: key-value pair to identify the difference). As such, the techniques presented herein avoid the use of a Control DTLS connection between APs and WLCs for sharing the configuration, thereby giving access to the ledger based on the service registered by the Worker WLCs or APs. A Worker WLC would register for services such as load balancing, mDNS gateway etc., and APs would register for wireless service to get policies based on the Site Tag. A data DTLS connection could continue to be provided and used for handling client specific data traffic. Currently, the Control DTLS connection is used for client association, PMK sync etc., also, we need to move these to use Data DTLS connection. The WLCs and APs in the cluster deployment form a group to construct a private Blockchain and all configuration actions are stored in the created private Blockchain as Hyper Ledger. This would allow an accurate tracking of the "who, what and when" associated with configuration changes. This would also remove the need to store the whole configuration on the Leader WLC (centralized way), which in-turn needs to have high availability to handle failure cases (Apart from storing on the Leader WLC, need to take backup outside the deployment as well). Many devices have a Plug and Play (PnP) agent integrated into it and is applicable even to WLCs and APs in the cluster deployment, which play a role in the initial configuration of the device. PnP agent can interact with the device configuration management system running on the Leader WLC and run a lightweight Blockchain client to update device configuration changes and record the information about the changes in the Authenticated Hyper Ledger, which is distributed across the cluster deployment of the WLCs/APs for that enterprise/site. The advantage of using a PnP agent is that it is already there is most of the devices, thus less adoption issues would be incurred, and the PnP agent works with the configuration management system to extract or push any configuration changes to the device. PnP agents are well integrated with device security frameworks for initial on-boarding, which can be 5 Defensive Publications Series, Art. 2847 [2020] https://www.tdcommons.org/dpubs_series/2847 5 5926X leverage for securing the Blockchain client certificate information in the device. Certain devices use the ACT2 chip, which is a tamper-proof hardware chip used for storing the certificates. A Blockchain client running on the WLCs and APs authenticates itself using SUDI certificate stored in the ACT2 chip to prevent malicious devices from writing to the Blockchain or even reading from the Blockchain, which is a requirement to use Authenticated Hyper Ledger. With the thin cloud being developed, configurations are directly pushed


This essay intends to open a new vision for the studying of Shi pin (The Twenty-Four Varieties of Poetry), exploring how the text relates historically to its intellectual and literary contexts. As there is a fundamental difference between Shi pin's poetic concepts and those valorized by the Wei-Jin metaphysics (Xuanxue), particularly since the old lyric formula of stirring-and-response is eclipsed or even subverted in this text, it is thus argued that Xuanxue cannot be the exclusive source for Shi pin. The progress which occurred six centuries after the Wei-Jin period created a new formula in poetics: the relationship between a poetic mind and its objects was transformed from a response following a stimulus to a shared, schematic totality: visaya, "landscape, scene, sphere, objective content." Even a limited form of dualism between mind and object no longer existed, nor did a metonymic or a narrative process from stimulus to response. What appeared was a phenomenological scene (visaya). The author demonstrates that the coalescence of Neo-Taoism in Xuanxue, Chongxuan Taoist religion and Chan Buddhism of the literati of the mid- and late-Tang led poetics into this transformation. By breaking down the concept of linear time, and subverting the stirring-and-response formula by Buddhism, the new lyric concept of "inscape," jing, which designates a pure phenomenon that finds humans and their world in mutuality, was born. This essay argues that the Shi pin meta-lyrically embodies this new lyric experience of non-dual, "transparent experience." The essay demonstrates the discontinuity of time and non-metonymic nature, and analyses the relationship between two central concepts of Chinese poetics, jing and shi (propensity of things), in this text. It concludes that the Shi pin is jing incarnate and it has exerted a substantial influence on Chinese literary criticism.


The World Bank's policy recommendations have come under extensive and often critical scrutiny in Nigeria, as elsewhere, since the military government adopted the main tenets of the World Bank's Structural Adjustment Programme [SAP]. SAP has had a major impact on agriculture, notably as a result of the substantial devaluation of the naira through the creation of the Foreign Exchange Market [FEM] and the abolition of the Commodity Marketing Boards [CMBs]. These long overdue reforms have sharply raised prices for export crops in naira and improved the competitiveness of crops grown in Nigeria as against imports. Less attention has been paid to the World Bank's policies for agriculture, despite the extensive involvement of the Bank, through the projects it has funded. The World Bank's 1987 Agricultural Sector Review [ASR] sustains the analysis and recommendations of previous reviews of agricultural policy in Nigeria, notably of the Consortium for the Study of Nigerian Rural Development [CSNRD], and of the Ban...


The three-phase boundary (TPB) reaction may be generated when a sensor electrode is inserted in living tissues, piercing oil|water interfaces. Most of TPB reactions have varied with the measurement time such as potential scan rates and the number of potential cycles because supporting electrolytes transfer between the two phases to mix and extend the area of the reacting surface, explored by Scholz, Girault and coworkers. A typical cell apparatus is composed of the oil droplet including only a redox species, which is located on an electrode in an aqueous solution including supporting electrolyte, as is shown in the photograph. The use of supporting electrolyte, sodium sulfate, insoluble to the oil phase has allowed us to keep the steady-state current for TPB reactions. This concept is based on the restriction of forming a double layer only to the water|electrode interface, which penetrates the oil phase to cause the electrode reaction. However, it is not easy to obtain the obvious evidence because of local motion of the boundary during the redox reaction, formation of emulsions around TPB, and convection caused by the redox reaction. Here we use an air bubble to be a measure of the environment of TPB. Air bubbles are always located on the O|W interface near the top of the hemispherical droplet, as shown in the photograph. They do not float to be expelled from the solutions owing to their buoyancy. We have found motion of an air bubble depending on surfactants and electrode potentials, probably because of response to a subtle change in the surface tension of the O|W interface. This report is devoted to investigating the static and dynamic behavior of the air bubble on the O|W interface during TPB reaction of ferrocene. The force balance of the air bubble at the O|W interface will be formulated in terms of the interfacial tensions and the buoyancy. It will be demonstrated that the electrode reaction varies the surface tension at the O|W interface to cause surface convection. References 1. Girault, H.H. Modern Aspects of Electrochemistry, Eds. J.O. Bockris et al, Plenum Press, New York, Vol. 25, (1993) pp.1-62. 2. M. Lovric, F. Scholtz, J. Solid State Electrochem., 1997, 1, 108. F. Scholz, S. Komorsky-Lovric, M. Lovric, Electrochem. Commun., 2000, 2, 112. 3. P.Tasakorn, J.Chen, K.Aoki, J. Electroanal. Chem., 2002, 533, 119. 4. J.Chen, M.Sato, J. Electroanal. Chem., 2004, 572, 153. 5. M.Satoh, K.Aoki, J.Chen, Langmuir, 2008, 24(8), 4364. air bubble


Public participation is an important principle in environment protection,and is an indispensable segment in environmental assessment at home and abroad.Based on the analysis of the theoretical background of public participation in environmental assessment system,the existed law and practice in China,the paper discussed which person or organizations can belong to the "public" of the public involvement in environmental assessment.


The primary purpose of Leg 137 is to clean out Hole 504B, the deepest hole ever drilled into oceanic crust, in preparation for subsequent deepening through the dike/gabbro and/or Layer 2/3 transition(s). Located in 5.9-m.y.-old crust, Hole 504B is perhaps the most important reference hole for the structure and composition of "normal" oceanic crust, and at present represents the best opportunity for sampling the transition between the sheeted dikes and underlying gabbros in the context of a complete crustal section. The leg is scheduled for 21 March to 1 May 1991. The 22 days on site will be devoted to downhole measurements, clean-out operations, coring tests, and possible contingencies. Downhole measurements, including temperature logging and borehole-fluid sampling, will be made before clean-out operations begin. Clean-out operations involve removing pieces of core bit and other drilling debris from the bottom of the hole, inspecting and perhaps repairing the casing, and attempting to identify drilling parameters that will improve core recovery and penetration rates for subsequent coring efforts. Then, more downhole measurements may be made or, if the hole is ready, the remainder of the leg will be devoted to deepening Hole 504B by drilling and coring. INTRODUCTION The primary purpose of Leg 137 is to salvage Hole 504B — the deepest hole ever drilled into oceanic crust ~ in preparation for deepening through the dike/gabbro and/or Layer 2/3 transition(s) during a subsequent leg. Located in 5.9-m.y.-old crust formed at the Costa Rica Rift (Fig. 1), Hole 504B presently extends over twice as deep into oceanic crust as any other hole, and is the only DSDP/ODP hole that unequivocally penetrates through the extrusive lavas into the sheeted dikes of upper oceanic crust formed at a mid-ocean ridge (Fig. 2). It therefore is perhaps our most important reference hole for the structure and composition of "normal" oceanic crust, and at present represents our best opportunity for sampling the transition between the sheeted dikes and underlying gabbros in the context of a complete crustal section. Attaining this goal will be the objective of Leg 140, pending the success of Leg 137. The Leg 111 vertical seismic profile experiment indicated that Layer 3 may be in reach of the next full drilling leg to Hole 504B, so Leg 140 may be poised for a unique accomplishment if Leg 137 is successful. A wealth of scientific results from Hole 504B has been published elsewhere (see Bibliography) and will not be summarized here, as Leg 137 will mainly involve downhole remedial operations. The leg is scheduled for 41 days, 21 March to 1 May 1991, beginning with a long transit from Honolulu estimated at about 17 days. About 22 days on site will be devoted to downhole measurements, clean-out operations, coring tests, and possible contingencies. The logical sequence and philosophy of these operations will be strongly influenced by past events and experiences in Hole 504B, so this prospectus begins with a brief summary of the drilling and operational problems faced in the hole. Leg 137 Scientific Prospectus page 4 DRILLING AND OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES IN HOLE 504B Future drilling in Hole 504B poses major technological challenges that ODP must meet if the scientific successes already achieved at the site are to be continued. Except for the deepest 0.2 m, the basement section was cored with the standard DSDP/ODP rotary core bits (RCBs), but serious drilling problems were encountered deep in the hole during Legs 83 and 111 (Fig. 3). These problems included hardware losses as well as poor drilling performance even after junk had been cleaned from the hole. Also, fishing operations at the end of Leg 111 hinted at the possibility of problems with the 276 m of casing through the sediments. These three aspects of the drilling and engineering problems require distinctly focused efforts, and attacking these problems will dominate the operational plan and decision-making during Leg 137.


Geodesics have a fundamental role in the geometry of curved surfaces, as well as in discrete geometry. We present the time scale analogy of the dynamic data sets parameterized by a tensor product of two times scales. The goal of our study is the find the shortest and straightest path between two points on a point cloud like data sets which also involves continuous data.


contracted outside of a hospital or nursing home environment—affects approximately 4 million Americans each year, accounting for more than 1 million hospital discharges. The cost of treating CAP patients is significant—$10 billion per year—with about 92 percent of this amount spent on hospital care. Among the hospitalized patients are a sizable number of low-risk patients who could be treated safely on an outpatient basis, but these patients must be accurately identified before such treatment is recommended. When low-risk patients are treated at home with the appropriate antibiotic, quality of care can be maintained, patients are more likely to be satisfied, and resources are conserved. When patients requiring hospitalization can have their medical stability more accurately determined, then discharge from the hospital can occur at the appropriate time.


The aim of this paper is to investigate the long term configuration attained by a tidal channel, namely its longitudinal bed profile and shape. Channel evolution is simulated through a one-dimensional numerical model, where the role of intertidal areas is neglected. The channel has a rectangular cross section and it is closed at one end. The major novelty of the work is that the width of the channel is allowed to change in time: in the present model lateral erosion is computed as a function of bed shear stress, provided it exceeds a threshold value within the cross section. The system, forced by a prescribed free surface oscillation at the seaward boundary, reaches an equilibrium profile of both bottom elevation and channel bank. The equilibrium geometry of the channel is determined for different initial and boundary conditions. Furthermore, the spatial variations of the cross section at equilibrium are analyzed in order to identify those conditions under which the commonly used exponential law of channel width variation is reproduced. Finally, a comparison is pursued between model predictions and bathymetries of real estuaries.


You can be sure that the next time there is a highly publicized mass murder in the United States, there will be calls to fix America's "broken" mental health system. How should a mental health advo...


Section A: Introduction: Key Topics in World Englishes 1. Colonialism and Postcolonialism 2. Pidgin and Creole Languages 3. English Today 4. Variation Across Nativised Englishes 5. Variation Across Mother Tongue Englishes 6. The Spread of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) 7. The Role of English in Asia and Europe 8. The Future of World Englishes Section B: Development: Implications and Issues 1. Colonialism and Postcolonialism 2. Pidgin and Creole Languages 3. English Today 4. Variation Across Nativised Englishes 5. Variation Across Mother Tongue Englishes 6. The Spread of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) 7. The Role of English in Asia and Europe 8. The Future of World Englishes Section C: Exploration: Current Debates in World Englishes 1. Colonialism and Postcolonialism 2. Pidgin and Creole Languages 3. English Today 4.Variation Across Nativised Englishes 5.Variation Across Mother Tongue Englishes 6. The Spread of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) 7. The Role of English in Asia and Europe 8. The Future of World Englishes Section D: Extension: Readings in World Englishes 1. Colonialism and Postcolonialism 2. Pidgin and Creole Languages 3. English Today 4. Variation Across Nativised Englishes 5. Variation Across Mother Tongue Englishes 6. The Spread of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) 7. The Role of English in Asia and Europe 8. The Future of World Englishes


OBJECTIVE To prepare folate-targeted biodegradable polymersomes loaded with paclitaxel,evaluate its physical and chemical properties,in vitro cell cytotoxicity as well as in vivo antitumor activity.METHODS Folate-targeted biodegradable paclitaxel-loaded polymersomes composed of PCL-b-PEG-b-PCL,mPEG2000-DSPE and DSPE-PEG(2000)Folate were prepared by thin-film hydration and ultrasonic method,and characterized in terms of morphology,particle size and size distribution,drug loading content,encapsulation efficiency and in vitro release.The cell cytotoxicity of folate-targeted biodegradable paclitaxel-loaded polymersomes in lung carcinoma H1299 cells was observed with CCK-8 assay.The in vivo antitumor activity was evaluated in BALB/c mice bearing the EMT-6 breast tumor models.RESULTS Folate-targeted biodegradable paclitaxel-loaded polymersomes showed spherical core-shell morphology with narrow size distribution.With the increase of drug amount,the sizes of folate-targeted biodegradable paclitaxel-loaded polymersomes increased,while the drug encapsulating efficiency decreased.The folate-targeted biodegradable paclitaxel-loaded polymersomes with 30% drug-loading content were found as spherical shape with the average particle diameter of 311 nm,polydispersity coefficient of 0.171 and Zeta potential of-30.3 mV.The folate-targeted biodegradable paclitaxel-loaded polymersomes showed a continuous and steady release of PTX without initial burst release.At the paclitaxel concentration of 25 μg·mL-1,the folate-targeted biodegradable paclitaxel-loaded polymersomes displayed much less cell cytotoxicity than paclitaxel injections with Cremophor EL.The in vivo tumor inhibiting activity of folate-targeted biodegradable paclitaxel-loaded polymersomes was similar to that of paclitaxel injections with Cremophor EL in the same paclitaxel concentration.CONCLUSION The folate-targeted biodegradable paclitaxel-loaded polymersomes had high drug-loading content and drug encapsulating efficiency,more uniform size and size distribution,excellent drug sustainable-release behavior,less cytotoxicity,good antitumor activity similar to paclitaxel injections with Cremophor EL.Therefore,folate-targeted biodegradable paclitaxel-loaded polymersomes would be a novel paclitaxel preparation in clinic for the treatment of tumor.


A EDUSAHEAD, Elymus caput-medusae L., an exotic winter annual lVl grass, was introduced into northeastern Washington and probably adjacent Idaho over 50 years ago (6). Official records show its presence in southwestern Idaho 15 years ago, but ranchers in this area assert that it was present 25 to 30 years ago. Prior to 1950 it was known to infest a few thousand acres in southwestern Idaho and its distribution from 1945 to 1950 appeared rather static. Since 1950, medusahead has become alarmingly aggressive. Estimates of the infested area in southwestern Idaho have increased from 20,000 acres in 19524 to 700,000 acres in 1958.5 In a decade its position has changed from a minor problem to one of major concern to the range livestock industry. This problem is three-fold: first, it suppresses desirable vegetation due to its competitive ability; second, it is unpalatable to livestock at all stages of growth; and third, the dead vegetation decomposes slowly, thereby forming a persisting dense duff layer on the soil surface. In addition, as the plant matures it develops long barbed awns which cause mechanical injury to the eyes, noses, and mouths of grazing animals. Medusahead is invading vast acreages formerly dominated by perennial grass species and more recently by downy bromegrass, Brornus tectorum L. The latter, although not a desirable range grass, provides considerable early spring forage. The growth habits, life cycles, and ecological adaptation of these two species appear to be similar. They typically grow in association until medusahead becames dominant and eventually exclusive. No previous research has been reported on the composition of medusahead. Palatability differences of the two species stimulated studies on their comparative chemical composition and on methods to improve livestock utilization of medusahead. Such studies might reveal factors which could influence palatability and nutritive value. Data on the chemical composition of downy brome and many other grass species were previously available (4).


Proríounçements emphasizing the.impórtance of the teacher in any reading program are shown time and time againA the literature. Exactly what teacher characteristics makg a difference and what relationships indeed exist between teacher performance and student reading achievement hds been a continuing puzzlement-to educational researchers. Research areas and expert opinion which deal with teacher attributes and teacher performance and the effect of these on students' performance has been reviewed. The existence of teacher behaviors aimed at individuializin9 instruction lent support to a study conducted by the author hypo'thesizin'g a positive relationship between teacher effort and student achivemqnt in reading. ,Significant differences in stúdent achievement in reading in relation to teacher effort in selected areas in the teaching of reading


We study the effect of preheating the air entering a gas turbine compressor using a standard closed air heating circuit system with heat supply from the heat network of the Urengoy city district power plant on the efficiency of a PGU-450 unit and this power plant as a whole. An analysis was conducted to compare the data obtained as a result of assessing the existing plant characteristics of GTE-160 gas turbines (SGT5-2000E), the adopted operating modes of air heating systems (closed air heating circuit and anti-icing system) and the effect of the operation of these systems on the specific fuel consumption of a PGU-450 unit and the Urengoy city district power plant according to the daily calculated technical and economic parameters of the power unit operation. As a result of full-scale tests carried out with the air heating system at the nominal load of a PGU-450 power unit, the optimal temperature was established to be +6.4°C. During the air heating from -5.0°C to +6.4°C, the specific consumption of the conventional fuel per 1 kWh of electricity decreased by 1.4 g. The reduced specific consumption of the conventional fuel for the supply of electric energy at an increase in the extraction ratio comprised 2.43 and 2.35 g for the equipment of the backup thermal power station and the power plant as a whole, respectively. Thus, the use of a closed air heating circuit with the unutilized network water heating leads to a positive thermal efficiency effect. The preheating of the air entering the gas turbine compressor leads to an increase in its efficiency by 0.3%. A further increase in excess of the optimum temperature leads to a decrease in the available capacity of the combined cycle plant by 3.1 MW per each degree.


This paper describes a visualization tool VIGvisual that helps students learn and instructors teach the Vigenère cipher. The software allows the user to visualize both encryption and decryption through a variety of cipher tools. The demo mode is useful and efficient for classroom presentation. The practice mode allows the user to practice encryption and decryption. VIGvisual is quite versatile, providing support for both beginners learning how to encrypt and decrypt, and also for the more advanced users wishing to practice cryptanalysis in the attack mode. Classroom evaluation of the tool was positive.


Abstract Structural equation models linking cognitive and affective factors, approach to learning, and perceptions of the actual and preferred mathematics classroom environments were tested in a longitudinal study involving 356 secondary school students in Hong Kong. Models of acceptable fit that clarified the effects of classroom environment on how students learn and the outcomes they achieve were obtained. Numerous significant paths from prior learning experience to environmental variables were identified; the most salient path from classroom environment to learning outcomes was that between an enjoyable classroom environment and cognitive achievement. An enjoyable classroom environment mediated the causal relationship between a deep approach and high-level achievement. However, classroom environment did not seem to influence changes in approach to learning.


Objective:To study the effects of the traditional Chinese medicine Dahuang combined with Cefoperazone in the treatment of ANP model rats.Methods:The determination of AMY content in the serum,LPS or IL-6 level was made to compare the treatment groups with the traditional Chinese medcine combined with antibiotics with the control.Results: The levels of AMY-S,LPS or IL-6 in C,D and E groups were significantly decreased compared with the control (P0.05,or P0.01).Conclusion:The treatment can reduce the levels of AMY,LPS and IL-6 in the serum of model rat with ANP.


Objective To evaluate the estrogenic activity of several kinds of Chinese herbal medicines.Methods E-Screen and Yeast Estrogen Screen technology were used to study the estrogenic activity of nine Chinese herbal medicines.Results The two methods detected estradiol at very low concentration as 1×10-13mol/L.It was found that Angelica acutiloba Kitagawa var.sugiyamae Hikono.,Alisma orientale Juzepczuk.,Cnidium officinale Makino.,Paeonia suffruticosa Andr.,Cinnamomum cassia Blume.had estrogenic effects,while Poria cocos wolf.and Prnus persica Batsch.lacked estrogenic effects at this assay.Conclusion The E-SCREEN test is sensitive,rapid and easy to perform.It's suitable for large-scale screening for estrogenicity of environmental chemicals.


LSP(n), the largest small polygon with n vertices, is defined as the polygon of unit diameter that has maximal area A(n). Finding the configuration LSP(n) and the corresponding A(n) for even values n  6 is a long-standing challenge that leads to an interesting class of nonlinear optimization problems. We present numerical solution estimates for all even values 6  n  80, using the AMPL model development environment with the LGO nonlinear solver engine option. Our results compare favorably to the results obtained by other researchers who solved the problem using exact approaches (for 6  n  16), or general purpose numerical optimization software (for selected values from the range 6  n  100) using various local nonlinear solvers. Based on the results obtained, we also provide a regression model based estimate of the optimal area sequence {A(n)} for n  6.


Context: Despite the seriousness of domestic violence and its consequences, it is largely underestimated, and many female victims cannot receive appropriate assistance. Despite the psychological consequences of domestic violence, women who are victims of such violence are not primarily intended for the psychiatrist. Objective: To study the profile of women who have been victims of domestic violence and to assess their psychopathological impact. Methods: Cross-sectional study carried out for 76 women victims of domestic violence recruited in the ANNAJDA help center in Rabat during a period from March 2017 to May 2017. The instruments used were: a data collection sheet for socio-demographic, clinical and violence characteristics, the PCL-S scale was used to assess Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale was used to assess anxiety and depression and the DSM 5 criteria were used to assess addiction. Results: 76 female victims of domestic violence were included in the study. The average age of the mothers was 34.62 years. 47.3% have a low socioeconomic level. 63.2% of the victims were unemployed. All our victims have been subjected to psychological violence. 68.4% of our sample has a post-traumatic stress condition. 82.9% of victims show definite anxiety. 61.8% of women have a definite depressive disorder. 14.5% a dependence on a substance. There was a significant association between sexual violence and anxiety and drug use, between financial violence and drug use, between physical violence and depression.


Yellow perch Perca flavescens are an economically important fish species in North America, with considerable recreational and aquaculture interest [1, 2]. They have a stranding reproductive strategy with eggs encased in gelatinous ribbons deposited on vegetation [3]. After water hardening, the egg strand can measure over two meters [4].The closely related Eurasian perch P. fluviatilis also prefers to deposit egg strands on submerged vegetation compared to bare bottom [5], with eggs on vegetation experiencing higher survival than those deposited on the lake bottom [6]. Higher survival of eggs deposited on vegetation may be due to increased ventilation and reduced siltation [7] or decreased micro-organism-induced mortality[6].


There are in Lu Xun's works two types of specific spatial patterns: the interior room space and the exterior room space,which not only embody the social relations but also convey symbolic meanings.In fact,Lu Xun has intended to tell an enlightenment story from a closed space to an open space and from the "pre-modern" age to the "modern"age by means of these two types of space.


Evaluating the patient with adrenal disease is challenging due to the lack of precise clinical and biochemical parameters for disease control. Quality of life (QOL) evaluation aims to measure the patient's subjective experience.