Spacecraft mission operations, particularly during the launch and early orbit (L&EO) phase of the mission, are extremely dynamic and require rigorous planning, execution, control and adaptability. Prior to a launch, the mission team develops a timeline of key activities necessary to prepare, launch and commission the spacecraft and instruments to operational status. Management of this mission timeline is critical to ensure successful execution of onorbit activities and on-orbit verification and validation of the mission functional and science requirements. While defining the ground data system architecture for the Fermi GammaRay Space Telescope (FGST) mission, the mission planners, system engineers and flight operations team performed an assessment of available timeline management methodologies. The assessment clearly identified a pressing need for a means to more comprehensively, logically and efficiently manage operational activities during the dynamic and critical environment of L&EO. The FGST mission operations and engineering teams jointly defined and developed a custom solution that merged diverse elements of the mission planning process into an easily accessible, multi-functional platform for real-time use by a widely dispersed operations team. The resulting Timeline Management Tool (TMT) is an integrated toolset that allows authorized mission users, whether local or remote, the ability to dynamically view and manipulate timeline information, ingest and display spacecraft event information, submit and control changes to timeline activities, and track status of the approval and execution of the command activities. The tool also has the unique capability to manage spacecraft mission timelines from creation through generation of ready-to-execute spacecraft command sequences, thereby minimizing risks inherent in real-time commanding through a telemetry and command system. In this paper, the authors address the significance of operational and practical considerations during the development of the TMT, the integration of the tool into the mission planning process, the significant contribution of the TMT to the success of the FGST mission during pre-launch and post-launch activities, and finally the potential and comprehensive benefits of the application of the TMT and integrated FGST mission planning methodology to future mission architectures. Spacecraft mission operations, particularly during the L&EO phase of a mission, are by nature extremely dynamic and must be rigorously planned and executed. Thorough planning and preparation of operations activities are necessary to minimize the inherent risk associated with this mission phase. Operators require extensive preparation and training to not only activate and commission a nominally functioning spacecraft, but also to respond to a vast number of contingency scenarios with little to no margin for delay or error. Omitron and Goldbelt Orca partnered on the design, implementation and operation of the FGST Mission Operations Center (MOC) and were additionally responsible for staffing the Flight Operations Team (FOT) and conducting spacecraft operations. During the requirements definition phase for the FGST MOC, Omitron observed 1 Systems Engineer, Omitron, Inc., 7051 Muirkirk Meadows Lane, Suite A. Beltsville, MD 20705 2 Systems Engineer, Omitron, Inc., 7051 Muirkirk Meadows Lane, Suite A. Beltsville, MD 20705 3 Systems Engineer, Goldbelt Orca, 7051 Muirkirk Meadows Lane, Suite A-1. Beltsville, MD 20705. SpaceOps 2010 Conference Delivering on the Dream Hosted by NASA Mars 25 30 April 2010, Huntsville, Alabama AIAA 2010-2141 Copyright © 2010 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. All rights reserved. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics 2 that FGST had no defined requirements on the management of the L&EO timeline. Omitron recognized the critical importance of managing the spacecraft activation and checkout activities within the dynamic nature and challenges of the L&EO environment. When designing the FGST MOC architecture, Omitron identified the need for an integrated mission planning tool that would allow for the submission, review, approval, and change management of mission timelines. Operational and Practical Considerations in Development of the Timeline Management Tool During assessment and evaluation of previously existing timeline management methods, Omitron identified a need to more comprehensively, logically and efficiently manage operations activities during the L&EO phase. Tools traditionally used within mission operations environments at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) ranged from standard Microsoft Excel or Project spreadsheets to customized applications used for event and timeline management. Tools such as Microsoft Excel or Project provide the capability to display and organize events, however tend to lack the ability to keep pace with frequently changing mission event files such as contact schedules and orbital events predictions, offer simple yet comprehensive mechanisms for change requests and authorizations, and integrate with telemetry and command systems. Other custom event scheduling tools reviewed by Omitron proved to be quite onerous to use and set up and raised concerns about product stability during demonstration. The evaluated tools failed to satisfy the FGST mission planning needs and had severe limitations related to remote accessibility and real-time availability. This presented a significant impediment to successful mission planning given the fact that the FGST mission architecture, like that of most joint venture missions, necessitated considerable interaction between primary control centers and remote operating centers for upcoming activity planning and timeline change authorization. In light of the above limitations, Omitron recognized the value of designing an integrated mission planning tool that would centralize the diverse elements of the mission planning process while providing an easily accessible tool for real-time use by a widely dispersed operations team. Omitron proposed to the FGST project the development of a new tool which would meet all of the needs identified during the review process. Once approved to develop the tool, an Omitron and Goldbelt Orca partnership identified the tool's functional requirements necessary to optimize L&EO operations. With these requirements in hand, the team followed industry standard software development practices to design, develop, test, deploy, and document a comprehensive timeline management tool. While the principal function of the tool is to manage the planning and execution of real-time spacecraft operations activities, many other factors were considered with the goal of creating a truly comprehensive and multiapplication tool. Some of the primary considerations in development of the timeline tool were: integration of a thorough yet non-cumbersome configuration management (CM) capability, compatibility with other FGST mission planning tools and commanding platforms, accommodation of widely dispersed users, and last, but not least, ease of use and value as both a mission planning and real-time operations tool. Figure 1 summarizes many of the considerations which drove the tool requirements set and subsequent design.


* corresponding author. e-mail: email@example.com This work is devoted to a quantum-chemical study of electron transfer (ET) processes in seve ral DMABI (N,N-dimethylamino benzylidene indan-1,3-dione) dimers according to X-ray data of α-modification crystal. ET is evaluated by the Marcus theory and the Fermi golden rule in the framework of one-particle electronic state of a pending molecule. Visualization of the energetic parameters and topology of intermolecular ET allows creating the reaction model from its first principles.


One of the goals of the GridWise Interoperability Framework [1] that is clearly identified in the interoperability framework is the ability to "bridge between communities with independently evolved understandings". There is a clear need for building a semantic bridge between the two most widely implemented standard data models in the electric utility industry, MultiSpeak and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Common Information Model (CIM). Creating such a bridge will eventually permit interoperation among MultiSpeakand CIM-compliant applications. Such interoperation will make it easier for electric utilities to build integrated automation systems that make use of the best of both standards. A recently announced collaboration between MultiSpeak and IEC Technical Committee 57, Working Group 14 (WG14) is designed to build the necessary bridge between the two standards. The first step in the collaboration is to create a mapping between the data and messaging models so that a two-way electronic conversion can be created between CIM messages with appropriate CIM payloads and MultiSpeak web service method calls with corresponding MultiSpeak data payloads. A set of IEC standards will be issued to document the mapping. The second step in the collaboration is to create a set of CIM profiles that will implement the capabilities inherent in MultiSpeak. The authors will discuss the planned technical approach to achieve the goal of interoperation and illustrate the approach with examples. 1. BACKGROUND Utilities continue to seek standards-based integration to limit the cost and risk of implementing proprietary automation solutions. The two most commonly applied integration standards in the electric utility industry are the MultiSpeak ® specification [2], which has been developed and is maintained by the MultiSpeak Initiative, and the Common Information Model (CIM) [3] [4] [5], which has been developed and is maintained by Technical Committee 57 (TC57) of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). An initial approach to interoperation of systems implementing the two standards was presented in [6]. Up until now, MultiSpeak has focused on integration of applications used in the distribution portion of electric utilities. MultiSpeak interfaces have been available and implemented since 2001. MultiSpeak integration is known to be in operation at over 250 utilities. Adoption of MultiSpeak has been primarily, but not exclusively, in distribution utilities in the United States. Version 4.0 of the specification, which is expected to be issued in early 2009, will add support for transmission system modeling, work management and internationalization of the data model. The MultiSpeak Initiative has supported a robust, independent compliance and interoperability testing program on all defined interfaces since 2001. The standards family maintained by TC57 covers all aspects of a vertically integrated electric utility. CIM integration is known to have been implemented at dozens of utilities worldwide. TC57 supports interoperability testing on two data exchange profiles: the common power system model (CPSM) [7] for the exchange of transmission system models and the common distribution power system model (CDPSM) for the exchange of distribution power system models. In addition to supporting basic inter-application integration, the CIM is increasingly being used by utilities McNaughton, Robinson, and Gray Grid-Interop Forum 2008 Paper_Id-2 as a cornerstone for their Enterprise Information Management programs. [9] Working Group 13 (WG13) of TC57 maintains the core CIM standard as IEC61970 [3] and focuses on transmission system issues. Working Group 14 (WG14) of TC57 maintains a set of standards, named IEC61968 that extends the CIM core to address distribution issues. The majority of the overlap between MultiSpeak and the CIM standards occurs in those extensions maintained by WG14. At present, both CIM and MultiSpeak provide useful guidance to utilities wishing to implement integrated automation systems, however neither standard is both comprehensive and sufficiently mature to serve all of the needs of the industry. Some utilities may choose to implement integration solely using MultiSpeak where it provides sufficient coverage; typically these have been smaller utilities. Such utilities typically find the MultiSpeak data model and service definitions adequate to support their business processes without the need for significant extensions. For others, a CIM-only approach may be more appropriate. Utilities taking this approach currently must extend the CIM standards to offer a sufficiently detailed data model and also must establish most of their own service definitions. Typically larger utilities are willing to develop this level of extensive customization to meet their business requirements and have the resources available to do so. Some utilities, typically in the middle size range, will integrate some MultiSpeak-compatible and some CIMcompatible applications and are looking to do so with more limited resources than those currently required for a full CIM implementation. Medium-to-large sized utilities already have begun to inquire if it is possible to leverage the detailed work done by MultiSpeak, but within the context of the international standards offered by CIM. WG14 and MultiSpeak have begun an effort to harmonize their standards to meet this market need. Initially, this has consisted of a joint agreement to review the work of the other group when entering into a new area of development. To build on this foundation, the two groups have recently agreed to develop standards leading to a mapping that will permit utilities to gain the capabilities of MultiSpeak but using the CIM data model. The proposed standards will be discussed in Section 2 of this paper; one effort at standards harmonization will be discussed in Section 3. Several utilities have been unable to wait for the standards bodies to harmonize their specifications and have begun integration efforts that borrow from the MultiSpeak data model and service definitions to extend CIM. One such utility integration effort is described in Section 4. 2. PROPOSED STANDARDS TO DOCUMENT MULTIISPEAK PROFILES USING CIM In June of 2008 MultiSpeak and WG14 announced an initiative to establish two sets of standards that will lead towards harmonization of their respective specifications. The first set of these joint harmonization standards, when completed, will provide a mapping between the upcoming MultiSpeak Version 4.0 and the upcoming combined release of IEC61970 Version 13 (core CIM) and IEC61968 Version 10 (distribution extensions to CIM). This set of joint harmonization standards will provide guidance to utilities on how MultiSpeak-formatted services and data payloads could be implemented using CIM messages and CIMformatted data payloads. A side benefit of this mapping effort is that it will permit each standards body to see where the other has implemented functionality and to consider changes in future versions to bring the two standards closer together. The proposed standards to provide a mapping between MultiSpeak and WG14 CIM are summarized in Table 1. The second set of joint harmonization standards will extend the mapping work outlined in Table 1 by defining a set of detailed guidelines, called profiles, to implement MultiSpeak Version 4.0 capabilities using CIM objects and CIM messaging rules. The proposed profile standards are summarized in Table 2.


Text classification is a fundamental task in natural language processing, and machine learning and deep learning have seen more research and great progress in this task. In this paper, we introduce the current state of research and analyse the application of deep learning networks to text classification, based on the concept of text classification, feature extraction, text representation and other related techniques and text classification methods.


In order to promote rational use of antibiotic in clinical practice,the causes of emergence of bacterial resistance,and the relation between bacterial resistance and selection of antibiotics were systemically reviewed in this paper.


This paper analyses the dependence of the cross–border M&A deals on economic growth of Russia using correlation regression analysis. Data for the value and quantity of M&A deals on the Russian market and macroeconomic indicators of growth was used as empirical base. The data period is from 2010 till 2019. The main hypothesis of proportion of economic growth from the quantity of cross–border M&A deals has confirmed, although it may be concluded that the value of cross–border M&A deals doesn't influence on the economic growth of Russia.


The development of lithium/sulfur batteries (LSBs) was hindered due to the shuttling of lithium polysulfides in electrolytes and sluggish electrochemical kinetics of polysulfides. To address these stumbling blocks, we designed gadolinium oxide (Gd2O3) nanorods decoration of ketjen black@sulfur (Gd2O3/KB@S) composite that adsorbs and provides sufficient sites with lithium polysulfides interaction. The Gd2O3 nanorods play a key role in the adsorption and catalysis performance of polysulfides, which further accelerate the redox kinetics. Consequently, the Gd2O3/LB@S cathode with sulfur loading of 3.1 mg cm−2 attained a high initial discharge capacity of 817.2 mAh g−1 at 0.5 C with a decaying rate of 0.097% per cycle over 500 cycles. Even with high sulfur loading of 5 mg cm−2, the Gd2O3/KB@S cathode also presents a capacity of 5.1 mAh at 0.2 C with retention of 73% over 160 cycles. The strategy proposed here would advance the development of continuous rare earth oxides in the field of rechargeable batteries.


Using the first order Bethe's approximation, a theory of solution of chain molecules is developed. Though it is a well-known fact that the first order Bethe's approximation and the method of the quasi-chemical equilibrium coincide with each other for the case of lattice gas or solutions of short chain, this coincidence is found to be not always true for solutions of long chain molecules. The obtained results have the favorable characteristics which the experimental facts require.


According to the structure compositions, the T31DYZ series forging manipulators is carried on the comprehensive system analysis. The key parts, the system function and working principle of them are introduced. This type of manipulators possesses novel structure, good overall rigidity and high reliability.


Symplectic integration of autonomous Hamiltonian systems is a well-known field of study in geometric numerical integration, but for non-autonomous systems the situation is less clear, since symplectic structure requires an even number of dimensions. We show that one possible extension of symplectic methods in the autonomous setting to the non-autonomous setting is obtained by using canonical transformations. Many existing methods fit into this framework. We also perform experiments which indicate that for exponential integrators, the canonical and symmetric properties are important for good long time behaviour. In particular, the theoretical and numerical results support the well documented fact from the literature that exponential integrators for non-autonomous linear problems have superior accuracy compared to general ODE schemes.


Only four states used auction in Phase Ⅰ (2005-2007) of the European Union Emission Trading System, of which four used a uniform-price sealed auction format. Here we discuss whether the auction should adopt a uniform-price or discriminatory-price format using an agent-based carbon allowances auction model established for the purpose. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) when carbon allowances are relatively scarce, the government should use a discriminatory-price auction; when carbon allowances are relatively abundant, the government should use a uniform-price auction. (2) Uncertainty of the generating cost reduces the ability of an auction to know bidders' private values, which will reduce the government's revenue and reduce auction efficiency. (3) Compared with the discriminatory-price auction, the uniform-price auction can prevent large bidders from obtaining excessive profits. (4) The uniform-price auction is relatively insensitive to market structure. However, a monopoly market is more likely to develop under the discriminatory-price auction format. The results of the model have some policy implications for designing carbon market mechanisms in the future. Copyright © 2010 International Energy and Environment Foundation - All rights reserved.


There is increased interest in and use of cardiac computed tomographic and magnetic resonance imaging asthe technology continues to improve. We have many small single-center trials on the diagnostic accuracy ofthese techniques, but no studies that show a patient benefit from testing. The American College of Cardiologyhas recently tackled the "appropriateness challenge" for imaging tests, including computed tomographic andmagnetic resonance imaging. The importance of outcomes data and risks of continuing our investment in com-puted tomography without outcomes data on benefits for patient care are discussed in this paper. (J Am CollCardiol 2007;49:1827–9) © 2007 by the American College of Cardiology Foundation


The aim of this book is to provide detailed guidelines for market research, with adaptation to the special needs of healthcare. Filled with market data, sample survey forms, and environmental checklists, the book provides the professional with the necessary tools to effectively reach the "new" healthcare consumer. Topics include data sources for healthcare marketing research, survey sampling, estimating the use of healthcare services, researching the healthcare consumer, and healthcare marketing in the 21st century.


Every day, we are practicing self-medication (SM) with over-the-counter (OTC) drugs within the frame of self-care for our wellbeing. This study aimed to assess knowledge, attitude, and practices on OTC medication use among selected students at Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (CVMBS). A cross-sectional study was carried out at CVMBS, in Morogoro included veterinary students and non-veterinary students. A simple random sampling technique was used to select samples and the data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire with structured and open-ended questions. Data entry, cleaning, and analysis were done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The study revealed that the majority of the students 100 (64%) practice SM. Fever 69 (80.2%), emergency illness 46.0%, healthy facility charges 16.0%, distance to the health facility 12.0%, taking a long time of waiting for 11.0%, the proximity of the pharmacy shop 5.0%, no medicine in the health facilities 4.0%, 3.0% emergency illness and health facility charges, and emergency illness and takes a long time of waiting for 3.0%. The most commonly used OTC for SM in this study was painkillers (35%) and antibiotics (30%). The study revealed that community pharmacies were the major source of medicines for those who practiced SM with OTC drugs 67.0%, followed by medicines from relatives/friends 21.0%. The study also showed that there is optimal knowledge among CVMBS students, also study showed that most students have a negative attitude about SM where 38.0% strongly disagree and 37.0% disagree that SM can be practiced for all medicines. Malpractices were observed such as using remains from previous illnesses and using expired medications.


Silicon doped with phosphorus undergoes a metal - insulator transition (MIT) at a critical phosphorus concentration. We present here data for the thermal diffusivity D of an insulating sample of Si:P very near the MIT. We describe briefly our method for measuring the dependence on the magnetic field (H) of D at very low temperatures ( mK). We present also data for the magnetoresistivity and the thermal conductivity of the same sample, and the calculated specific heat . We compare with earlier direct measurements, and we try to explain the behaviour of D, , and taking into account the complex situation in Si:P. We show that the measurement of D at very low temperatures and under a magnetic field can be a fruitful way of extracting information about the physics of doped semiconductors.


Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer in men and ranks the second place in cancer-related deaths. Signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3), which is constitutively activated in a wide variety of human cancers, in-cluding prostate cancer. STAT3 contains a DNA binding, a transactivation, and a SH2 domain, and is activated by tyrosine 705 (Y705) phosphorylation which re-sults in homodimerization through SH2-phosphotyrosyl interaction and transloca-tion into the nucleus, where it binds to promoter transactivating downstream genes. In addition to Y705 phosphorylation, phosphorylation of another conserved STAT3 residue, Serine 727 (S727), has also been documented to activate STAT3 signaling. In LNCaP cells, a prostate cancer cell line, which expresses AR and is androgen-dependent, Interleukin-6 (IL-6), a cytokine, can activate the androgen receptor and promotes proliferation. Previous studies have shown the cross talk between STAT3 and AR showing that IL-6 activates the androgen receptor in a STAT3 dependent manner. Here, we find that IL-6 stimulates S727 phosphoryla-tion of STAT3, and further more upregulates AR expression, especially Serine 81 (S81) phosphorylate. On the other hand, our lab previous data shown that Cdk5 enables phosphorylation of AR at S81 site through direct biochemical interaction and, therefore, results in the stabilization of AR proteins. The positive regulations of Cdk5-AR on cell growth are also determined in vitro and in vivo. Cdk5 also can positively regulates S727 phosphorylation and promotes prostate cancer cell pro-liferation. In the present study, we found S727 of STAT3 activation plays a critical role for S81-AR phosphorylation, to promote AR stabilize its protein level, and causes accumulation of AR protein into nuclear localization and subsequent tran-scription activation. We also found that mutant S727-STAT3 (S727A) increased the association of AR and Mdm2, which is turn induced AR degradation through proteasome-mediated pathway, resulting in AR protein expression decrease. Moreover, IL-6 induced Tyrosine 15 (Y15) phosphorylation of Cdk5, and which was inhibited by AG490. We also found that mutant Y15-Cdk5 (Y15F) reduced both of S727-STAT3 and S81-AR phosphorylation, resulting decrease STAT3-AR interaction. These finding demonstrate that IL-6 induces S727-STAT3 and further to activate AR protein through S81 phosphorylation site, as well as, Cdk5 also in-volved in the IL-6 stimulated pathway.


Da Silva, Bruna Moreira. & Veiga, Antônio Cláudio Paschoarelli. Pupilometry in the diagnosis of Alzheimer Disease. Uberlândia, 2017. 100p. Masters Dissertation – Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Federal University of Uberlândia. Alzheimer's Disease (AD), in its clinical exercise, because it does not yet possess accurate diagnostic markers, is conditioned to the medical evaluation to determine a main generator of the hebratic disease. This study aims to investigate the behavior and response parameter of the pupil in a group of patients with Alzheimer's disease and to correlate with another group without the clinical picture of the disease. The proposed method of research is the Dynamic Pupilometry embedded in a portable prototype, which consists of a non-invasive analysis to dynamically measure the size and other parameters of the pupil during a pupillary cycle using a PLR luminous stimulus. A biomarkers analysis is promising in this scenario, since the diagnosis of the disease, much less important, when it comes to a condition that already knows a patient's cognitive impairment, a stage that is considered no more initial. A pupilometry software analysis program was developed and embedded in the open source computing language in a very low cost portable device (minicomputer).


Poisonous bites are serious problems in tropical countries like India. Both the tribal and non-tribal people prefer herbal treatment for poisonous bites. In this manner, an ethnomedicinal investigation was carried out to explore the plants used to treat poisonous bites in Thiruppuvanam region of Sivagangai district. By this research work, a total of 16 medicinal remedies prepared from 16 species of angiosperms belonging to 15 genera comes under 13 families are in medicinal utility for the treatment of poisonous bites. It was documented that, 9 plants were used for the treatment of snake bite, 3 plants for the treatment of scorpion sting, 2 for all type of bites, 1 for dog bite, insect bite and rat bite. Among the 16 species recorded, dicots were represented with 11 species belonging to 10 genera of 9 families and monocots were 5 species of 5 genera belonging to 4 families. Aristolochiaceae, Lamiaceae and Liliaceae were found as dominant families with 2 species each (12.5%) and 10 families were noted with single species (each of 6.25%). Regarding the habits of medicinal plants, 8 species cited were herbs. It was also observed that leaves were mostly used plant part (43.75%) to treat poisonous bites. The medicinal preparation was mostly used in the form of extract (62.5%) and the administration of the medicine prepared was mainly taken as drink (64.70%). Musa paradisiaca (UV of 0.85 with 17 use-reports) was the most frequently and popularly used medicinal plant species in the study area. It is necessary to perform phytochemical or pharmacological studies on these traditionally used plants used for medicinal purposes to ascertain their therapeutic efficiencies.
Keywords: Ethnobotanical indices, Medicinal plants, Poisonous bites, Thiruppuvanam region, Sivagangai district, Tamil Nadu.


Laser‐induced chemical vapor deposition (LCVD) of GaAs allows deposited film to trace the path of the laser beam, thus making it attractive for several applications. However the localized thermal expansion resulting from the laser‐induced temperature rise has to be elastically accomodated in order to prevent lattice defects in the LCVD film. We report on the growth conditions that can be allowed without the occurrence of plastic deformation in the epitaxial films. A model is presented to explain the thermal expansion induced distortion during the deposition process and is compared with experimental results.


In our research, a critical view of mediation is offered as an extrajudicial method for the complaint of damage and damage derived from antitrust practices. It is relatively recent the possibility Recepción: 27/03/2021 Aceptación: 05/05/2021 Cómo citar este trabajo: FONTESTAD PORTALÉS, Leticia, "La reclamación extrajudicial de daños por conductas contrarias a la libre competencia: ventajas e inconvenientes de la mediación", Revista de Estudios Jurídicos y Criminológicos, n.o 3, Universidad de Cádiz, 2021, pp. 141-170, DOI: http://doi.org/10.25267/REJUCRIM.2021.i3.6 * Consejera Académica GUERRERO ABOGADO. La reclamación extrajudicial de daños por conductas contrarias a la libre competencia: ventajas e inconvenient... 142 that those affected may complain, whereas the doctrine calls the private application of the competence, the damage and damage derived from an antitrust practice. However, even the doctrine congratulates itself for recognizing the civil action of the judgments against the antitrust practice, in the light of the problems that will make the effectiveness of the administrative resolutions in the subsequent exercise of the civil action. On the other hand, while we are at one moment in which the legislator plans to adopt a series of measures to encourage mediation as a suitable method for resolving conflicts, we reflect about the benefits and possible inconveniences of this procedural method in the context antitrust law. Palabras clave: Mediación, Derecho de la competencia, aplicación privada del derecho de la competencia, acciones de tipo consecutivo o de seguimiento, acciones individuales o previas, reclamaciones por daños causados por los carteles.


Introduction 1. 121 Brussels I as an Integration Instrument 2. 123 Brussels I as a Trailblazer for the Europeanization of Private International Law 3. 125 Brussels I as a Trailblazer for the Constitutionalization of EU Private International Law 4. 130 Brussels I, Private International Law and Fundamental Rights Protection 4.1. 130 Brussels I, Private International Law and the Principles of Mutual Trust and Mutual Recognition 4.2. 134 The Challenge ahead – a Future Brussels Iter Regulation as the Necessary Next Step towards Further Europeanization and Constitutionalization 5. 140


Both hydrophilic Nylon-6 membranes and hydrophobic poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membranes, with a wide range of grafting yields of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM), were prepared using the plasma-graft pore-filling polymerization method. The effect of the physical and chemical properties of the substrates on the thermo-responsive gating characteristics of the PNIPAM-grafted membranes was investigated experimentally. For both the PVDF and Nylon-6 membranes, the grafted PNIPAM polymers were found not only on the membranes outer surface, but also on the inner surfaces of the pores throughout the entire thickness of the membrane. The thermo-responsive gating characteristics of the PNIPAM-grafted membranes were heavily affected by the physical and chemical properties of the porous membrane substrates. The PNIPAM-g-Nylon-6 membranes exhibited a much larger thermo-responsive gating coefficient than the PNIPAM-g-PVDF membranes. Furthermore, to achieve the largest thermo-responsive gating coefficient, the corresponding optimum grafting yield of PNIPAM for the PNIPAM-g-Nylon-6 membranes was also larger than that for the PNIPAM-g-PVDF membranes.


A 65‐year‐old Japanese woman with nocardial mycetoma which developed five years after a compound bone fracture of the left foot due to a traffic accident was reported. During this accident, two small pieces of gravel had entered her foot. Nocardia asteroides, which had been attached to the gravel, was probably inserted 5 years previously during the trauma. The lesion did not respond to oral minocycline and trimethoprim‐sulfamethoxazole and was finally removed surgically; she has been free from recurrences for one year, of follow‐up.


The local structural properties of Hg1−xCdxTe, Hg1−xZnxTe, and Cd1−xZnxTe are examined using a self‐consistent pseudopotential approach. An accurate description of the limiting crystals is obtained by adding empirical corrections to ab initio total energies calculated with the group‐II d states included in the cores. Similar calculations for x=0.5 ordered alloys confirm the presence of nearest‐neighbor bond‐length differences in these systems without violation of Vegard's law. An anomalously large ''relaxation'' is predicted here for Hg1−xCdxTe (∼2% bond‐length difference in the alloy compared to only 0.3% between limiting crystals) due to the dominance of chemical effects neglected from simple valence force models. The implications of the present results for alloy mixing energies and possible deviations from randomness are discussed.


A method (900) for producing an integrated circuit comprising: Providing a semiconductor substrate (102); Forming a gate dielectric (104) on the semiconductor substrate (102); Forming a gate (106) over the gate dielectric (104); Forming source / drain junctions (504/506) in the semiconductor substrate (102); Depositing a Silizidmetalls directly on the semiconductor substrate; from the deposited silicide metal forming a layer of ultra-uniform silicides (604/608) on the source / drain junctions (504/506), that is made of silicides with variations in thickness of not greater than 3% of the total thickness of the silicide layer (604/608); Depositing a dielectric layer (702) over the semiconductor substrate (102); and Forming contacts in the dielectric layer (702) to the ultra-uniform silicides (604/608/606).


This document is a thesis on the subject of single-agent on-line path planning in continuous,unpredictable and highly dynamic environments. The problem is finding and traversing a collision-free path for a holonomic robot, without kinodynamic restrictions, moving in an environment with several unpredictably moving obstacles or adversaries. The availability of perfect information of the environment at all times is assumed.
Several static and dynamic variants of the Rapidly Exploring Random Trees (RRT) algorithm are explored, as well as an evolutionary algorithm for planning in dynamic environments called the Evolutionary Planner/Navigator. A combination of both kinds of algorithms is proposed to overcome shortcomings in both, and then a combination of a RRT variant for initial planning and informed local search for navigation, plus a simple greedy heuristic for optimization. We show that this combination of simple techniques provides better responses to highly dynamic environments than the RRT extensions.


The linear static elastic-plastic behavior of sandwich cylindrical shell panels under a generally distributed loading with thick flexible core is studied. The core modeling is based on high-order theory of sandwich structures in which the in-plane stresses of the core are neglected. The faces are modeled based on Kirchhoff–Love shell theory. The materials of the faces and the core are assumed to be isotropic with linear work hardening behavior. The incremental Prandtl–Reuss plastic flow theory is used in this analysis. Using the principle of virtual displacements, the governing equations are derived and solved for any sort of boundary conditions based on elastic-plastic harmonic differential quadrature method. To validate the results of present study, various responses in different sandwich shell panel configurations are compared with the results from finite element software Ansys. The effect of core flexibility and its plastic properties as well as the initiation of yield in faces and the core are studied in detail.


A time-dependent single active layer reduced gravity thermodynamic upper ocean model is coupled to a thermodynamic dynamic sea-ice model and is used to investigate sea-ice cover in the Greenland-Norwegian Sea on the seasonal to interannual time scales. The model is driven by prescribed wind stress, air temperature and salinity and temperature distributions across the open zonal boundaries located at 60°N and 80°N. Two spin-up experiments which employ steady forcing fields, but differ in the magnitude of the shear stress between air and ice, demonstrate that regions of high salinity can become convectively unstable leading to vertical mixing and hence reduced ice cover. In particular, increasing the magnitude of the air-ice shear stress leads to an enhanced stress acting on the surface of the ocean, and this in turn leads to a northwards extension of the region which is preconditioned for convective overturning. When the model is forced by time-dependent air temperatures, the predicted seasonal behaviour of the 10%, 50% and 90% ice concentration contours agrees well with observations. The increased sea-ice cover associated with the Great Salinity Anomaly during the late 1960s is also successfully simulated by the model. DOI: 10.1034/j.1600-0870.1993.t01-2-00005.x


Both marriage and divorce rates in Wisconsin were promptly and sharply deflected by the economic depression of the 1930's, but the deficits were soon made up. The marriage habits of rural people were less affected than those of city people. The older and wealthier rural counties resembled the cities in the behavior of their rates. Counties with heavy relief costs had lower marriage rates. Counties with the largest proportion of females gainfully employed had the highest marriage and divorce rates, and their marriage rates were more sensitive to business fluctuations. A decline in the marriage rate was responsible for at least 90 per cent of the net reduction in the general fertility rate between 1930 and 1935.


Abstract : While significant concerns have arisen in the Congress, the executive branch, and the media about the ability of the U.S. industrial and technology base to adequately support the national security strategy in the post-Cold War era, there is little consensus as to just what kind of attention is needed. This article outlines an analytic framework designed to address these concerns systematically. The process is illustrated here through initial assessments of two notional cases. These particular cases derive from a family of planning scenarios in the first post-Cold War Joint Military Net Assessment published by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but are similar to scenarios examined in DoD's Bottom-Up Review. Many other specific cases can and should be assessed through the process proposed here. The first part of this article outlines the process. The second part depicts the two planning cases, illustrating them with an industry-level analysis. The third part suggests how this process could be employed in a constructive partnership between the executive and legislative branches of the federal government.


Jellyfish and sea jellies are the informal common names given to the medusa-phase of certaingelatinous members of subphylum Medusozoa, the majority of phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish aremainly free-swimming marine animals with umbrella-shaped bells and trailing tentacles, althougha few are not mobile, being anchored to the seabed by stalks. The bell can pulsate to givepropulsion and highly efficient locomotion. Tentacles are armed with stinging cells and may beused to capture prey and defend against predators. Jellyfish have a complex life cycle; the medusais normally the sexual phase, the planula larva can disperse widely and is followed by a sedentarypolyp phase.Jellyfish are found worldwide, from surface waters to the deep sea. Scyphozoans ("true jellyfish")are exclusively marine, but some hydrozoans with a similar appearance live in freshwater.Large, often colorful, jellyfish are common in coastal zones worldwide. The medusae of mostspecies are fast growing, mature within a few months and die soon after breeding, but the polyp stage, attached to the seabed, may be much more long-lived. Jellyfish have been in existence forat least 500 million years, and possibly 700 million years or more, making them the oldest multiorgananimal group. They are eaten by humans in certain cultures, being considered a delicacyin some Asian countries, where species in the Rhizostomae order are pressed and salted to removeexcess water. They are also used in research, where the green fluorescent protein, used bysome species to cause bioluminescence, has been adapted as a fluorescent marker for genes insertedinto other cells or organisms. Stinging cells used by jellyfish to subdue their prey can alsoinjure them. Many thousands of swimmers are stung every year, with effects ranging from milddiscomfort to serious injury or even death; small box jellyfish are responsible for many deaths.


ABSTRACT This study is conducted over a 3 × 3 time–temperature matrix on Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3−δ (BSCF) ceramics, and sintered bodies above 93% dense are obtained. The electron backscatter diffraction band contrast micrographs of the polished sintered samples are analysed for characterising the grain size distributions (GSDs). This study develops an algorithm for predicting the GSDs of BSCF dependence of sintering condition (time and temperature). In addition, the GSDs predicted by the algorithm agree reasonably with those experimentally observed. When individual grain size is non-dimensionalised by the median grain size, the GSDs data of all BSCF samples reduce to a single self-similar GSD curve. The median grain size is predicted by the classical kinetics equation, Dn = tK0exp(−Q/RT).


Three-dimensional (3-D) structures have been fabricated incorporating power bipolar transistors in a Si substrate and metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFET's) in an overlying silicon-on-insulator (SOI) film that was zone-melting recrystallized with a graphite strip heater. Both N-P-N and P-N-P bipolar transistors were used. The N-P-N devices exhibited no significant change in transistor characteristics after zone-melting recrystallization (ZMR), while the P-N-P devices showed a substantial reduction in breakdown voltage. The MOSFET's exhibited electron mobilities comparable to those in similar devices fabricated in single-crystal Si wafers. The bipolar transistor yield is approximately 90 percent. The unusually high device quality and yield for 3-D structures obtained by the ZMR technique demonstrates the feasibility of fabricating monolithic structures incorporating both logic functions and relatively high-current high-voltage power switches.


In order to prepare porous beads with good characteristics mixtures of diluents were used. The influence of the δ-parameter values of the two diluents was investigated which constitute the mixture of diluents on the macroporous features.

The influence of the mixtures of 2-ethyl hexyl alcohol/polystyrene (Mw = 172000), 2-ethyl hexyl alcohol/toluene, and gasoline (bp 110–125°C)/polystyrene on the styrene-divinylbenzene macroporous copolymer features was investigated. It was found that the specific surface areas or the porosities of the macroporous copolymers were very sensitive to the modifications of the δ-parameter values and the monomer composition.


Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow was evaluated temporally in a preclinical migraine model at 21.1 T. As elevated sodium levels are implicated in the progression of migraine, evaluating how sodium is transported in the ventricular system and brain should provide insight on bulk sodium accumulation around, among and within anatomical regions implicated in migraine. A series of Fourier Velocity Encoding MRI was acquired over 2 h post-nitroglycerin injection to evaluate CSF flow during the progression of central sensitization.


Serial section electron microscopy (ssEM) is a powerful tool for analyzing complex structures in the brain. Cutting, collecting, imaging, and analyzing series of 100 – 200 ultrathin (~50 nm) sections of various brain regions can provide information about synaptic connectivity, subcellular organization, and surrounding cellular composition that would be more challenging to glean from lower resolution imaging techniques. In particular, areas where multiple cell types converge to process sensory information such as olfactory bulb glomeruli benefit from the use of ssEM. Receptors expressed on olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) in the nasal epithelium bind to odorants and those OSNs expressing the same receptor all converge onto the same glomerulus in the olfactory bulb. Within a glomerulus, OSNs form excitatory synapses onto the dendrites of a variety of cell types, including the principal excitatory neurons, mitral and tufted cells that project to higher cortical areas. Rather than a simple relay station, physiology experiments have revealed that odor signals undergo complex processing within glomeruli from an assortment of inhibitory and neuromodulatory inputs [1]. However, the anatomical correlates of this signal processing have been difficult to decipher due to the intermingling of excitatory and inhibitory neuronal cell types and compartments (axons and dendrites) that can be indistinguishable on single sections. Analyses are further complicated by the presence of dendrodendritic synapses and gap junctions in addition to the typical axodendritic synapses [2]. Here we combined the selective labeling of mitral cells (MCs) and a subtype of tufted cells, external tufted cells (eTCs) with an electron dense substrate and followed their labeled dendrites through serial sections to determine their respective synaptic connectivity. In addition, we were able to identify unlabeled cell types based on ultrastructural characteristics that could be confirmed across multiple sections and determined their relationship to the labeled dendrites within the same series.


This paper introduces the definition,basic features and service models of cloud computing,and reviews the research status of the digital library federation's cooperation,cloud library federation and library's cloud virtual platform.


Objective To explore the effects of air pollution on respiratory diseases and symptoms of school children in Chengguan district of Lanzhou city, Gansu province. Methods Chengguan district and Yuzhong county of Lanzhou were selected as the air pollution area and control region respectively. A total of 2 016 school children(Chengguan, 1 087; Yu zhong, 929) were selected by random cluster sampling. The incidence of respiratory diseases and symptoms was determined by using a standard questionnaire(ATS-DLD-78-C) translated into Chinese from September to November in 2013. Results The daily average concentrations of SO2, NO2, PM2.5, PM10 in ambient air in Chengguan district were significantly higher than those in Yuzhong county in 2013(P0.05). The risk of cough with cold, cough without cold, expectoration with cold, expectoration without cold,rhinitis, bronchitis, pneumonia and asthma were 1.563 times, 1.606 times, 2.055 times, 1.849 times, 2.786 times, 2.514 times,1.976 times and 2.599 times in children of Chengguan higher than those in Yuzhong, respectively( P0.05). The results of multiple-factor logistic regression analyses displayed the increasing risk of cough with cold, cough without cold, expectoration with cold, rhinitis, bronchitis and pneumonia in Chengguan compared with Yuzhong(P0.05), the related values of OR(95%CI)were 1.571(1.273-1.938), 1.568(1.028-2.391), 2.026(1.580-2.597), 2.136(1.430-3.192), 2.142(1.463-3.136) and 1.741(1.190-2.548), respectively. Conclusion There may be a relation between the ascending incidence of partial respiratory diseases and symptoms and air pollution in Chengguan district, Lanzhou.


This paper presents an example of applying semi-Markov decision process to model and analyse the bus operation and maintenance process within an urban transport system and to forecast the influence of the operation and maintenance strategies realised for the technical objects on the transport system behaviour. Setting the values of the indices describing the process under the analysis is performed on the basis of a computerised simulation of the semi-Markov decision process, being a mathematical model of the technical objects operation and maintenance process. In order to simulate the operation and maintenance process and to evaluate the influence of the decisions being made on the course and effectiveness of the process being realised within the study object a simulation algorithm has been elaborated and a computer calculation program has been written.


Monthly collections of litterfall were collected in secondary forest areas with different ages under the control of Dense Ombrophylous Submontane Forest in Parana state 25 collectors of 1 m² suspended systematically distributed in 1 ha each; with the objective of estimating the production of litter: Annual, seasonal, by fractions leaves, twigs, reproductive organs and remains, and the amount of nutrients restored. Secondary forests were called SF, with SF-1 and SF-2 being approximately 100 years old (more developed); SF-3 and FS-4 between 60 and 80 years (intermediate); SF-5 between 40 and 60 years and SF-6 between 20 and 30 years (less developed). After the quantifications of the phytomass, homogenization and milling were performed for chemical analyzes of C, N, P, K, Ca and Mg. The annual production was between 5 and 10 Mg ha -1 year -1 and a statistical difference was observed in annual and seasonal production, with summer and spring being the highest deposition rates. The annual deposition had no relation with the age and phytosociological structures of the forests.The leaves fraction was responsible for the higher rates and pattern of deposition in the areas, but the miscellaneous fraction contributed to the higher nutrient return in the soil in the more developed forests. The annual amount of nutrients returned had the sequence C>N>Ca>K>Mg>P in the areas, with the exception of FS-1, with a higher content of Mg in relation to K. The sequence in the annual nutrient supply was FS- 1 = FS-2>FS-5>FS-6>FS-4>FS-3 concluding that more developed forests returned more nutrients to the soil.


1 The C-ImmSim model of the immune system The model of immune system response we employ, C-ImmSim, has been quite extensively described in previous works (see references in the article). It makes use of bit strings to represent the " binding site " of cells and molecules as for example lymphocyte receptors (T lymphocytes receptor TCR, B lymphocytes receptor BCR), Major Histocompatibility Complexes MHC, antigen peptides and epitopes, immunocomplexes, etc.. The affinity among the entities is a function of the Hamming distance between these bit strings, that is, the affinity increases as the complementarity fit of the bit strings. CImmSim includes the major classes of cells of the lymphoid lineage (T helper lymphocytes or TH, cytotoxic T lymphocytes or CTL, B lymphocytes and antibody-producer plasma cells, PLB) and some of the myeloid lineage (macrophages, MA, and dendritic cells, DC). All these entities interact each other following a set of " rules " that describe the different phases of the recognition and response of the immune system against a pathogen. A single lymph node of a vertebrate animal is mapped onto a three-dimensional ellipsoid lattice. The primary lymphoid organs thymus and bone marrow are modelled apart: the thymus is implicitly represented by the positive and negative selection of immature thymocytes before they get into the lymphatic system, whereas the bone marrow generates already mature B lymphocytes. Hence, on the lattice there are only immunocompetent lymphocytes. The virus is represented by two binary strings (each l bits long), one corresponds to the epitope (i.e. the BCR's binding site) and the other one to the peptide (i.e. the MHC class I and II's binding site). The code allows the specification of an arbitrary number of epitopes and peptides. Each time step of the simulation corresponds to eight hours of " real life ". The interactions among the cells determine their functional behaviour (the complete list of interactions is reported in table 1). Interactions are coded as probabilistic rules that define the transition of each entity from a state to another. Conversely to classic cellular automata models, there is no correlation among entities residing on different sites at a fixed time step and the deterministic character of automata dynamics is replaced by a stochastic behavior. However, at the end of each time step entities diffuse from site to site introducing spatial correlations. Each interaction requires cell entities to be in one specific out of …


this term to Lenin or explaining to us adequately why it was Lenin, not Stalin, who was the first to undermine the power of the Soviets. Even if Soviets were to develop, Callinicos cannot tell us why workers would not be betrayed once again by the state or by an elite of Marxist intellectuals. Whatever Lenin's view, Callinicos' own vision of a soviet future remains Utopian. Koelble's account of the economism of British and West German trade union politics highlights the clash between working-class economism and socialist theory. As Koelble points out, the predominance of British trade unions through a system of bloc membership and voting constituted a large part of the basis of the triumph of social democracy in the postwar Labour party. It was only by ignoring union interests during periods of economic crises and necessary wage constraints, especially by the second Wilson government, that a critical number of unions came to support the New Left calls for controls on the autonomy of the parliamentary party. Since 1983, however, the unions have consistently rejected party executive candidates associated with the New Left and supported the social democratic policies of Neil Kinnock. The case of the German Social Democratic party is in some respects even more telling. Although by law trade unions are politically neutral and membership in the SPD is individual, the unions, in what can only be called a triumph of economism, rejected ecologist calls for limits on building, on the grounds that they would be harmful to full employment. They regarded the new leftists as cranks and nuisances; and, as Koelble notes, the social democratic countermobilization against them "depended quite frequently on the mobilization of trade union supporters" (p. 92). It is certainly true that much of the thinking in the New Left of both parties cannot be assimilated to the various proletarian ideologies either of old Marxism or of the Western labor movements. Indeed, what are the prospects for a revival of classical Marxism when to one observer, the students and intellectuals of the Left-dominated Young Socialists "wanted to represent the workers but could not understand their language" or, worse, when workers could not understand Young Socialist jargon?


This is a book review of Fuyuki Kurasawa's, The Work of Global Justice: Human Rights as Practices. Fuyuki Kurasawa is an associate professor of sociology, political science and social and political thought at York University in Toronto. Professor Kurasawa has a particular interest in human rights and global justice through the exploration of the theoretical underpinnings of global justice projects. Kurasawa proposes a theoretical model that strikes a balance between normative universalism and empiricism. This leads to a vision of an alternative globalization marked by radical redistribution of economic and political power. The work of global justice is largely the emancipation of those who are systemically barred from justice, through five modes of ethico-political practice: bearing witness, forgiveness, foresight, aid and solidarity. This book review is a critical look at this theoretical model and his vision of an alternative globalization.


This paper presents a failure analysis to determine the origin of the failure on the soldered balls of one BGA soldered to a Printed circuit board, presenting Intermittency on the soldered joints, by Visual inspection, X ray inspection, Computed Tomography(CT), Cross-section analysis, Scanning Electron Microscopy, and Energy dispersive spectroscopy, determined the failure located on soldered balls of the BGA was caused by cracks that run along the Intermetallic layer formed between the solder balls and the copper pads of the printed circuit board, that were located near the BGA corners. With X ray computed Tomography we can analyze all the soldered balls of the BGA, by "virtual" cross-sections on the soldered joints without damage on the sample.


This article considers the effect of core American values in the structuring of public opinion toward US immigration policies in the mid-1990s. Using the 1996 American National Election Study, ordered logistic and logistic analyses are used to examine the impact that individualism, humanitarianism and egalitarianism have in shaping attitudes toward three policy areas, namely border enforcement, reductions in the number of immigrants admitted, and immigrant eligibility for government services. The research finds that the three core values out-performed the traditional predictors in the third policy area because of the policy's explicit connection to the welfare state. Core values play a minimal role in shaping attitudes toward border enforcement. However, the pro-social values—egalitarianism and humanitarianism—are found to play a key role in favouring increases in the number of immigrants admitted into the US. The conclusion considers the implications of the findings.


Th is study examined the preceding circumstances of youth that ran from out-of-home care. Youth off ered suggestions for preventing future running episodes. Data was drawn from 111 case records of three county courts in southeastern Lower Michigan. Data were also drawn from four focus groups of youth living in out-of-home care (n=24). Circumstances that preceded youth running included female gender, African -American ethnicity, more restrictive placements, prior running episodes, and separations from siblings and children. Focus group youth expressed concerns about placement disruptions, rules, chores, diff erential treatment, loss of control, safety, and especially, feeling that " no one cares about me. " To prevent running, youth recommended caring adults, helping others, active roles in case planning, knowledge of resources, and maintaining family connections.


The time constant, τ, signifying the onset of non-Newtonian behavior of polymer solutions is known to be a function of mass concentration, C, molecular weight, M, temperature, T, and zero shear viscosity, η 0 . Williams' theory predicts that the time constant is also affected by the solvent character. To study the predicted effect, the time constants of poly(methyl methacrylate) solutions in chlorobenzene (good solvent) and m-xylene (poor solvent) were experimentally determined. It was found that the ratio of the time constant to the Rouse relaxation time was a function of the combined variable CM. For all values of CM, both the time constant and the ratio of the time constant to the Rouse relaxation time were larger in a poor solvent than in a good solvent. This behavior may be attributed to the relatively stronger attractive interpolymer molecular forces present in solutions in poor solvents. As the temperature is raised the poor solvent becomes better and the ratio of the time constant to the Rouse relaxation time is found to become independent of solvent character.


In view of virtual instrument technology application in testing of automotive sensors,the test requirements of automotive speed sensors and phase sensors are raised.Based on virtual instrument technology and LabVIEW,a test bench for automotive sensors is developed.The test bench is constituted of three axis,high speed spindle and accurate angle encoder,laser instrument and optical fiber sensor and digital oscilloscope.The test result indicates that the test bench can work efficiently and stably.


Given the recent explosion of the Internet in our lives, health professionals will encounter more and more clients with Internet related issues including cybersex affairs and Internet addiction. The challenge to inform ourselves about the Net and its impact on people and relationships is presented in this article by Sue Morris, co-author of Online and Personal: The reality of Internet relationships. (editor abstract)


The key factors affecting the protoplasts formation and fusants regeneration were determined between hyperparasitic Streptomyces F46 and actinomycetes SC1 or/and SCll. The results showed that the suitable concentration of Gly and sucrose for strain F46, SC1 and SCll were 0. 5 and 30 g/mL . The high rate of protoplasts formation and fusants regeneration could be obtained for strain F46 lysing 75 min with macerozyme of 10 mg/mL snailase and 10 mg/mL lysozyme (1:1) in 35℃water bath, and for strains SC1 and SC11 lysing respectively 60 min and 100 min with 10 mg/mL Lysozyme and 15 mg/mL lysozyme in 35℃water bath. The period of thermal inactivation in 55℃was 45 min for strain F46, and was 15 min for stain SC1 and SC11. The suitable inactivation period with UV light was respectively 16, 2 and 3 min for stain F46, SC1 and SC11.


One of the major challenges that autonomous cars are facing today is the unpredictability of pedestrian movement in urban environments. Since pedestrian data acquired by vehicles are sparse observed a pedestrian flow directed graph is proposed to understand pedestrian behavior. In this work, an autonomous electric vehicle is employed to gather LiDAR and camera data. Pedestrian tracking information and semantic information from the environment are used with a probabilistic approach to create the graph. In order to refine the graph a set of outlier removal techniques are described. The graph-based pedestrian flow shows an increase of 61.29 % of coverage zone, and the outlier removal approach successfully removed 81 % of the edges.


This paper presents the finding of thermal characterization of polycrystalline diamond for power semiconductor device modules in a converter. Comparisons of measured thermal performance of two diamond demonstrators, consisting of metalized diamond tiles attached to aluminum and copper forced air cooled heat sinks; show that power dissipation can be increased from 278W to 535W when compared to commercial products operating at a case temperature of 100°C and a maximum junction temperature of 175°C. Detailed converter simulations of a two level three-phase inverter driving a 15kW permanent magnet machine shows that using diamond can increase active power density from 13kW/kg to 17kW/kg at a coolant temperature of 100oC and a flowrate of 6 liters per minute.


With conventional communications equipment, the purpose of lightning protection is protection against overvoltage and overcurrent that cause insulation breakdown in hardware. However, in recent information and communication technology and Internet-of-things equipment, not only the above measures but also countermeasures against data errors that cause CPU stack, device freeze, and large-scale system downtime triggered by malfunction are required. We propose a self-contained isolation system using surgemitigation components with high-voltage insulation for overvoltage and data-error protection. It provides adequate protection against overvoltage and conduction common mode noise from metallic service lines of power, communication, and grounding and radiation noise due to lightning electromagnetic pulse.


In given article results АВС/VЕNanalysis of one of most dear branches of a versatile hospital of emergency medical aid the therapy branch has appeared which are presented.


To purchase reprints, contact The InnoVision Group, 101 Columbia, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656. Phone, (800) 809-2273 or (949) 362-2050 (ext 532); fax, (949) 362-2049; e-mail, email@example.com. By Mary Lou Sole, RN, PhD, CCRN, Jacqueline F. Byers, RN, PhD, CNAA, Jeffery E. Ludy, EdD, RRT, and C. Lynne Ostrow, RN, EdD. From the School of Nursing (MLS, JFB) and Cardiopulmonary Sciences (JEL), University of Central Florida, Orlando, Fla, and School of Nursing, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WVa (CLO).


Smart home is a concept that aims to enhance the comfort of residents and facilitate household activities. The smart home is an application of ubiquitous computing which can provide the user with context-aware automated or assistive services in the form of ambient intelligence, remote control of home appliances, or automation. Smart homes attempt to integrate smartness into homes to guarantee the residents' convenience, safety, and security, while conserving the energy. The capabilities of a smart home in the context of different applications, have been scrutinized for this investigation. Different proposed architectures, protocols, and infrastructures have been taken into consideration. As the data management process is a vital part of a smart home system, many procedures of data collection, storage, and analysis have been surveyed. Methods of data acquisition has also been discussed. Existing challenges, pros, and cons of proposed schemes along with future perspectives of smart homes are identified in this report, which is intended to promote future research directions.


The purpose of my talk today is to explore why and how astrology became an accepted tool for apocalyptic calculation in the later Middle Ages. Although thirteenth-century scholars flirted with the idea of using the stars to calculate the timing of the end, serious astrological calculations of the apocalypse began in earnest only in the early fifteenth century, during the pervasive, eschatologically-charged crisis of the Great Schism of 1378 to 1414. Scholars then began to look to the stars, I will argue, as an outside, scientific means of countering urgent apocalyptic predictions based on prophecies, visions, and the interpretation of Scripture, predictions that in many instances were coming to be seen as dangerous and divisive. Once


Copy of a photograph of a view of the Benalla Botanical Gardens and Band Rotunda, with the words Best Wishes from Benalla and A Merry Christmas added to it. William John Howship (1874-1932) opened a photography studio business in Nunn Street Benalla in April 1904. He expanded the business by selling small format Kodak cameras and providing a 24 hour film processing service as well as the actual photography work, both studio and outdoor. The collection consists of 1250 dry plate glass negative images created by Howship between 1904 and 1931. Images include views of Benalla and surrounding districts, local events such as floods, concerts and military ceremonies and a large body of portrait work.
Inscription: Best Wishes from Benalla and A Merry Christmas are written on the original.
Previous Control Number: UMA/I/5289
Previous Control Number: GPNB/565


The mandible of the fourth stage mosquito larva has been examined comparatively for at least one species in each of all but 3 of the known genera. Dorsal and ventral surfaces of each mandible examined are illustrated. Representatives of one genus of Dixidae and of 2 genera of Chaoboridae are included. Homologies of mandibular substructures are derived and used for the development of a structural terminology suitable for use in taxonomic studies.


Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) represents a heterogeneous group of disorders characterised by elevated pulmonary vascular resistance and a normal pulmonary artery wedge pressure that occurs in the absence of left heart disease, chronic lung diseases/hypoxia or chronic thromboembolic pulmonary disease 1. Entities within the PAH group share not only similar symptoms and haemodynamic profiles but also a common therapeutic approach 2. Unfortunately, outcome among PAH patients remains poor and a cure for the disease remains elusive 3. One additional, although less well described, feature that favours the distinction of a PAH group is the histomorphological correlate of elevated blood pressures within the pulmonary vasculature. Indeed, PAH that is idiopathic, heritable, or associated with anorexigen exposure, HIV infection, portopulmonary hypertension and connective tissue disease (comprising mostly systemic sclerosis (SSc)-associated PAH (SSc-PAH)) appear to have a similar pulmonary arterial and arteriolar remodelling pattern. Typical PAH lesions consist mainly of widely and uniformly distributed vascular alterations, including intimal fibrosis, and endothelial and smooth muscle cell proliferation, without obvious involvement of the bronchoalveolar architecture. These histological features are markedly different from pulmonary hypertension that arises as a consequence of chronic thromboembolic disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and sarcoidosis, in which vascular occlusion develops as a consequence of emboli, arteriolar rarification, interstitial scarring or obstructing granulomas, respectively. Despite similarities in pathological anatomy, clinical management and outcome among the different forms of PAH, there are, nonetheless, important differences that remain unexplained. In patients with SSc, PAH is a leading cause of mortality that requires intensive medical management. However, therapeutic responses are frequently less favourable compared to other forms of PAH 4–6. SSc-PAH treatment with vasodilators such as continuous intravenous epoprostenol is associated with improvements in exercise capacity and cardiopulmonary haemodynamics. However, therapeutic responses using prostanoid therapy in …


The present invention discloses an apparatus and method for feedback MIMO system, belonging to the field of wireless information transmission. Feedback method proposed in the present invention, the first SNR calculating any data stream, each data stream and the same coding and modulation scheme selected based on the SNR and its corresponding selected channel quality indication information, and then using a feedback the link indication information feedback to the transmitting end, the transmitting end based on the information for each data stream is assigned the same coding and modulation scheme. Feedback method proposed by the invention only the feedback control information in a single data stream to the sender, thereby reducing implementation complexity and feedback overhead.


Simulation of hot-carrier gate-current effects in either MOSFET or MODFET devices requires knowledge of the carrier-emission probability over the semiconductor-insulator barrier. Several works in the recent past have relied on a limiting form for this probability that can lead to significant errors for large fields in the Si-SiO2system. This brief shows that the result for emission probability can be expressed as an error function, leading to simple implementation in the numerical 2-D simulators commonly used in device analysis. The result is compared to the commonly used limiting form for both large and small values of the normalized barrier height.


In view of the terraced field terrain in Gansu Province, manual spraying of crops is not only time-consuming and inefficient, but also likely to cause safety problems due to the long-term contact of operators with pesticides. Therefore, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for plant protection and pesticide spraying was proposed. Terrace fields were collected for vertical view and they were first rasterized using the oxen-led (Boustrophedon) plant protection method to plan the full-coverage path of the UAV. Pesticides were sprayed on the crops. After they finish a layer of spraying, the UAV fell a certain distance from the second terrace of crops onto the next layer. Such a process was repeated until the completion of the entire task. If there is a missed area that has not been sprayed, the operator can automatically control the UAV to spray. It provides comprehensive coverage of complex areas, which is environmentally safe and efficient, and can be applied to agricultural operations.


An apparatus and a method for manufacturing a flexible display are provided to exfoliate a flexible substrate from an adhesive agent and a support substrate by the horizontal movement of a filling wire. Thin film patterns for constructing a display device are formed on a flexible substrate. The flexible substrate is adhered to a support substrate(41) by an adhesive. A stage(51) mounts the support substrate to the upper portion thereof. A filling wire(55) is moved horizontally to the upper surface of the stage. A moving member controls the movement direction of the filling wire. The stage has plural vacuum holes for fixing the support substrate. The stage includes a heating member for heating the stage. The filling wire is combined with a horizontal moving member for moving horizontally toward the upper surface of the stage. The filling wire is also combined with a vertical moving member for moving vertically toward the upper surface of the stage.


Regular exercise; no smoking; and maintaining a low body weight, a healthy diet, and low alcohol intake may reduce the risk significantly.


A Medical Approach to the Abuse and Negligence of Children Cases
Although the concepts of abuse and negligence are defined in different ways by various researchers in various areas, generally, the abuse and negligence of children can be defined as, for a child, being physically, psychologically, sexually or socially harmed; and also being in risk of losing health and security as a consequence of the actions by, chiefly parents and those who are responsible for the care, health and protection of a child, and also by other adults, which they do or neglect to do.
The inputs in the literature of children abuse are gathered largely from the cases known by the relations and neighborhood and also from the cases in which athorities are involved. Considering that very few of the cases of children abuse and negligence are recorded officially, it is impossible to determine the incidence and prevalance of children abuse and negligence referring to those records. It is only possible to solve this problem by establishing and running necessary institutions and by recording every case. Therefore, ibis necessary to make sure the concerning professional groups, that are most likely to encounter this phenomenon, which is in the very daily life all the time, are conscious of it; to compensate for their lack of training; and to pay attention to official recording. Moreover, it can only be reflected to the judicial mechanism and proved through the report by the physician; and this report is the only document officializing the case.

 Istismar ve ihmal kavramlari farkli alanlarda, farkli arastirmacilar tarafindan cesitli sekillerde tanimlanmakla birlikte genel olarak Cocuk Istismari ve Ihmali; basta ana-baba olmak" uzere cocugun bakimi, sagligi ve korunmasindan sorumlu olan kisiler ile diger eriskin kisilerin yaptigi ya da yapmayi savsakladigi eylemler sonucunda cocugun her turlu fiziksel, ruhsal, cinsel ya da sosyal acidan zarar gormesi, saglik ve guvenliginin tehlikeye dusmesi olarak tanimlanabilir.
Cocuk istismari literaturundeki veriler, buyuk oranda cevre tarafindan bilinen ve resmi makamlarin dahil oldugu olgulardan derlenir. Cocuk Istisman ve ihrhali ile ilgili olgularin pek azinin resmi kayitlara gectigi goz onune alinirsa, bu kayitlara dayanarak cocuk istismari ve ihmalinin insidansi ve prevalansmi saptamak olanaksizdir. Sorunun cozumu icin gerekli kurumlarin kurulmasi ve isletilebilmesi, tum olgularin kayit altina alinmasi ile mumkundur. Bu nedenle gunluk yasamin cok icinde ve hep var olan bu konuda, daha sik karsilasma olasiligi olan meslek gruplarinin bilinclendirilmesi, egitim eksikliklerinin giderilmesi ve kayitlamaya ozen gosterilmesi gerekmektedir. Ayrica olayin adalet mekanizmasina yansitilabilmesi ve kanitlanabilmesi ancak hekimin hazirladigi adli raporla olabilir ve bu rapor olayi resmilestiren tek belgedir.


AIM
To use structural equation modeling in testing the construct validity of the questionnaire on the first sexual intercourse among young adolescents.

METHODS
Previously created questionnaire for the estimation of different factors influencing the intention to engage in the first sexual intercourse was validated. The data were gathered anonymously from a nationally representative sample of 1217 elementary school pupils aged 14-15 in Slovenia. The construct validity was determined by the structural equation modeling, LISREL 8.7.

RESULTS
The reliability of the questionnaire was satisfactory (Cronbach alpha=0.73). Using the structural equation modeling analyses, the fit between empirical and theoretical models was confirmed, with 18 variables (17 independent and 1 dependent) for 6 latent indicators (5 external and 1 internal). The measures of goodness of fit were chi2(80)=57.040; P=0.976; the root mean square error of approximation was <0.001; the root mean square residual was 0.0249; the goodness of fit index was 0.994; the adjusted goodness of fit index was 0.988; the normed fit index was 0.993; and the relative fit index was 0.986. The instrument explained 34% of the variance in behavior intention.

CONCLUSION
The construct validity of the questionnaire on the intention to engage in the first sexual intercourse among young adolescents was satisfactory. This questionnaire could be a useful tool in health promotion programs.


This paper presents a fabrication process of a Poly-Silicon-On-Insulator (PSOI) wafer that can be used as an alternative to conventional Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) wafers for fabrication of Capacitative Micromachined Ultrasound Transducers (CMUT). The fabrication of PSOI wafers does, unlike the conventional SOI fabrication, not involve any bonding steps. A batch of PSOI wafers having a 400 nm BOX layer and a 2.6 µm ± 0.04 µm (1σ) device layer is fabricated and characterized. A surface roughness of 0.47 nm is measured for the PSOI device layer, and successful fusion bonds (direct bonds) are demonstrated between PSOI wafers and oxidized silicon wafers. A wafer-bonded CMUT using a PSOI wafer is fabricated and electrically characterized, and the expected CMUT performance is observed. Impedance spectra are demonstrated at five different DC biases, the expected spring softening effect is observed when the magnitude of the DC bias is increased.


The uneven occurrence of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in rural and urban areas of central Africa has been attributed to recent urbanization and social change. This arguement rests on 2 assumptions a presumed dichotomy between a "traditional" rural Africa and an urban Africa that has arisen recently and an earlier period of "traditional village life" different from the current "social change". While this conforms to popular myths about Africa it is not supported by the historical record. Zaire has a long history of disruption of rural life by economic social and governmental factors dating back to the 1880s. Men from rural areas migrated to work sites usually mines and returned to rural areas carrying venereal diseases acquired in the work sites. From the 1910s central Africa was connected by labor migrations. By the 1930s no rural areas remained isolated in "traditional village life". By then women were also accompanying men to mining cities. Thus the "social and behavioral changes" of urbanization existed for several decades before the outbreak of AIDS.


In order to study the clinical value of combined measurement of Alb, IgG and β 2-MG in urine in early diagnosis and determining the involved area for children with renal disease,urinary Alb,IgG and β 2-MG were measured by radioimmunoassay in 131 children with renal disease.The results showed that the levels of Alb,IgG and β 2-MG in acute nephritis group and nephrotic syndrome group were significantly higher than those in the control group ( P 0.01);in nephrotic syndrome group,the level of β 2-MG was significantly higher than that in the control and nephritis group( P 0.01). So,combined measurement of Alb,IgG and β 2-MG in urine could be useful to reflect the renal damage in early stage and distinguish between glomerular and tubular damage.


The invention provides an infrared touch module, an infrared touch device and a touch position determining method. The infrared touch module comprises an infrared emission layer, an optical reflection layer and an infrared receiving layer. The infrared emission layer is used for emitting infrared light of the designated wavelengths under the excitation of visible light. The optical reflection layer is used for reflecting infrared light emitted by the infrared emission layer and can be deformed when being pressed, the wavelength of emitted infrared light after the deformation of the optical reflection layer can deviate, and accordingly, the intensity of the reflected infrared light is changed. The infrared receiving layer comprises a plurality of first receiving units and a plurality of second receiving units which are arranged in a cross insulated mode and used for receiving the infrared light emitted by the optical reflection layer and performing photovoltaic conversion on the received infrared light to form currents, and the magnitude of the formed currents is different if the intensity of the received infrared light is different. By means of the infrared touch module, the infrared touch device and the touch position determining method, the infrared touch module is in a layer structure and can be arranged on a display substrate or embedded in the display substrate, and accordingly, the thickness of a display device comprising the infrared touch module can be reduced.


The paper describes the TIMS traffic information management system in operation at two local authorities and a regional transportation authority in South Africa, and provides information on traffic characteristics of multi-use suburban developments. The objectives of TIMS are to evaluate elements of the road network to identify problem areas and to prioritise them for improvement, as well as to provide information to analyse the operational efficiency and safety of these elements. To achieve these objectives, a database containing the following modules is maintained and can be interrogated on a regular basis: road network definition on cadastral background, road hierarchy according to a functional classification, traffic counts, accident records, road and intersection geometry, passenger transport, road signs, status of transportation infrastructure, network performance indicators and parking information. Traffic characteristics of multi-use suburban developments are described in terms of trip generation and parking requirements and it is shown how more efficient use can be made of transportation infrastructure through a combination of diverse land uses, shared parking and demand management. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see IRRD abstract no. 878228.


A brief discussion of, and a little speculation about, the relevance of the polar regions on climate is given. The main body of the paper gives a survey of the known deep convection areas of the world ocean. There are two distinct types of convection. The first is the classic sinking occurring on continental shelf slope systems, as typified by various locations around the Antarctic coast. The freezing of sea ice, and resulting brine ejection, creates dense salty water on the shelf which descends the slope under a balance of Coriolis, gravity, and frictional forces, entraining the surrounding warm deep water as it goes. The second process is the more recently observed open-ocean convection, occurring in locations such as the Mediterranean, the Labrador Sea, and two locations in the Weddell gyre, and is hypothesized to occur in the Greenland Sea. Open-ocean convection has many overall similarities in all these areas: it occurs in narrow (20–50 km) areas; it forms about 10 m³ s−l of deep water; it occurs only in regions of cyclonic mean circulation; more than one water mass in the mean circulation is involved; a preconditioning seems to be required; some surface forcing (cooling or sea ice formation) is necessary; a violent breakup of the water mass frequently occurs on time scales of 2 weeks.


Oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in water splitting is one of the most critical and more demanding half-reactions in electrochemical devices; therefore, the design of highly efficient and nonprecious metal-based electrocatalysts is required.


It is disclosed drug combinations comprising calcium channel blockers and serotonin receptor antagonists and thromboxane A2, used for combating diseases.


We investigate the existence of positive solutions for two systems of higher-order nonlinear ordinary differential equations, subject to multi-point boundary conditions.


Objective To observe the biocompatibility of wear debris of polysulfone (PSF) and carbon fiber reinforced polysulfone (CPSF) by compring the in vitro influence on phagocyte and production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin-6 (IL-6) of macrophage ANA-1 Methods 1)Preparation of debris and soliquoids of PSF, carbon fiber , CPSF, ultrahigh molecule weight polyethylene (PE), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), alumina (Al 2O 3), zirconia (ZrO 2),cobalt chromium molybdenum alloy (Co Cr Mo) and hydroxylapatite (HA) 2)Effects of wear debris on the functions of ANA-1 macrophage and its IL-6 and TNF production were compared 3)Effects of wear debris on the synovium of rabbits were observed Results The results indicated that there was a close relationship between the situation of phagocyte and size of debris The debris were phagocyted when the size was smaller than 20 μm The amount of TNF and IL-6 production was increased in the experimental groups, but there was no significant difference Conclusion The results of the experiment shows that PSF and CPSF have good biocompatibility and mechanical property, it is a promising biological composite material


The finite-temperature Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov cranking equation is solved for [sup 148]Sm. The phase diagram contains three shape transition lines. For certain rotational frequencies, there is oblate noncollective rotation at low temperatures, prolate and triaxial collective rotation at intermediate temperatures, and oblate noncollective rotation at higher temperatures. A new oblate region at low [ital T] and [omega] is caused by the pairing interaction.


An abnormal increase of transformer oil dielectric loss in service and its cause were introduced,and the treatment process to make the dielectric loss to reach standard was summarized,based on the experience of operation and overhaul.


SYNOPSIS This technical note describes the unique properties of transparent insulation materials. Different types of the material are discussed. Honeycomb transparent insulation material will then be used to describe technical aspects of the material. Particular attention will be paid to transparently insulated buildings.


Abstract : Investigations of potential gene-environment interactions may improve our understanding of the etiology of breast cancer, a disease where less than 40% of cases can be attributed to known risk factors. The objectives of this study are to examine the association between DNA repair proficiency and breast cancer risk, and the contribution of this factor to the familial clustering of breast cancer. We hypothesize that mechanisms leading to suboptimal repair of DNA damage are susceptibility factors predisposing women to breast cancer through increased sensitivity to carcinogenic damage from environmental exposures such as ionizing radiation. To evaluate this hypothesis a case-control study and a family study are being conducted. Women with a personal history of breast cancer (N=100) and women at increased breast cancer risk (N=100) will be compared to control women (N=100) with respect to their ability to repair ionizing radiation-induced DNA damage in lymphocytes. We will also evaluate the possible interaction between DNA repair proficiency and ionizing radiation exposure by stratifying the case-control data on exposure status and then assessing the relationship between breast cancer risk and DNA repair proficiency. Thirty to forty families (150 family members) will be recruited to participate in the family study. The family study is designed to assess the segregation of DNA repair proficiency in families of women with suboptimal DNA repair proficiency, and, in a preliminary way, the co-segregation of breast cancer and suboptimal DNA repair proficiency in these families.


A histological and morphological study of human thymus obtained from autopsy was done. A steady increase in weight of thymus till puberty and thereafter a steady decline was noted. Involution was by fatty infiltration after puberty. Hassall's corpuscles were seen in all the specimens and its size or shape had no relation to the age or involution of the gland. There was an increase in the number of Hassall's corpuscles till puberty after which a progressive decrease was observed.


A design strategy for minimizing a feedback amplifier's step-response settling time is introduced. Central to this approach is the clear identification of the independent design parameters characterizing the amplifier and the introduction of a figure of merit for assessing the settling performance of an amplifier that is independent of power, supply voltage and capacitive loading. With this approach, the settling performance of a given amplifier architecture can be optimized and the relative performance of different amplifier architectures can be assessed. Emphasis in this paper is on the two-stage operational amplifier architecture but the technique readily extends to other widely used operational amplifier structures.


Propofol-ketamine (PK) anesthesia was originally described by Friedberg as dissociative monitored anesthesia care (MAC), which gives the patient the subjective experience of general anesthetic with few risks and virtually no postoperative nausea, vomiting, dysphoria, or hallucinations. Friedberg has a stellar 10-year record of safety with patients receiving propofol-ketamine anesthesia, with a 0.5% postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) rate. There were no hospitalizations in his group for either uncontrolled pain or PONV, the 2 most common reasons for admission following day surgery. For the surgeon who chooses to administer his or her own anesthesia, this paper describes a variation of Friedberg's original work. (See www.doctorfriedberg.com for other information.)


Pigmentary demarcation lines were observed in a 27‐year‐old Japanese woman during her ninth month of pregnancy. She stated that they were not present before pregnancy. The lines became marked during pregnancy and subsided after delivery. Pigmentary demarcation lines associated with pregnancy have never been reported before in Japanese.


The introduction to S,M,L,XL declares it as "an amalgam that makes disclosures about the conditions under which architecture is produced."1 One of the dominant means by which this disclosure occurs is literary text—a series of stories that blur nonfiction and fiction. Images of Nexus World Housing are presented with a story titled "Learning Japanese," which begins with: "A desperate call to Tokyo."2 Villa Dall'Ava is prefaced with an enigmatic tale that starts with: "It was handwritten in blue ink, obviously by someone who was very passionate about architecture. Reading it, you knew immediately that this was going to be a mythological enterprise."3 The drawings of Trés Grande Bibliotheque sit above a series of fictional diary entries. What kind of fiction is this? Could it be science fiction? Koolhaas commences S,M,L,XL's "Singapore Songlines" with a critique of William Gibson's thoughts on Singapore.4 An ideological rift between Koolhaas and Gibson, this instance also signals reciprocity. Neuromancer, Gibson's definitive cyberpunk text, coined the term "cyberspace," and there are moments in S,M,L,XL where Koolhaas addresses the conceptual overlaps of cyberspace and real space. Writing, for example, that "The Generic City is what is left after large sections of urban life crossed over to cyberspace."5 More important than any literal references, the overall tone of S,M,L,XL's fiction has significant commonalities with Gibson's cyberpunk. The basic literary mechanism of cyberpunk is the juxtaposition of high-tech futurism with banal, quotidian social conditions through a kind of hard-boiled, film noir style. The genre explores utopic and dystopic tensions while representing cultural ferment and unorthodox uses of technology. Cyberpunk also tends to make significant references to architectural and urban space in establishing its milieu, as is evidenced in Gibson's famous metaphor for cyberspace: "City lights, receding."6 Taken collectively, the essays and fictions of S,M,L,XL closely follow the characteristics of cyberpunk. They portray architecture mutating with technology and globalization—in ways that are simultaneously dystopic and utopic but always rich in fermentation. Newly empowered with the ease of global communication and transportation, the architect is portrayed as a nomad of worldwide urbanization. Yet, at the same time, the architect is also a banal and impotent figure, sentenced to an empty glamour of endless travel. It's high and low. The resonance between Koolhaas and cyberpunk has been tentatively identified by Fredric Jameson who, when writing on urbanist discourse, observed, "cyberpunk seems to be a reference to grasp at here, which—like Koolhaas ...—seems positively to revel in its own (and its world's) excess."7 The science fiction quality of S,M,L,XL situates the book's architectural content in a cyberpunk vein that derives its amalgam from the socio-technological preoccupations of the early 1990s. While S,M,L,XL is a fiction that draws from the relative novelty found in the prevalence of fax machines, cheap air travel, personal computing, and consumer culture, what might be some contemporary corollaries? Figure 1. 432 Park Avenue by Rafael Viñoly, New York City, 2015. Numbered companies have purchased large numbers of units as investments. Credit: DBOX for CIM Group/Macklowe Properties. From Sci-Fi to Fi-Fi Fiction and the Socio-Technologies of Architectural Production


Human activities are responsible for the existence of heavy metals in the environment. The accumulation of these metals in the environment causes several risks, such as toxicological, mutagenic, and carcinogenic effects. Chitosan (Cs) based materials have been explored its competitive efficacy in heavy metals removal from contaminated water. In this study, an attempt is presented to develop a natural, reliable, and cost-effective biopolymer structure of Cs with a high ability to entrap some heavy metals, which can be found in polluted water. The correlation between Cs-heavy metals and its stability was studied by density functional theory (DFT) using B3LYP together with the basis set LANL2DZ. The observed results revealed that the bandgap energy values for Cs, CsFe, Cs-Ni, Cs-Cu, Cs-As, CsCd and Cs-Pb were 2.571, 0.6147, 0.7176, 0.3396, 0.6648, 1.5007 and 0.4128 eV, respectively. The later showed that Cs structure has high selectivity and binding affinity to Cu and Pb hydrated metals, respectively rather than Fe, Ni, As and Cd. The examined correlation between Cu and Pb with Cs revealed that Cs could be applied for sensing and removing of Cu and Pb from wastewater.


It is a familiar observation that Epic puts men first — from ἄνδρα μοι ἔννεπε to arma uirumque, and on to 'Man's first disobedience'. Genres are gendered, and the epic genre is emphatically masculine, foregrounding males as protagonists and male preoccupations as its proper concerns, and in general validating and glorifying masculine spheres of activity and masculine values and priorities. Self-conscious commentary on this defining feature of epic is readily found within the genre — when Numanus Remulus advises the effeminate Trojans, 'sinite arma uiris et cedite ferro' (Aen. 9.620), the echo of arma uirumque has the effect of implicating the whole epic in his male chauvinism; only real men have a right to feature in the Aeneid, Remulus seems to suggest — but is most familiar from confrontation between epic and lower genres, love elegy in particular.