Fulminant liver failure, metabolic liver disease, and chronic liver disease have evolved as potential candidates for LCT trials. In liver failure, cryopreserved liver cells can be used, if a whole organ is not immediately available, as a bridge to recovery or as a bridge to liver transplantation. In liver-based metabolic disease, cell transplantation provides a less surgically invasive approach for patients who may not wish to undertake whole-organ transplantation. In chronic liver disease, auxiliary liver function might be used to ameliorate the symptoms of a patient awaiting a whole organ or in patients ineligible for major abdominal surgery. LCT has both real and theoretic advantages over whole-organ transplantation as discussed below. For these potential advantages to be fulfilled, clinical trials will need to successfully show that LCT is a safe procedure and can be undertaken in patients who are less ill. However, we believe that the single most important factor limiting the widespread clinical application of LCT is that there is currently no clinically applicable method to expand the liver cell population in vitro or to expand the transplanted cell population in vivo by induction of proliferation. This review will summarize the most recent scientific and clinical advances in LCT, explore the factors that are important for optimizing this therapy, and outline why donor liver cell repopulation in the host liver will be an essential criterion before LCT will fulfill its clinical potential.


Tidal geocenter motion has been previously ignored when developing ocean tide models from satellite altimetry. Accounting for tidal geocenter motion is necessary because the best orbit determinations for altimetric satellites position sea‐surface heights relative to the center of mass of the total Earth system, including the ocean tides. But the ocean tides are presumed relative to the Earth's crust and thus are effectively relative to the center of figure. By accounting for this effect, we find improved agreement between an altimeter‐based ocean tide model and bottom pressure recorder observations. The variance of differences between these two observations is reduced by 31% and 43% for the two tidal constituents with the largest contributions to geocenter variations, O1 and K1, respectively. With this accommodation the predicted contribution from altimeter‐based ocean tide models to geocenter variations is amplified by 15–22%, providing improved agreement with observations, especially for the K1 component.


Based on the path integral quantization of the light-cone {phi}{sup 4} field theory in 1+1 dimensions, a loop expansion is implemented. The effective potential as a function of the zero-mode field {omega} is calculated up to two loop order and its derivative with respect to {omega} is used to determine the vacuum expectation value of the field {phi}. The critical coupling constant at the occurrence of the spontaneous symmetry breaking is consistent with that obtained in the ordinary instant-form field theory. The critical exponents which describe the behavior of the susceptibility and the vacuum expectation value of {phi} near the critical point are evaluated from the effective potential. The one loop diagrams for the connected Green`s function are calculated in momentum space. The relevant equal-time correlation function is shown to be closely related.


Full of superlatives, the Antarctic continent has been represented as the most desert, coldest and wildest location of all places on earth; an apt location for archeology, a discipline often associated with adventure. To reflect on these considerations and critique the traditional ways of presenting Archaeology and Antarctica in science, LEACH-UFMG has proposed an alternative mediation that encourages communication with both. Using exhibits, plays, comic books, sticker albums, among others, the idea is to use the elements that normally make Antarctica and Archaeology interesting for people without, however, oversimplifying. Specifically in this paper we will report an experience that we had at Espaco do Conhecimento UFMG which was a sensorial exhibit, resulting from the collaborative work of Mediantar (Antarctica Medicine), Mycoantar (Antarctica Microbiology) and "White Landscape" (Antarctic Archaeology and Anthropology) projects, all carried out by UFMG. This exhibit called "Antarctic expedition" was on display from December 7th 2017 to May 20th 2018 and was visited by 30573 people.


Abstract This paper discusses and calculates the impact of the gyroscopic effect on the increase in the agricultural machine working assemblies' load on bearings of the chaff cutter type. This effect occurs under natural field operational conditions of this type of machine either during the change in direction of its movement or moving over irregular surface and is caused by a sudden change in the axis direction of quickly rotating masses. In a form of graph, there is a presentation of a mathematical model and exemplary results of simulation calculations for selected parameter values related to the movement and operation of machines with a high-speed drum. Calculations were conducted on the basis of analysis of technical data of working machines of the chaff cutter type. Conducted analysis of the agricultural machine working assemblies' load on bearings showed that these loads may temporarily increase even by ten times in case of the machine turn and eight times in case of moving over irregular of surface, considerably influencing their lifetime.


The work-integrated learning is the basic way to cultivate applied talents in higher vocational colleges. It is the common need of the development of higher vocational education and the development of industry and enterprise. However, there are many problems in the implementation process of workintegrated learning model in higher vocational colleges. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the problems in the process of implementing work-integrated learning mode, mainly due to the deviation of educational theory, the disconnection between working and learning, and the imperfect operation mechanism. In this regard, this paper proposes improvement from the following five aspects: establishing a sound legal system of work integrated learning, establishing a special coordinating body system, building a training and training joint system, promoting system and mechanism innovation and mobilizing the enthusiasm of enterprises. Through the above measures, the work-integrated learning model can be implemented in order to train high quality talents for the society. Keywords—Higher Vocational College, The Work-integrated Learning Model, The Cooperation of College and Enterprise, Problems and Strategies


The strange magnetic and electric moments of the proton are calculated. The proton is described in the framework of the constituent quark model. The form factors of the constituent quarks are derived using the NJL model of quarks and the numerical results are discussed in context with parity-violating electron scattering experiments.


(cid:1) -Conotoxins are subtype-selective nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) antagonists. Although potent (cid:1) 3 (cid:2) 2 nAChR-selective (cid:1) -conotoxins have been identified, currently charac-terized (cid:1) -conotoxins show no or only weak affinity for (cid:1) 4 (cid:2) 2 nAChRs, which are, besides (cid:1) 7 receptors, the most abundant nAChRs in the mammalian brain. To identify the determinants responsible for this difference, we substituted selected amino acid residues in the ligand-binding domain of the (cid:1) 4 subunit by the corresponding residues in the (cid:1) 3 subunit. Two-electrode voltage clamp analysis of these mutants revealed increased affinity of (cid:1) -conotoxins MII, TxIA, and [A10L]TxIA at the (cid:1) 4(R185I) (cid:2) 2 receptor. Conversely, (cid:1) -conotoxin potency was reduced at the reverse (cid:1) 3(I186R) (cid:2) 2 mutant. Replacement of (cid:1) 4Arg185 by alanine, glutamate, and lysine demonstrated that a positive charge in this position prevents (cid:1) -conotoxin binding. Combination of the R185I mutation with a P195Q mutation outside the binding site but in loop C completely transferred high (cid:1) -conotoxin potency to the (cid:1) 4 (cid:2) 2 receptor. Molecular dynamics simulations of homology models with docked (cid:1) -cono-toxin indicate that these residues control access to the (cid:1) -cono-toxin binding site.


The authors surveyed 458 young adults and examined the relationships among stress, self-differentiation, and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). They conducted multiple regression analyses to explore whether characteristics of self-differentiation (i.e., emotional reactivity and "I position") were related to NSSI after controlling for the effects of stress, as well as whether emotional reactivity and I position served as mediators in the stress–NSSI relationship. I position and emotional reactivity both contributed statistically significant variance to NSSI after accounting for stress. Moreover, both I position and emotional reactivity served as partial mediators in the stress–NSSI relationship. The authors discuss counseling and research implications.


automorphisms, the orbits of which are parameterized by X 2 [0; 1[. This allows us to reduce the Monge-Amp ere equation to an ordinary dierential equation with a limit condition. This equation can be explicitly solved for a special value 0 of . We work out the details for the two exceptional symmetric domains. The special value 0 seems also to be signicant for the properties of other invariant metrics like the Bergman metric; a conjecture is stated, which is proved for the exceptional domains.


The problem of an infinite plate oscillating harmonically in an infinite fluid with rigid, spherical substructure is considered. Expressions are obtained for the fluid velocity and substructure spin. The limiting cases of dilute and concentrated suspensions of rigid spheres are examined and estimates made of the depth of penetration of viscous effects.


A multiple-input-multiple-output dynamic system, whose inputs can not be measured online but data for the training of a neural network can be made available, is considered. A method of estimating those online immeasurable inputs is proposed based on a recurrent neural network model of the system and using the extended Kalman filter (EKF). An experimental stirred tank heater and a simulation model of a drying process are employed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method. The two systems are modeled using recurrent neural networks and the estimation of an unmeasured valve position in the case of the stirred tank heater and an unmeasured moisture content for the drying process is carried out using the EKF algorithm. The experimental and the simulation results substantiate the practical effects of the proposed method for a class of dynamic systems.


Every country tries to be independent in everything, above all things it is for this purpose needed to have a high level of the use of own power resources. In connection with a power crisis actual is a transition from traditional energy sources to complex introduction of alternative. The complex processing of peat was probed on a fuel and extracting humic substances for the production of fertilizers.. Кеуwords humic substances, peat, fertilizers, fuel, extraction.


Abstract Precipitation methods are commonly used for removing phosphorus compounds from wastewater. Chemical precipitation method, based on adding iron, aluminium or calcium salts to the treated wastewater, is often used. Another possible way of precipitating phosphates is metal dissolution method, which is presented in this paper. The main difference between these two methods is how the phosphate precipitating ions are introduced to the wastewater. This paper discusses advantages and disadvantages of the metal dissolution method in comparison with traditional precipitation methods. Differences in the secondary contamination of treated wastewater by iron ions, conductivity, total alkalinity and pH correction process; the use of recyclable wastes; and energy consumption are discussed.


To determine possible causes of reported differences between developmental competence of oocytes isolated from prepubertal (10‐ to 14‐week‐old calves) and adult cows, three parameters were analysed, comparatively, during in vitro maturation (IVM): (1) oocyte diameter, (2) oocyte energy metabolism, and (3) protein synthesis of oocytes and cumulus cells. Cumulus‐oocyte complexes were isolated from follicles of 3–5 mm in diameter in both age groups. Mean oocyte diameter was smaller (P < 0.02) in calves than in cows (118.04 ± 1.15 versus 122.83 ± 0.74 μm). During the first 3 hr of IVM, calf oocytes metabolised glutamine and pyruvate at lower rates than adult oocytes, but after 24 hr of culture, both molecules were metabolised at the same rate as for adult oocytes. A significant decrease in protein synthesis, as measured by [35S]methionine and [35S]cysteine incorporation was recorded after 9 hr of IVM in calf oocytes, while in adult oocytes a significant decrease in protein synthesis was detected only after 24 hr. After the first 3 hr of maturation, proteins of 130, 26, and 24 kDa were more abundant in adult than in calf oocytes, while a protein of 55 kDa was more visible in calf than in adult oocytes. At the same time, among proteins newly synthesised by cumulus cells, molecules of 405, 146, 101, and 77 kDa were more abundant in adults than in calves.


UNLABELLED
The purpose of this study was to assess the prognostic significance of the anterior commissure (AC) involvement in radiation therapy for T1-stage glottic squamous cell carcinoma.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Sixty-four patients comprising 50 with AC negative tumor and 14 with AC positive tumor, were retrospectively analyzed. Irradiation was administered using parallel opposed lateral portals and wedge filters from 60 to 70 Gy with 2 Gy daily fraction. The tumor doses were estimated by a computer or by an ionization chamber and a thermoluminescence dosimeter.

RESULTS
The 5-year local control rates of the AC negative and positive group were 89% and 58%, respectively. The actual dose on the AC was slightly lower than the expected dose which was calculated by a computer.

CONCLUSION
The AC involvement was one of poor prognostic factors. The under dosage which was caused by using wedge filters, might have had an effect on the local control.


Hair growth promoting compsn. comprises, as active ingredient, Substance P (I) or a related peptide of formula X-Phe-Phe-Gly-Leu-Met-NH2 (II), or their acid addition salts, plus a vehicle. X = pyroglutamic acid residue; a 2-5 amino acid peptide resin or a nucleoside. Pref. (I) or (II) is present at 0.005-0.1, (0.005-0.05) wt.-vol.%.


The mechanical stabilization of soil slopes by means of plant roots depends largely on the strength properties of the roots and their growth pattern within the soil.In particular area,the selection of indigenous plant species on the basis of their root properties is an essential part of biotechnical slope protection.Three plant species(Loropetalum chinense,Rhododendron latoucheae,Dalbergia millettii) were selected to determine the effects of shrub roots on slope stabilization in the geological hazards of landslide/debris flow,the mountainous area in Qinyuan County,Southern Zhejiang Province,China,which are dominant shrubs in mid-subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest.The results showed that plant roots had positive effects on shear strength of topsoil(≤15 mm).There was a power positive correlation between root shear resistence,root tensile force and root diameter.The root tensile strength of L.chinense and R.latoucheae had a power positive correlation with root diameter.No correlation was found within these indices in D.millettii.Fine roots were better than the coarse roots in contributing to stabilize sloping terrain and increasing the value of shear strength within topsoil.


Applicability of cord blood interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) and interleukin‐8 (IL‐8) as markers for early prediction of the onset of chronic lung disease (CLD) due to intrauterine infection was investigated in the present study.


Foods uptakes and Body Mass Index BMI of healthy young and old men were measured by self-administered questionnaires. Blood samples were taken at fasting times and levels of various plasma parameters were measured. There were no correlations between sucrose and sweet beverage uptakes and BMI or fasting blood glucose levels. No correlations were found between sucrose and sweet beverage uptakes and TG (triglycerides) or Low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol levels. Total amino acids, total non-essential amino acids, and total essential amino acids levels decreased in young men, who took more sucrose and sweet beverage. BMI significantly increased in young and old men whose insulin levels were high. There were no correlations between BMI or plasma parameters and the amount of energy, protein, lipid or carbohydrate uptakes. These results may suggest that in healthy non-obese young and old men sucrose and sweet beverage uptakes are not related to increase in BMI and any particular kind of food uptake is not related to increase in BMI.


The development of strategies, technologies and tools to enhance user collaboration around disasters has become an emergent field, that has triggered the integration of different technologies in order to efficiently drive decision making in emergency management (EM). In this paper, we critically review the existing strategies and technologies for EM and outline a new approach based on the functional integration of the mining of social networks with the capabilities of sensor networks to collect data and the availability of a dedicated telecommunication system to exchange information securely and reliably. The focus is placed on different strategies for decision support and for alert and information dissemination. Effectiveness of the proposed approach is validated by discussing performances of its implementation in a system for the prevention and the management of natural disasters developed with a regional research project.


OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated blood— brain barrier (BBB) integrity, using blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) markers, and assessed the practicality of these markers in the differential diagnosis of neuromyelitis optica (NMO) and multiple sclerosis (MS). METHODS: This was a retrospective observational study of consecutive patients presenting with acute phase NMO or MS (first attack or relapse). Haematological tests (including antiaquaporin-4 antibody levels) and CSF parameters (using primary component analyses) were undertaken; the correlation between BBB permeability and disease severity (by Expanded Disability Status Scale [EDSS] score) was examined. RESULTS: Levels of several markers of BBB permeability were higher in patients with NMO (n = 21) than in those with MS (n = 52). The CSF: serum albumin ratio (AR) was the one of the main differentiators of NMO and MS. Additionally, there was a significant correlation between AR and clinical severity for NMO but not for MS. CONCLUSIONS: Markers of BBB permeability were significantly higher in NMO patients than in MS patients. AR was the best marker for differentiating NMO and MS. Thus, measurement of BBB disruption markers (such as AR) might help to differentiate the diagnosis of NMO and MS in acute clinical settings.


The study aimed to evaluate the seasonal variation in dust accumulation on leaves and leaf pigment content of leaves of two tree species viz; Cassia fistula and Eucalyptus globulus growing in the vicinity of Jaypee cement plant Rewa (M.P.). The impact of cement dust was observed via biochemical attributes (chlorophyll contents) from leaves of Cassia fistula and Eucalyptus globulus. The result showed maximum dust deposition in winter followed by summer and rainy for both plant species. It was seen that total chlorophyll decreased with the increasing dust load of selected cement dusted plant species and compared with non-dusted plant species. The result shows significant correlation (negative) between dust load and pigment content in all three seasons. Thus plants can be used in the subsiding of cement dust pollution by acting as natural filters.


This article describes the results of research on the mobilization process of Ukrainian communities after introduction of martial law. This article characterizes the specifics of community mobilization within the framework of the approach "Community Resilience Interventions". Based on an analysis of relevant literature, the stages in the development of community resilience are identified as: 1) disruption of community functioning; 2) identification and assessment of community needs and resources; 3) skill development to promote and sustain resilience; and 4) restoration of community functioning. The study involved personal interviews with representatives of territorial communities from three regions of Ukraine. All had participated in this author's previous research on the topic. Five interviews were conducted in May and June of 2022. The purpose of the interviews was to identify what factors influenced a community's success at each of the stages, either to help or hinder the community mobilization process. The article reports the study respondents' own experiences in community mobilization in the four identified stages. The study findings give us reasons to conclude that commynity mobilization in emergency situations typically begins as an immediate community response to an emergent critical situation. However, each community's capacity to respond proactively depends on several factors that include: the geographic location of the community; the availability of resources to sustain the community in times of stress; the community's capacity to manage the resources available to them; the previous experience and skills of community members in coping with similar challenges; and the strength and stability of the community's social infrastructure in times of rapid change. The study identified the factors most likely to promote community mobilization in emergent crises, including: having a common goal; the effectiveness of leadership of local authorities; the degree of participation by community members; the degree of social support; and the prior experience of the community in solving challenging social problems.


Abstract Geografisk Tidsskrift, Danish Journal of Geography 98: 38–45. Water samples have been collected since 1969, at the Lavborg Bridge gauging station, on the river Ansager A in South-West Jutland. Different regression equations of concentration versus discharge have been tested. The regression equations are used together with daily discharges to compute the daily suspended loads. Comparisons between measured and computedloads for different periods when water samples were taken twice a day suggest that the 25 computed annual load values have an uncertainty of less than ± 10%. The variation in annual loads shown is therefore significant and probably caused by increased rainfall in the eigthies. The average total suspended sediment yield for the 25 year period was 7 t/km2/year, of which the organic load contributed 3.2 t/km2/year.


Detergent fluid waste is the useless product produced during the laundry process. Generally, the detergent waste is directly throw away to the water channel. In this research, the waste potential as the alternative energy is evaluated. Because of detergent is one of derivative product of crude oil, therefore it can be mixed with ash and charcoal and utilized as the electrolyte material for dry cell. In this research several types and composition of detergent waste such as solid, liquid and powder are analyzed. It was shown that the average voltage and the electric current produced by dry cell are 0.7 V - 0.8 V and 0.7 mA-1.3mA, respectively. The experiment results show that the higher of detergent concentrate, the larger electric current will be produced. Furthermore, using the same volume of electrolyte material, the battery using coconut shell mixed charcoal produces larger electric current than that using rice husk mixed charcoal.


The topographic condition is complicated in loess hilly area,and the laws of the ground movement and deformation caused by the mining of the underground coal seam is different from those in the Campagna.The paper takes Tongchuan mining area as a representative example.The laws of ground movement and deformation in loess hilly area caused by the mining of underground coal seam are studied by means of the finite difference method computation software(FLAC3D).The study indicates that the ground movement and deformation not only characterizes the displacement component moving toward the gob of coal mine,but also the displacement component moving downward the hillside.The mining of the underground coal seam in the same direction as that of the slope can be retarded,to some extent,and even control the ground movement and deformation caused by mining.


A new theory is presented for vibrational dephasing in a molecular liquid. It is shown that the vibrationally excited molecule relaxes through interaction with the collective orientation density fluctuations in the liquid. By making suitable approximations the vibrational dephasing time and the infra-red absorption lineshape are expressed in terms of the intermolecular potential and the Van Hove correlation function of the liquid F(k, t). In this way measurements of F(k, t) made, for example, by neutron scattering or molecular dynamics can be used to calculate vibrational dephasing times. It is shown that the low-frequency part of the infra-red spectrum within about 10 cm-1 of the band centre corresponds to diffusional motions in the liquid, on a distance scale appropriate to the first peak of the fluid structure factor S(k). Both self and exchange relaxation processes are described and the spectral distortions arising from slow molecular motions are evaluated. It is shown that unless the spectrum corresp...


GRB explosions are believed to be collimated, rather than spherical [1]. An indirect argument that supports this is based on the high values of energy output in gamma-rays (∼M c2) when considering a spherically symmetrical explosion. That kind of values are hard to produce in a model with stellar progenitor. Precise observations of an afterglow lightcurve can lead us to a more direct evidence: a break in the lightcurve. That can be well explained by considering a jet with a half-opening angle θj, moving initially at a relativistic speed with a high Lorentz factor Γ ∼ 100 − 1000. Because of the relativistic beaming effect, the radiation emmited from the jet is beamed in an half-opening angle θb = 1 Γ in the direction of motion. The expanding jet is surrounded with a medium that causes the jet to decelerate. This results in an increasing value of the angle θb. Shortly after the prompt GRB emission we can not distinguish between a spherical and collimated explosion due to strong beaming, since θj > θb. But after some time, θb becomes larger than the opening angle of the jet itself. At that point the radiation flux drops and we can see that as an achromatic break in a lightcurve.


The United Nations plays a key role in overcoming one of the major challenges and harnessing one of the greatest opportunities facing humankind today—bridging the digital divide, both among and within countries.


The Alternating Directions Method of Multipliers (ADMM) ([BPC+11]) paradigm for distributed optimization assumes that the objective of an optimization problem splits into two additive components which are separately easy to optimize. Here, I generalize the ADMM paradigm to problems with an arbitrary number of additive components in the objective, and ask the question: how can we partition the optimization problem to promote speedy convergence?


Medical schools have increasingly come to recognize the relevance of the behavioural sciences in their preclinical teaching programmes. Generally included under this rubric are disciplines such as psychology, sociology, anthropology, psychoanalysis, neurophysiology, and ethology; it is most suitably defined as 'the integrated study of the biological, psychological and socio-cultural facets of human behavior' (Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry, 1962). Several published accounts of newly introduced courses attest to the widespread growth of this discipline in medical education. A particular spurt was provided through the acceptance by the Royal Commission on Medical Education (1968) of the Royal Medico-Psychological Association's (1968) recommendation that the advances in the scientific study of normal as well as abnormal behaviour be incorporated into the medical curriculum. In the planning of a new course, several issues require consideration: the nature of the educational objectives ; who should provide the instruction; at what point in the curriculum the course should be taught; and how the course should be integrated into the student's general medical education. The most crucial issue is the first-mentioned the specification of objectives. Once these are clear, the remaining questions are more readily resolved. It is precisely in the area of objectives that most published accounts on the teaching of behavioural science have devoted the least attention. Goals are either not cited or are pre-


After numerical simulation and analysis on wave, tide and siltation under influence of local topography and geomorphology, two layout plans for designing salvage base wharf are put forward. One of them is that layout is near shore area of wharf, another is that layout is in the offshore area. After comprehensive comparison an economic and reasonable plan is determined.


Ketogulonicigenium vulgare DSM 4025, known as a 2-keto-L-gulonic acid producing strain from L-sorbose via L-sorbosone, surprisingly produced L-ascorbic acid from D-sorbitol, L-sorbose, L-gulose, and L-sorbosone as the substrate under a growing or resting condition. As the best result, K. vulgare DSM 4025 produced 1.37 g per liter of L-AA from 5.00 g per liter of L-sorbosone during 4 h incubation time at 30 °C under the resting cell condition having 5.70 g per liter of wet cells. The precursor of L-AA formation from D-sorbitol and L-sorbose, except for L-gulose, was thought to be the putative furanose form of L-sorbosone. This is the first time it is reported that bacteria can produce vitamin C via L-sorbosone.


Forensic accounting is a specialization that is projected to grow rapidly, and courses for which are in great demand. While accounting faculty are familiar with cases that could be used to illustrate instances of and investigations into financial statement fraud, the full scope of forensic accounting includes consideration of other crimes and misdeeds. Hence, this Salmagundi article suggests an approach by which students can be introduced to forensic accounting areas such as occupational fraud, corruption, cybercrime, money laundering, the Fraud Triangle, whistle-blowing, and giving testimony, by providing a list of historical cases and resources in various media for the forensic accounting course instructor's use.


Employees play a substantive role in taking many decisions in organizations. Whether the decisions made with regards to the employees are just is occasionally questioned. The behaviors of the employees against justice began to be analyzed, as justice being taken seriously in organization. (Serdar ÇÖP et al.,2008) Without a perception of justice and fairness, organizations will have great difficulty in motivating and guiding employees. Organizational fairness demonstrates the administration's respect for employees and produces a bridge of trust that ultimately strengthens the employees' commitment to the organization employees who feel that their employing organization is fair and just in dealing with workers will encourage trust and loyalty ., and this will ultimately increase the organizational commitment of the worker. ( Lambert,2003) © 2014 Elixir All rights reserved ARTICLE INF O


Switching capacitors is one of the ways by which voltage instability due to large increment in induction motor loads can be prevented. A new analysis technique is proposed that helps to relate the capacitance and the slip at the instant of switching with the rotor dynamics following the switching and consequently voltage stability. This approach can be used to choose appropriate capacitances to be switched at the induction motor terminals to prevent its stalling following a sudden load increment. This approach has been extended to a general power system where the induction motor is connected at one of the load buses of the system.


The purpose of coupling Microfiltration (MF) with the catalytic process is to separate suspended catalyst from a reaction solution. In this study, submerged ceramic membranes were used. Different operating modes of MF in combination with photocatalysis were investigated: (1) MF separation of the suspended catalyst without UV irradiation and reaction; (2) MF in connection with UV irradiation and active photocatalytic reaction, whereby the catalytic activities of TiO2 catalytic particles were determined and the catalytic reaction rates of suspended particles were compared with that of deposited particles as a cake layer on the membrane surface.The results of the first operating mode showed that a minimum cake layer of deposited catalytic particles on membrane surface was achieved which subsequently exhibited 10 % decline of normalized permeability by controlling the permeate flux.The TOC degradation by the photocatalytic activity with immobilized catalyst was obtained in the range between 61 % and 82 % while with the 0.5 g.L-1 catalytic particles in suspension the measured values was 91.2 % within a period of 2 hours irradiation in both investigated systems.


Prospects for the study of Higgs boson pair (HH) production in the HH→ bb̄4l (l = e, μ) channel are studied in the context of the High Luminosity LHC. The analysis is performed using a parametric simulation of the Phase-2 CMS detector response provided by the Delphes software and assuming an average of 200 proton-proton collisions per bunch crossing at a center-of-mass energy of 14 TeV. Assuming a projected integrated luminosity of 3000 fb−1, the expected significance for the nonresonant standard model (SM) HH signal is 0.37 σ ; a 95% confidence level (CL) upper limit on its cross section is set to 6.6 times the SM prediction. The statistical combination of five decay channels (bb̄bb̄, bb̄ττ , bb̄γγ , bb̄WW, bb̄ZZ) results in an expected significance for the SM HH signal of 2.6 σ and an expected 68% and 95% CL intervals for the self-coupling modifier κλ = λHHH/λ SM HHH of [0.35,1.9] and [−0.18,3.6], respectively.


A total of 75 pyogenic samples were collected from patients examinated for pyogenic infection in Sednawy hospital and Elmokhtaber laboratories. S. aureus isolated from pleural fluid out of five S. aureus (+ve coagulase, MSSA) exhibits resistant against all the concentration of Ciprofloxacin 0.5-20, Gentamycin 0.5- 5.0 µg/100µl and Amikacin 1 µg/100µl. The highest potent of phytoextracts either extracted by water or methanol was detected by clove comparing with mint, thyme, sage and garlic, whereas garlic essential oil gave completely abolish of S. aureus (P.F). The highest synergism was obtained in combination between the lowest inhibitory concentration of Gentamycin 10 µg/100µl  or Vancomycin 1 µg/100µl or Amikacin 2.5 µg/100µl with thyme Eso (1:3), which resulted to increase the efficacy by 4.4 or 1.5 or 1.6 respectively  comparing to recommended dose of the tested antibiotics alone. Increasing the concentration of garlic essential oil (GEso) from 10 up to 100 µl/well increment the efficacy of inhibition up to 10, 3.7 and 4.5- fold when standard dose of Gentamycin, Vancomycin and Amikacin were used individually against S. aureus P.F. The minimum bactericidal concentration of garlic essential oil was recorded at 2 µl/ml as it resulted to reduce the count to be 0.04%. Analysis of garlic essential oil by GC-MS dedicated six sulfur compounds represented 88.8644% of total detected compounds in garlic essential oil.


The following table is a continuation of those issued as Documents HW-22687, HW-22984, HW-23185, HW-23528, HW-23677, HW-24020, HW-24379, and HW-24718, giving data for those slugs which ruptured in June 1952. 2 tabs.


DOCUMENT RESUME EA 030 021 Chambers, Jay G. Geographic Variations in Public Schools' Costs. Working Paper Series. National Center for Education Statistics (ED), Washington, DC. NCES-WP-98-04 1998-02-00 74p. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, National Center for Educational Statistics, 555 New Jersey Avenue, N.W., Room 400, Washington, DC 20208-5654; Tel: 202-219-1831 (Free). Numerical/Quantitative Data (110) Reports Research (143) MF01/PC03 Plus Postage. Comparative Analysis; *Cost Estimates; *Educational Finance; Educational Needs; Elementary Secondary Education; National Surveys; Needs Assessment; Profiles; *Public Schools; School Demography; Tables (Data) This report addresses the following question: How much more or less does it cost to provide the same levels of educational resources across different geographic locations in the United States? To answer this question, the report develops a comprehensive geographic cost-of-education index (GCEI) that focuses on the prices of inputs (personnel and nonpersonnel items) used in the provision of school services purchased by schools. This approach builds on previous work and uses a "hedonic wage" model to examine the overall patterns of variation in the salaries and wages of certificated and noncertificated personnel. The model provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the various factors that underlie variations in the patterns of employee compensation. Using the model, a comprehensive geographical cost-of-education index was constructed for each school district in the U.S. for each of three school years: 1987-88, 1990-91, and 1993-94. The most dramatic finding was the differences across states in the access to educational resources and services and the relationship between actual and real (cost-adjusted) spending. Results show that the highest cost district in the U.S. spends more than 2.6 times as much as the lowest cost district to recruit and employ similar school personnel. (RJM) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ******************************************************************************** NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS Working Paper Series Geographic Variations in Public Schools' Costs Working Paper No. 98-04 February 1998 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as /T received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. :44ivek.Z....:4;.....11. .,4 m. 4, . zeo 1 f . .'.f''' ' .".51 0 .


Accurately determining power consumer harmonic contribution determination is an effective method to solve power quality disputes and alleviate harmonic pollution of power grids. This paper proposes a multi-harmonic sources harmonic contribution determination algorithm based on data filtering and cluster analysis. Aiming at the problem of background harmonic fluctuation, this paper uses the cross-approximation entropy (CAE) algorithm to filter the effective data segments of the harmonic voltage and current at the point of common coupling (PCC) to avoid the interference caused by background harmonics. For the problem of harmonic impedance changes of system, using the density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN) clustering algorithm to detect the harmonic impedance changes of the system. The harmonic contribution under different system harmonic impedance is calculated based on the data of each class cluster. The accuracy of the proposed method is improved compared with existing methods. The experimental analysis demonstrates the effectiveness and superiority of the algorithm.


Along with the rapid development of knowledge economy and information technology,a new competitive situation is shaping with the representative of expanding 3G technology,LTE (Long Term Evolution) and 4G technology.Global communications equipment companies are taking constant innovation in technology,management to occupy a leading position in the global information process.To learn from telecommunications MNCs'practices and experiences in the field of intellectual property,such as creation,business and management,has an important significance for our government to implement the national intellectual property strategy,promote the information industry development,participate in world competition,and develop independent intellectual property rights.


From the Publisher:
This Guide will effectively prepare users to obtain the Certified Novell Administrator (CNA) certification sought after by so many top companies. Clear, comprehensive coverage of exam objectives means an in-depth exploration of NetWare. The many hands-on projects and running case projects that close each chapter ensure that users will practice the most common and useful skills as they learn.


This paper discusses the theoretical framework to deal with financial derivatives, with the aim of understanding the use of financial options for stocks, and their valuation process, by the method of Black Scholes. It has the purpose of generating a series of instructions which, once applied in the program R-Project, yields the value and generates the results in a quick and easy way, as is needed for the analysis in the decision making process.


(AlCrNiTiZr)Nx high-entropy nitride coatings with enhanced hardness are prepared by reactive magnetron cosputtering. The chemical composition, microstructure, as well as mechanical and tribological properties of the coatings are studied systematically. With N2 flow rates from 0 to 16 SCCM, the nitrogen content of the coatings increases to 55.7 at. % and the phase structure changes from amorphous to face-centered cubic. The hardness of the coating increases, obviously, with an increase in the nitrogen content. When the nitrogen flow rate is 12 SCCM, the coating has the highest hardness of 31.77 GPa and the lowest wear rate of 1.23 × 10−5 mm3/(N m) at room temperature. The wear resistance results show that all the hardness, adhesion strength, and damage tolerance contribute to the coating's wear resistance.


In recent years, research on the methods for heat transfer enhancement in heat exchangers has received great attention in order to cater for the growing needs of higher efficiencies in these devices. Corrugated surface geometry is one of the many suitable techniques to enhance the heat transfer in heat exchangers. When fluid flows in a corrugated channel, the flow becomes disturbed due to growing recirculation regions near the corrugated wall, which enhances the mixing of fluid as well as heat transfer. On the coolant side, the use of nanofluids, a liquid in which nanoparticles are added to a base fluid, can also enhance the heat transfer due to the improved thermal conductivity of the fluid. The basic geometry of the present problem consists of corrugated channel which included velocity inlet condition and temperature of 300K, pressure outlet condition while slip velocity was ignored. Top and bottom walls for the test section are subjected to a constant heat flux of 10kW/m2 while adiabatic boundary condition is applied to the remaining walls. A numerical simulation is performed on thermal performance comparison of a corrugated channel with three corrugation profiles. Semicircle, triangular, and mixed are considered as corrugation profiles for corrugated walls of channel using nanoparticles volume fractions of Al2O3 and Reynolds number ranging from 0 to 0.06 and 10,000–30,000, respectively. Moreover, the results of triangular and mixed corrugated channel are compared with Semi-corrugated channel. Governing equations are discretized by using a finite volume method (FVM) and SIMPLE algorithm. The second order upwind scheme is applied and standard k-ε turbulent model with standard wall function is selected. The results showed that the Triangular channel has the average Nusselt number greater than 1.3 times of mixed shape (Semi-circular + Triangular) and 1.7 times of Semi-circular corrugated channel. Finally, it was found that among corrugated channels, the triangular channel provides the highest thermal performance followed by the mixed shape (Semi-circular + Triangular) and Semicircular corrugated channels.


Since early Chosun Dynasty the revitalization of relations with Japan yielded Busan port, after that political and economical exchange centered on Waegwan developed Busan in the late Chosun Dynasty and modern age. In this paper I considered the history of the relations between Busan and Tsusima in the large frame of relations with Japan in the early Chosun Dynasty and pursued the historical implication. Chosun court finished a severance of diplomatic relations with Japan immediately after national foundation and reopened diplomatic relations at the governmental level. Accordingly, Dongrae and Busan received new destiny and developed trade city of the border area. Since then, Busan became a window of diplomacy and trade with Japan as one of the Sampo(three ports). By Jeongmi Agreement of 1547, Busan became the only open port and its role and importance strengthened more. In the late Chosun Dynasty, trade and diplomatic affairs between the two countries were almost conducted in Busan Waegan. After Tonsinsa(Korean delegation to Japan in Chosun Dynasty) has been stopped in 1811, the working-level diplomatic relations at Busan Waegwan continued until 1872. So We can say the exchange composed at Busan Waegwan is a symbol of good-neighbor relation between Korea and Japan in the Chosun Dynasty.


Objective To investigate the situation of antibiotic resistance and β-lactamase Production of Hemophilus influenzae (Hi) clinical isolates from children in Naijing area.Methods The authors cultured,isolated and identified the Hi strains K-B disc difusion and E-test for antibiotic resistance were performed for these clinical isolate.Results The average rate of β-lactamase production among 203 strains of Hi was 44.83%(91/203).For Hi isolates,the rates of resistance to ceftazidime,cefotaxime,ceftriaxone,meropenem,azithromycin,ampicilin,SMZ/TMP were 7.87%,10.34%,7.39%,7.87%,2.96%,7.39%,49.75%,and 51.23%,respectively.Conclusion The antibiotic resistance Hi isolated from children in the area have become a severe problem. The rate of resistance to ampicilin,SMZ/TMP had been increased compared with the last two years.The mechanism of the antibiotic resistance to ampicilin is β-lactamase production of Hemophilus influenzae.The Hi isolated were more susceptible to the ceftazidime,cefotaxime ceftriaxone,meropenem,azithromycin.


Objective To observe the effects of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) on the damage of inner ear and hearing loss induced by adrenaline and also to monitor changes in hormone levels related with stress,so as to evaluate effects of HBO on hearing damage and related stressors.Methods Twenty-four male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 3 groups:the blank control group,the adrenaline group and the adrenaline plus HBO group.Infusion of adrenaline through the access of middle ear for a succession of 5 days till hearing loss was induced,while the animals in the control group were only given physiologic saline.After completion of medication,the animals in the HBO group received HBO therapy 1 session / a day for 3 consecutive days,and the animals in the other 2 groups were left untreated for natural recovery.Changes in hearing thresholds in rats were detected through monitoring of evoked auditory brainstem response (ABR).After termination of the experiment,the animals were sacrificed for detection of serum hormone levels.Results The administration of adrenaline through the access of middle ear could elevate the hearing threshold of the rats.The final hearing threshold of the rats in the HBO group [(26.01 ± 7.95) dB] was lower than that of the adrenaline group [(39.69 ± 8.26) dB] (P < 0.05).Cortisol level in the animals of the control group was the lowest,followed by the animals in the HBO group.The cortisol level in the animals of the model group was the highest.Conclusions HBO therapy could alleviate hearing damage of the rats induced by adrenaline.Cortical levels were closely associated with the seriousness of hearing damage.

Key words:
Stress ;  Glucocorticoid;  Hyperbaric oxygen ;  Adrenaline;  Hearing damage


1. The sodium and potassium content of longissimus dorsi (lumbar), psoas major, rectus femoris, triceps (lateral head) and extensor carpi radialis from 6 pigs each at pork, bacon and manufacturing weights were determined: these varied significantly and systematically between muscles and between groups. 2. Since the concentration of potassium may differ by at least 30% between muscles, it is concluded that assessment of total muscle mass may be inaccurate if based on the integration ofγ-ray emission from 40K.


System (1) for position determination of a spoiler for a motor vehicle in a particular location consisting of a spoiler with an associated transmission (2) which is so formed that the spoiler is brought into a predetermined position, said transmission (2) via a shaft (3) is driven, characterized in that means (4) are provided which prevent rotation of the shaft (3) from its associated with the particular position of the spoiler position out.


W HITEHEAD (1963) suggested that certain growth regulators which have a mode of action that appeared to be antagonistic to the gibberellins might be used to pro~ect plants from extreme environmental conditions imposed by wind and drought. One of a group of chemically unrelated compounds fulfilling this criterion is (2-chloroethyl)trimethyl ammonium chloride (CCC), which has been studied extensively as a growth inhibitor (Tolbert, 1960a and 1960b). Unlike maleic hydrazide, CCC retards stem elongation without causing malformation of the plant (Halevy, 1963). The growth-retarding properties of CCC have been investigated on many species, both monocots and dicots. .Although Tolbert's original report concerned a bioassay with wheat seedlings, he did show a growth retardation in barley (Tolbert, 1960a). In addition to the obvious shortening of wheat internodes, he reported shorter, broader, and greener leaves, earlier tillering, and slight increase in seed yield. Other workers (Humphries, 1963) have reported significant decreases in yield with similar or lowe~ concentrations of the retardant. The anatomical manifestation of CCC treatment is an increased cell wall thickness and increased number of vascular bundles in the stem (Mayr and Presoly, 1963). Tolbert states that, as a general greenhouse observation, plants treated with CCC seem to require less water, are more resistant to wilt, and have a higher salt tolerance. Wheat seedlings have been shown to overcome the harmful effects of excess salts if the seed is soaked in a 0.5% solution of CCC for 14 hours, dried, and planted (Miyamoto, 1962a). Similarly, CCC gives wheat seedlings considerable resistance to an excessively acidic or alkaline soil condition (Miyamoto, 1962b). More recently, El Damaty, Hfihn, and Linser (1965) have shown CCC-treated wheat seedlings to be more tolerant of high water stress due to salinity or low moisture than nontreated seedlings. In an experiment involving different irrigation schedules and moisture stress, they failed to alter the transpiration coe~cent with CCC. The experiments described in this paper were conducted to study the vegetation responses, yield characteristics, and water use of barley treated with CCC.


AbstractThe former village of Cowlam lies on the Chalk Wolds of the old East Riding of Yorkshire at SE/965657. When the village earthworks were threatened with destruction in the early 1970s, the late T.C.M. Brewster carried out a series of rescue excavations for the East Riding Archaeological Research Committee. He examined the remains of four structures within the 'courtyard farm' complex of one croft. His excavations demonstrated that this courtyard farm represented the amalgamation of two earlier croft units, probably at some time towards the end of the medieval period.Three of these four structures had ground plans of typical 'longhouse' form, with dwarf chalk footing walls and opposed central doorways. Their similarity of form raised problems of their respective functions and the changing role of buildings within the complex. The wide range of artefact material recovered from the vicinity of these buildings provided additional evidence for their use.The pottery demonstrated that this courtyard farm ...


This paper presents a methodology for structuring families of models expressed at multiple levels of resolution and integrating them into a coherent whole. The importance of such structuring for model reusability and interoperability has been well discussed by Davis [5]. Thismultiresolution methodology was demonstrated in a prototype application to a family of models from the US Army CECOM library. The approach is based on a research in modelling and simulation methodology that has been in process since the early 70's and which has produced a framework and supporting software environment to manage the complexity of large system modelling and simulation. In what follows, we shall rst review the basic framework and concepts underlying formal approaches to multiresolution model construction. This is followed by a discussion of the application and conclusions that are drawn from it.


Landscape changes accompanied by changes in soil properties occur in Central Siberia as a result of forest fire, surface processes and human impact. A non‐steady‐state technique tested the thermal properties of Siberian soils. Thermal conductivity of thawed soil increases in the active layer at depths of 5 and 30 cm after fire, especially in the organic layer due to an increase in density. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Foreword Kuni Miyake 1. Risk Management and Cyber Risk in the Financial Services Sectors : an Overview Ruth Taplin 2. A taxonomy of cyber crime in the financial sector: a comprehensive approach to countermeasures Monica Lagazio 3. Big Data Analytic Tooling and Cyber Risk Management Cint Kortmann 4. Cyber Risk and Managing Risk in the United States Ruth Taplin 5. Cyber Security of Financial Sectors in Japan, South Korea and China Motohiro Tsuchiya 6. Medical Big Data - cyber risk/crime in the financial services Marcin Czech 7. Cyber Risk and Data Protection in Polish Financial Sectors Malgorzata Skorzewska-Amberg 8. Dealing with Cyber Risk in Japanese Financial Institutions Ruth Taplin


The essence, possibilities and pre-conditions of application of statistical methods ( index analysis,correlation-regressive analysis) for publishing activity Lviv Polytechnic National University is described in the article. The example of the practical use of method of cross"correlation"regressive analysis is resulted.


A tactile hearing aid was modified to test the ability of lateral inhibition to sharpen the perceived tactile display. The aid was based on amplitude- and time-quantized speech. The digital frequencies in the processes signal were detected and displayed via a linear array of electrodes using biphasic constant current pulses. In the lateral inhibition scheme the active electrode inhibits other electrodes that are plus or minus three electrodes away from it. Inhibition and no-inhibition schemes were tested with the two schemes in a forced choice test. No statistically significant difference could be detected between the two display schemes for the test material.<<ETX>>


Introduction (problem statement and relevance). Limited oil reserves and tightening environmental standards are forcing engine manufacturers to switch to alternative fuels in the near future, among which hydrogen is the most promising. The advantages of hydrogen are high specific heat of combustion and high combustion rate. Wide concentration limits of hydrogen combustion make it possible to use high-quality power control, thereby providing an increase in the efficiency of a hydrogen engine when compared to the basic internal combustion engine.The purpose of the study was to ensure the operation of a serial gasoline engine running on hydrogen with a new experimental fuel supply system, as well as the modification of the intake manifold design without abnormal phenomena during combustion when operating on a lean mixture, and to obtain efficient and ecological characteristics of a hydrogen engine under bench test conditions, as a result.Methodology and research methods. The work is experimental, the reliability of the results obtained is confirmed by the use of modern means for measuring and processing experimental data. The obtained results of measuring nitrogen oxides are adequate to the known Zel'dovich thermal mechanism. The value of the results lies in the fact that they show the feasibility of transferring serial internal combustion engines to hydrogen; in addition, these results are used to develop and verify mathematical 3D models of the hydrogen engine working process.Scientific novelty and results. A new system providing the necessary characteristics (pressure, duration and cycle dose) for supplying hydrogen to the intake system with two injectors for each cylinder was designed, installed and tested on the prototype engine.Practical significance. The expediency of the working cycle creation and efficiency of a hydrogen engine with an experimental lean-burn fuel supply system was confirmed, which made it possible to provide high-quality power control with external mixture formation and forced ignition.


An analysis is presented of the cross regulation performance of multioutput series resonant converter (SRC) topologies using multiwinding transformers. The steady-state cross-regulation characteristics are derived using state-plane techniques and illustrated by examples of two-output SRCs with capacitive and inductive filters. The characteristic curves show that over some range of output currents, the cross regulation performance of the SRC with the inductive filter is much improved over the SRC with the capacitive filter and less dependent on the tolerances in the leakage inductances and the level of loading on the unregulated outputs. The converter control characteristics of the SRC with the inductive filter are relatively unaffected by the addition of the second output. The theoretical results were verified by simulation.<<ETX>>


The infant larynx differs significantly in size and position when compared to the adult larynx. At birth, the infant larynx is approximately one third the size of the adult larynx, however, the infant larynx is proportionately larger than the adult larynx compared with the remainder of the tracheobronchial system. The vocal process of the arytenoid takes up half the length of the vocal cord in the infant larynx, while it only takes up about ¼ of the length of the vocal cord in the adult. The narrowest portion of the airway in the older child and adult is the glottic aperture, while the narrowest part of the airway in the infant is the subglottis. The subglottis in infants measures approximately 4.5 by 7mm. A diameter of 4.0 mm is considered the lower limit of normal in a full term infant and 3.5 mm in a premature infant. One millimeter of edema circumferentially in the subglottis reduces the cross-sectional area by 60%.


We can perceive the subjective ternpo of a periodical burst signal train. With the Japanese language which involves a weak stress accent and relatively monotonical disposition of the syllables, the tempo sensation has a close relation with the speech quality. But it is not clear how the tempo sensation is affected by the physical characteristies of the signal, and which position of the signal wave


Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) have become important in many marine engineering applications, such as environmental monitoring, pipeline inspections, or oceanography. For these types of applications, most of the AUVs available in both academia and industry are shaped like a torpedo and travel at speeds of 3 knots or higher. There is an growing interest in AUVs that are capable of performing tasks at both low-speed as well as high speeds. Currently, many torpedo-shaped AUVs are not capable of controlled low-speed motion. This paper presents a simulation model for the low-speed motion of torpedo-shaped AUVs. The model is capable of simulating the surge, sway, heave, and yaw motions. The hydrodynamic forces acting on the AUV hull are modelled using strip theory, experimental data, and computational fluid dynamics. The simulation model was implemented using a commercially available software and validated using experimental data obtained from the Gavia AUV. The results show that the simulation model captures the AUV motion at low-speed and agrees well with the experimental data.


counted in 2008 on electronic voting machines made and serviced by two companies – Diebold and ES&S. According to the excellent article by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. that follows this page, "Was the 2004 Election Stolen?," those two companies have close ties to the Republican Party. The Chairman and CEO of Diebold in 2004 was a major Bush campaign organizer and donor who wrote in 2003 that he was "committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year." RFK Jr.'s article documents that the Diebold machines contributed to switching enough votes from Kerry to Bush in Ohio to deliver Ohio's electoral votes to Bush and change the outcome of the election. This has been corroborated in books by Greg Palast, Mark Crispin Miller and many others, and in a scientific report by the Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law. These sources also document that electronic voting machines, especially Direct Recording Electronic voting machines (DREs), are highly vulnerable to the corruption of their vote recording and tabulating functions. A much safer method of voting – and having those votes recorded and counted – is the use of paper ballots counted by precinct-based optical scanners (called a PBOS system). PBOS systems also happen to be cheaper than DREs for all but the smallest precincts. Since the Democrats did better than expected in the 2006 election, you might believe that voting machines are no longer a problem. However, as Greg Palast reported in a November 2006 article, "How They Stole The Mid-Term Election," it wasn't that the election wasn't stolen, it was just that it wasn't stolen "big" enough (i.e. there wasn't enough fraud to overcome massive public disgust with the current administration). Ensuring that the upcoming elections truly reflect the will of the people of the United States is vital. Your help is needed to roll back the push to have votes counted on vulnerable DREs in 2008. Please inform yourself by using the sources listed below and then spread the word as widely as possible. New York would be better off keeping its existing levermachine system rather than switching to DREs for the 2008 election. (Some activists and legislative leaders are working toward that end, see below. ) But, since federal authority may supercede that of the states, it is even more important to take action nationally rather than locally.


Disciplinary histories of anthropology in Europe generally recognize World War I as an important caesura. Most attempts at periodization locate the be-ginnings of the discipline among Enlightenment philosophers, travelers, and missionaries, and then proceed to a phase in the nineteenth century characterized by the paradigm of natural history, moving toward evolutionary theory. It is also the phase of anthropology's increasing institutionalization, primarily in learned societies and museums. Th is continues up to 1914 —and there the narrative tends to break off , picking up again in the interwar period.


Objective: To study the optimum extracting factors of Bushenjiangu Capsule. Methods: Uniform Design was used to arrange experiments, Ursolic acid content was used to evaluate the factor levels, and the optimum extracting factors were determined according experiments and realities. The orthogonal design was used to study three factors including crude drug size extracting time and amount of water. water extracted rate and alcohol extracted substance were used to evaluate the result. Results: The optimum alcohol-extracting factors were 8 times of 70% alcohol, percatating 48 hours. The optimum water-extracting factors were 1cm or smaller the crude drug size, boiling 3 times: 3h,2h,1h, each time, the amount of water was 10,8,6 times. Conclusion: According the optimum extracting factors, the effective substance can be extracted abundantly.


A growing concern over health risks associated with food products has prompted revisions in Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards (SPS) in industrialized countries. The SPS agreement under WTO defined its standards as measures taken to protect human, animal and plant health from risks associated with imported agricultural commodities. Sudan is characterized by heavy reliant on agricultural activities in terms of food, contribution to GDP, agro-processing, employment, and export earnings. Groundnuts is an oilseed and second most important agricultural export commodity, groundnuts have characterized by annual fluctuations and decline in quantities imported by the EU. This study has employed a gravity-equation model to estimate the impact of changes in differing levels of standards based on the EU standard and those suggested by international standards, using trade and regulatory data for European countries and Sudan during 1980-2010. The results suggest that the implementation of the new aflatoxin standard in the EU is significantly reduced Sudan exports of groundnuts to Europe; trade elasticity of aflatoxin standard is -0.201 and statistically significant. Moreover, the simulation results based on the assumption that these EU countries adopt the total aflatoxin level recommended by CODEX show that Sudan would have gained an estimated expectation of groundnuts export earnings as many as 1752 times or more from its exports to these countries from 1980 to 2010. Due to the stringent standards applied by these countries, however, this percentage amount represents the forgone export revenue for Sudan. These findings support the hypotheses that stringent SPS standards are limiting, in general, agricultural trading markedly. The EU standard, which would reduce health risk by approximately 1.4 deaths per billion a year, will decrease Sudan exports by approximately 1000percentin contrast to regulation set at an international standard. Finally, the study concluded with the need for technical and financial assistance to Sudan to help match the requirements imposed by SPS measures. A further conclusion, set in relation to the external promotion policy package for groundnuts export, internal policies need to endorse by policy makers, to support strengthening the agricultural sector.


This study aims to analyze how the Corporate Social Responsibility disclosure at PT. Steel Pipe Industry of Indonesia, Tbk from year 2013-2015. Does the disclosure applied already appropriated with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) regulation. Case study method was applied in this study. In addition, the type of data used in this study was secondary data; it was gotten from the company year report, while the primary data were gotten from the interview result of related company party. The result of study claimed that the disclosure of Corporate SocialRresponsibility at PT. Steel Pipe Industry of Indonesia, Tbk year 2013, 2014, and 2015 had implemented well. Moreover, the disclosure implementation in every year also tended in better level. It was because the CSR disclosure applied Global Reporting Initiative in indicator, economic, social, and good environment.


ObjectiveTo determine the distribution of the single neucleutide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene in Chinese Han population. Methods252 healthy Chinese Han subjects were studied with PCR technique. The results were compared with the data on European Caucasians reported. ResultsThe frequencies of VEGF gene allele C and A were respectively 71.8% and 28.2%. The genotypes of CC, CA and AA were 48.8%, 46.0% and 5.2%, respectively. The frequencies of VEGF promoter 2578A/A polymorphism in Chinese Han population were significantly different from those in European Caucasian population( P 0.01). Conclusion2578A/A homozygote which results to low VEGF expression of Chinese Han subjects is remarkably less than that of European Caucasians.


The hybrid axial magnetic bearing with permanent magnet bias is designed for magnetically suspended flywheel (rating angular momentum is 20 Nms @ 5,000r/min, rotor mass is 4.7kg) used for high-precise stabilization of spacecraft attitude. The influences of the number of winding turns, area of pole face, magnet thickness and air gap on magnetic force, current stiffness, position stiffness and nonlinearity are all shown by the characteristic curves of force-area of pole face-air gap, force-magnet thickness-area of pole face, force-air gap-magnet thickness, current stiffness (or position stiffness)-area of pole face-air gap, current stiffness (or position stiffness)-magnet thickness-air gap, and current stiffness (or position stiffness)-magnet thickness-area of pole face.


The purpose of this study is to determine the total optical thickness for different atmospheric extinction and for different wavelengths through the visible region. A portable Avantes AvaSpec ULS 2048X64-USB2 spectrometer was used, over Bangi (2° 55' N, 101° 46' E, and 50 m above sea level) in Malaysia. Experimental techniques, sample observation, are presented for obtaining atmospheric extinction from spectrometer measurement. The study has revealed that the total atmospheric extinction for the wavelength 400 nm,500 nm, 600 nm, and 700 nm under cloudless sky was successful obtained by Langley methods.


Research interest on biocompatible gold nanoparticles has been highly increased in recent years for potential applications in nanomedicine due to their fascinating sizedependent chemical, electronic and optical properties. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with their biological inertness combined with various physical properties have accomplished an astonishing impact in the biomedical field within a short span. Some of its relevant applications like photothermal therapy, drug delivery, photodynamic therapy, gene therapy, biolabeling, biosensing, etc., are revolutionizing the field of biomedicine that attracts enormous research attention. In this chapter, we are mainly discussing the current applications of gold nanoparticles in biomedicine and the properties that enable them to be a prospective candidate in the same field.


Abstract
Purpose
Drawing upon the concepts of transmodernity, pluriversality and border thinking the author stands in a more practical fashion for the co-creation of an-other performative CMS which fosters the decolonization of (critical) management studies – as a way to contribute "to concretely changing the world(s) for the better" (as claimed by the organizers of the symposium "should critical management studies get anything done?" held at the Academy of Management Meeting in 2012 in Boston).

Methodology/approach
From a more practical and less opaque perspective on border thinking it is shown how and why border thinking can both enable and constrain critical scholars and people to move across the borders of the colonial difference and from Eurocentric modernity toward transmodern pluriversality.

Findings
The current performative turn of CMS fails to address the agency of critical knowledge as a potential reworking of Occidentalism which can be mobilized to "manage" the rise of alternatives and knowledges from the rest of the world in general and from emerging economies in particular.

Originality/value of chapter
Border thinking as a crucial concept from the coloniality/modernity research program from Latin America is taken as an important contribution from the colonial difference to the co-creation of decolonial management studies (DMS), an-other performative CMS which fosters the construction of a world in which many worlds and knowledges can coexist as a way to change it for the better.


Objective To compare the short-term effects of various treatments of gastroduodenal ulcer perforation.Methods A retrospective analysis of 254 patients with duodenal ulcer perforation from Jan.1996 to may.2003 in our hospital was made. Results There were significant differences in the time of passing flatus, hospital stay, medical cost, and complication rate between the non-operation group and the operation group, and between the repair group and the radical group. Conclusion Nonclusions Non-operation treatments were safer and more reasonable for duodenal ulcer perforation if they were used in strict indication. If the patient must be operated on, closure of perforation is recommended. Laparoscopical closure may be the best surgical choice.


In this paper, the boundary behaviour of a reproducing kernel, introduced by Henkin, for strictly pseudoconvex domains is studied. As an application, an improved version of a known result about generators of certain maximal ideals is given.


In our time when a number of recovering temples and monasteries is increasing and it takes a lot of money on rebuilding their profusion, the most diffi cult problems of the spiritual revival of the parish's life, the creation of true community and truly clear and choir often recede into the background. In this context the appeal to the life of the Regent, about 60 years served in the choir, not wanting assessment of her merits, without receiving a salary is especially important. It's important to understand that the service of God, fi rst of all, you need to make prayer a prayer, thanking God for such a high calling and not only as a choral performance, revealing the talent of the composer and conductor and means to assert himself.


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Sugar beet is a potential source of pectin, competitive with traditional sources, that has recently acquired great relevance for its interesting covalent gelling and applications in food and biomedical industries. Pectins from three Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) commercial cultivars (Cadet, Coronado large, and SV MEI) were grown under irrigated desertic conditions and the influence of cultivar, on pectin yield, composition, physicochemical and gelling characteristics was investigated. The composition and chemical properties of pectin from the three cultivars were in general, statistically different, especially in the Syngenta Cadet cultivar, presenting higher protein (10.3%), neutral sugars (21.6%), galacturonic acid (55%) and ferulic acid (5.5 mg/g) content, which are important parameters for gel formation. All pectins gelled via oxidative coupling and the main ferulic acid dimers found were 8-5′ and 8-O-4′. Pectin from Cadet cultivar formed gels with higher hardness (6.65 N) and adhesiveness (12.2 N) values than the other two varieties. The results indicate that pectin composition is affected by the sugar beet cultivars reported herein, especially in ferulic acid content, which confer the covalent gelling capability. Sugar beet cultivars grown under desert conditions could be a source of gelling ferulated pectins for the food industry, as valuable as those obtained in temperate conditions.


Background: Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are the cornerstone of treatment in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Each DMARD has its own characteristics (e.g. onset of action, route of administration and dosing frequency). Treatment decisions should ideally be made through a shared decision making (SDM) process between clinicians and patients, taking account of patient preferences (1,2). This requires an understanding of patient preferences. A number of studies have explored DMARD preferences of patients with RA (3). However, insight into values underlying DMARD preferences that may drive patients' treatment decisions is still lacking. Such information is relevant for clinicians in order to better understand patient preferences. Ultimately, this will facilitate the SDM process. Objectives: To provide insight into values underlying DMARD preferences of patients with RA. Methods: A secondary analysis of transcripts from three focus groups in patients with RA. Two researchers independently analysed the transcripts, using thematic analysis with an inductive approach. Results: Twenty-three patients participated in the focus groups. They had a median age of 62 years (range: 36–78 years), 87% were female and the median disease duration was 11 years (range: 2–42 years). Three values were identified: certainty, independency and safety. Certainty: patients wanted to be certain that the DMARD would work for them. DMARD characteristics that represented this value were onset of action and efficacy. Independency: a DMARD that could easily be fitted into patients' everyday lives was considered important. Route of administration, dosing frequency, location of administration and storage conditions were DMARD characteristics that represented this value. Safety: patients wanted to prevent health damage related to their DMARD use. DMARD characteristics that represented this value were chance of side effects, severity of side effects and consequence of long term use. Conclusions: Certainty, independency and safety are important values to patients with RA. These values underlie DMARD preferences that may drive patients' treatment decisions. This deserves attention in the SDM process. References 1. Singh JA, Saag KG, Bridges SL, Jr., Akl EA, Bannuru RR, Sullivan MC, et al. 2015American College of Rheumatology Guideline for the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Arthritis Rheumatol2016;68:1–26. 2. Smolen JS, Landewe R, Bijlsma J, Burmester G, Chatzidionysiou K, Dougados M, et al. EULAR recommendations for the management of rheumatoid arthritis with synthetic and biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs: 2016 update. Ann Rheum Dis. 2017;76:960–77. 3. Barton JL. Patient preferences and satisfaction in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with biologic therapy. Patient Prefer Adherence2009;3:335–44. Disclosure of Interest: None declared


Abstract High quality of railway track construction is a major priority. One of the quality elements is the resistance to load of railway formation with individual structural layers caused by negative temperatures during the critical freezing period of winter. Numerical modelling allows obtaining more control outputs at different climatic loads. The presented paper shows the load of railway track model with different variants of climate and shows the importance in the designing of the non-transport load under negative temperatures, i.e. observation of transition of the zero isotherm through the layers of railway subgrade. If the subgrade layers of the railway formation are built with high quality and durability then the axis of the track will keep its geometric spatial position during the long-time operation.


Passive transfer tests are helpful in ascertaining the etiologic factors in patients with severe allergic symptoms due to asthma and other allergic disorders. The majority of these patients are receiving antihistamine drugs and ADRENALIN®, which interfere with the direct positive skin tests. Etiologic factors will be uncovered which do not appear on direct skin tests, and the results of therapy will be gratifying.


Physical-environmental factors govern the fluctuations of ecosystems, especially the long term changes, but how these fluctuations effect the species is not clear yet. It can be expected that the immediate factors in the dynamics of a species are essentially biological ones through the feeding process, and that physical factors are remote causes of these relationships. Perhaps multispecific models have the defect of limiting themselves to trophic relationships, ignoring the fact that these depend, at least in the long term, on physical environmental factors.


The invention discloses a circulating cooling water filling purification system which comprises a reservoir, a pre-ozone contact tower, a coagulative precipitation tank, a post-ozone contact tower and an electrochemical processor which are sequentially communicated, wherein a filter is arranged between the post-ozone contact tower and the electrochemical processor; an ozone generator is arranged between the pre-ozone contact tower and the post-ozone contact tower; the water outlet of the post-ozone contact tower is connected to the water inlet of the filter; the electrochemical processor is communicated with the reservoir; the reservoir is communicated with a circulating cooling tank; the circulating cooling tank is connected to a domestic water supply pipe network; a water filling pump is arranged on a pipeline between the reservoir and the circulating cooling tank; a high-low level gauge is mounted in the circulating cooling water tank; and the water filling pump and the high-low level gauge are connected to a distributed control system (DCS) in a control room. The circulating cooling water filling purification technology disclosed by the invention can be used for improving the operating efficiency and concentration multiple of circulating water, and is beneficial to energy conservation and emission reduction; moreover, the purification device is also conductive to relieving equipment corrosion during working, and the serve life of the equipment is prolonged.


Antagonism of α1-adrenoceptor-mediated vascular contraction by urapidil was examined in helical strips of femoral and mesenteric arteries isolated from 13-week-old Aoki spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and age-matched normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats, since this agent has antihypertensive effect through antagonizing peripheral α-adrenoceptors. Schild plot analyses clearly demonstrated the existence of only α1-adrenoceptors in these arteries from both strains. Therefore, it is possible to demonstrate α1-adrenoceptor blocking effects of nonselective α1-adrenoceptor antagonists as well as selective α1-adrenoceptor antagonists. Urapidil antagonized the α1-adrenoceptor-mediated vascular contraction in a competitive fashion. The pA2 value for urapidil against α1-adrenoceptors was not significantly different between SHR and WKY rats. The addition of 10−5 M norepinephrine (NE) produced a sustained contraction in a SHR femoral artery, whereas in a WKY rat femoral artery this agonist produced a transient contraction followed by a sustained relaxation. Urapidil elicited a dose-dependent relaxation with a IC50 value of 6.50 in the SHR femoral artery precontracted with NE. In the presence of 3 ± 10−7 M timolol, a β-adrenoceptor antagonist, femoral arteries from both strains exhibited similar magnitude of contraction in response to the stimulation with 10−5 M NE. Under these conditions, urapidil elicited a similar extent of relaxation between SHR and WKY rats. On the other hand, the addition of 10−5 M NE produced a sustained contraction in mesenteric arteries from both SHR and WKY rats. The contraction expressed as a ratio to the maximum developed by KCI depolarization was significantly greater in SHR than in WKY rats. In these arteries, the relaxing effect of urapidil was more evident in SHR than in WKY rats. Contractile responses to NE and relaxing effects of urapidil were not affected by timolol. These results suggest that urapidil effectively antagonized enhanced α1-adrenoceptor responses seen in SHR arteries.


Background MicroRNA‐210 (miR‐210) increases in hypoxia and regulates mitochondrial respiration through modulation of iron‐sulfur cluster assembly proteins (ISCU1/2), a protein that is involved in Fe/S cluster synthesis. However, it is not known how miR‐210 affects cellular iron levels or production of heme, another iron containing molecule that is also needed for cellular and mitochondrial function. Methods and Results To screen for micro‐ribonucleic acids (miRNAs) regulated by iron, we performed a miRNA gene array in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes treated with iron chelators. Levels of miR‐210 are significantly increased with iron chelation, however, this response was mediated entirely through the hypoxia‐inducible factor (HIF) pathway. Furthermore, miR‐210 reduced cellular heme levels and the activity of mitochondrial and cytosolic heme‐containing proteins by modulating ferrochelatase (FECH), the last enzyme in heme biosynthesis. Mutation of the 2 miR‐210 binding sites in the 3′ untranslated region (UTR) of FECH reversed the miR‐210 response, while mutation of either binding site in isolation did not exert any effects. Changes mediated by miR‐210 in heme and FECH were independent of ISCU, as overexpression of an ISCU construct lacking the 3′ UTR does not alter miR‐210 regulation of heme and FECH. Finally, FECH levels increased in hypoxia, and this effect was not reversed by miR‐210 knockdown, suggesting that the effects of miR‐210 on heme are restricted to normoxic conditions, and that the pathway is overriden in hypoxia. Conclusions Our results identify a role for miR‐210 in the regulation of heme production by targeting and inhibiting FECH under normoxic conditions.


Parallel file systems (PFS) are commonly used in high-end computing systems. With the emergence of solid state drives (SSD), hybrid PFSs, which consist of both HDD and SSD servers, provide a practical I/O system solution for data-intensive applications. However, most existing PFS layout schemes are inefficient for hybrid PFSs due to their lack of awareness of the performance differences between heterogeneous servers and the workload changes between different parts of a file. This lack of recognition can result in severe I/O performance degradation. In this study, we propose a heterogeneity-aware region-level (HARL) data layout scheme to improve the data distribution of a hybrid PFS. HARL first divides a file into fine-grained, varying sized regions according to the changes of an application's I/O workload, then chooses appropriate file stripe sizes on heterogeneous servers based on the server performance for each file region. Experimental results of representative benchmarks show that HARL can greatly improve the I/O system performance.


Van Putten & Della Valle (2018) have reported a possible detection of gravitational-wave 'extended emission' from a neutron star remnant of GW170817. Starting from the time-frequency evolution and total emitted energy of their reported candidate, we show that such an emission is not compatible with the current understanding of neutron stars. We explore the additional required physical assumptions to make a full waveform model, for example, taking the optimistic emission from a spining-down neutron star with fixed quadrupolar deformation, and study whether even an ideal single-template matched-filter analysis could detect an ideal, fully phase-coherent signal. We find that even in the most optimistic case an increase in energy and extreme parameters would be required for a confident detection with LIGO sensitivity as of 2018-08-17. The argument also holds for other waveform models following a similar time-frequency track and overall energy budget. Single-template matched filtering on the LIGO data around GW170817, and on data with added simulated signals, verifies the expected sensitivity scaling and the overall statistical expectation.


The invention describes a large pumped storage power plant, the upper reservoir 11 is principally a natural body of water and the lower reservoir consists of several lying in great depth deep memories 1a. The connection is made by a hydraulic shaft 8, into a plurality of (in the picture, there are four) floors is divided. At the bottom of the resulting pool B The pump turbine "PT4" on the top basin B4 thereby produces an overflow of the basin B4 via the overflow 16 into the outer tank 11 and the pump-turbine in the lowest pT1a basin B Only these pT1a pump turbine in the lowest tank B1 must 1a operate with a time-decreasing back pressure, namely that of the emptying depth buffer; the other pump-turbines, however, are always working between - except for fluctuations - constant level heights. The turbine operation is carried out with the same level ratios in the reverse direction. The invention is directed to a storage operation in great depth and allows the use of standardized and optimized pump turbines.


Photovoltaic (PV) facade, an envelope of the building in an urban area, can potentially produce clean electricity to meet the energy demand of the buildings and also provides protection from weather. This paper focuses on the application of PV technology on vertical facade of the building which is considered as an element of building-integrated PV. The aim of this study is to assess the feasibility with regard to performance evaluation of PV vertical facade based on the built-up model of a high-rise building in Malaysia using system advisor model. The best four vertical facade orientations for PV application in climatic condition of Malaysia are east, west, southeast and southwest as these facades received the highest incident irradiance. Based on the typical high-rise office building in Malaysia, the energy generated through the vertical PV system is between 400 and 700 MWh, whereas the energy generated by the roof system is ~240 MWh annually.


[ISSN: 2045-7057] www.ijmse.org 21 Abstract— In the present study, the exergy transfer characteristics of forced convection through an elliptical duct with internal longitudinal fins under constant wall heat flux for hydrodynamic and thermally fully developed laminar flow have been considered. Affecting parameters such as heat flux rate, Reynolds number, aspect ratio (α*) and relative length of fin (L*) are studied for exergy destruction. It is concluded that with the increasing relative length of fin (L*) values, non-dimensional exergy flux and non-dimensional heat transfer rate at fixed Reynolds number increases, with increasing wall heat flux values, non-dimensional exergy flux increases, however, non-dimensional heat transfer rate decreases and with increasing aspect ratio (α*) values, total non-dimensional exergy flux and non-dimensional heat transfer rate at fixed Reynolds number decreases.


The structure of the quadruple hydrogen bond formed by ureido-pyrimidinone moieties is investigated in dimerised model compounds, as well as in a supramolecular polymer, by solid-state 1H double-quantum (DQ) NMR spectroscopy under fast magic-angle spinning (MAS). This NMR method combines the sensitivity of 1H NMR chemical shifts to the strengths of hydrogen bonds with quantitative information about dipole–dipole couplings between pairs of protons. Thus, two-dimensional 1H DQ MAS spectra provide particularly detailed insight into the arrangement of hydrogen bonds and allow proton–proton distances to be measured. For the supramolecular polymer, a thermally induced irreversible tautomeric rearrangement of the hydrogen-bonded moieties is elucidated in the bulk material. This process is associated with an Arrhenius activation energy of (145 ± 15) kJ mol−1, which can be
rationalised in terms of hydrogen-bond dissociation and the reorientation of the supramolecular polymer chain.


As an important trend of international higher education, the pursuit of the world-class university has become the common choice for many countries and regions. The same is true for Taiwain, China. Taiwan has also launched a plan to develop world-class universities and a best research region. The plan aims at maintaining and improving Taiwan's international competition capacity, and it is also a result of Taiwan's higher education development. This paper analyses the strategies of this plan, including the vision, objectives, and funding and evaluation mechanisms. The implementation of this plan will undoubtedly help to raise Taiwan's international reputation in higher education, and to enhance the overall capacity of Taiwan's education.


Tapioca is one of starch product that is widely produced in Indonesia. The use of tapioca, especially from modern industry, as an ingredient of various food products (such as fish cake, crackers) is often limited by physicochemical characteristics, for example, swelling power, solubility, and viscosity causing limitation in its use. Therefore, tapioca needs to be modified to yield the desired characteristics. In this research, tapioca is modified through fermentation using microorganism. Starch modification via fermentation provides new chemical groups or change of shape, size and molecule structure. The fermented starch is made from fresh cassava planted by National Laboratory of Starch Technology (B2TP) in Lampung-Indonesia and starter of fermentation is lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Fermentation is carried out for five days at room temperature. Fermentation product is dried under the sun. The quality stabilization of fermented starch is observed through its functional characteristics including paste clarity, swelling power, and expanding capability. The research conducting in flask scale in B2TP obtains fermented starch with a relatively stable characteristic, especially in expanding capability, around 3.07-5.26 mL/g. The quality stabilization of fermented starch has to be maintained to preserve the desired product characteristics.


The crypto and digital assets ecosystems have attracted investment, regulators, and speculators to their environment. As the blockchain-based framework can reduce transaction costs, generate distributed trust, and enable decentralized platforms, it has become a potential new base for decentralized business models. Previous studies have highlighted the advantages and drawbacks of each platform, such as interest rates, cost concerns, transparency issues, hacking issues, and hazards. Consequently, it is challenging for investors to evaluate the cryptocurrency trading system which determines the optimum exchanges and crucial aspects. Therefore, in order to rank the optimal digital token trading system, this paper develops an evaluation architecture to determine the various token trading systems. The developed architecture integrates fuzzy theory and the best-worst method (BWM) into the decision-making process to assess decision behaviors regarding preference for digital token trading systems in investors in Taiwan. First, this work establishes the views and parameters by modifying the Delphi method based on a literature review and survey. Second, the fuzzy-BWM is applied to obtain the fuzzy weights of the views and parameters. Then, defuzzification and BWM are used to rank the optimal alternatives of the digital token trading systems for investors. The results indicate that the optimal digital token trading system is the decentralized platform, and the critical parameters are gas fees, interest rates, and the mechanism of savings under fuzzy uncertain scenarios. This means that when considering the uncertain and ambiguous characteristics of the expert decision process in digital token trading systems, the evaluation is decentralized and the gas fees are the most important parameter in the digital token investment platform. Academically, the fuzzy BWM-based decision-making architecture can provide corporations and investors with valuable guidance to rank the optimal digital token trading systems based on fuzzy uncertain scenarios. Commercially, the proposed architecture could provide corporations and investors with a useful model to measure the optimal digital token trading system.


The spatial intensity distribution of 8.9‐GHz longitudinal ultrasonic pulses propagating along the trigonal axis of LiNbO3 has been measured between 80° and 475°K by means of Brillouin scattering. The absolute attenuation coefficient Γ varied from 8±1 dB/cm at 80°K to 31±2 dB/cm at 475°K. Above 150°K, the attenuation could be fitted by Γ=0.53T0.66 dB/cm. Examples are given of other applications of the scattering technique.


The utility model discloses a grooving device of a floor grooving machine. The grooving device of the floor grooving machine comprises a connecting rack, a support rack and a grooving wheel, the connecting rack is fixed at one side of a stand, the connecting rack is provided with a support rod, a round hole is formed in one end of the support rack, the support rod passes through the round hole, a connecting hole is opened in the support rack body, the grooving wheel is arranged at the other end of the support rack, and the grooving wheel is fixed with the support rack through a bolt which runs through the connecting hole. The grooving device of the floor grooving machine is simple in structure, convenient to mount and low in use cost; the grooving wheel is fixed through connecting the connecting hole in the support rack with the support rod.