A new coarse-mesh rebalance method is developed and tested to accelerate one-dimensional discrete ordinates neutron transport calculations. The method is based on the use of rebalance factors that are angular dependent and defined only on the coarse-mesh boundaries. Unlike the original Coarse-Mesh Rebalance (CMR) method that is only conditionally stable, Fourier analysis and numerical results show that this Angular Dependent Coarse-Mesh Rebalance (ADCMR) method is unconditionally stable for any optical thickness, scattering ratio, and coarseness and that the acceleration is very effective in most cases.


ABSTRACT Unsupervised segmentation of hyperspectral images is an important problem in the field of image processing with many applications, including scene labelling of remote-sensing images and object detection in medical images. However, the high-dimensionality of hyperspectral images poses considerable challenges in this problem. In previous studies, to deal with high-dimensionality, band selection has been performed as a separate step before image segmentation. In this approach, however, information loss can occur because band selection methods do not consider the segmentation task when they select the bands. In addition, in most segmentation tasks, the fact that the number of segments of the image needs to be given before the segmentation task is also an issue. To address these challenges, we propose a method for simultaneous segmentation of hyperspectral images and selection of important bands that are highly involved in the segmentation task. The proposed method, called a mixture of finite maximum margin mixtures, combines a mixture of finite mixtures, which allows the number of segments to be automatically inferred from the data, and a maximum margin classifier, which allows a flexible segmentation and tractable inference on the segmentation labels. Furthermore, we simultaneously select useful bands that help with the segmentation during the segmentation procedure by introducing a latent binary vector that represents discriminating or non-discriminating bands. We demonstrate the advantages of the proposed method using four real datasets.


Background: Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a potentially life-threatening dilated cardiomyopathy of uncertain origin. The prevalence varies across the world with Nigeria being one of the countries mostly affected, particularly the northern part, possibly due to puerperal practices such as consumption of natron containing porridge. Objective: This study was designed to examine the effect of natron (kanwa) on lipid profile and haematological parameters of post-partum rats exposed to natron. Methods: A total of 30 post-partum rats were randomly divided into five groups (I-V) of 6 rats each. Group I served as control, Group II-V were treated with 50mg/kg, 100mg/kg, 200mg/kg and 300mg/kg of natron for a period of four (4) weeks respectively. At the end of the experimental period, the animals were anesthetized and blood samples were collected for lipid profile and hematological studies. Results: The findings of the work revealed that treatment of rats with natron at 100mg/kg, 200mg/kg and 300mg/kg body weight caused significant decrease (p?0.05) in some lipid profile and some hematological parameters such as white blood cells count and percentage lymphocyte. There were no significant (p 0.05) alterations in both lipid and hematological parameters of rats treated with 50mg/kg of natron. Conversely, atherogenic index significantly increased (p<0.05)in group III IV and V in comparison to control. Conclusion: The study suggests that consumption of natron may be link to the increased risk of artherosclerosis and affect the immune function in post-partum animals. Keywords: Post-partum cardiomyopathy, Natron, Lipid Profile, Haematological parameters


The invention belongs to the technical field of macromolecule plastics, and particularly relates to a long-carbon-chain nylon pipe and a preparation method thereof. The long-carbon-chain nylon pipe is prepared from, by weight, 55-95 parts of long-carbon-chain nylon resin, 1-30 parts of a liquid plasticizer, 1-5 parts of an antioxidant, 1-5 parts of a lubricant and 1-4 parts of a light stabilizer. The long-carbon-chain nylon resin, the antioxidant, the lubricant and the light stabilizer are mixed and then added into a double-screw extruder, then the liquid plasticizer is added, and extrusion granulation is performed to obtain the long-carbon-chain nylon pipe. Various prepared hoses for automobiles have the strong toughness, can resist thermal oxidation, light oxidation, oil and the like, and are high in cost performance and suitable for being popularized on the national automobile market.


4743 Background: The complex syndrome of cancer cachexia is multifactorial in origin and several cytokines may be involved in its aetiology. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the relationship between serum tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and cachexia in patients with prostate cancer (CaP), and their prognostic significance.

METHODS
The levels of TNF-α and IL-6 were determined in serum samples from 26 patients with organ-confined CaP, from 54 patients with advanced or metastatic CaP and from 38 controls. High sensitive commercially available (ELISA) assays were used to determine cytokine levels. Serum IL-6 and TNF-α levels were correlated with serum albumin levels, hemoglobin levels, body mass index, clinicopathological variables and patient survival. The prognostic significance of the above parameters was assessed using univariate and multivariate Cox's proportional hazards model analyses.

RESULTS
Weight loss more than 10% over a 3-6 month period was seen in 7 of 54 patients (13%) with advanced CaP. The median levels of TNF-α and IL-6 were significantly elevated in cachectic patients with advanced prostate cancer (9.3 pg/ml and 6.7 pg/ml respectively) compared with patients with localized disease (1.3 pg/ml, and 1.9 pg/ml p< .001), or healthy subjects. The serum albumin levels, hemoglobin levels, and body mass index of the patients with elevated serum TNF-α and IL-6 levels were significantly lower (p< 0.001) than the corresponding values in patients with very low levels of both cytokines. TNF-α levels correlated with IL-6 levels, but there was no correlation between PSA levels and cytokine levels. With a median follow-up of 48 months, patients with elevated serum levels of both cytokines and cachexia had a significantly higher mortality rate (p < 0.05) than those with undetectable serum levels.

CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that TNF-α and IL-6 levels were correlated with significant cachexia and related to survival in patients with advanced prostate cancer, and could provide potential targets for the treatment of cancer cachexia. No significant financial relationships to disclose.


This paper sets the three bilateral trade flows (1999-2014) as the basis of analysis and adds trade system arrangement policy variable within the classical trade gravity model. It also constructs the panel data model of three bilateral trade between China,Russia and Mongolia. The empirical results show that (1) China and Russia bilateral trade increase apparently; China and Mongolia have a coordinated growth of bilateral trade; Russia and Mongolia maintain an uneven development of bilateral trade. (2) The three bilateral trade flows are largely driven by economies of scale, the relative distance and trade relationship. (3) Sino-Russia and Sino-Mongolia's bilateral trade belong to trade potential pioneering type and there is still a transaction gap which should be dug deeply. Russia-Mongolia's trade is close to the huge potential type, especially the Mongolia exports to Russia.


The aging process is a hardening process that aims to change the physical properties and mechanical properties of the material according to needs. This process is carried out by holding the heating process at a certain temperature for a certain period of time. Aluminium alloys have good mechanical properties. One way to improve the mechanical properties of a material is by hardening process. This aging process is one example of the hardening process. In this study, an artificial aging process was carried out on aluminium 6061 alloys. Analysis was carried out on the effect of aging temperature during the artificial aging process. Temperature variations used are 100, 125, 150, 175, 200C. The holding time is 1 hour. At the beginning of the process, heating with a heat treatment solution was carried out at 300C for 1 hour. Then quenching with water media. The next work process, heat treatment is carried out with the variations mentioned above. The last step is to do quenching again. Analysis of the mechanism is carried out on impact strength, hardness value and microstructure. The results of the analysis show that the best aging temperature range during the artificial aging process in 6061 aluminium alloys is at 150 to 200C. In this study, the best impact strength was produced at an aging temperature of 200° C, the best hardness value at an aging temperature of 150° C and a microstructure that contained the least precipitations at a temperature of 200°C. Keywords—Aging Processm Artificial Aging, Aluminium 6061, Temperature, Heat Treatment.


We study the properties of the local transverse deviations of magnetic field lines at a fixed moment in time. Those deviations "evolve" smoothly in a plane normal to the field-line direction as one moves that plane along the field line. Since the evolution can be described by a planar flow in the normal plane, we derive most of our results in the context of a toy model for planar fluid flow. We then generalize our results to include the effects of field-line curvature. We show that the type of flow is determined by the two non-zero eigenvalues of the gradient of the normalized magnetic field. The eigenvalue difference quantifies the local rate of squeezing or coiling of neighboring field lines, which we relate to standard notions of fluid vorticity and shear. The resulting squeezing rate can be used in the detection of null points, hyperbolic flux tubes and current sheets. Once integrated along field lines, that rate gives a squeeze factor, which is an approximation to the squashing factor, which is usually employed in locating quasi-separatrix layers (QSLs), which are possible sites for magnetic reconnection. Unlike the squeeze factor, the squashing factor can miss QSLs for which field lines are squeezed and then unsqueezed. In that regard, the squeeze factor is a better proxy for locating QSLs than the squashing factor. In another application of our analysis, we construct an approximation to the local rate of twist of neighboring field lines, which we refer to as the coiling rate. That rate can be integrated along a field line to give a coiling number, $\mathrm{N_c}$. We show that unlike the standard local twist number, $\mathrm{N_c}$ gives an unbiased approximation to the number of twists neighboring field lines make around one another. $\mathrm{N_c}$ can be useful for the study of flux rope instabilities, such as the kink instability, and can be used in the detection of flux ropes.


* Equal contributors and co-first authors. Received June 15, 2015; Accepted July 24, 2015; Epub September 1, 2015; Published September 15, 2015 Abstract: Background: Squamous cell carcinoma is a severe malignant tumor but was rare in the chronic osteo- myelitis. The purpose of this study was to present the results from a retrospective study the cases of squamous cell carcinoma arising from chronic osteomyelitis. Material and methods: Between 1974 and 2010, eight cases of squamous cell carcinoma after chronic osteomyelitis were treated. The patients had an average age of 55 years (range 45 to 66 years), with a male predominance (6 men and 2 woman). We analyzed the time up to canceriza- tion, localization and histopathological types of the carcinoma, and types and results of the treatment. Results: The mean delay between the initial injury and the diagnosis of malignant transformation was 28 years (range 8 to 50 years). The carcinoma resulted from tibia osteomyelitis in six cases, femur in one case and ankle in one case. The pathological examination showed two cases of a well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma with bone invasion and six cases of invasive squamous cell carcinoma. Curative amputation was performed in all patients but one who refused. No recurrence or metastasis occurred during follow-up time. Conclusion: Amputation appears to be an ef- fective treatment method in squamous carcinoma secondary to chronic osteomyelitis.


Creating Accessible Web Forms Volume/Issue Vol 5, Issue 4 Date Tuesday, 1 November, 2005 Journal Name MSOR Connections Author(s) Peter James Rowlett Emma Jane Wright Abstract One of the authors is conducting research into the types of adjustments Higher Education students with a visual or print impairment require in order to access educational materials, which includes data collection by quantitative questionnaires. This raises concern that questionnaires may be inherently inaccessible to the group to be investigated. The authors have therefore conducted pilot research into creating accessible web forms. DOI doi: 10.11120/msor.2005.05040008 File upload msor.5.4h.pdf [1] Taxonomy: work area Journals [2] Taxonomy: discipline


Objective To observe the influence of valproate sodium on cognitive function in adult epileptic patients.Methods The cognitive functions of 74 adult epileptic patients who received the valproate sodium therapy and 85 healthy controls were evaluated by means of Mini-mental state examination before the treatment and 6 months,1 year,2 years and 3 years after the treatment.Results The plasma drug levels of valproate sodium of all adult epileptic patients were in the normal range.The score of Mini-mental state examination:the scores of 11 items on adult epileptic patients were lower than those of healthy controls before the treatment(P0.01);the scores of 11 items on adult epileptic patients were lower than those of healthy controls 6 months,1 year,2 years and 3 years after the treatment(P0.05);the scores of 11 items on adult epileptic patients 6 months,1 year,2 years and 3 years after the treatment were higher than those of before the treatment(P0.05),but there was no significant difference among 6 months,1 year,2 years and 3 years after the treatment(P0.05);Among the adult epileptic patients,the scores of 11 items had no significant difference between primary and secondary epilepsy before and after the treatment(P0.05).Conclusions The cognitive functions of adult epileptic patients are decreased;and valproate sodium can improve the cognitive function of adult epileptic patients.


Title: The Role of the Oncostatin M-STAT6 Axis in Pulmonary Eosinophilia, Goblet Cell Hyperplasia, Airway Hyperresponsiveness and Pulmonary Fibrosis, Author: Dominik K. Fritz, Location: Mills


A Fabry-Perot cavity polarimeter installed in 2003 at HERA was designed to measure the longitudinal polarisation of the electron beam with high precision for each electron bunch spaced with a time interval of 96 ns. By interacting a high intensity laser (enhanced up to a few kW within the cavity) with the HERA electron beam it is possible to measure its polarisation with a relative statistical precision of 2% per bunch per minute. Detailed systematics studies have been performed and in particular a complete theoretical model has been developed in order to control at the per mill level the degree of circular polarisation of the laser beam. The result is a total systematic uncertainty of 1%. This is the first time that such a precision is achieved in the difficult, hostile and noisy environment of a particle collider.


The room temperature deformation behavior and microstructure of Ti_48Al_52 and Ti_52Al_48 alloys are compared. The material was fabricated by rapid solidification melt spinning, and examined in both as-cast and consolidated forms. The Ti_52Al_48 alloy exhibited enhanced strength and ductility in both forms in bend tests compared with the Ti_48Al_52 alloy. The microstructure of the Ti_52Al_48 alloy was two-phase γ–TiAl and α_2–Ti_3Al. The Ti_48Al_52 alloy was single-phase γ–TiAl and had a larger grain size than the previous alloy. The microstructure of the Ti_52Al_48 alloy after room temperature deformation consisted primarily of {111} mechanical twins and a /2110 perfect dislocations. The comparable Ti_48Al_52 alloy microstructure contained fewer twins, and many more a 101 and a /2112 superdislocations were present in addition to a /2110 dislocations. The superdislocations had dissociated and formed sessile faulted dipoles. The possible reasons for the differences in microstructure and mechanical behavior between these two alloys are discussed.


In this work, a novel carrier concentration adjusting insertion layer for InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells light-emitting diodes was proposed to mitigate the efficiency droop and improve optical output properties at high current density. The band diagrams and carrier distributions were investigated numerically and experimentally. The results indicate that due to the newly formed electron barrier and the adjusted built-in field near the active region, the hole injection has been improved and a better radiative recombination can be achieved. Compared to the conventional LED, the light output power of our new structure with the carrier concentration adjusting layers is enhanced by 127% at 350 mA , while the efficiency only droops to be 88.2% of its peak efficiency.


Beautification and conservation of our natural resources has be come a part of highway design and construction. W ith billions of dollars being spent on our interstate highway system, along with our other highways, it is reasonable and wise to use our highways for as many advantages as possible. Where feasible we should enlarge our rights-of-way to include scenic areas, and improve natural beauty for local peoples. Pleasure driving is by far the most popular pastime and constitutes 60 percent of all automobile travel. Local scenic areas should be made more easily available. The possibilities of this approach to the use of our highways can only stagger the imagination, but to consider these possibilities in building into our super highways, the limited access approaches and service roads is realistic at this time. The highway Beautification Act of 1965 is beginning to become a reality. Swiftly the Bureau of Public Roads is drafting standards and regulations for billboard and junk yard control. In an efficient and workman-like approach to a difficult job we are going to see within the near future considerable accomplishment in the obliteration of the unsightly junkyard, the automobile graveyard, and all the unnecessary billboards that now prevail along our highways. These efforts will protect and restore some of our now existing natural beauty of our highways and surrounding areas. It should open up for us an entirely new concept of appearance, maybe start the framework of an idea that will closer tie the thinking of the human being into a part of the natural beauty available to all of us. Maybe the traveling public will appreciate all this enough to refrain from, even protect, the littering of our rights-of-way with refuse and waste. Architect and engineer planners of our highways must consider the environmental surroundings of the future highways. Public opinion will no doubt insist on more attractive and careful architectural design ing of our urban and rural highways. Factual, realistic, and eco


In this study we examine to what extent people with disability participate in television news and how they are represented. We chose to examine one broadcast per day of SVT Public Service news prog ...


We describe a case of posttraumatic vertical diplopia and Horner's syndrome (HS). The patient presented 2 weeks post road traffic accident with acute onset double vision more in left gaze and right tilt. The left eye had mild ptosis. The apparent elevation deficit in the left eye in levoelevation was misinterpreted as left eye superior rectus paresis instead of right eye inferior oblique overaction and thus mimicked superior division third nerve palsy in the left eye. Anisocoria was more in the dark. Computerized tomography of the brain and orbit was normal. Magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spine showed left C6–C7 nerve root avulsion. A diagnosis of right fourth nerve palsy with left eye HS secondary to brachial plexus injury was made. We could not find a previous description of fourth nerve palsy with contralateral HS following trauma in the literature.


This work proposes high-performance critical visualization techniques for exploring real-time and historical traffic loop-detector data. Until recently, it has been difficult to discover trends, identify patterns, or locate abnormalities within the massive collection of traffic data. Many of the current visualization techniques do not scale to large data sets and are not practical for interactive visualization. We have developed an effective visualization system, Highway Operation Monitoring and Evaluation System (HOMES), for observing the summarization of spatiotemporal patterns and trends in traffic data. HOMES is designed for browsing the spatial-temporal dimension hierarchy via integrated roll-up and drill-down operations. The identified traffic patterns and rules can assist decision-making for transportation managers, establish traffic models for researchers and planners, and allow travelers to select commuting routes.


Laser vision systems have demonstrated to be useful in applications for autonomous navigation, structural health monitoring, manufacturing, reverse engineering, among others. A variant of these systems are the dynamic triangulation systems, where, these vision systems consist in a positioning laser, a scanning aperture and a fixed distance between them. The positioning laser points the laser beam over the surface to scan and it is detected by the scanning aperture. The purpose of this paper is to present the principle of operation of this system, the disadvantages when taking measures at different distances, and the implementation of the k-nearest neighbor algorithm (kNN) to solve these disadvantages.


By considering the sex ratios of Atlantic oysters of Canada and northern United States and by comparing these with the ages and average sizes of the oysters and with their degree of proximity to one another, the following conclusions are reached. The majority of oysters in any one population mature as males and later change to females. This change may be hastened by an environment favourable to growth or retarded by the proximity of older females. A marked oyster known to be male in 1930 was shown to be female in 1931. A few hermaphroditic oysters have been found. It was shown that self-fertilization in these is possible and it is believed that it may sometimes take place.


Selection of the kernel parameters is critical to the performance of Support Vector Machines (SVMs), directly impacting the generalization and classification efficacy of the SVM. An automated procedure for parameter selection is clearly desirable given the intractable problem of exhaustive search methods. The authors' previous work in this area involved analyzing the SVM training data margin distributions for a Gaussian kernel in order to guide the kernel parameter selection process. The approach entailed several iterations of training the SVM in order to minimize the number of support vectors. Our continued investigation of unsupervised kernel parameter selection has led to a scheme employing selection of the parameters before training occurs. Statistical methods are applied to the Gram matrix to determine kernel optimization in an unsupervised fashion. This preprocessing framework removes the requirement for iterative SVM training. Empirical results will be presented for the "toy" checkerboard and quadboard problems.


A spanwise magnetic field leads to turbulent drag reduction in channel flow of a conducting liquid due to the selective Joule damping of certain flow structures. This effect can be captured by a simple modification of Prandtl's classical mixing‐length idea. The mixing length over which a turbulent fluctuation loses its momentum is not only constrained geometrically but also by magnetic damping. We therefore introduce a magnetic damping length that is proportional to friction velocity and the Joule damping time. The limitation of mixing length is implemented by using the harmonic mean between wall distance and this damping length. By combining this ansatz with the van‐Driest model for turbulent stresses in channel flow we obtain a satisfactory prediction for the mean velocity distribution in magnetohydrodynamic channel flow with spanwise field for different Reynolds and Hartmann numbers. (© 2014 Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)


The cultivation of the students' quality in history teachinag could be achieved by means of the combination of classroom teaching and students' self-study of current social reality and original materials. Only by this could students and teachers display their creativity,could the students' quality be improved,and could we produce noble-minded personnel with high quality.


With the increase in life expectancy, death from cardiovascular disease has risen greatly. There is increasing evidence that inflammation plays an important role in cardiovascular disease. We postulate that the development of cardiovascular disease in old age is a late consequence of evolutionary programming for a pro‐inflammatory response to resist infections in early age. In 311 women, aged 85 yr old, the production of the pro‐ and anti‐inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α and interleukin (IL)‐10 was determined in lipopolysaccharide‐stimulated whole blood samples and studied prospectively in association with cardiovascular mortality. High TNF‐α was a risk factor for death from cardiovascular disease (relative risk [RR] = 1.56; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1–2.40), whereas high IL‐10 was protective (RR = 0.58; 95% CI: 0.40–0.85). A genetic variant of the IL‐10 gene promoter, which is associated with lower IL‐10 production, was found to predispose to a 2.8‐fold higher cardiovascular mortality risk (95% CI: 1.17–6.60). Reproductive success, which was studied as a measure of evolutionary programming because it trades off with early survival by pro‐inflammatory resistance genes, was negatively associated with an increasing production of TNF‐α (RR = 0.77; 95% CI: 0.68–0.88), while a positive association with IL‐10 was found (RR = 1.22; 95% CI: 1.05–1.41). We suggest that cardiovascular mortality is a late consequence of evolutionary programming for a pro‐inflammatory response.


Fuzzy model-based adaptive control, unlike traditional fuzzy control, extracts expert knowledge from data by using model identification techniques. In this paper, we propose an analysis of the contradiction in this knowledge as an additional search criterion during the model identification process. In order to do so, we first define a measure of contradiction between fuzzy rules. Then, we assume that a minimum degree of consistency exists in the rule base, and a process of attenuation is carried out between the rules that do not comply with this degree. This allows conflicting situations to be detected without having to wait for the learning dataset to reveal it. Finally, the results obtained from the method proposed are compared with those of a fuzzy model-based adaptive controller which is not sensitive to the contradiction.


It is argued that in this era of globalisation, business success or failure depends on whether a firm can compete effectively in world markets [1], [2], [3]. Global strategy, the way a business competes in the global market, plays a vital role in determining the performance of a business in the global market. It is a complex issue, as it requires obtaining and processing of data about overseas markets' that are related to company resources ,particularly finance, marketing and production. The complexity arises because there are over 130 national country markets in the world each with differing physical, cultural and commercial characteristics. This creates a critical intelligence gap for many companies [ 4]. Marketing is probably the most important component of global strategy as it assumes the role of interacting directly with the customers and competitors in the marketplace [5].


An integrated class-D amplifier with active current sensing suitable for AC switches is presented in this paper. The proposed current-sensing technique is used to sense and control the inductor current at the output stage and allows the current-sensing element to be integrated into class-D amplifiers. To verify the performance of the proposed circuits, a class-D amplifier was designed and fabricated with 3.3-V 0.35- mum double-polyquadruple-metal CMOS technology on a chip area of 1.79 times 1.45 mm. The maximum power efficiency of the class-D amplifier can be up to 94% for an 8-Omega load. These active current-sensing circuits can be applied to other power converters with AC switches.


9099 Background: Psychological distress is high in breast cancer patients with metastases and affects their circadian rhythms of sleep and stress hormones. Yoga as a stress reduction and mind-body intervention is increasingly becoming popular among cancer patients globally. In this study we evaluate the effects of an integrated yoga program vs. supportive therapy on these psychoimmune and endocrine outcomes. Methods: Sixty-Six breast cancer survivors with metastatic disease and adequate performance status (Zubrods 0-2) were recruited and randomized to receive yoga or supportive therapy for a period of12 weeks. Subjects completed Pittsburg Insomnia Rating Scale and Fatigue symptom inventory before and after intervention. Diurnal saliva samples were collected and assessed for cortisol (am and pm) using enzyme Immune assay and morning blood samples for Natural killer cell counts determined by flow cytometry before and after intervention. Results: ANCOVA done with respective baseline measure as a covariate be...


Australian Fiction as Archival Salvage examines developments in the Australian postcolonial historical novel from 1989 to the present, including seminal experiments in the genre by Kate Grenville, Mudrooroo, Kim Scott, Peter Carey, Rohan Wilson and others.


The invention relates to a high-flame-retardance high-heat-resistance halogen-free flame-retardant thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer cable material and a preparation method thereof, belonging to the field of halogen-free flame-retardant cable materials. The cable material is prepared from the following raw materials in percentage by weight: 20-50% of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, 15-40% of styrene elastomer, 3-8% of plasticizer, 20-30% of expansion flame retardant, 4-7% of flatting agent, 0.5-1% of lubricant, 0.5-1% of antioxidant and 1.5-3% of master batch. The thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer is a polyether-type thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer of which the hardness range is Shore A 60-90. The invention improves the problem of too narrow processing temperature region for the thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer cable material, and also improves the heat resistance of the cable material. The thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, which is used as a base, is subjected to melt blending with the high-temperature-resistant material; and the novel expansion flame retardant which is nonmigratory in contact with water is used as the flame retardant of the base.


The Lean Manufacturing approach for waste elimination can be applied in all sorts of operations. In this project is applied for the improvement of a supply chain and to achieve high levels of chain efficiency. The identification of warehousing and transportation waste at the chain level is aggregate being difficult its identification within both processes. This work provides an application of the concept of distribution operational efficiency to a Mexican package delivery company that has the need to improve its on-time delivery service. The Operational Effectiveness Index used in TPM is adapted and used as the main performance measure for warehousing and transport operations. Availability, performance and quality wastes are identified using Value Stream Mapping. Results of the application are provided.


We use absolute trigonometric parallaxes from the Hipparcos Catalogue to determine individual distances to members of the Hyades cluster, from which the 3-dimensional structure of the cluster can be derived. Inertially-referenced proper motions are used to rediscuss distance determinations based on convergent-point analyses. A combination of parallaxes and proper motions from Hipparcos, and radial velocities from ground-based observations, are used to determine the position and velocity components of candidate members with respect to the cluster centre, providing new information on cluster membership: 13 new candidate members within 20 pc of the cluster centre have been identified. Farther from the cluster centre there is a gradual merging between certain cluster members and field stars, both spatially and kinematically. Within the cluster, the kinematical structure is fully consistent with parallel space motion of the component stars with an internal velocity dispersion of about 0.3 km/s. The spatial structure and mass segregation are consistent with N-body simulation results, without the need to invoke expansion, contraction, rotation, or other significant perturbations of the cluster. The quality of the individual distance determinations permits the cluster zero-age main sequence to be accurately modelled. The helium abundance for the cluster is determined to be Y=0.26+/-0.02 which, combined with isochrone modelling including convective overshooting, yields a cluster age of 625+/-50 Myr. The distance to the observed centre of mass is 46.34+/-0.27 pc, corresponding to a distance modulus m-M=3.33+/-0.01 mag for the objects within 10 pc of the cluster centre (roughly corresponding to the tidal radius). Discrepancies with previous distance estimates are investigated and explained.


This article will outline the impact of the Electronic Conveyancing National Law (ECNL) and the draft Model Participation Rules (MPR) on conveyancing practice and the obligations of lawyers and conveyancers.


Two months after a mob in Alton, Illinois, killed abolitionist editor Elijah Lovejoy and destroyed his fourth press, a jury acquitted several assailants accused of rioting. By the time that the trials commenced in January 1838, the defenses had all been publicly aired; indeed, they had been rehearsed in print and at well-attended meetings long before the attack occurred. The mob's leaders had taken special care over several months to lay a legal foundation for their action; most notably, the Illinois attorney general led the pre-attack rhetorical justification and the post-attack courtroom defense. In the end, the jury found that resorting to forcible measures in such circumstances did not clearly fall outside the law.


Abstract : The cost of training Air Traffic Control (ATC) personnel has risen rapidly. Attrition of students prior to completion of the training results in loss of invested funds as well as a delay in providing a fully qualified ATC specialist to the field for both military and civilian agencies. Improved selection and prediction tests for ATC personnel have been recognized as essential to decrease attrition rates. This study examined the selection utility of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) prototype ATC test battery. The test protocol consisted of the Multiplex Controller Aptitiude Test (MCAT), a job simulation test; and the Occupational Knowledge Test (OKT), a job knowledge specific test. Two-thousand four-hundred ninety-nine FAA/ATC Academy trainees from the 1978 through 1980 period had taken two versions of the Multiplex Controller Aptitude Test (MCAT1) and MCAT2) and one version of the Occupational Knowledge Test (OKT). Test score s for 1,954 of these subjects were merged with information concerning their sex, education, ATC experience, ATC option, and pass/fail status at the ATC Academy. Item analyses indicated the MCAT contained very difficult or very easy items in over 50 percent of the test questions. The OKT had acceptable levels of item difficulty at the 25 percent level.


We read with interest the article by Schultz et al.1 on ablation of nondysplastic Barrett's epithelium by endoscopic argon plasma coagulation in combination with high-dose omeprazole. Using APC and acid suppression with 120 mg/day of omeprazole, they obtained complete ablation of Barrett's epithelium in all but 1 of their 70 patients and, adapting the acid suppression to obtain cumulative reflex time of less than 7% per 24 hours, they did not observe relapse of Barrett's epithelium after a median follow-up of 12 months.


The classical corporate profits tax in the United States involves non-neutralities between: different sources of financing; different forms of business organization; and retaining or distributing earnings and may result in the U.S. investor being at a disadvantage vis-a-vis foreign investors. An international comparison is provided, and the potential effects of different integration schemes on the user cost of capital and tax revenues are assessed. The integration of corporate and individual income taxes in the United States could lead to a more efficient domestic and worldwide allocation of resources.


Abstract In this paper, we investigate the stances that designers take in relation to one another in design critiques. Analysis of audiovisual recordings of critiques between students and professional designers in industrial design in the DTRS 10 data-set reveals that design concepts not only are verbally narrated but also come to life in gesture, gaze, orientation and body movement. In these bodily performances, participants adopt and shift between several identified stances, which we call inscriptional, third-person, first-person and phenomenal. In social relations, these stances are mirrored, taken up, responded to and elaborated by the other participants. The critique itself, then, can be seen as a dialogical movement by the participating designers through a set of stances. By comparing a case in which participants are collocated to a case in which the participants are at a geographic distance facilitated only by real-time audio and shared computer display, we conjecture that this responsive mirroring and elaboration of stance can be hindered when participants do not have visual access to one another and thus increase the chances of communication breakdowns.


The fundamental decision of a problem of optimization of process of protection of the discrete information from positions virtualizations of informative streams.On the basis of theoretical explanation of virtualization is synthesis algorithms and encryption (decryption) models for optimization of information flow. Virtualization is the inclusion in the transformation output encryption and decryption in the transformation input module virtualization information flow, performing decryption cryptograms source and virtual information flows, encryption and decryption results delay time message and key sequences.


According to the advancement of mobile devices and wireless network technology, these portable devices became the potential devices that can be used for different types of payments. Recently, most of the people would rather to do their activities by their cellphones. On the other hand, there are some issues that hamper the widespread acceptance of mobile payment among people. The traditional ways of mobile payment are not secure enough, since they follow the traditional flow of data. This paper is going to suggest a new protocol named Golden Mobile Pay Center Protocol that is based on client centric model. The suggested protocol downgrade the computational operations and communications that are necessary between the engaging parties and achieves a completely privacy protection for the engaging parties. It avoids transaction repudiation among the engaging parties and will decrease replay attack s risk. The goal of the protocol is to help n users to have payments to each others'. Besides, it will utilize a new key agreement protocol named Golden Circle that is working by employing symmetric key operations. GMPCP uses GC for generating a shared session key between n users.


In this paper, a combined form of homotopy analysis method with Aboodh transform method is proposed to solve nonlinear system of partial differential equations. This method is called the homotopy analysis Aboodh transform method (HAATM). The homotopy analysis Aboodh transform method can easily be applied to many problems of nonlinear system, and is capable of reducing the size of computational work.


Rainfall interception (RI) over a comprehensive outdoor urban scale model (COSMO) was investigated from the perspective of water and energy balance. The RI was 6% of the total rainfall on average and smaller than the typical values in forests. No correlation was found between RI and total rainfall or rainfall duration unlike the correlations found in forests. Instead, most RI occurred in the first several hours of rainfall. RI depended on the saturation deficit at the beginning of the rainfall event. Latent heat for RI was approximately balanced by heat conduction from the concrete surfaces. As the possible reasons for the different behaviors of RI between COSMO and forests, differences in the canopy structure are considered: 1) complete surface area index (SAI), 2) efficiency for scalar transfer in relation to roughness size, and 3) heat balance in relation to volumetric heat capacity on the roughness elements.


ed with turfgrass management due to continuous traffic contributed by equipment, golf carts, and players. Irrigation water quality is less than optimal with the use of reclaimed water and the high sodium content contributes to poor soil structure, reduced water infiltration, limited rooting depth, and less favorable nutrient availability for growing and maintaining high quality turfgrass. Two aeration implements were compared in field experiments, a Vertidrain equipped with 0.625 inch by 10inch solid tines and a Blec GB1500 soilslicer with 10-inch slit spacing (6 slits with 0.75-inch width) set to a depth of 4 to 10 inches. On each of four golf courses in 2006, a fairway was cultivated one time with treatments replicated three times in a randomized complete block design and soil samples were collected and analyzed at intervals after cultivation. Additional soil compaction measurements were observed with the Clegg impact hammer device and infiltrometers attempted to measure water penetration and did not provide consistent data. All aeration treatments exhibited beneficial effects that were observed for 2 weeks after treatment (WAT). Sodium (Na+) reduction was observed by all aeration treatments. Blec treatments tended to enhance Na+ reduction compared to the Vertidrain. Blec treatments reduced Na+ 25% compared to 18% for the Vertidrain at one site, nearly 20% versus 8%, respectively, at two other sites, and no changes were observed at the fourth golf course. Na+ reduction decreased at 4 and 8 WAT when soil samples were analyzed. In 2007 and 2008 at only two golf courses, gypsum at 100 lb/1000 ft2 was applied in addition to aeration done 1, 2, or 3 times at monthly intervals in June, July, and August. In 2007, electrical conductivity (EC) tended to be reduced at one site for the untreated treatments with or without gypsum compared to the cultivated treatments. Only the Vertidrain treatment done three times exhibited a significantly lower EC at only one site.


Nine species of ectomycorrhizal fungi were grown in liquid media to determine their ability to use rock phosphate as a sole source of phosphorus The results showed that rock phosphate was solubilized by all 9 species of ectomycorrhizal fungi and significant difference existed among the 9 species in their solubility Factors influencing the solubility included pH value and kinds and concentrations of organic acid excreted by ectomycorrhizal fungi The decrease of pH increased the solubility but no correlation between the concentration of available phosphate and pH value was found The excretion of organic acids of ectomycorrhizal fungi was closely related to the solubility of rock phosphate Significant differences were found among species of ectomycorrhizal fungi in kinds and concentration of organic acid excreted Oxalic acid, lactic acid, maleic acid and fumaric acid were detected from excretions of all nine ectomycorrhizal species


Membrane emulsification (ME) is a new technology for making monodisperse emulsions
over a wide spectrum of mean droplet sizes, ranging from cca. 0.5 μm to several tens of μm.
ME involves production of droplets individually (drop-by-drop) by extrusion of pure disperse
phase through a porous membrane into moving continuous phase (direct ME) or the passage
of previously prepared coarse emulsion (premix) through the membrane (premix ME). The
membrane must not be wetted with the continuous phase, i.e. O/W emulsions are prepared
using a hydrophilic membrane and W/O emulsions using a hydrophobic membrane. If the
membrane wall is wetted with the continuous phase, droplet disruption can be followed by
phase inversion, i.e. a fine W/O emulsion can be produced from the O/W coarse emulsion and
vice versa. In order to force a disperse phase or premix through the membrane, a pressure
gradient across the membrane must be imposed, usually by pressurizing the disperse phase
with compressed gas in a pressure vessel.
The most suitable membrane for emulsification is the so-called Shirasu porous glass
(SPG) membrane. This membrane can be fabricated with a wide range of mean pore sizes
(0.05-20 μm) and with a wall porosity between 50 and 60 %. Hydrophobic modification of
SPG membrane can be carried out by surface coating with silicone resin. The membrane
resistance was unchanged after surface treatment with silicone resin, which means that the
pores were not plugged by the resin, even in the submicron range of mean pore sizes.


A job analysis of subject specialist librarians is an important source providing information about definition of a job, development of a curriculum, administration of human resources, criteria of employee training, and deciding institutional and individual objectives. This study analyzes a job of subject specialist librarians in Korea, and divides their jobs into 7 duties and 58 tasks. the 7 duties are as follows; A. a development of subject information resources, B. a management of information resources classified by subjects, C. a research support service classified by subjects, D. Liasion activity of library users, E. an education of subject classification for library users, F. library management, G. personal development of classified subject areas.


The extension of Time Dependent Density Functional Theory (TDDFT) to superfluid systems is discussed in the context of nuclear reactions and large amplitude collective motion.


This study aimed to clarify whether native coronary artery(CA) calci cation before index percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI) has an impact on the effectiveness of drug-coated balloon(DCB) angioplasty for the treatment of instent restenosis(ISR). 100 consecutive patients with 166 ISR lesions underwent quantitative coronary angiography(QCA) before and after index PCI and before and after DCB angioplasty for ISR. CA calci cation before index PCI was assessed by angiography and results were analyzed to reveal the predictive values for target lesion revascularization(TLR) and major adverse cardiac events(MACE). During 1.03±1.03 years of follow-up, TLR occurred in 44 lesions(26.5%) and MACE in 33 patients(33%). On multivariate analysis, CA calci cation before index PCI (p=0.016), and % diameter of stenosis(%DS)≥73%(p=0.023) and minimal lumen diameter(MLD)<0.65 mm(p=0.001) before DCB angioplasty were independent predictors for TLR after DCB angioplasty. MACE was also associated with CA calci cation before index PCI(p=0.01), and %DS ≥ 73%(p=0.001) and MLD<0.65 mm(p=0.01) before DCB angioplasty, but only %DS≥73% before DCB angioplasty was an independent predictor for MACE after DCB angioplasty (p=0.039). The combination of CA calci cation before index PCI and these QCA factors before DCB angioplasty was an independent and more powerful predictor for MACE than the QCA factors alone(p<0.001). Thereafter, the combination of CA calci cation and %DS ≥ 73% before DCB angioplasty strati ed the risk of MACE after DCB angioplasty(p<0.05). CA calcification before index PCI, as well as anatomical information at ISR, have an impact on outcome after DCB angioplasty for ISR.


A novel technique is developed to measure quantitatively the adhesion strength of metallizations deposited on substrates such as silicon. Electrostatic adhesion testing employs electrostatic forces to generate delaminating stresses in thin metallic films. The interfacial adhesion strength is readily calculated from the electrode geometry and the applied electrostatic field at failure. Unlike other adhesion tests, this technique does not require any mechanical contact and is virtually independent of the plastic deformation of the film. Furthermore, this test provides direct strength measurements as opposed to work or energy of adhesion measurements obtained by the common peel test. The adhesion strengths of several metallizations (Cu, Al) are characterized using the electrostatic technique. The distribution of stress-at-failure data follows Weibull failure statistics. Field emission scanning electron microscopy reveals that the films are delaminated in a microblister-type mode. It is shown that electrostat...


Extreme event such as extreme rainfall have been analyzed and most concern for the country all around the world. There are two common distribution for extreme value which are Generalized Extreme Value distribution and Generalized Pareto distribution. These two distribution have shown good performace to estimate the parameter of  extreme value. This research was aim to estimate parameter of extreme value using GEV distribution and GP distribution, and also to characterized effect of extreme event such as flood. The rainfall data was taken from BMKG for 5 location in DKI Jakarta. Both of distribution shown a good perfromance. The resut showed that Tanjung Priok station has biggest location parameter for GEV and also the biggest scale parameter for GP, that mean the biggest probability to take flood effect of the extreme rainfall.


Periodontal diseases are the outcome of the interactions among microbes, hosts, and environments, in which the microbial factor is implicated in inducing inflammatory responses leading to tissue destruction. Hence, identification of the periodontal microbiome is a key to understanding the pathogenesis and treatment of periodontal diseases. To investigate the periodontal microbiome, several study methods including classic culturing, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, and next-generation sequencing have been introduced, none of which has yet succeeded in fully explaining the entire set of mechanisms involved.

Success of the recent proposals to launch the Unified Microbiome Initiative (UMI) and the International Microbiome Initiative (IMI) from renowned scientists would provide a breakthrough. These scientists first acknowledge that microbiomes have grown in prominence, with several important studies presently being conducted. Scientists have further discovered the importance of numerous microbes residing inside the human body, whose functions range from fighting against diseases to maintaining a balanced immune system. The profound diversity of microorganisms has also been addressed: 40 major groups in the animal kingdom and upward of 1,000 phyla are recognized by microbiologists.

Dr. Jeffery F. Miller, corresponding author of the UMI proposal paper in Science (DOI: 10.1126/science.aac8480), and his colleagues insist that the UMI could uncover fundamental explanations of the microbiome. The areas of emphasis they propose include decrypting microbial genes and chemistries, cellular genomics and genome dynamics, and modeling and informatics, among others. Considering the importance of international collaboration in microbiome research, Dr. McFall-Ngai of the Pacific Biosciences Research Center at the University of Hawaii and her colleagues urged through their paper in Nature (DOI: 10.1038/526631a) that the United States initiate the IMI because the UMI is conceived as a US initiative and stated that the IMI would work to develop guidelines, set priorities, identify tools, and establish forums.

These proposals will one day be remembered as a monumental step toward launching a focused program of microbiome research that transcends national borders. We enthusiastically anticipate the microbiological discoveries that will result from this broad international collaboration, and we look forward to incorporating these new approaches in microbiology into dental research, which could lead to making personalized dentistry a reality.


-As a result of rapid expansion of information technology, there is a significant heave of e-strategy, which leads to modernize the business and customer relationship management. The aim of this paper is to make a relationship between e-strategy and SAP Business Intelligence module, which support to achieve remarkable results by providing self-service access to relevant, quality information, transforming their decision making process. It also provides decision quality information to the users at their fingertips, to investigate issues, identify the root causes of problems and explore new opportunities without relying on any information technological tools to create reports.


AbstractThe increased use of irrigation water in the River Nile State (RNS) puts a great pressure on the local hydrology and ecosystem. The RNS is regarded as one of the important areas where large investments in irrigation take place for food and cash crops production. The adoption of various techniques of water conservation is becoming necessitated including the large meaning of water use efficiency. The sustainability of irrigated agriculture is questioned and the challenge is to increase simultaneously land and water productivity in the face of the limited availability of land and water in the RNS. The aim of this research is to assess the irrigation water management performance of two irrigation schemes based on the option that irrigation is mandatory in both from the River Nile by pumps and to identify options to improve irrigation water performance. The analysis was based on structured survey questionnaires, field observations, and literature from Elzeidab scheme where surface irrigation is prevale...


Thrombocytopenia may be caused either by impaired platelet production or due to accelerated platelet destruction. In some cases, there is an erroneously low reading of platelet counts in the automated analyzers, without any clinical symptoms. In these situations, with an absence of a positive history, anticoagulant- induced pseudothrombocytopenia may be considered. This phenomenon, albeit rare, presents in both healthy individuals as well as patients with various diseases. It is important to be aware of the situation in order to prevent misdiagnosis, and unwarranted treatments and transfusions.


Welding of small civil ships is crucial for the dense and the intensity of a ship.On the basis of the introduction of the details of the common weld defects,this paper puts forward some main preventing measures by analyzing the causes and the harm of the common weld defects in the ships welding.


The purpose of this study was to outline the processes involved in adolescent girls' responding to sexual harassment. Grounded theory methodology was used to generate a theory of these processes. The core category elicited from interviews with ten participants was "learning about the self." Two processes were identified: "learning powerlessness" and "learning agency." These processes represented girls' movement from seeing themselves as "objects" of others' experience to becoming the "subjects" of their own experience. The counselling implications of the theory developed in the study are discussed.


Due to increase in the mobile users in a cell site, the operators are insisted to provide good coverage in terms of speed and coverage even in the cell edges. This leads to higher connectivity and operative of the mobile station, which requires higher energy to perform this task efficiently. A lot of cash inside the cell networks is being wasted, especially in the network's RBSs, in the form of electricity consumption – partially because the RBSs aren't getting used in the most desirable and green way, and in part due to the fact more green and stylish answers were developed to address a number of the RBS's features higher than the present day RBS's themselves. Operating costs are also being jacked up due to the growth of the carbon footprint of the LTE-A networks.


This paper proposes a new relaxation-based circuit simulation algorithm called backward-traversing waveform relaxation (BTWR). BTWR employs a brand new strategy to simulate: it simulates by performing depth-first search in the signal flow graph of simulated circuits. Major advantage of BTWR is the ability to flexibly schedule subcircuits for calculating according to subcircuits' converging situations, which enables BTWR to act robustly as well as efficiently in dealing with various types of circuits. The simulation on demand (SOD) function is also constructed in BTWR. All proposed methods have been implemented and tested by simulating various circuits


The intersection of business and IT in an organisation requires people with diverse business- and technology-related competences and skills, commonly referred to as 'e-competences' and 'e-skills'. The positioning of these competences within an IT function in an organisation is (arguably) well defined, but their place in other areas of business managerial concern in an organisation, such as business processes or organisational strategy, is still not sufficiently clear. As e-skills and e-competences are inevitably associated with the use of organisational information systems (IS), this paper reports an initial study aimed at positioning these competences and skills within an organisation from an IS perspective. The positioning was done by examining models of IS, e-competences and e-skills and identifying their possible areas of intersection, which resulted in mapping these competences and skills to the areas of managerial concern in an organisation – as seen from an IS perspective. This mapping has revealed an initial understanding of how business value, here seen as business benefits, is created by using the e-skills and e-competences (supposedly) possessed by employees throughout an organisation.


In the new century, the informal society required us to wipe out the mathematical illiteracy historical task, its symbol was understanding the basic of differential and integral calculus, the differential calculus and integral calculus were the main structure of mathematical analysis. We must make the reform of mathematics analysis and development of the teaching material in the whole construct of the reform of college, middle school and elementary school mathematics education and make its system. We should pay attention to the system and close relativity among the question, excavate the intrinsic relation of the question from the source considering, train the student to handle the question method. We should pay attention to the cross relation of all kinds subject, arrange and merge relative content of mathematical analysis in the advance algebra, the real analysis, function analysis and the point topology.


In this paper we aim to make a valuable contribution to the surprisingly limited body of research on access to justice for disabled women who have been subjected to violence. Using an interdisciplinary sociolegal approach, this paper carries out an empirical qualitative study of one Icelandic court case and draws on this to provide a critical analysis of access to justice issues for disabled women who have been subjected to gender-based violence. Much about this case suggests that it is a positive example of justice being accessed, and we identify a number of features of the case as particularly significant in this regard. We reflect on how these positive aspects of the case can inform initiatives to enhance access to justice for disabled women and highlight ways in which Icelandic justice processes could more firmly embed the international human rights standards set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.


This study was aimed at using the theory for two-dimensional phononic crystal consisting of materials with general anisotropy to calculate the band gaps phenomena in Aluminum/Barium sodium niobate (Y-cut) with hexagonal lattice and Quartz/Epoxy with square lattice phononic structures. Wave propagation properties of solids in which the periodic modulation occurs along the bounding surface has been discussed in this paper. Especially surface and bulk acoustic wave properties of solids were studied in both square and hexagonal lattices consisting of isotropic, trigonal, and orthorhombic symmetry materials. From the previous laboratory study, we confirmed that the widths of the frequency band gap were strongly affected by the filling ratio, density, and elastic constants matching ratios. In this study, the results have shown that surface wave band gaps could be found along a specific direction. In the materials we investigated in this paper, we found that there is no full band gap for surface waves. Instead, full band gap for bulk acoustic wave can be obtained for transverse polarization mode. Results of this paper can serve as a basis for both numerical and experimental investigations of phononic crystal related structures. Introduction The existence of complete band gaps of electromagnetic waves in photonic structures extending throughout the Brillouin zone has demonstrated a variety of fundamental and practical interests.[1,2] This has led to a rapid growing interests in the analogous acoustic effects in periodic elastic structures called the phononic crystals. Surface wave propagation on layered superlattices with traction free surface parallel to the layers has been explored extensively in the past.[3] However, investigations on surface wave properties of solids in which the periodic modulation occurs on the traction free surface has not started until recently.[4-8] Vinces et al.[4,5] studied experimentally the surface waves generated by a line-focus acoustic lens at the water-loaded surfaces of a number of two-dimensional superlattices that intersect the surface normally. Propagation of Scholte-like acoustic waves at the liquid-loaded surfaces of period structures has also been studied.[6] The superlattices considered in Refs.[4-6,8] are of isotropic materials. As for superlattices consist of anisotropic materials, Tanaka and Tamura [7] reported detail calculations for surface waves on a square superlattice consisting of cubic materials (AlAs/GaAs) and many salient features of surface waves in two-dimensional superlattices have been described. In addition, Tanaka and Tamura[8] also reported detail calculations for surface waves on a hexagonal superlattice consisting of isotropic materials (Al/polymer). For the analysis of bulk acoustic waves [9-15], Kushwaha et al.[9] reported the first full band-structure calculations of the transverse polarization mode for periodic, elastic composite. In the Ref.[10], Kushwaha et al. calculated the band structures for the transverse polarization modes of nickel alloy cylinders in aluminum alloy host, and vice versa. They also investigate the dependence of spectral gap on the filling fraction and on the material parameters. Kafesaki et al.[11] reported the multiple-scattering theory (MST method) for three-dimensional periodic acoustic composites. 1 Corresponding author: email@example.com Key Engineering Materials Online: 2004-08-15 ISSN: 1662-9795, Vols. 270-273, pp 1119-1126 doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/KEM.270-273.1119 © 2004 Trans Tech Publications Ltd, Switzerland All rights reserved. No part of contents of this paper may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of Trans Tech Publications Ltd, www.scientific.net. (Semanticscholar.org-13/03/20,17:37:52) Title of Publication (to be inserted by the publisher) Garcia-Pablos et al.[12] used the FDTD method to interpret experimental data for two-dimensional systems consisting of cylinders of fluids (Hg, air, and oil) inserted periodically in a finite slab of Al host. Psarobas and Stefanou[13] calculated the band structure of a phononic crystal consisting of complex and frequency dependent Lame' coefficients. Zhengyou Liu et al.[14] extended the multiple-scattering theory for elastic waves by taking into account the full vector character, and presented a comparison between theory and ultrasound experiment for a hexagonal-close-packed array of steel balls immersed in water. Jun Mei et al.[15] reported the same method in Ref.[16] to extend the method in the case of cylinders. However, the bulk waves analysis in phononic structures among the Refs.[9-15] are of isotropic materials only. In this paper, we extended Ref.[7] to study phononic band gaps of elastic/acoustic waves in two-dimensional Aluminum/Barium sodium niobate (Y-cut) (Ba2NaNb5O15) with hexagonal lattice and Quartz/Epoxy with square lattice phononic structures. The explicit formulations of the plane harmonic bulk wave and the surface wave dispersion relations in such a general phononic structure are discussed based on the plane wave expansion method. Equations of Motion of 2-D Phononic Crystals In an inhomogeneous linear elastic anisotropic medium with no body force, the equation of motion for the displacement vector ( ) , t u r can be written as )] , ( ) ( [ ) , ( ) ( t u C t u m n ijmn j i r r r r ∂ ∂ = & & ρ (1) where ) , , ( ) , ( z y x z = = x r is the position vector, ( ) ρ r , (r) ijmn C are the position-dependent mass density and elastic stiffness tensor, respectively. In the following, we consider a phononic crystal composed of a two dimensional periodic array (x-y plane) of material A embedded in a background material B. Due to the spatial periodicity, the material constants, ( ) ρ x , ( ) ijmn C x can be expanded in the Fourier series with respect to the two-dimensional reciprocal lattice vectors (RLV), 1 2 ( , ) G G = G , as G G x G x ρ ρ ∑ ⋅ = i e ) ( (2) ijmn i ijmn C e C G G x G x ∑ ⋅ = ) ( (3) where G ρ and ijmn CG are the corresponding Fourier coefficients. On utilizing the Bloch theorem and expanding the displacement vector ( , ) t u r in Fourier series for bulk wave analysis, we have ) ( ) , ( ∑ ⋅ − ⋅ = G G x G x k A r u z ik i t i i z e e e t ω (4) where ) , ( 2 1 k k = k is the Bloch wave vector, ω is the circular frequency and z k is the wave number along the z-direction, AG is the amplitude of the displacement vector. We note that as the component of the wave vector z k equals to zero, Eq. (6) degenerates into the displacement vector of a bulk acoustic wave. Substituting Eqs. (2), (3) and (4) into Eq. (1), and after collecting terms systematically, we obtain the generalized eigenvalue problem 0 ) ( 2 = + + U C B A z z k k (5) where A, B and C are 3 3 n n × matrices and are functions of the Bloch wave vector k , components of the two-dimensional RLV, circular frequency ω, the Fourier coefficients of mass density G ρ and components of elastic stiffness tensor ijmn CG . n is the total number of RLV used in the Fourier expansion and T A A A ] [ 3 2 1 ' ' ' G G G U = is the displacement vector. The expressions of the matrices are listed in Ref.[18, 19]. 1120 Advances in Nondestructive Evaluation


Importance Surgical site infections remain one of the most frequent complications following abdominal surgery and cause substantial costs, morbidity and mortality. Objective To assess the effectiveness of wound edge protectors in open abdominal surgery in reducing surgical site infections. Evidence Review A systematic literature search was conducted according to a prespecified review protocol in a variety of data-bases combined with hand-searches for randomized controlled trials on wound edge protectors in patients undergoing laparotomy. A qualitative and quantitative analysis of included trials was conducted. Findings We identified 16 randomized controlled trials including 3695 patients investigating wound edge protectors published between 1972 and 2014. Critical appraisal uncovered a number of methodological flaws, predominantly in the older trials. Wound edge protectors significantly reduced the rate of surgical site infections (risk ratio 0.65; 95%CI, 0.51–0.83; p = 0.0007; I2 = 52%). The results were robust in a number of sensitivity analyses. A similar effect size was found in the subgroup of patients undergoing colorectal surgery (risk ratio 0.65; 95%CI, 0.44–0.97; p = 0.04; I2 = 56%). Of the two common types of wound protectors double ring devices were found to exhibit a greater protective effect (risk ratio 0.29; 95%CI, 0.15–0.55) than single-ring devices (risk ratio 0.71; 95%CI, 0.54–0.92), but this might largely be due to the lower quality of available data for double-ring devices. Exploratory subgroup analyses for the degree of contamination showed a larger protective effect in contaminated cases (0.44; 95%CI, 0.28–0.67; p = 0.0002, I2 = 23%) than in clean-contaminated surgeries (0.72, 95%CI, 0.57–0.91; p = 0.005; I2 = 46%) and a strong effect on the reduction of superficial surgical site infections (risk ratio 0.45; 95%CI, 0.24–0.82; p = 0.001; I2 = 72%). Conclusions and Relevance Wound edge protectors significantly reduce the rate of surgical site infections in open abdominal surgery. Further trials are needed to explore their effectiveness in different risk constellations.


Lifestyle and information as well as various factors affect the knowledge, attitudes and changes in the lives of adolescents who then influence about their recovery health life. Based on observations, SMPN 05 Kota Padang already has PIK-KRR but is still not good in terms of improving the PIK-KRR program. Through the empowerment of the Reproductive Cadre Team, it is hoped that they can be both mobilizers and promoters in increasing knowledge and attitudes for other students and reducing promiscuity in the School Environment. In general, the output target to be achieved in this service is to create and empower students at SMPN 05 Padang City, providing skills and knowledge about health education from an early age. Because this will be a pilot as a future school for other regions. This activity consisted of outreach activities, the Formation and Empowerment of the Reproductive Health Cadre Team, the Implementation Evaluation and Sustainability Program. Summary Health education activities were carried out smoothly by the team of the Faculty of Public Health of Andalas University on August 31, 2018 at SMPN 5 Padang City, with the aim of this educational to class 9. This activity was attended by 64 male and female students. It is expected that students can be involved in their daily lives will also be even better if they can become cadres and examples for their other peers.


Observational studies of prescription medications and other medical interventions based on administrative data are increasingly used to inform regulatory and clinical decision making. The validity of such studies is often questioned, however, because the available data may not contain measurements of important prognostic variables that guide treatment decisions. Recently, approaches to this problem have been proposed that use instrumental variables (IV) defined at the level of an individual health care provider or aggregation of providers. Implicitly, these approaches attempt to estimate causal effects by using differences in medical practice patterns as a quasi-experiment. Although preference-based IV methods may usefully complement standard statistical approaches, they make assumptions that are unfamiliar to most biomedical researchers and therefore the validity of such an analysis can be hard to evaluate. Here, we describe a simple framework based on a single unobserved dichotomous variable that can be used to explore how violations of IV assumptions and treatment effect heterogeneity may bias the standard IV estimator with respect to the average treatment effect in the population. This framework suggests various ways to anticipate the likely direction of bias using both empirical data and commonly available subject matter knowledge, such as whether medications or medical procedures tend to be overused, underused, or often misused. This approach is described in the context of a study comparing the gastrointestinal bleeding risk attributable to different non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.


A theoretical and an experimental investigation was carried out on the vibration of three ring-stiffened thin-walled circular cylinders submerged in water. The theoretical investigation was via the finite element method, where a circular cylindrical shell element and a ring element were used to model the structure. The fluid was modeled with the aid of a solid annular element, which had a cross-section of an eight node isoparametric form. Comparisons were made between theory and experiment and these were found to be good.


【Task】 A Single stage chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) apparatus for performing a multi-step polishing process in the apparatus, using adjusting operation in situ, debris and spent polishing slurry from the surface of the polishing pad continuously to clean, to discharge. At the beginning of each flattening cycle, by providing a substantially "new" polishing pad clean, or changing the abrasive source by moving the wafer, or without the need to transfer the wafer to another CMP polishing station, various chemicals, forms can be used a polishing agent such as temperature. Using a multi-position valve, it is possible to control the introduction of various process fluids comprising a variety of different polishing slurry and adjusting / flushing agent. The use of a variety of regulatory substances, different process conditions (e.g., to neutralize the previous abrasive chemicals, changing the surface temperature of the pad in order to control the polishing rate, the state of being attracted to the surface of the pad You can change the surface of the polishing pad for use of surfactants) to remove certain particles. BACKGROUND OF FIGS. 2, 3


Gymnocoronis DC.,a new naturalized genus of the tribe Eupatorieae,Asteraceae in China,was found in Guangxi,southern China. Morphologically it is related to Adenostemma,but differs in the absence of a pappus. Gymnocoronis spilanthoides (D. Don ex Hook. Arn.) DC.,the only one representative species of the genus in China,is described based on the specimens collected in Guangxi,China. Its distribution and possible pathways into China are also discussed.


Thirty years afcer the publication of his first navel in 1975, Pan Bouyoucas is the only Greek-born novelist and playwright writing in French in Quebec and Canada. In his testimony, he reflects on his journey as a writer, his choice of language, and the problems arising from that choice. Not because he is of another origin. There are many foreign-born francophones writing in Quebec coday. Most of them, however, write about the "old country" or focus on their cultural community, while Bouyoucas, as noted by Mair Verthuy, professor of literature at Concordia University, was for many years the only writer who always set his stories in Montreal and peopled them with characters of all origins. A task made all the more difficult by a majority which is hypersensitive to criticism, and, without really knowing the other, rejects any image which does not correspond to the one it has of him. As to the Greek community, because Bouyoucas wrices in French, it has ignored him totally.


The Public Video Switched Network, a demonstrator developed at GTE Laboratories Incorporated, illustrates a possible evolution of the local telephone network. This scenario provides end-to-end connections though highcapacity switched digital channels. Fiber-ready television receivers provide the network subscribers with a consumerfriendly digital interface to the network. The fiber-ready receivers have the potential to present a wide range of audio, data, and video services via a digital serial interface. The digital interface is one of four possible network connections to the fiber-ready television receiver. This digital interface provides the receiver with time-multiplexed audio, data, and video signals through a single 143-Mb/s serial bitstream. A 1200 baud control channel is provided out of the fiber-ready television for channel selection and interactive programming. The Public Video Switched Network supports a broadband topology that allows both broadcast and point-topoint networks direct access to the television receiver.


Abstract Let R be an integral domain with quotient field K. If R has an overling S ≠ K, such that S[X] is integrally closed, then the "algebraic degree" of K((X)) over the quotient field of R[X] is infinite. In particular, it holds for completely integrally closed domain or Noetherian domain R.


The paper uses the National Family Health Survey (NFHS 1992-93) data to examine the extent to which sex preferences have constrained the success of the family planning programme and inhibited the acceptance of contraception in the different states of the country. Analysis of data reveals a particularly strong preference for sons in the northern states. It was estimated that if son preference was completely eliminated contraceptive acceptance would increase by approximately 4 per cent and sterilization by 5 per cent for the country as a whole. However there were marked state and regional differences. It was concluded that desire for male children has exerted a substantial depressing effect on family planning acceptance particularly in the northern states. (authors)


Increasing water colour observed in lakes in the northern hemisphere is frequently explained by several factors, including the decrease in acid deposition, climate change and recently increased con ...


Fragmentation of tropical forests has severe consequences for global biodiversity. The island of Java, Indonesia has a long history of deforestation and outside the protected area system, the island contains a patchwork of small forest fragments among expanding agricultural land, human settlements, and infrastructure. The arboreal Javan slow loris' (Nycticebus javanicus) remaining habitat largely occurs in these anthropogenic landscapes. Arboreal canopy bridges have proven to be a successful conservation intervention for Javan slow lorises but must be built on the private land of farmers. Here, we describe the process of collaborating with local farmers to construct and maintain canopy bridges over their farms to aid in connecting habitat for Javan slow lorises. We held non-structured conversations with ten farmers to understand their perceptions of the bridges. We found an overall positive attitude towards slow lorises, as well as acknowledgement of the economic importance of the bridges. Farmers also recommended improvements, including ensuring equity of the bridges in the community and increased financial commitment from the conservation project. There is growing appreciation amongst conservationists that trust and collaboration with local communities are essential for carrying out successful initiatives. We recommend regular discussions with community members in similar interventions to ensure the long-term trust and involvement of local people.


17 bioflocculant-producing bacteria were screened from activated sludge from outfall of a printing and dyeing mill.After rescreening,a strain(named fd20) with higher activity was obtained.Analyzed by the automated bacterial identification system,Vitck-32,this strain was identified as Sphingomonas Paucimobilis.The flocculation rate of this strain to kaolin sus-pension was above 93% when 0.6mL of 1% CaCl2 or 0.1mL bacilli was added in.


MANET (Mobile Ad Hoc Network) is a type of ad hoc network that can change locations and configure itself, because of moving of nodes. As MANETs are mobile in nature, they use wireless connections to connect various networks without infrastructure or any centralized administration. Open medium, dynamic topology, distributed cooperation are the characteristics of MANET and hence ad hoc networks are open to different types of security attacks. This paper represents a review of different techniques of gray hole attack detection and prevention on AODV routing protocol. All the techniques are having some advantages and disadvantages. Among all of these techniques, the credit based technique gives better performance in terms of end to end delay, throughput and packet delivery ratio. The results can be improved in different cases under various scenarios like pause time, number of nodes and varying speed of nodes.


The wasabi receptor, TRPA1, is a non-selective homotetrameric cation channel expressed in primary sensory neurons of the pain pathway, where it is activated by diverse chemical irritants. A direct role for TRPA1 in human health has been highlighted by the discovery of genetic variants associated with severe pain disorders. One such TRPA1 mutant was identified in a father-son pair with cramp fasciculation syndrome (CFS) and neuronal hyperexcitability-hypersensitivity symptoms that may be caused by aberrant channel activity, though the mechanism of action for this mutant is unknown. Here, we show the CFS-associated R919* TRPA1 mutant is functionally inactive when expressed alone in heterologous cells, which is not surprising since it lacks the 201 C-terminal amino acids that house critical channel gating machinery including the pore-lining transmembrane helix. Interestingly, the R919* mutant confers enhanced agonist sensitivity when co-expressed with wild type (WT) TRPA1. This channel hyperactivation mechanism is conserved in distant TRPA1 species orthologues and can be recapitulated in the capsaicin receptor, TRPV1. Using a combination of ratiometric calcium imaging, immunostaining, surface biotinylation, pulldown assays, fluorescence size exclusion chromatography, and proximity biotinylation assays, we show that the R919* mutant co-assembles with WT subunits into heteromeric channels. Within these heteromers, we postulate that R919* TRPA1 subunits contribute to hyperactivation by lowering energetic barriers to channel activation contributed by the missing regions. Additionally, we show heteromer activation can originate from the R919* TRPA1 subunits, which suggests an unexpected role for the ankyrin repeat and coiled coil domains in concerted channel gating. Our results demonstrate the R919* TRPA1 mutant confers gain-of-function thereby expanding the physiological impact of nonsense mutations, reveals a novel and genetically tractable mechanism for selective channel sensitization that may be broadly applicable to other receptors, and uncovers new gating insights that may explain the molecular mechanism of temperature sensing by some TRPA1 orthologues.


A new method,based on surfactant assisted dispersive liquid- liquid microextraction on solidification of floating organic droplets( SA- DLLME- SFO),followed by high performance liquid chromatography( HPLC) with diode array detector( DAD) was developed for the enrichment and determination of p-nitrophenol,p-cresol,p-bromophenol and bisphenol A in environmental water samples. 1-Dodecanol was utilized as extractant in the SA- DLLME- SFO method. A conventional nonionic surfactant,Tween 20,was used as a disperser agent in this approach. Parameters affecting the extraction efficiency of the SA- DLLME- SFO method such as volume of extraction solvent and nonionic surfactant,extraction and centrifugation time,salt effect were investigated. Under the optimized conditions,the detection limits of p-nitrophenol, p-cresol, p-bromophenol and bisphenol A were 0. 13,0. 13,1. 02,0. 25 ng/m L, respectively. The calibration curves were linear in the range of 2- 4 000 ng/m L for p-nitrophenol,p-cresol,bisphenol A,and 10- 4 000 ng/m L for pbromophenol. The recoveries of four compounds at spiked levels of 0. 2 μg/m L and 0. 8 μg/m L were in the range of 96. 6%- 105%,with relative standard deviations( RSD,n = 5) of 1. 9%- 4. 9%.The proposed method was successfully applied in the analysis of p-nitrophenol,p-cresol,p-bromophenol and bisphenol A in pond water and lake water.


Risk assessment is a systematic and iterative process, which involves risk analysis, where probable hazards are identified, and then corresponding risks are evaluated along with solutions to mitiga ...


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This study aims to produce instruments as a reference for measuring the quality of EDC system services from the acquirer to increase merchant loyalty. The dimensions of the SERVQUAL instruments namely reliability, assurance, tangible, responsiveness and empathy are adapted to produce EDC system quality measurement instruments with 4 dimensions as follows: business attentiveness; business availability; system dependability; credibility. Service quality is an important factor in merchant loyalty, so acquirers need to measure service quality to find out how the service quality factors of an EDC (electronic data capture) system can increase merchant loyalty. The indicators of measurement instruments must always be adjusted to the business development of the EDC system so that the accuracy of the measurement instruments of the EDC system's service quality will be maintained. Keywords: Electronic Data Capture, Service Quality


Highly conductive nylon 6 nanofiber web was fabricated with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) for electronic textiles. To improve electrical conductivity, repeated coating with PEDOT:PSS and multi-step treatment of DMSO was performed. The effects of these treatments on electrical conductivity, surface properties, and chemical structures were investigated. For repetitive coating cycles, pristine PEDOT:PSS dispersion was dropped onto a nylon 6 nanofiber web for between one and four times of coating. For DMSO multi-step treatment, in the one-step treatment, the nanofiber web was repeatedly treated using PEDOT:PSS doped with DMSO. In the two-step treatment, the nanofiber web was repeatedly treated with doped PEDOT:PSS at first and, then, it was immersed in a DMSO bath. As a result, the sheet resistance decreased dramatically as the number of coating cycles increased. When the two-step treatment was applied, the sheet resistance was much lower compared to that of the one-step treatment, and thereby sample PD4-D with the lowest resistance showed 6.56 Ω/sq. As a result, the surface of the nanofiber web was covered with more PEDOT:PSS as the coating cycle was repeated. The PEDOT particles became large and long shapes after the two-step treatment of DMSO. This inferred that the contact area among conducting PEDOT particles increased because insulating PSS was removed by DMSO. In addition, the presence of PEDOT:PSS and nylon 6 was confirmed. This study proved that the simultaneous treatments of repeated coating with PEDOT:PSS and multi-step treatment of DMSO can improve electrical conductivity, and it developed the highly conductive PEDOT:PSS/nylon 6 nanofiber web.


In the title compound, C17H20ClN3O3S2, the hexahydropyrimidine ring is puckered, the total puckering amplitude QT being 0.41 (1) A. The morpholine ring displays orientational disorder. Molecules are linked in the crystal via N—H⋯O and C—H⋯O interactions to form infinite chains.


Abstract The utility of simple syringyl-type phenolics of plant origin and some common synthetic compounds were compared with regard to their ability to act as laccase mediators in the oxidation of non-phenolic lignin model compounds. It was demonstrated that syringyl-type phenols, especially acetosyringone and methyl syringate, were able to mediate the oxidation of substrates of high oxidation potential by a laccase with a low redox potential. A mediator dose around 10% showed good performance compared to the equimolar quantities needed when the synthetic compounds 1-hydroxybenzotriazole or N-hydroxyacetanilide were used.


With the growth of the Internet, the field of e-commerce has gradually developed into an important field in people's lives. Nowadays, e-commerce brands bring consumers a huge convenience and efficient consumption mode, while operating costs are lower compared to the real economy. People's daily consumption and shopping have gradually transformed from traditional trading models to online trading activities conducted through electronic trading. A large number of merchants have established their own e-commerce platforms to provide high-quality services and make people's daily lives more convenient. With the growth of AI, the use of massive user consumption data, combined with advanced algorithms such as data mining (DM) and deep learning, accurately analyzes user purchase, return, and other behaviors, thereby upgrading the experience of e-commerce platforms to attract more customers and purchases. Currently, e-commerce Big data can be used in precision marketing, supply chain, logistics warehousing, payment security, e-commerce finance and other fields; In the future, e-commerce Big data will be closely combined with AI and VR/AR to promote the digitalization of traditional industries and pay more attention to data security and personal privacy. Based on Big data algorithm and AI, this paper analyzes e-commerce demand forecasting.


The invention provides an in-situ sampling and analysis treatment method for sediment. The method comprises the following steps: step one, the to-be-measured sediment is placed in a container, and the thickness L1 of the sediment is measured; step two, the sediment together with the container is put in a freezing device for freezing and taken out after the whole sediment is frozen, and the thickness L2 of the sediment is measured; step three, a test barrel is heated to facilitate removal of a solid mixture; step four, a mixture core sample is taken out by a drill and a sampler; step five, the core sample is cut into n pieces with equal thickness with an electric saw and the dry bulk density, as shown in the specification, of the sediment at different depths is calculated; step six, a distribution curve of the dry bulk density along the vertical line is obtained after the dry bulk density at different depths is obtained; step seven, each sample is subjected to particle separation, a gradation curve of each small sample block is obtained, the gradation curves of the sediment at different locations are compared, and the variation rule of the gradation curves of the sediment with the depth of sedimentation is obtained. Compared with the prior art, the method can improve the accuracy of in-situ sampling and analysis measurement results of the sediment.


SUMMARY A 56-year patient was diagnosed adenocarcinoma of the right lung and underwent lower lobectomy. Pleural dissemination was observed, and the pathological stage was T4N0M0. Systemic chemotherapy was performed with paclitaxel and vinorelbine after the surgery. Because multiple pulmonary and liver metastases were appeared 1 year after the surgery, the second line chemotherapy (CDDP and 5FU) was performed. The response of the chemotherapy was not observed, and thus the patient was enrolled in the clinical trial of MAGE-A3 peptide vaccine with OK-432. The peptide (300 mg) was injected subcutaneously at the upper thigh or upper arm a total of 6 times over 2 months (days 1, 8, 15, 22, 36, and 50) with OK432. During two courses of the vaccinations, the tumor markers (CA19-9 and CEA) decreased markedly. Furthermore, the tumor size of the lung and liver metastases decreased to 30% of their pre-treatment size. The delayed type hypersensitive reaction became positive after the first course of vaccinations. The precursor CTL for the peptide in the peripheral blood had increased after the vaccination. MAGE-A3 peptide vaccination with OK-432 has a potential to induce immunological response and clinical response in advanced lung cancer patients.


Helan Mountain region emerged large areas of Miboshan Formation stratum of Ordovician system and developed typical profundal turbidity sediment.Trace and Ree geochemical studies show that turbuitide of Miboshan Formation display high Ce/La and V/V+Ni value without negative Ce abnormity or unconspicuous negative anomalies.The picture of La-Th-Sc and Th-Co-Zr/10 denote the source of turbuitide has tectonic background of continental island arc and active continental margin.


We briefly review functions that we have proposed for the description of the experimentally observed nonexponential photoluminescence (PL) decay kinetics of colloidal quantum dots (QDs) at room temperature (RT) with parameters that have a straightforward physical meaning.


PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain an epoxy cationic resin which has excellent castability, thick film deposition, softness and other properties, is suitable for cathodic electrodepositable coating compsns. and has a specified charge density by reacting a specified epoxy resin compsn. with a nucleophilic reagent, adding an org. acid and water in the course of the reaction. SOLUTION: A blend comprising: (A) an epoxy resin (A 1 ) obtd. from a polyether polyol diglycidyl ether (G 1 ) with an average epoxy equivalent (Eq) of 350 to 5000, an epoxy resin (A 2 ) obtd. from the partially capped G 1 with an Eq of 300 to 5000, or a combination (A 3 ) of A 1 with A 2 ; and (B) an epoxy resin different from the components A 1 and A 2 is prepd. as an epoxy resin compsn. having terminal oxirane groups. In the course of the preparation of this compsn., a nucleophilic reagent is reacted with the compsn. to convert the oxirane group to a cationic group, and, during the conversion, an org. acid and water are added to obtain the epoxy cationic resin having a charge density of 0.2 to 0.6 milliequiavalent of charge per g of resin. COPYRIGHT: (C)1996,JPO


Abstract In the Labour Force Survey (LFS) the interviewees are considered as employed, unemployed or professionally inactive based on "objective" criteria defined in the survey's methodological assumptions (e.g. the fact that a person is seeking employment, waiting to start work or worked at least one hour in the reference week). In use since 1992, the above approach allows the classification to be unaffected by the respondents' subjective feelings. Since 2006, LFS respondents have been also allowed to identify their economic activity status by themselves. The objective of this paper is to indicate and attempt to explain the differences between the results based on the identification of economic activity statuses as per the criteria adopted by the Central Statistical Office and the LFS respondents' own assessment of their economic activity status. This paper assessed the rationale behind each approach and the implications thereof for the procedure and results of unemployment surveys from a static and dynamic perspective.


Abstract In this paper an algorithm for detection of nonstandard situations in smart water metering based on machine learning is designed. The main categories for nonstandard situation or anomaly detection and two common methods for anomaly detection are analyzed. The proposed solution needs to fit the requirements for correct, efficient and real-time detection of non-standard situations in actual water consumption with minimal required consumer intervention to its operation. Moreover, a proposal to extend the original hardware solution is described and implemented to accommodate the needs of the detection algorithm. The final implemented and tested solution evaluates anomalies in water consumption for a given time in specific day and month using machine learning with a semi-supervised approach.


The main purpose of this paper is to study initial and final Hutton type of linear fuzzifying uniformities. The detailed characterizations of initial and final linear fuzzifying uniformities are obtained. In addition, the boundedness, complete boundedness and T2 separation axiom of initial linear fuzzifying uniform spaces are investigated. Some examples with respect to initial and final linear fuzzifying uniformities are also provided.


Air movement in wokplaces, whether resulting from a forced ventilation system or naturally occurring airflow, has a significant impact on occupational health. In a huge shipbuilding factory building, typical harmful factors such as fume or vaporized gas from welding and cutting of steel plates, and dusts from grinding give unpleasant feeling. From field data survey, the yearly dominant, wind directions for the shipbuilding factory building tested were northwest, northeast and southeast Among the three wind directions, the ventilation improvement was the worst for the northeastern wind. This study was focused on location of the opening vents in order to utilize the natural ventilation effectively. Instantaneous velocity fields inside the 1/1000 scale-down factory building model were measured using a 2-frame PIV system. The factory building model was embedded in an atmospheric boundary layer simulated in a wind tunnel. The modified vents improve the internal Ventilation flow with increasing the flow speed more than two times, compared with that of present vents.


Perhaps the grandiose claim was calculated to appeal to the American taste for bigness. The plates in question are engravings (printed images) of the monuments and antiquities of Rome, most published in the second half of the sixteenth century, the age of Michelangelo and the Counter-Reformation. When first published, they were sold individually and also, from the 1570s, in sets of around 100 to 150, bound in volumes that often included the title page that gave them the "Speculum" name.