One consequence of the cosmic censorship conjecture is that any topological structure will ultimately collapse to within the horizons of a set of black holes, and as a result, an external classical observer will be unable to probe it. However, a single two-level quantum system [Unruh–DeWitt (UDW) detector] that remains outside of the horizon has been shown to distinguish between a black hole and its associated geon counterpart via its different response rates. Here, we extend this investigation of the quantum vacuum outside of an [Formula: see text] geon by considering the entanglement structure of the vacuum state of a quantum scalar field in this spacetime, and how this differs from its Banados–Teitelboim–Zanelli (BTZ) black hole counterpart. Employing the entanglement harvesting protocol, where field entanglement is swapped to a pair of UDW detectors, we find that the classically hidden topology of the geon can have an appreciable difference in the amount of entanglement harvested in the two spacetimes for sufficiently small mass. In this regime, we find that detectors with a small energy gap harvest more entanglement in the BTZ spacetime; however, as the energy gap increases, the detectors harvest more entanglement in a geon spacetime. The energy gap at the crossover is dependent on the black hole mass, occurring at lower values for lower masses. This also impacts the size of the entanglement shadow, the region near the horizon where the detectors cannot harvest entanglement. Small gap detectors experience a larger entanglement shadow in a geon spacetime, whereas for large gap detectors, the shadow is larger in a BTZ spacetime.


By using risk-adjusted revenue, the author examines the 42 open-end equity funds and analyses their performances with the help of fund operation theory and relevant security prices. It is observed that the funds generally out-perform the market, which speaks for the expertise of professionals. China's open-end funds generally favor large-scale value-oriented companies and they achieved good result in 2003. But the rapid fall of those blue chips in the first half of 2004 sent the performance of those funds into a big downturn, and the idea of value-oriented investment is broadly questioned. Besides, the weak sustainability of the funds shows that good performance of the past does not necessarily mean a high yield in the future.


In this study functional status in boar spermatozoa collected from frozen-thawed semen and capacitated in vitro by caffeine was monitored. The motile spermatozoa of boars (A, B and C) were isolated by Percoll gradient, treated with 1mM or 2mM caffeine and incubated in IVF medium or co-incubated with matured porcine oocytes for 3 hours. Motility, viability, acrosome integrity and fertilizing ability of spermatozoa were evaluated. Motility and viability of spermatozoa lightly decreased during capacitation in all tested boars independently of caffeine treatment (from 50.4±8.5 to 38.8±5.8 and from 56.0±6.9 to 43.9±5.5, respectively). The acrosome reaction was faster for 1mM caffeine-treated compared with 2mM caffeine-treated spermatozoa in all sires but its progress was different in each boar. The mean penetration rate was higher for 2mM caffeine-treated compared with 1mM caffeine-treated spermatozoa. On the other side, monospermy was higher and the mean % ±SD of normal fertilization was significantly higher (p<0.5) for 1mM caffeine-treated compared with 2mM caffeinetreated spermatozoa for all tested boars (29.8±6.1 vs. 12.7±5.6). It can be concluded that the progress of acrosome reaction was specific for spermatozoa of each boar and influenced the efficiency of normal IVF process.


Abstract Not Available – First paragraph follows:
Lesion nematodes (Pratylenchus sp.) are recognized as pathogens of apples in the eastern part of the United States, and various preplant control measures have been demonstrated beneficial in re-establishing orchards. During the early ′60s two small-scale preplant fumigation trials were conducted in replanted orchards in the Oak Glen area of San Bernardino County, California. Many tree replants or interplants in established orchards in this area were dying or demonstrating lack of vigor at that time. Soil and root analysis showed that high populations of Pratylenchus sp. were present in the orchards and were believed to be a major contributing factor to tree failure in these orchards. The results of these two early trials showed that preplant measures for nematode control were beneficial.


The invention concerns a closing device with selective locking for closing a frame (2), said device comprises a lid (1), a lock (13, 15), and a key (3) including a socket (7) and an arm (8), the lid having an opening (4) for the key to accede to the lock, the lock (13, 15) comprising a lock-bolt (15) co-operating with a lock-bolt keeper (27), and the key (3) selectively adopting a locking position which said key may freely adopt or be released from, and wherein the lock-bolt (15) is blocked in the lock-bolt keeper (27), and a position for which the key (3) is locked in the opening (4) and for which the lock-bolt (15) is released from the lock-bolt keeper (27). The invention is characterised in that the arm (8) and the socket (7) are substantially perpendicular to each other, and the arm (8) is substantially perpendicular to the lid (1) for the position unlocking the key.


In this paper a low-cost Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) inertial measurement unit is designed, a 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis gyroscope simulated 6 degrees of freedom orientation sensing through sensor fusion. By analyzing a simple complimentary filter and a more complex Kalman filter, the outputs of each sensor were combined and took advantage of the benefits of both sensors to improved results. The experimental results demonstrate that the output signal can be corrected suitability by means of the proposed method.


Activity level (the proportion of time that animals spend active) is a behavioural and ecological metric that can provide an indicator of energetics, foraging effort and exposure to risk. However, activity level is poorly known for free‐living animals because it is difficult to quantify activity in the field in a consistent, cost‐effective and non‐invasive way. This article presents a new method to estimate activity level with time‐of‐detection data from camera traps (or more generally any remote sensors), fitting a flexible circular distribution to these data to describe the underlying activity schedule, and calculating overall proportion of time active from this. Using simulations and a case study for a range of small‐ to medium‐sized mammal species, we find that activity level can reliably be estimated using the new method. The method depends on the key assumption that all individuals in the sampled population are active at the peak of the daily activity cycle. We provide theoretical and empirical evidence suggesting that this assumption is likely to be met for many species, but may be less likely met in large predators, or in high‐latitude winters. Further research is needed to establish stronger evidence on the validity of this assumption in specific cases; however, the approach has the potential to provide an effective, non‐invasive alternative to existing methods for quantifying population activity levels.


Abstract Ecophysiological studies of Australian native birds are relatively rare and have tended to focus on adaptations of birds to extreme environments. Much of this research over the last century has followed ornithological trends originating overseas, with the Australian avifauna being examined in the context of adaptations identified in Northern Hemisphere birds. This approach is clearly seen by the earlier research examining arid adaptations in Australian birds. These studies have largely supported existing theory, with recognition that many birds are preadapted for arid environments. Ironically, one of the unusual features repeatedly mentioned about certain old-endemic Australian birds, namely flexible breeding, was identified early in the past century, but received scant attention from reproductive biologists. Given the likely Gondwanan origin of Passeriformes and the wide range of habitats currently occupied by Australian birds, ecophysiological studies of Australian avifauna have tremendous potential to reveal how animal—environment interactions have shaped the range of breeding and physiological characteristics seen in passerines worldwide. As importantly, such studies are urgently needed to understand the ecological requirements of extant species with a view to better manage anthropogenic encroachment.


Guanosine is the important raw material for "I+G" a nd is a kind of novel food additives In this paper, the online data association analysis was carried out on multi scales and the fermentation regulation method based on the analysis and control of the metabolic flux was established combinin g the measurement of intermediates and of key enzymes The time varying system estimation for guanosine fed-batch fermentation was realized by dynamic stoichi ometry analysis concerning the metabolic flux shift The model on the relations hip between the principal metabolism and product forming pathway ,as well as the energy flux and material flux, was set up Finally, the key genes of the strai ns with different capacity of yield were compared with the data from the gene ba nk It revealed that the current production strain possessed the high yield pot ential, ie a one-base deletion is discovered in the gene coding for sAMP s ynthetase and nearly 10% base mutations in the entire and pur operon repressor b inding domain of pur operon are observed in the guanosine-producing strain Th e system biology on bioreactor level was proposed to solve the problems encounte red in the optimization of the fermentation bioprocess


This study examined the relationship between gender and strategies for coping for individuals faced with a perceived major, life-threatening stressor. The focus here was the sniper(s) that terrorized the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area for over 3 weeks in October 2002. A retrospective survey of 144 random respondents regarding their behavior and coping mechanisms during this period indicated that, overall, women's behavior was affected more than men's. Unexpectedly, most emotion-focused coping mechanisms studied here yielded no significant gender differences. The findings are discussed in light of recent thinking in social psychology on sex-role stereotyping and risk-taking. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Zhi Wang was a famous scholar of Shi Jing in South-Song Dynasty. One of his works named Shi Tsung Wen was belonged to a masterpiece in new faction of Shi Jing study; however, the image of masterpiece in new faction could be misunderstood that Zhi Wang was a counter-convention writer. The article uses the methods of document analysis and critique to realize his characteristics, advantages and disadvantages. According to the exploration of the article, it could be figured out that those researchers of Shi Jing in both new faction and old faction respected traditional study. The article also defined the work of Shi Tsung Wen as the composition of new and old faction, and the style of Shi Tsung Wen could be found new ways of doing things from old theories.


Tom van Weert argues that economic, societal and cultural developments in indus-trialized countries push for educational innovation. He sees Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as enabling factor of this innovation. His line of reasoning is the following. Knowledge intensive economies have a need for 'modern
professionals' with new qualifications. These professionals have to be able to produce concrete business results, but need also to contribute to essential business knowledge, needed to survive in a highly competitive and changing environment.
Knowledge creation is becoming part of working and is therefore not anymore the exclusive right of research institutions. In this light, universities as breeding place of 'modern professionals', need to redefine their role in much more fundamental ways than simply continuing old practices by modern ICT means. A new educational
paradigm is needed, integrating learning, working and knowledge creation. Situation based learning environments may be the materialization of this new paradigm.


The utility model discloses an anti-backflow and anti-freezing stop valve. The anti-backflow and anti-freezing stop valve is characterized by being composed of a valve body, a stop valve body provided with a check valve and located on the valve body and a drain valve located below the valve body. The valve body is a horizontal pipeline, a first perpendicular pipeline is arranged at the position, located at the water inlet cavity end, above the horizontal pipeline, the stop valve body provided with the check valve is arranged in the first perpendicular pipeline, a second perpendicular pipeline is arranged at the position, located at the water outlet cavity end, below the horizontal pipeline, and the drain valve is arranged in the second perpendicular pipeline; a tapered through hole is formed in the connection position of the horizontal pipeline and the first perpendicular pipeline and serves as a valve base of the stop valve body, the upper portion of an inner hole of the first perpendicular pipeline is a cylinder barrel, the lower portion of the inner hole of the first perpendicular pipeline is a middle cavity, an arc-shaped inclined hole in an inclined state is formed between the middle cavity and a water outlet cavity, and a residual water draining hole communicated with the water outlet cavity and a drain cavity is formed in the connection position of the horizontal pipeline and the second perpendicular pipeline. The anti-backflow and anti-freezing stop valve can effectively prevent downstream sewage from polluting an upstream clean water source, and the pipelines or the valves can be prevented from damage due to freezing of residual water.


Biopesticide repellents have been used in current situation for generations in traditional practices as a personal protection measure against mosquitoes. Natural repellents development is in valuable resources through ethnobotanical studies. The natural insecticide is eco-friendly, cheaper, easily available and more resistant from mosquitoes. Recently, commercial repellents are plant based which is popularity among customers. The effects of prepared biopesticide were evaluated on two different parameters such as evaporation and repellency. The application of biopesticide on mosquitoes such as Azadirachta indica, Vitex negundo and Partheneum histerophorus in the proportion of 2:2:1 is 95% repellency against mosquito, Aedes aegypti. The present developed product that offer high repellency not only customer safety but also harmless to environment.


The nonlinear characteristics of subcarrier network electronic, optoelectronic, and optical components set an upper limit to the available carrier to noise ratio (CNR). Conventionally, the harmonic and intermodulation distortion of system components such as semiconductor lasers has been assessed with multitone tests (e.g., Ref. 1). While these measurements give an accurate account of laser nonlinearity, they do not reflect the spectral characteristics of active communication channels. The statistical properties of the subcarrier channel signal ensemble must also be considered since peak signal clipping can introduce further CNR degradation.2 These issues are common to frequency-division-multiplex radio systems where it has been found that Gaussian statistics only apply with more than sixty speech signals (e.g., Ref. 3). Consequently, a new test procedure for the emerging subcarrier optical network systems is required.


Language learning or teaching without testing is like operating an engine of a car, ship or aeroplane without trial-driving. Testing being a process of administering a carefully prepared question in advance for assessment of learners' language behaviour must accompany language lesson for effective language development. Unfortunately, nowadays most language teachers and developers never take testing their learners serious. Some do not even know the processes of language testing talk less of its application. It is on this consideration that this paper intends to look at the impacts of testing on the teaching and learning of Igbo language. The paper also looks at the different types of objectives in conducting test in Igbo language, kinds of language test and things to bear in mind while administering Igbo language test. Finally, it discusses the essential characteristics of a good language test, gives the advantages of language testing in Igbo and makes recommendations. Language is one of the factors that distinguish man from animal. The human language is systematic and more organised than that of animal language. Without language, there will be no effective communication between individuals. Teachers of language are like medical practitioners who diagnose language ailments through the use of language test. Infact over the years the quality of language tests have been very poor and inadequate at all levels of the educational system. Some of the language tests given lack reliability and validity. The emphasis of the test has been on the written than on the spoken language. Many scholars have given different definitions on the concepts 'language and language testing' Bell (1981:1) defines language as 'the system of communication in speech and writing articulated sounds, organised by human thought and used by a group of humans for the purpose of communication. This definition shows that when human beings use sounds that are not organised, it is not language but 'jargon or bla bla bla'. It is the duty of the language teacher to guide especially the second language learner to organise the sounds inorder to make them meaningful in his/her utterance.


Modern human resources management ("people analytics") requires the use of complex algorithms and the evaluation of a vast amount of data. In this context, companies easily get into conflict with the applicable data protection regulations. The author presents the relevant provisions on data, industrial constitution and telecommunications law and uses practical case studies to show which pitfalls must be considered. In this context, he designs legally compliant solutions for the use of automated decisions, Big Data and IoT in companies. A sample works agreement on possible use scenarios is also drafted for the target group of lawyers, works councils and companies.


Introduction: Third molar surgeries are the most commonly practiced surgeries in the dental office. The incidence of surgical site infection is still higher in spite of antibiotic prophylaxis owing to the need for the use of alternative measures. Antibacterial sutures are recently being used following third molar surgeries to reduce the incidence of surgical site infections and inflammatory sequels. Objectives: To assess vicryl plus sutures in comparison with conventional plain vicryl in various parameters like swelling, infection, trismus, erythema and pain. Methods: Total of thirty patients having bilateral impacted mandibular third molars were selected. Plain vicryl was used for primary closure after disimpaction on the former side (Group A) and vicryl plus containing triclosan for the same on the contralateral side (Group B). Swelling, trismus, erythema, infection and pain were compared between the groups consecutively on 3rd, 7th, 15th days and one month. The observations and results were compiled. Results: The study yielded significant statistical results in terms of trismus, pain and erythema although the numerical significance was seen in all parameters. Conclusion:Vicryl suture containing triclosan was comparatively more effective in reducing the post-surgical sequel after third molar surgery than conventional plain vicryl suture.


Pecan kernels, coated with hot dip applications of acetylated monoglycerides and acetylated monoglycerides containing legally acceptable quantities of antioxidants, were evaluated over 24 wk of accelerated storage for changes in color and peroxidation of the indigenous oils. Both types of coatings showed significant effects on the degree of color changes occurring as determined from Hunter AE values. However, it appears that these differences were due to a masking of the red-brown coloration that developed rather than a retardation of the color development. The coatings did not have a significant effect on the amounts of anthocyanidins and phlobaphenes formed when compared to untreated kernels. Peroxidation of the oils in the kernels was retarded by both types of coatings, but differences were not significant until after the oils were oxidized to levels that would have been detectable subjectively. Differences among varieties in susceptibility to color changes and peroxidation of the kernels appeared to be more influential to storage stability than the application of monoglyceride coatings.


Alcohol consumption is an important risk factor for traumatic brain injury (TBI), and it has a great impact on its incidence and severity. However, studies suggest potential beneficial effects of alcohol during hospitalization and in the prognosis of moderate or severe TBI, with conflicting results. The objective of the present study was to associate alcohol consumption and helmet use in TBI patients, as well as the prognostic variables and patterns of injuries secondary to TBI. We analyzed 109 medical records of patients who suffered TBI due to a motorcycle accident. We evaluated data on alcohol consumption, helmet use, TBI severity, and tomographic findings on admission. The subjects with moderate or severe TBI were evaluated regarding hospitalization, mortality and prognosis variables. Patients who wore a helmet at the time of trauma had lower rates of skull fracture and extradural hematoma (EDH), but an increased incidence of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Furthermore, patients with moderate or severe TBI who were those under alcohol intoxication had a greater need for Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission and a tendency to have a lower in-hospital mortality rate and a higher score on the Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS). Thus, although the consumption of alcohol has an impact on the incidence and severity of TBI at admission, it seems to be related to a lower in-hospital mortality rate and a better prognosis. In addition, helmet use is essential to prevent injuries from direct head-to-shield impact, but no similar reduction in the incidence of injuries caused by indirect forces was observed.


This paper describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of a pilot recycling campaign. The goal of the campaign was to increase people's awareness and knowledge about recycling and the link between a healthy environment and the public's health. A total of 258 individuals attended campaign week events and completed an initial survey. Results identified inconvenience of recycling facility locations as a key barrier to recycling. Post-campaign survey results revealed increased recycling of paper, plastic, glass, and cans (p < 0.05). The majority of participants "agreed" or "strongly agreed" that as a result of campaign messages they had greater awareness about recycling (88.4%) and their recycling efforts increased (61.6%).


Today's libraries struggle with many issues associated with Internet use. Many have found that the demand for Internet workstations frequently exceeds the supply. In addition, academic librarians are concerned about patrons using reference workstations for nonresearch activities, such as e-mailing, chats, games, and viewing offensive materials. We conducted a survey of midsized academic libraries to identify the decisions libraries have made concerning Internet use and policies in the reference area. About half of the respondents have a written policy governing Internet use. The majority has placed some restrictions on e-mail, chats, and games; about half have restricted the viewing of "pornography" in the reference area. Internet service in academic libraries has become common and expected; its prevalence has expanded exponentially over the last decade. American Library Association data indicate that users have access to Internet terminals in the libraries of 93 percent of all doctorate-granting institutions, 82 percent of master's colleges, 76 percent of baccalaureate colleges, and 61 percent of associate of arts colleges.(1) Because this information was gathered in 1996, it is safe to assume that the numbers are even more impressive today. The first mention of the Internet in library literature occurred in 1988.(2) However, it was not until the mid-1990s that the Internet gained prominence as a reference area tool. Early Internet application--e-mail, FTP, and Telnet--were simply file transmission or computer access tools. When Gopher was introduced in 1991 and the first Web browser introduced in 1993, the Internet became a publishing medium in its own right. Although its potential as a reference tool was becoming apparent, its early use was impeded by slow access speeds and lack of useful content. An early article about Internet resources as a reference tool encouraged librarians to take a leadership role, seeing a strong need for such "salesmanship" tasks as increasing patron awareness of Internet resources and training patrons in the use of these resources.(3) As hardware quality, network speed, content, and user expectations evolved, libraries began to see the Internet as an integral part of reference service. While the Internet's future promise and potential were acknowledged, in fact, nobody knew exactly what issues and concerns lay ahead. Libraries, which usually are dependent on budgeting from a parent institution or governmental entity, were handicapped in their attempts to plan ahead. Academic libraries, while benefiting from the computer support provided by their academic community, were and continue to be dependent on the computing network infrastructure imposed by the parent institution. The Present Many librarians probably would admit to having a love-hate relationship with the Internet and its attendant advantages and problems. On one hand, the Internet is a serious reference tool and frequently the fastest, most up-to-date method for answering reference questions.(4) In addition to the wealth of information found on free Web sites, the Internet is useful as a conduit for "traditional" reference tools, such as proprietary databases. Its usefulness for providing reference services to distance education students is unmatched. Increasingly, users are becoming comfortable with this resource which, in turn, has enhanced its value. The many advantages of using the Internet as a reference tool are offset by numerous drawbacks. While librarians are fully aware that the Internet is not perfect, many users seem to view it as a panacea for all their information needs. What librarian has not heard the plaintive hope, "But surely it's on the Internet."? The very fact that students have become so comfortable using this resource has complicated the issue for libraries. Clients now are often reluctant to leave the comfort of Internet searching to venture into the unknown maze of traditional research sources. …


Laboratory classes can be regarded as important to help students grasp the fundamentals of Soil Mechanics, but this is sometimes discarded as impractical or bound to be restricted to demos, especially in large classrooms. Demonstrations can, after all, be simply presented in the classroom, even by means of videos or YouTube clips. Notwithstanding the merit of such displays, the point is made in the paper that students can reach a better understanding of the fundamentals if they have a hands-on experience in the lab. Moreover, this experience can be designed so as to also foster development of soft skills which are valued competencies of the engineer of the 21st century. A tested method of doing so, even with large numbers of students, is described, as well as the involvement required from those students in terms of self-learning. Soil identification and classification is also learned by means of a carefully designed hands-on laboratory experiment that usually meets with joyful involvement by the students.


Background: Heart failure is a common chronic condition that affects patients' life situation and puts high demands on self-care and patient participation. Patients often need advanced care due to ...


Stock price prediction and the selection of important factors are a hot issue for statisticians. Machine learning methods need to ensure the prediction accuracy of the model in high-dimensional data scenes on the one hand, and the interpretability of the output of the prediction model on the other. If a single model is used for forecasting, it is easy to cause the problems of deviation and variance imbalance of the forecasting model (over-fitting and under-fitting). Based on this, we propose an interpretable forecasting model weighted bagging based on independence criterion. On the one hand, the proposed method solves the problem that a single model is easy to fall into over-fitting and under-fitting by using the idea of model averaging. On the other hand, when the sub-model is an interpretable machine learning method in Bagging framework, the proposed method can also output the weighted feature importance of each factor. In addition, the choice of independence criterion and sub-model is free. The actual data analysis shows that the proposed method has smaller prediction error compared with the comparison methods such as LASSO, ridge regression, random forest and XGBoost. The factor selection model under the minimum prediction error criterion will be more interpretable.


The reëstablishment of treaty relations with Germany seems to have afforded occasion for a new type of treaty incorporating new principles,restating old ones and generally rearranging the subject-matter considered.Provisions relating to consular privileges and immunities show the influence of this new consideration. The Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Consular Rights with Germany has been followed by similar treaties with Estonia and Hungary. Ratification of a like treaty with Salvador has been advised and consented to by the United States Senate, but the exchange of ratifications has not yet been announced. A consular convention with Cuba follows the corresponding provisions in the treaties of friendship, commerce and consular rights so far as consular privileges and immunities are concerned. As press reports have indicated that similar treaties may be negotiated with other states, it is possible that there may be an extensive redefinition of consular privileges and immunities along the lines of the provisions of the recently published treaties. In the light of this possibility the contents of this part of the treaties are of great importance and an examination of them of present interest. As the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Consular Rights with Germany was the first of the series,the following discussion is based upon the provisions of that treaty, with attention being given to the more important departures in the later treaties.


Porous silicon films displaying a distribution of pore dimensions can be generated by electrochemically etching silicon in aqueous ethanolic HF using an asymmetric electrode configuration. The median pore size and breadth of the size-distribution in the film can be set by adjusting the HF concentration, current density, and position of the counter electrode relative to the silicon electrode. Films with pore sizes in the range of a few nanometers are used as size-exclusion matrices to perform an on-chip determination of macromolecule dimensions. The test molecule used in this study is bovine serum albumin (BSA). Optical reflectivity spectra of the thin porous Si films display distinctive shifts in the Fabry–Perot fringes in regions of the film where the pore dimensions are larger than a critical size, interpreted to be the characteristic dimensions of the protein. Gating of the protein in and out of the porous films is demonstrated by adjustment of the solution pH below and above the pI (isoelectric point) value, respectively.


Objective To investigate preliminarily the role of alveolar macrophage(AM) in perfluoroisobutylene(PFIB)-induced acute lung injury.Methods 248 male KM mice were randomly divided into four groups(namely control group,GdCl_3 group,PFIB group and GdCl_3/PFIB group),among which the PFIB and GdCl_3/PFIB groups were exposed to PFIB at the concentration of 130 mg/m~3 for 5 minutes in a flow-past whole-body chamber,while the control and GdCl_3 groups were exposed to the filtered air in a similar manner.Before PFIB or filtered air exposure,the GdCl_3 and GdCl_3/PFIB groups were pretreated with GdCl_3 intravenously(10 μg/g) at 48 hours and 24 hours,respectively,and the control and PFIB groups were injected the same dose of normal saline at the corresponding time-points.The content of total protein in brochoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF) and the lung wet-to-dry weight ratio was determined at 8,12,24,48 and 72 hours post PFIB exposure,with histopathological and(ultrastructural) examination being done at 24 hours and the mortality rate induced by PFIB exposure at 190 mg/m~3 for 5 minutes within the 7-day observation period being recorded.Results When AM inhibition was achieved by GdCl_3 pretreatment,death of mice induced by an over-LCt_(50) concentration of PFIB(at 190 mg/m~3 for 5minutes) dropped dramatically,which was well supported by the amelioration in histopathological and ultrastructural changes observed at 24 hours post PFIB exposure as well as significant declination in content of BALF total protein and lung wet-to-dry weight ratio observed at 8,12 and 24 hours post exposure,(respectively) in the GdCl_3/PFIB group.Conclusion AM plays an important role in the pathogenesis of PFIB-induced acute lung injury,the underlying mechanism of which needs to be further clarified.


We present an experimental realization of a minimal heat engine in the form of a single Brownian particle, performing gyrating motion by systematic torque generation due to dissipation from two dif ...


More and more flaws and demerits have occurred in the management of e-accounting with its high speed development,so in order to resolve the issues,a series of constructive measures have been put forward.


Realistic load testing of software systems and continuous testing of the systems is an industry requirement. Within the scope of this study, a software architecture was presented, and prototype implementation was implemented for load testing of live systems with realistic loads continuously and without crashing the system. Experiments of the crashless load test module of the prototype were implemented, and successful results were obtained from experiments.


A process for producing a micromechanical structure with the following steps: Providing a pre-patterned BSOI wafer as a substrate (140) comprising a wear layer (110), a carrier layer (120) and between the wear layer (110) and the carrier layer (120) disposed intermediate layer (130), wherein the intermediate layer (130 ) was pre-structured in the preparation of the BSOI wafer to a first surface (at least in a portion 122) of the carrier layer (120) that faces the wear layer (110) to expose, wherein the intermediate layer (130) is designed as an etch stop with respect to the materials of the support layer (120) and the wear layer (110); and Producing a micromechanical structure in the wear layer (110) of the substrate (140), wherein the generating of the micromechanical structure comprises etching the thickness of the wear layer (110) to a predetermined thickness in at least a portion of the micromechanical structure, - in the wear layer (110) comprises the useful layer (110) has a built-stop layer, which defines the predetermined thickness of the wear layer (110), or - the predetermined thickness of the wear layer is adjusted by the duration of the etching, or - during the step of reducing the thickness of the wear layer (110) wherein the reduction is terminated if the predetermined thickness is reached is monitored by an optical endpoint control, wherein, starting from a second surface (124) of the carrier layer (120) opposite the first surface (122), the thickness of the wear layer (110) at the locations (121) on which the intermediate layer (130) is removed, the predetermined thickness (126) is reduced.


With the NaCl as the chosen stress factor,observation and measurement were made on the density,size,physiology and function of boot leaf spiracles of various rices.The salt damage brought by NaCl to rice and the anti-salt mechanism of rice were studied so as to provide reference for the exploration of salt resistant mechanism of crops and cultivation of salt-resistant crops.


In this study, we appeal to insights and results from Davidson and Neu 1993 and McConomy 1998 to motivate empirical analyses designed to gain a better understanding of the relationship between auditor quality and forecast accuracy. We extend and refine Davidson and Neu's analysis of this relationship by introducing additional controls for business risk and by considering data from two distinct time periods: one in which the audit firm's responsibility respecting the earnings forecast was to provide review-level assurance, and one in which its responsibility was to provide audit-level assurance. Our sample data consist of Toronto Stock Exchange (TSE) initial public offerings (IPOs). The earnings forecast we consider is the one-year-ahead management earnings forecast included in the IPO offering prospectus. The results suggest that after the additional controls for business risk are introduced, the relationship between forecast accuracy and auditor quality for the review-level assurance period is no longer significant. The results also indicate that the shift in regimes alters the fundamental nature of the relationship. Using data from the audit-level assurance regime, we find a negative and significant relationship between forecast accuracy and auditor quality (i.e., we find Big 6 auditors to be associated with smaller absolute forecast errors than non-Big 6 auditors), and further, that the difference in the relationship between the two regimes is statistically significant.


ABSTRACT Recently, discussions of non-binary gender identity have been increasingly featured in U.S. American mainstream print media, particularly mass market magazines, advertising and business editorials, and marketing reports from consumer insight strategy groups. I present a threefold argument relating to this increase in non-binary gender visibility. First, I argue that the media depictions I examine portray non-binary gender identity as a more "authentic" gender identity than cisgender and binary transgender identities, a claim that encourages all consumers to engage in individualized consumptive patterns that transcend hegemonic gender categories in order to attain an authentically gendered self. I frame this media and marketing reification of the supposed affective and consumptive behaviors of non-binary individuals as a result of the parallel evolution of trans respectability politics, targeted marketing techniques, and aspirational economic subjecthood in the U.S. Second, I argue that the departure from these broad, hegemonic consumptive patterns that all consumers are encouraged to adopt enables the development of ever more fine-grained individual consumer data profiles within various algorithmic targeting marketing systems. Finally, I argue that the algorithmic legibility that such discourse encourages renders individuals more vulnerable to the many surveillance systems with which individualized commercial data profiles are often shared.


The research results of morphology of the lacrimal gland secretory divisions of the Simmenthal breed cattle are given in the article. On the basis of the conducted morphological research results it is determined that cattle lacrimal glands of the superior eyelid and the third eyelid differ on the form, color, sizes and weight. By means of the micromorphological methods it is revealed that lacrimal glands have authentic distinctions on the adenomere sizes.


scrapbook 78% media scrapbook , (2) kualitas media scrapbook media scrapbook 97% kategori Abstract The lack of learning media usage students' ability in learning fable have not yet reached the Minimum Criteria of Mastery Learning. The purposes of this research are (1) to describe the process of scrapbook media development for fable identification learning, (2) to describe the quality of scrapbook for fable identification learning i.e. validity, practicality, and effectiveness. This research type is development research with quantitative descriptive research methods. This development research is referring to Sadiman's development research, i.e. (1) identification of needs, (2) formulation of purpose, (3) formulation of material items, (4) formulation of measuring success, (5) process of media scripts writing, (6) try out, (7) revision, and (8) manuscript ready for production. The data collection techniques of this research are questionnaire, validation, observation, and test. The results showed that (1) the process of developing scrapbook media according to 8 steps of Sadiman's development. According to the questionnaire, 78% students need fable identification learning using scrapbook media, (2) quality of scrapbook i.e. validity, practicality, and effectiveness. The results of scrapbook media validation have a percentage of 97% with "very feasible" category. The media that has been validated are mass produced and can be used by students in learning and teaching process. The practicality of scrapbook media based on the students' questionnaire has a percentage of 93% with "very practical" category. Effectiveness of scrapbook media can be known through students' learning outcome with an average score of 86.22. The observation result of student's activities has a percentage of 94% so is the teacher's result. This can be categorized that the effectiveness of scrapbook media is "very good". Therefore, the conclusion is scrapbook media meet the criteria to be used in the fable identification learning process.


The invention relates to a metallic effect pigment, the metallic effect pigment having at least one diffractive structure and at least one layer comprising metal nanoparticles and metal oxide phase, the metal of the metal oxide phase and the metal of the metal nanoparticles being identical in this at least one layer. The invention further relates to a method for producing these metallic effect pigments, a coating agent and a coated article.


To evaluate the ability of CMIP6 Earth System Models to simulate net biome production (NBP) changes caused by natural and man‐made forcing, the simulated NBP during the period 1901–2010 at global, hemispheric and regional scales was compared with the estimated NBP of the TRENDY ensemble. The annual NBP, globally and over the Northern Hemisphere and tropics, from the CMIP6 ensemble reflected well the TRENDY ensemble annual values from 1901 to 2010, and the correlation coefficient passed the 0.05 significance level. The annual NBP estimated by CMIP6 over the globe, Northern Hemisphere and tropics was 0.20 ± 0.46, 0.25 ± 0.34, and −0.02 ± 0.14 Pg C yr−1, respectively; while from the TRENDY ensemble it was 1.04 ± 0.41, 0.55 ± 0.24, and 0.43 ± 0.20 Pg C yr−1, respectively. The main weaknesses of the CMIP6 multi‐model ensemble simulation was the lower strength of NBP, especially at low latitudes. The simulated results showed higher soil respiration estimated by CMIP6 for these regions, especially in the Amazon Basin, than that by the TRENDY ensemble, which produced the greater NPB estimated by TRENDY. The CMIP6 ensemble exaggerated the increasing trend of carbon sinks between 30° and 60°N in the Northern Hemisphere after 1961, due to the stronger positive response of NPP (net primary production) in the high‐latitude Northern Hemisphere to global warming. The NBP during 1901–2010 could not be reproduced well by the CMIP6 ensemble in most sub‐regions, as evidenced by the failure to pass the statistical test at the 5% significance level in 70% of the sub‐regions in terms of the correlation coefficients with the TRENDY ensemble. In eastern Asia, for example, NBP was poorly estimated by the CMIP6 ensemble, as evidenced by negative correlation coefficients with the TRENDY ensemble.


We have proposed and demonstrated a new fiber Bragg grating (FBG) based vibration measurement system which can demodulate vibration signals from wavelength-multiplexed FBG sensors with high sensitivity and fast frequency response.


New medical devices for diabetes, such as insulin pumps and glucose sensors, have been introduced in the past few years to improve diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of diabetic patients. In particular, the conventional self-assessment blood glucose measurement by finger pricking significantly worsens the patient's quality of life because of painful hardening of the fingertips. For this reason, glucose sensors for flash and continuous monitoring of interstitial glucose levels are increasingly used. Unfortunately, some cutaneous side effects were described after their introduction.


Ever since the end of the "Great East Asian War" in Japan a debate has been smoldering over the contamination of philosophy by politics. This debate was sparked by a series of writings through which the "father of Japanese philosophy," Nishida Kitaro (1870-1945), and some thinkers affiliated with him-the so-called Kyoto School-became involved in the politics connected with the war to establish a "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere." The debate over Nishida and the Kyoto School has repeatedly been overshadowed by the debate over Heidegger. Aside from the strategic considerations of those engaged in the prosecution of the Kyoto School, one reason for the "Heidegger factor"' may have something to do with the fact that philosophical parallels can indeed be drawn between Nishida and Heidegger, and that there are also direct links between Nishida and some of his disciples who studied in Germany. Questions concerning Heidegger's political engagement are still explosive, even twenty years after Farias' attempt to prove Heidegger's entanglement with National Socialism. The publication of Emmanuel Faye's book Heidegger--L'introduction du nazisme dans la philosophie has fired up the debate in French philosophical circles.2 And in the debate concerning Nishida and the Kyoto School there is also recent news: the publication of Christopher S. Goto-Jones' ambitious study Political Philosophy in Japan: Nishida, the Kyoto School, and CoProsperity. "Every inquiry," Heidegger says, "is a seeking [Suchenl. Every seeking gets guided beforehand by what is sought for."" Goto-Jones' inquiry seeks to explain the nature of Nishida's political engagement in the 1930s and 1940s, and his inquiry is guided by the conviction that Nishida should be exonerated from the charges regarding his alleged complicity with a Japanese wartime regime that was at least militarist if not "fascist." However, the declared intention of Goto-Jones' study is not just another exoneration of Nishida. Goto-Jones contends that Nishida, influenced "particularly [by] Kant" (p. 7), has left behind a still relevant political philosophy that, as some other authors have argued,4 is not only not tainted by any form of narrowminded nationalism but also provides a philosophical framework for a theory of a globalizing, multicentered, intercultural world:


ABSTRACT This study explores how British and Hong Kong (HK) university athletes make sense of their wellbeing through sports participation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 participants: six from British universities and six from HK universities. Interviews were conducted bilingually, enabling code-switching between Cantonese and English to preserve nuances between the cultures. Transcripts were analysed via Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Results indicated that: (1) British and HK participants experienced sport as drawing out strength of character and as a therapeutic agent; (2) British participants claimed that university is an energising environment, yet competing for their university brings emotional turmoil; and (3) HK participants claimed that sport helped maturation, yet HK's culture is counterproductive to athletic development. Our findings offer a cross-cultural, lifeworld perspective of how being a university athlete may be a double-edged sword. We highlight ways this unique population requires support from policy makers and practitioners in sports and other relevant fields.


Conflict transformation cannot be achieved without identifying and analysing the entire range of the driving forces and root causes of the conflict which create a feeling of injustice among the parties and influence conflict dynamics. Apart from the primary root causes of the conflict, which go back to the history of the parties' relations, there are also contemporary factors which create structural pre-conditions for the exacerbation of the conflict, or, at least, for a sustained lack of trust between the parties. In part, these structural preconditions are linked to third-party approaches to the conflict situation.


Sports public service is an essential component of national public cause.How is the effect of sports public service? What are the bases for evaluation effect? In this study,we start from the basic thought of service for customers,emphasize on the management of service process,provide main body of service and reconsider the management methods and technology.The paper also discusses about the selection criteria of evaluation indicator of sports public service and the principle of evaluation system and pays attention to the objective evaluation of sports public service object.


We prove a general regularity result on the heat kernel associated to a general formally self-adjoint, second-order subelliptic differential operator. As a consequence, the pointwise asymptotic expansion of the heat kernel on the diagonal, as t↓0, is established


Climate change and, more specifically, the idea that there is a process of global warming well advanced, features frequently in broadcast and published news. Images, such as those of polar bears trapped on ice floes drifting away from the safety of land, make this an issue that is not merely a concern of scientists, but something that disturbs the public mind. At its heart the issue is a matter of the enormous bodies of current and historical meteorological data available, the computer systems that can be used to organise them, and the interpretations that emerge from informed examination of the data. There is, however, the personal observation of the ordinary person to take into account. It is not only that, for instance, in the UK meteorologists note that the 10 warmest years on record have occurred during the last 12 years. It is also observable fact that there has been little or no snow in lowland England during the lifetimes of the younger part of the population. And, of course, people from the Nordic countries have noted equally disturbing changes. Scientifically measurable patterns, personal observation and the suggestion that there is a broad, long-term trend in process fit together persuasively. Add to that the suggestion that this all is caused by damage to the ozone layer resulting from the high levels of carbon emissions produced by modern industrial society and you have a potent mix of scientific concern and public anxiety.


The research built on a qualitative project conducted in 2012 around choices faced by people with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) at the end of their lives. The aim was to develop survey questions that could be asked of all people with MND about these choices to better understand the decisions and how ready people felt to be making them.

Questions were developed to capture feedback from people living with MND to understand their care and support needs as the disease progresses. This was achieved via the following methods:


Background The family response to intensive care unit (ICU) hospitalisation includes development of adverse psychological outcomes such as stress, anxiety or depression. These complications from exposure to critical care are termed post-intensive care syndrome-family (PICS-f). Psychological repercussions of critical illness affect the family member's ability to perform care functions after hospitalisation. Methods A total of 37 family members of patients hospitalised in an ICU were included. To evaluate the level stress, anxiety, depression and basic hope the standardized questionnaires the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Basic Hope Inventory (BHI-12) respectively were used. Results In 33 respondents (89.19%) a high level of stress was identified, and 14 (37.84%) and 12 (32.43%) respondents had severe anxiety and depression, respectively. Higher levels of stress, anxiety and depression were found in spouses and family members living with the patient. Female subjects had a higher level of basic hope (P = 0.026). It was found that perceived stress correlated with anxiety (r = 0.456, P = 0.005) and depression (r = 0.481, P = 0.003). Conclusions Most relatives of the patients reported stress, anxiety, depression and low basic hope. Preventive family-centred interventions are needed to minimize the risk of adverse psychological repercussions, including post-intensive care syndrome family.


Myopia is a major health problem throughout the world due to its increasingly high prevalence in the past few decades. Myopia, in particular high myopia, is directly or indirectly associated with a number of ocular complications such as glaucoma and cataract that are potentially blinding. Myopic retinopathy, a major cause of visual impairment and blindness, affects 1–3 % of the general populations in some countries. Increased amount of near-work activities and decreased time spent outdoors are the two most important modifiable risk factors related to myopia onset and progression, though the exact role of how these two risk factors impact on myopia remains to be determined. Efforts should be made to discover treatments to slow or stop progression of myopia to prevent further progression to high myopia and pathologic myopia. Further research on the understanding of the natural history of pathologic myopia and more effective treatment for pathologic myopia is of also of public health importance.


Colin Leys: Health, health care and capitalism Hans Ulrich Deppe: The nature of health care: commodification versus solidarity David Coburn: Inequality and health Rodney Loeppky: Certain wealth: Accumulation in the health industry Kalman Applbaum: Marketing global health care: the practices of big pharma Marie Gottschalk: US health reform and the Stockholm syndrome Christoph Hermann: The marketisation of health care in Europe Pat Armstrong & Hugh Armstrong: Contradictions at work: struggles for control in Canadian health care Paula Tibandebage & Maureen Mackintosh: Maternal mortality in Africa, a gendered lens on health system failure Julie Feinsilver: Cuban health politics at home and abroad Shaoguang Wang: China's double movement in health care Mohan Rao: 'Health for All' and neoliberal globalisation: an Indian rope trick Meri Koivusalo: The shaping of global health policy Robert Albritton: Between obesity and hunger: the capitalist food industry Lesley Henderson: Medical TV dramas, health care as soap opera Sanjay Basu: Building a comprehensive public health movement, learning from HIV/AIDS mobilizations Julian Tudor Hart: Mental health in a sick society: what are people for?


In this paper, we consider large partially connected relay networks made up of multiple subnetworks. An interference alignment scheme using only partial channel state information is proposed. In particular, every node and the relay only knows the intra-subnetwork channel of the corresponding subnetwork, the network topology, and the side information from other subnetworks. The proposed scheme requires no additional relay antennas as compared to interference alignment using full channel state information. Furthermore, the proposed scheme can be parallelized to reduce the delay in large networks.


The National Robotics Engineering Consortium and UltraStrip Systems Inc. have developed a highly flexible and productive robot to strip paint from large ships and other large ferro-magnetic structures based on the patents obtained by UltraStrip Systems, Inc. (US patents: 6,425,340; 5,849,099; 5,628,271). Removal of corrosion and coatings from large vessels has become a serious economic and environmental problem, and current practices are becoming infeasible. The M2000 robot removes paint from ships using ultrahigh pressure water jets and recovers the water and debris in an environmentally sound way. The addition of simple, easy-to-use, cruise control features to the robot has permitted significant increases in productivity, safety, and stripping quality.


This work is an analysis of the models of scientific and technological development and the characteristics of the Brazilian way, which culminates in a government politic guided system. It presents the activities of the main government's organizations responsible to support the country scientific research activities. It discusses the difficulties to establish the portfolio of projects contemplated by the available resources. The research analyzes the effectiveness of the resources application and the process of projects selection for the Scientific Initiation Program developed by UNIFEI Federal University of Itajubá. It analyses the projects evaluation criteria and the correlation among the variables: student's performance coefficient; the advisor's scientific production and the project quality. As well as, also discuss the relationship of those variables among with the final research performance score. The research relates and discusses the difficulties and the reasons of success of the program and identifies improvements opportunities. It is a descriptive and explanatory case study, with statistics and qualitative approaches. The main conclusions, among others, are that exist no correlation among the performance attributed to the project during the selection process and in a second evaluation, to the results of the research. It was identified a negative relationship between the advisor's academic-scientific performance and the project results evaluation. The student academic performance and the quality of the project confirmed an expected direct relationship. Key-words: Scientific Research, Technological Development, Scientific Research Sponsors Institutions, Portfolio.


I shall soon be ending my tenure as editor of Canadian Ethnic Studies/Etudes ethniques au Canada. As some of you know, I retired from the University of Manitoba on June 30, 2011, after thirty-three years of teaching, research, and administration. My Department (German and Slavic Studies) and the Centre for Ukrainian Canadian Studies (of which I was the director for many years) held a reception for me on September 9, at which the Department announced the establishment of an award in my name (The Natalia Aponiuk Student Travel Award for Study Abroad). I was delighted to be honoured in this way. It was probably inevitable that all of this would lead me to thoughts of complete freedom from deadlines and schedules for what would be virtually the first time in my adult life. However, circumstances were such that freedom had to wait, and I have stayed on as editor for the past year. My time as editor has been a great learning experience. I learned about research in areas that were far removed from my own; I met--even if mostly through the internet--many interesting people whom I would not have had the opportunity to meet otherwise. And, of course, I learned a great deal about the intricacies of editing and publishing. Although the work was time-consuming, it was also rewarding. There are many people to whom I owe a debt of gratitude. First and foremost is the tiny group I was fortunate enough to be able to bring together to assist me in the publication of the journal. First among these is my assistant, Claire Hutchinson. Her background--a Master's in English, experience as a script writer, and years of experience dealing with finances at the University of Manitoba--made her uniquely qualified to deal with the many aspects of the job she took on. I am also deeply appreciative of her personal qualities of dependability, reliability, discretion, and her ability to stick with a task to completion. I really could not have done my job without her assistance. I was also fortunate in "finding" Jacqueline Barral, our French copy editor, who was painstaking in ensuring that the French in the journal was at the highest level--her own knowledge of the language was tempered by years of teaching, of literary editing, and of study of French literature at the doctoral level. I would also like to thank Rachelle Painchaud-Nash, who initiated subtle, but significant, changes in the design and layout of the journal. All three were dedicated to ensuring that each issue of the journal was of the highest quality on every level. The students we were able to hire under various work/study programs were a great help to us. At the University of Manitoba, I am particularly indebted to Dr. Richard Sigurdson, who, as Dean of Arts, was most supportive of the journal. I would like to thank all the members of the journal's editorial board for their support of the journal and of me personally. They all contributed mightily by writing articles and reviews, reviewing articles, suggesting reviewers, acquiring funding, offering advice and suggestions, and in many other ways. It was a pleasure to work with you. Finally, I would like to thank all the contributors who submitted articles and reviews and all the anonymous reviewers who were so thoughtful and diligent in making their comments. I have no doubt that their comments were most helpful in ensuring that the journal was able to maintain the highest quality. I wish the journal continued success in the future. It has been an honour and a pleasure to serve as the editor. Natalia Aponiuk Editor Canadian Ethnic Studies/Etudes ethniques au Canada Mes fonctions d'editrice et redactrice en chef du Canadian Ethnic Studies/Etudes ethniques au Canada vont bientot prendre fin. Comme plusieurs d'entre vous le savent, j'ai pris ma retraite de l'Universite du Manitoba le 30 juin 2011, apres y avoir oeuvre pendant trente cinq ans dans l'enseignement, la recherche et l'administration. …


Cellulose is the most available biomacromolecule in nature with the properties of renewability, biodegradability, biocompatibility, and environmental friendliness. Cellulose and its derivatives are excellent building blocks for fabrication of gels. In this review, the principles for preparing cellulose-based gels are summarized in detail. Considering the native properties of cellulose and its derivatives, chemical and/or physical crosslinking can be introduced during the preparation of cellulose-based gels. The chemical and physical crosslinking approaches are classified alongside the introduction of new concepts in polymer science, such as supramolecular interactions. Cellulose graft copolymers are another kind of building block in the fabrication of cellulose-based gels. The properties of gels can be tailored by the chemical structure of the graft chains. Cellulose-based gels can be applied in many fields depending on their properties.


While most organizations react to economic downturns by downsizing and cutting training and educational "costs," a few others thrive under adversity by engaging in innovative practices supported by extensive and creative uses of educational technology. This article examines how diverse organizations benefit from the cycles of "creative destruction" by using "smart" applications of educational technology to add value and save costs to their clients, reinvent industries, and create sustainable ecosystems that spur countercyclical growth.


On the premise of time restriction and allowable stock-out, fuzzy parameters of suppliers' supply capacity and demand capacity of manufacturers are considered, and a satisfactory selection scheme of suppliers is discussed in this study for the determination of the suppliers involved and the quantity of their materials in order to minimize the total cost. A fuzzy planning model is proposed concerning this issue, and we solve it by using the interval-valued mean to transform the uncertain model into their equivalent formulation, thus providing theoretical basis for the selection of suppliers.


A system of beta reference radiation has been developed, that is composed of 740 MBq 147Pm beta source, 74 MBq and 740 MBq 90Sr+90Y p sources, compensation filters, a source handling tool, a source jig, spacing bars, a sutter, a control unit and a beta dose meter calibration stand. For 740 MBq 147Pm and 74 MBq 90Sr + 90Y beta reference radiations with compensation filters and 740 MBq 90Sr + 90Y beta reference radiation without compensation filter, at 20 cm, 30 cm and 30 cm distance separately; the residual energy of maximum is 0. 14 MeV, 1. 98 MeV and 2.18 MeV separately; the absorbed dose to tissue D (0.07) is 1.547 mGy/h (1996-05-20) , 5. 037 mGy/h (1996-05-10) and 93. 57 mGy/h (1996-05-15) separately; the total uncertainty is 3. 0%, 1.7% and 1.7% separately. For the first and the second beta reference radiation, the doserate variability in the area of 18 cm diameter in the plane perpendicular to the beta-ray beam axis is within + 6 % and +3% separately.


Trees growing in urban and forest situations ex- perience internal water stress. Water may be a significant growth limiting factor in both situations. Supply and demand considerations, such as the reservoir of water in urban soils and the atmospheric factors which regulate demand, are im- portant. Urban foresters may play an important role in manag- ing water deficits through timely irrigation and species selec- tion. The differential responses of tree taxa to internal water stress makes species selection critical in managing urban trees. Yet the lack of comprehensive experimental observa- tions of tree response to drought in cities makes this difficult. Soil water deficits, and the plant water stress which accompany them, are significant limiting factors in the growth of urban trees. Yet, Whitlow and Bassuk (22) observed, "very few data are available to document the severity and frequency of water deficits in urban street trees." None- theless, observation of urban trees across a wide geographic range has demonstrated some clear patterns: newly transplanted street trees die if supplemental water is not provided, mature trees may die during relatively mild, periodic droughts, and urban trees have relatively short life-spans. The goal of this paper is to provide a framework for plant responses to water deficits in urban areas and to develop an overview of water as a limiting factor for the growth of urban trees.


As sustainable development goals (SDG's) 14 faces a challenge to achieve the target of sustainable fisheries management and governance. This paper's objective is to assess the obstacle of Indonesia's fisheries management and governance with regards to enabling factors in sustainable development related to business practitioners. Primary and secondary data were collected using previous literature, FGD and in-depth interviews. Indeed, we employed root cause analysis to examine the data with the possible impact on SDG's 14. The results highlighted that disconnected activity and communication among stakeholders cause unsustainable fisheries management. The practice of business practitioners had not optimized capture fisheries management, including its post-harvest management. Therefore, limited welfare was achieved by the stakeholders involving, including fishermen. The fishing communities had limited knowledge and business capacity. The study suggested a platform design by the national fisheries institutions to support the fisheries business development and other related stakeholders. This study concluded that a national platform could improve fisheries business practitioners' knowledge and capacity to engage in national planning to achieve SGD's 14.


The problem of detecting threshold signals with a photographic film is analyzed in terms of the function known as "detective quantum efficiency." Two known methods of increasing threshold-signal exposure (time integration of the signal and preflashing the film) are considered. Optimum exposure criteria are derived for each of these methods, and their relative effectiveness is demonstrated with a numerical example.


The PPDI-based thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer(TPU) was prepared using p-phenylene diisocyanate(PPDI),oligomeric diol and 1,4-butanediol as raw materials.The effects of soft segment type,relative molecular mass,rigid segment content,R value(n(NCO):n(OH)),etc.on the properties of PPDI-based TPU were investigated.And its kinetic mechanical properties were compared with MDI-based TPU.The results show that the poly(e-caprolactone)(PCL)-based TPU possesses good performance.The increase of both rigid segment content and R value can improve its mechanical properties.Compared with MDI-based TPU,the storage modulus(E′) of PPDI-based TPU possesses better retention rate at high temperature.


It is shown that the growth and decay rates of sunspot groups are both a function of the axial tilt angles of the groups. Both of these rates reach a maximum near the average tilt angle, which is around +5°, not 0°. (A positive tilt angle represents the situation where the leading spots are equatorward of the following spots). The fact that this peak angle is close to the average tilt and not 0° suggests that this may be the orientation of the subsurface toroidal flux tube(s) from which the sunspot groups form. In general, spot groups with positive tilt angles show faster average percentage growth rates for greater positive tilt angles. For negative tilt angles (following spots equatorward of leading spots) the situation is quite different. Within certain well-defined ranges of tilt angles the average group percentage area growth rates are quite high and the dispersion in this quantity is large. In other well-defined tilt angle ranges the percentage growth rates are uniformly (relatively) small. The difference between these average growth rates is more than a factor two. The reality of this result can be demonstrated by selecting for analysis various subsets of the data. It may be hypothesized that in general the dispersion measured in group tilt angles results from the random action of large-scale convection on the rising magnetic flux loops. Both growth and decay are facilitated in the case of flux loops that have a minimum twist. The percentage growth and decay rates are affected by the fact that groups with tilt angles near the average value tend to be larger than groups with different tilt angles. The 'quantized' behavior of the percentage growth rates for negative tilt angles is difficult to lit into any rough model of flux emergence. The more or less 'quantized' nature of the growth-tilt angle relationship for negative tilt angles is quite puzzling and may reflect some characteristic of the subsurface flux orientation or development which is at present unknown.


Molecular simulation is a powerful tool for understanding and predicting thermophysical properties in systems both at equilibrium and away from equilibrium and composed of molecules ranging in complexity from spherically symmetric monatomic molecules to polymers. In recent years, our research group has applied molecular simulation to the study of supercritical aqueous solutions with the goal of understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying their thermophysical properties, including the ionic association equilibrium. In this paper, we review our work in this area and present new results on the reaction rates for ionic association and dissociation. In addition, we describe a new formalism for understanding the state dependence of reaction equilibria in supercritical fluid mixtures. This is an extension of our formalism for understanding and predicting the thermodynamic properties of supercritical fluid mixtures.


This paper introduces the authors primary research results of the study of the DME spray characteristics under high fuel injection pressure.This work investigated the general nature of DME injection for engine-like conditions in a constant volume combustion chamber.With the KODAK MotionCorder Analyzer,high speed motion pictures have been obtained.The results showed that the spray penetration of the DME was slower than that of diesel fuel,and the spray angle of the DME was wider than that of the diesel fuel.Compared with the diesel fuel spray,the DME evaporated much more rapidly in the free spray development,and the influence of the ambient gas pressure to the spray characteristics seemed the same as the diesel spray.The spray penetration decreased at high ambient pressure,but the spray angle increased at the same time.Near the chamber wall and impingement spray,the spray angle of the diesel fuel spray increased very fast,but that of the DME spray almost had no significant change.


The purpose of this research is to see the impact of learning using a bold system on the level of academic cheating that can be done by students. This research is a quantitative study using primary data. The data were obtained by distributing questionnaires to accounting students at the Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta. In the process of analyzing the data, the researcher used the incidental sampling technique. Incidental Sampling, is a technique where the researcher determines the research using the right principles. Where the researcher accidentally meets the respondent, and the respondent is matched by the researcher, the researcher makes the respondent a sample.Based on the results of data processing, it can be concluded that tcount 6.873> 1.655 t table and sig 0.00 <0.05 α. So, it can be ignored that the learning process has an effect on academic fraud. The results of this study are in accordance with the theory of diamond fraud which is related to the dimension of opportunity. In the dimension of diamond fraud, that someone is cheating because of opportunity. Students cheat during the learning process which is daring, because of supervisors from the problematic party.Keywords: Online Learning, Academic Fraud


Energy efficiency is a key issue in determining the direction of global concern about preserving the environment. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is an emerging economic block of six countries with abundant oil reserves and high energy consumption. However, satisfying high levels of energy efficiency in GCC countries might hinder their fast growing economies. Therefore, it is important to measure energy efficiency of GCC countries in order to set the appropriate policies without adverse effects on their economic development strategies. This paper is the first attempt to measure energy efficiency in GCC countries using two models of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). As a complementary step, energy intensity for GCC countries and causality of the relationship between energy consumption and economic growth have been tested. The results indicate several policy implications with regard to energy conservation and efficient use of energy.


Despite interruption due to June hostilities in the Middle East, North African production increased 15.4% from the level of the previous year, averaging 2,731,000 b/d, and by year end, it was in the order of 3,200,000 b/d. Exploration increased 27.3% compared with 1966, ending a declining trend. Though wildcat completions decreased again in 1967, the success percentage increased to 22.6 with 16 oil and 3 gas discoveries. The most significant discoveries were in Libya where 3 wells found a structural complex which may yield up to 1,000,000 b/d. The first discovery (gas) in the Nile delta was made during the year. Developments in 1967--and in early 1968--reflected the desires of the governments of producing countries of North Africa to have a more direct role in exploration and production.


The exchange system G0H_I — 1* was studied in ethyl alcohol solution. <• 5 The average rate constant for this reaction was 29.9 x 10 ̂ moles litre sec at 50.1°C, The exchange of iodine between ethyl iodide and iodide ion was found to be complicated by a reaction of ethyl iodide with the solvent.. The kinetics; of the simultaneous reaction of ethyl iodide with formamide and the exchange reaction were treated theoretically. Experimentally the ethyl iodide formamide reaction was found to be of a complex nature. The measured exchange rate constant was approximately -2 -1 -1 o 1 x 10 mole lit r e sec at 25 C which is greater than the rate constant of the same reaction in alcohol solution. The exchange system I IO^ was also studied and k for this reaction was approximately 1 x 10*""* -1 -1 o moles litre sec at 30,8 C. Acknowledgment I wish to express my most sincere gratitude to Dr. Milton Kirsch for his inspiring guidance, patience, and untiring assistance throughout this research project. Thanks are due also to the National Research Council for financial aid and to the Atomic Energy Project at Chalk River for prompt deliveries of radioactive sodium iodide (I ) used in this investigation. April, 1 9 5 1 Catharine Elizabeth Worsfold


Fiber-reinforced polymer composites have a dominating position place in a variety of applications due to the increased specific strength and modulus. C-FRP composite is the most appealing choice for fabricating massive structural bodies like airplanes, automobiles, blades of wind power generation, and so on. SiC-FRP is used in a range of different applications from water pipes or drains coverings to electronic enclosures. Natural fiber derived from plants is gradually replacing synthetic fiber as a reinforcement for polymer composites. One of the key issues with these components is their metallic and electrical properties. Therefore, in this study, atmospheric plasma spray is used to fabricate thick Tungsten Carbide and Chromium Carbide onto C-FRP, SiC-FRP, and natural Bamboo-FRP substrate. Coated specimens were examined for Micro-hardness and Micro-structure. Results showed that the coating has sufficient adhesion strength with drastically improved properties.


Briefly introduces the development trend of wind power and the various energy storage technologies in wind power system, include their principles, advantages, disadvantages and development prospects. Challenges for large-scale wind power integration are summarized. With regard to the problems in power quality, stability, economic, low voltage ride-through (LVRT) ability induced by the grid integration of wind power, the recent progress of solutions based on the energy storage technology is discussed, and the advantages and disadvantages of various schemes are analyzed. Based on the existing research achievements and the characteristics of the energy storage technology, some suggestions have been put forward on assure the stability of the electric power grid and power supply quality.


Werner Spalteholz was a German anatomist who in 1911 described a technique for improving anatomic histologic analysis. His methods improved the translucence of human tissues by preparing them in solutions of similar light refraction properties as the tissues. These methods have been used to assist in pathologic analysis of many human tissues, but it is musculoskeletal sectioning that appears to be the largest beneficiary. In the late 1970s, Dr Steven Arnoczky was a research fellow working with Dr John Marshall at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. Arnoczky and his colleagues experimented with the Spalteholz technique to help the visualization of macroscopic sections of tissue in which India ink had been injected into the arterial vessels. This allowed for improved clarity of the microvascular anatomy of anatomic structures. After the passing of Dr Marshall, Arnoczky continued this work with Dr Russell Warren. After an initial focus on the anterior cruciate ligament, they also studied the meniscus tissue. In 1982, Arnoczky and Warren published an assessment of the microvascular anatomy of the meniscus using cadaveric specimens. They injected India ink into the popliteal arteries of 20 cadaveric knees. The meniscus tissues were then fixed and sectioned and examined microscopically. They found that the blood supply to the knee menisci came from a perimeniscal capillary plexus that originated from the lateral and medial genicular arteries. This microvascular vessel network only penetrated the peripheral 10% to 30% of the medial and 10% to 25% of the lateral menisci. They furthered this seminal work on human cadavers by performing a survival study in dogs. They noted similar vascular anatomy in the dog menisci and created both longitudinal and radial cuts in the medial meniscus. They noted healing of peripheral lesions by a robust vascular response. Central avascular lesions failed to heal, but the authors did note that the creation of vascular access channels led to healing. This finding has encouraged techniques that facilitate vascular ingrowth at the repair site such as synovial rasping and trephination. At that time, surgeons such as DeHaven and Henning were discussing meniscus repair as an alternative to traditional meniscus excision. However, these repairs were limited to the periphery of the meniscus because of healing concerns based upon the work of Arnoczky and Warren on meniscus vascularity. Dr Arnoczky began using the terms ''red-red,'' ''red-white,'' and ''white-white'' as descriptive terms for the location of a repair based upon the gross visual appearance of the blood supply. The regional classification of meniscus tear location was codified by Cooper, Arnoczky, and Warren in 1990—where the letters A through F signify the medial/lateral and anterior/midbody/posterior locations and the numbers 0 through 3 denote peripheral to central status. Meniscus repair was thus initially focused on the periphery, where the blood supply was most robust. Reports of successful meniscus repair in the ''red-white'' zone (Cooper Zone 2) expanded the indications for meniscus repair. In fact, positive results reported by Noyes held true for both younger and older patients. A recent report supported this finding showing no increased failure rate in those aged 40 and older. Everhart and colleagues reported on 177 meniscus repairs performed at all locations over a 6-year period with over 5 years of follow-up. They found similar failure rates in patients younger and older than 40. They also noted higher Marx scores in patients with repairs completely in the vascular (red-red) zone compared with those patients with tears extending into the avascular zone. In this month's journal, Crawford and colleagues from the Steadman Philippon Research Institute in Vail, Colorado report on similar microvascular analysis of the human meniscus. They note that the Arnoczky and Warren study was performed on cadaveric specimens in the 6th through 10th decades of life, and their purpose was to provide a similar descriptive analysis in specimens aged under 35 years—the population in which a meniscus repair is most performed in clinical practice. They reported on 13 cadaveric specimens age 22 to 34 years using methods similar to those described by Arnoczky and Warren to assess microvascular anatomy and measure the depth of vascular penetration. They found a greater depth of penetration in some specimens with a range of 0% to 42% medially and 0% to 48% laterally. However, the median values were similar to those of the Arnoczky paper. The conclusion of this ''revisited'' microvascular analysis is that younger knees have further extension of blood supply than previously noted in older specimens. This work further encourages the repair of menisci with tears in the Cooper Zone 2 in young patients, as this region may not be avascular. Unfortunately, the central avascular zone has still not been shown to have reproducibly successful results with repair. Many attempts have been made to improve the vascularity in this region, including synovial abrasion and adjacent marrow stimulation. In addition, surgeons attempted to mechanically create Arnoczky's vascular access channels with trephination of the meniscus with a needle. Hennerbichler and colleagues studied the healing response of the porcine meniscus in vitro and found similar cellular migration and healing in the central as well as the peripheral meniscus explants. While they


Preprocedure infection prophylaxis for dental procedures — allegedly to prevent endocarditis or prosthetic joint infections — is a substantial source


This study aims to research credit solutions for sustainable marine economic development in Tra Vinh Province on the case of aquaculture by using themethod of collecting secondary data from reports of the State Bank in Tra Vinh Province, Department of Statistics Tra Vinh Province, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Tra Vinh Province in the period of 2016 to 2018. By using statistical and general, evaluating and analyzing methods, the authors have assessed the realities of financing credit, clarified advantages and challenges for marine economy in Tra Vinh Province. Thereby, the study has implied policies for sustainable development of marine economy in Tra Vinh Province in the coming time.


The bacterial pathogen Staphylococcus aureus seeds abscesses in host tissues to replicate at the center of these lesions, protected from host immune cells via a pseudocapsule. Using histochemical staining, we identified prothrombin and fibrin within abscesses and pseudocapsules. S. aureus secretes two clotting factors, coagulase (Coa) and von Willebrand factor binding protein (vWbp). We report here that Coa and vWbp together are required for the formation of abscesses. Coa and vWbp promote the non-proteolytic activation of prothrombin and cleavage of fibrinogen, reactions that are inhibited with specific antibody against each of these molecules. Coa and vWbp specific antibodies confer protection against abscess formation and S. aureus lethal bacteremia, suggesting that coagulases function as protective antigens for a staphylococcal vaccine.


This paper is an attempt to understand better the CMA's analysis of the domestic retail energy market in Great Britain. It uses elementary economics textbook diagrams to examine the CMA's calculations of the alleged customer detriments caused by market power. The paper finds that the CMA's calculations do not really relate to, or measure, the extent to which prices are above "the competitive level". Rather, they concern something different, viz. the detriment to customers because of suppliers being less efficient than the CMA considers they should be. The CMA's calculations do not, therefore, indicate that the retail energy market is characterised by market power, price discrimination or excessive prices in the conventional sense. Nor is the CMA report convincing about the link between weak customer response and inefficiency. The CMA report has pointed policymakers and the media in an unhelpful direction.


Objective To explore the choice and effect of surgical management of FAP.Methods 17 patients with FAP who had undergone total colectomy were analyzed retrospectively.Results In 13 patients with benign and 4 patients with malignant adenomatous polyposis,their average age at operation was 23.8 years old.All patients underwent total colectomy,with ileostomy(n=1),ileorectostomy(n=2),ileoanal anastomosis or ileal pouch anal anastomosis(n=7),and rectal mucosectomy,through the muscular sheath of rectum ileoanal/ileal pouch anal anastomosis(n=7) respectively.Postoperation complication included anastomotic fistula(n=1),enteric necrosis(n=1).Follow up time was two to twenty years.All benign patients survived but two had pouchitis and one had canceration in 5 years of postoperation.Two forth malignent patients died of distance metastasis,another two patients survived.It was good in the operation of preserving rectum and poor in ileostom for bowel frequency and quality continence.Conclusions Comparing the advantages and disadvantages of various operations,it was an excellent surgical option to undergo total colectomy,preserving muscular sheath of the rectum ileal pouch anal anastomosis for patients with FAP.[


This issue brings together a number of articles which, from different perspectives, address the problem of the persistence of traditional paradigms within anthropology. Llobera's report on the European Congress of Rural Sociology held in Braga, Portugal, takes the opportunity to discuss some of the epistemological implications of doing fieldwork in Southwestern Europe and to criticize the persistence of ahistorical methods. He notes that in the last decade, with the collapse of grand theory, there has been a tendency for anthropologists to retreat into their traditional descriptive roles, albeit writing ethnographies which are more and more 'reflexive', if not autobiographical. He takes an uncompromising


The Horn of Africa experiences conflicts that set states against states and communities against communities resulting in political turbulence and human tragedy. This situation is connected with the inability of states to pursue rational policies that call for social cohesion. Governments and dissident political movements induce civilians to become accomplices of senseless wars. Thus, conversion of civilian populations into military and paramilitary groups is a common feature of this region. Some communities take advantage of the proliferation of modern weapons to arm themselves for cattle rustling, banditry and taking revenge. Civilians participate in different capacities in military-like activities in areas affected by armed violence. Prospects for containing civilian militarization depend on concerted pressure of civil societies and the international community on states and armed opposition movements to seek peaceful settlement of disputes. The paper argues that stakeholders in conflict situations should be persuaded to promote dialogue leading to agreements, subsequent demobilisation of ex-combatants and disarmament of civilian groups. Therefore, prospects for social stability depend on how communities and states consider that their security is guaranteed.


This proceedings contains over 180 papers delivered at the 4th International Symposium on Coastal Engineering and Science of Coastal Sediment Processes held on June 21-23, 1999, on Long Island, NY. The conference was designed to promote a broad exchange of state-of-the-art information and views among specialists in the fields of coastal engineering, geology, oceanography, and related disciplines. Focusing on the physical aspects of the sediment processes in coastal and inlet environments, these papers provide a valuable source of information from the latest research to the newest engineering applications. Session topics cover a wide range, including sediment budgets, longshore transport, cross-shore transport, bars, inlet morphology, inlet engineering, spits, beach fill, depth of closure shore protection, navigation channels, dredged material fate, sheet flow, suspended sediments, swash processes, and cliff processes. These and related subjects are examined in peer-reviewed papers describing basic approaches, field data collection, mathematical and physical models, instrumentation, case studies, engineering approaches, and application of general methodologies.


The principle of using near infrared spectrum detection method to analyze mineral composition was introduced.Hardware and software of the system of using the method were described.It was illustrated that the method had superiority of real time,accuracy and cost and others in mineral composition analyzation.


This book contains papers presented at a 1991 seminar held in the Netherlands on how European societies will respond to changing age structures resulting from low fertility and high longevity. "In this volume the focus will be on demographic patterns in two European countries. Recent demographic trends in France and the Netherlands are compared emphasizing the ways in which both societies are adapting to and coping with one particular demographic phenomenon i.e. sustained low fertility." Sections are included on demographic trends; spatial population issues; the labor market; and households care and social security. (EXCERPT)


Figure 1. Neonate Rio Fuerte Beaded Lizard (H. horridum exasperatum). Specimen 942 observed from southern Sonora, Mexico. Among the limited reports on reproduction on freeranging helodermatid lizards (genus Heloderma; Gila Monsters and Beaded lizards) there are reports that hatching and emergence from nest cavities of Beaded Lizards, Heloderma horridum, occurs coincident with the onset of summer monsoon rains (Beck 2005). H. horridum is restricted to the tropical deciduous forests of western Mexico and Guatemala, and foraging and movements appear to be synchronized with seasonal precipitation (Beck and Lowe 1991). Hatching season has not been reported previously for Sonoran or Sinaloan H. horridum, and neonatal lizards hatching at this time would presumably emerge to increased food abundance after the four-to-six month dry season that precedes the monsoons in western Mexico. We encountered three Beaded Lizard neonates in southern Sonora, Mexico between 18 July and 06 August 2004 during the Sonoran monsoon season. We measured, photographed (Figure 1), and released the animals where they were captured. We also measured neonate specimens from museums (Table 1). We were not able to determine sex of individuals. This species does not have noticeable secondary sexual characteristics, and gonads (dissected specimens) are often indistinguishable in neonates and small juveniles. The neonatal lizards that we measured were slightly larger than those in a report for six lizards captured earlier in the summer in Jalisco, Mexico during the coastal summer monsoons in July (mass = 23-27g [0.81-0.95 oz], and SVL = 115-127mm [4.5-5.0 in]; Ramirez-Bautista 1994). Hatchling Beaded Lizards incubated in the lab reportedly ranged from 21.4 to 42.2g (0.75-1.50 oz; mean = 37.0 g [1.3 oz]), and hatched after 146-162 days of incubation at 29.0 C (84.2 F; mean = 152 days; Gonzalez-Ruiz et al. 1996). Because these hatchlings were similar in size to those we encountered, it seems likely that the lizards we encountered were indeed hatchlings, and not older juveniles. In addition, all three live individuals we encountered still had evidence of umbilical tissue emerging from the abdomen. Breeding activity in H. horridum is known to occur in the Fall. Spermiogenesis reportedly occurs in Fall in H. horridum in southern Sonora (Goldberg and Beck 2001), and male-male combat (a behavior typically associated with breeding activity) also occurs during fall (Beck and Ramirez-Bautista 1991). It remains unknown when conception and oviposition occurs, but if H. horridum deposits eggs in the fall, and hatchlings emerge at the beginning of the summer monsoon season, then eggs could incubate for up to six months (the entire dry season in tropical deciduous forests), which is equivalent in duration only to that reported for the largest varanid


An often neglected or overlooked issue, endometriosis affects a large segment of the global female population, resulting not only in morbidity of varying extent, but also contributing to infertility. This editorial raises awareness about the issue and emphasizes the roles of public awareness campaigns supported by modern medical and gynaecological aids to diagnosis and treatment.
The authors declared no conflict of interest. All authors contributed substantially to the selection of topic, literature search, and write-up of the editorial, and agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work.


This paper probed into metaphor from the cognitive aspect,firstly discussing the development of metaphor,secondly studying the relationship between metaphor and oral interpretation.Then it gave a comprehensive analysis of the translation strategies for metaphor put forward by Newmark and LIU Mi-qing.


Particle contamination may cause serious electric contact failure. However a series of dust simulation tests could hardly reproduce the real contact problem of intermittent high resistance, i.e. very few contact failure has been found during the tests. This paper is based on testing and analyzing many practical failed connector contacts in mobile phones. The special features of the failed contacts that are due to particle contamination are then summarized. The mechanism of connector contact high resistance failure is that during micro movement, contaminated particles are accumulated and inserted at the interface instead of being pushed away. Therefore important criteria should be met: micro movement with irregular directions, variable moving lengths to wear out surface materials, stirring up particles of dust and corrosion products caused by the water soluble salts in the dust, trapping the dust particles and thus embed the particles into the contact surface, presence of some organics acting as adhesives to adhere particles together to prevent them from spreading away during micro movements. Materials within dust particles such as quartz, feldspar, mica, calcite and carbon etc. may also contribute to the contact failure. After several simulation tests it is verified that contact failure can occur only if the testing conditions and parameters include the above discussed phenomena. The testing and theoretical result have greatly convinced that further research is necessary in order to create and develop a workable simulation dust testing system for connectors.