The RELAP5 code simulates the thermal-hydraulic characteristics of nuclear reactors by the use of a two-fluid one-dimensional, nonequilibrium, nonhomogeneous two-phase flow model. This model consists of six governing equations to describe the mass, energy, and momentum of the two fluids. The scope of this work comprises the study of the mathematical nature of the code model and to predict the accuracy of the model in the nuclear reactor safety analysis. The method of characteristics (MOC) is applied to check the nonhyperbolic nature of conservation equations for all normal and accident conditions of light water reactors (LWRs). The analysis also gives information about the soundness of the model and to identify the regions where the solutions obtained from it will be numerically convergent. The characteristics of equations of nonhyperbolic nature are complex. It implies that results thus obtained (by finite difference method) have to be interpreted very carefully in view of the sensitive nature of reactor safety analysis. The present analysis shows that governing equations of the code exhibit complex characteristics for some operating conditions thus implying nonhyperbolicity under those conditions. Results are less accurate under such conditions, so sensitivity analysis plays an important role. The sensitivity of closure relationship on the conservation equation's stability is also checked. The analysis is performed in matlab environment for three different systems, (a) pressurized water reactor (PWR), boiling water reactor (BWR), and (c) natural circulation reactor or advance heavy water reactor (AHWR). These results can also be extended to other thermal-hydraulic systems. The different values of the coefficient of closure relationship are taken for different flow regimes. It is observed that the coefficient of virtual mass (for momentum equation) has a significant effect on the hyperbolicity of the system. It is recommended that further development of the RELAP5 model be performed to identify changes that would reduce the region of complex characteristics. The importance of MOC (in nuclear reactor thermal-hydraulic safety analysis) is evident here. In addition, a detailed analysis for operating pressures range of 0.1–22.5 MPa is also performed to find out the nonhyperbolic regions of code model and realistic data of the different type of reactors is used as input of the code. It is also observed here that RELAP5 results are less accurate when system pressure exceeds 19.5 MPa.


Objective: Bufalin is a traditional Chinese medicine, and it induces apoptosis in some lines of human tumor cells. Methods: We investigated the effect of bufalin in the choriocarcinoma cell line, BeWo. BeWo cells were treated with various concentrations of bufalin, and changes in cell growth, the cell cycle, apoptosis, and related parameters were examined. Results: An 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay showed that BeWo cells were sensitive to the growth inhibitory effect of bufalin. Cell cycle analysis indicated that exposure to bufalin decreased the proportion of cells in the synthesis phase and increased the proportion in the G0/G1 phases of the cell cycle. Induction of apoptosis was confirmed by annexin V staining of externalized phosphatidylserine and by the loss of mitochondrial transmembrane potential. This induction occurred in conjunction with the altered expression of genes related to cell growth, malignant phenotype, and apoptosis. Conclusions: These results suggest that bufalin may serve as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of choriocarcinoma.


With the development of smart grid technology and camera technology, image data of power equipment has emerged in large numbers. There are a lot of redundancy in these image data and the information value density contained is low, and the efficiency of recognition and classification using traditional manual methods is low. To solve the problems of high cost, low efficiency and subjectivity caused by traditional manual methods. A power equipment identification method based on neural network model of BP algorithm is proposed. BP neural network has strong robustness and learning adaptability, and can efficiently solve massive image recognition and classification problems. First introduce the model structure of the neural network, then explain the process of training the model, and finally analyze the problems that occurred during the entire experiment and the areas worthy of improvement. Experimental results show that the designed model has an accuracy of 85% for insulator identification, which is feasible and practical.


Objective To investigate the rational configuration of the instrument and equipment in field hospital surgical group under high-tech conditions.Methods Through participating the stimulating training of field hospital surgical group,the performance and quality of equipment and instrument deployed in the surgical group were analyzed.Results The instrument and equipment for the surgical group could not meet the requirements of modern wars for their volume,durability,portability,operation,etc.Conclusion It's suggested that the instrument and equipment in the surgical group behave well in the aspects of volume,durability,portability,operation,performance,and dual uses at war and peace time.


With the aim to determine the effect of microwave irradiation,heating and high-speed shearing on soy protein isolate,which have undergone protease hydrolysis.The degree of hydrolysis and solubility were evaluated to reveal the connection between them.Results showed that the solubility of soy protein isolate was improved with the degree of hydrolysis enhancement,which was increased by pretreatments.Hydrolysates were prepared at 50℃,depending on the concentration of flavourzyme at 0.5% and the protein concentration in solution at 10%.It demonstrated that the degree of hydrolysis and solubility increased most significantly by high-speed-assisted hydrolysis.Degree of hydrolysis and solubility were increased by 2.43,2.87,3.19 and 1.65,1.76,2.23 times compared with the native protein respectively.Compared with the single hydrolysis reactions,the hydrolysis time by high-speed shearing-assisted technology was shortened from 4.5h to 2.0h.It can be concluded that high-speed shearing can be used as an efficient method to improve the degree of hydrolysis and the DH and solubility of soy protein isolate.


Electric vehicles(EV's) will replace the present fuel combusting vehicles in coming years. These are becoming popular as the awareness amongst the users in increasing clean energy and environmental impacts of fuel consumption. Electric vehicles are facing challenges with the enhancement of battery capacity. Wireless charging of the batteries can enhance the performance of the vehicles as the time consumed during charging the batteries will be reduced. A rectifier is needed basically as a charger of the battery to convert the energy from AC to DC. The equivalent impedance of the network is considered in the analysis of rectifier. Further compensation components are taken into consideration. The parameters of the systems will be varied in order to overcome enhance the performance of the system.


In this study, two Argonne premium coals were extracted with CS 2 -N-methyl -2-pyrrolidinone mixed solvent and the surface tensions of coal extract solution were measured


The authors propose to inject СО2 into thin coal seams, which will not be developed and have no industrial value with the concomitant displacement of methane for the purpose of its utilization.


The invention relates to information modules, in particular, to devices used for displaying statistical and dynamic information, and can be used for illuminated advertising. The inventive light information module comprises a base in the form of a frame, tubular light guides and light sources which are embodied in the form of a light-emitting fitting located inside the tubular light guides, and is provided with a group of individual parallel electric conductors made of uncovered small diameter wire. Said individual parallel electric conductors are arranged on the same plane and the length thereof coincides with the length of the light guide. A pitch between the conductors corresponds to the pitch of bond areas which are used for connecting the light sources when they are combined in a single light-emitting fitting to be subsequently mounted in a light conduit.


The irradiation of several alkyl-substituted o-benzoquinones in the presence of acetaldehyde gave the corresponding acetylcatechol and catechol monoacetates via the attack of the acetyl radical on the ground-state quinone molecule. In the reaction of 3,5-di-t-butyl- and 3-t-butyl-5-methyl-o-benzoquinones, the dimer of alkyl-substituted cyclopentadienone, generated by the photodecarbonylation of the quinones, was also obtained.


Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery change detection (CD) is still a crucial and challenging task. Recently, with the boom of deep learning technologies, many deep learning methods have been presented for SAR CD, and they achieve superior performance to traditional methods. However, most of the available convolutional neural networks (CNN) approaches use diminutive and single convolution kernel, which has a small receptive field and cannot make full use of the context information and some useful detail information of SAR images. In order to address the above drawback, pyramidal convolutional block attention network (PCBA-Net) is proposed for SAR image CD in this study. The proposed PCBA-Net consists of pyramidal convolution (PyConv) and convolutional block attention module (CBAM). PyConv can not only extend the receptive field of input to capture enough context information, but also handles input with incremental kernel sizes in parallel to obtain multi-scale detailed information. Additionally, CBAM is introduced in the PCBA-Net to emphasize crucial information. To verify the performance of our proposed method, six actual SAR datasets are used in the experiments. The results of six real SAR datasets reveal that the performance of our approach outperforms several state-of-the-art methods.


The results of laboratory tests are described, and theories put forward in the literature are examined in the light of deformation measurements, the earth pressures measured around the pipes and the strains measured in the pipe walls. The results support the view that the behaviour of flexible pipes in soil can be considered in terms of pipe structure (pipe structure consisting of the pipe and the soil surrounding it, in combination possibly with further supports). It is concluded that: (1) in fine-grained soils the advantage of pipe stiffness can only be gained when e-class pipes are used; (2) in fine-grained soils it is difficult to build a sufficiently homogeneous soil layer around a pipe; (3) the behaviour of a pipe structure over a long period depends, in particular, on the distribution of the earth pressure and the development of deformation, which is itself dependent on the stiffness of the pipe; (4) it is possible to embed flexible plastic pipes in most types of soil without any special protective material - in the case of fine-grained soil the pipe must be sufficiently stiff and the layers of soil around the pipe must be built up sufficiently homogeneously. /TRRL/


In one example, a printing fluid delivery system for a printer is described. The printing fluid delivery system includes a plurality of interconnected printing fluid supply modules forming a page-wide printing fluid manifold to supply printing fluid from one or more cartridges to one or more printheads along a print bar in a printer.


Despite the relatively scant attention paid to individuals involved in the professional design of websites, or web design, there is a large body of literature by and for practitioners. This study examines podcasts for the ubiquitous nature of the medium and frequency of occurrence in the literature. Podcasts themselves are a little used type of text available to researchers, and this study illuminates the possibilities of their use.


Background : Diastolic dysfunction (DD) is common in patients with Type 2 DM even in the absence of HTN and LVH. We tested whether apical rotational mechanics offered any additional insights into D...


In view of equipment maintenance management of the actual situation.In the existing theory on the basis of analysis of the results,design an equipment maintenance management information system which based on Web,and construct the framework of the system structure and function of the system.The system has better flexibility,security and wide suitability.It has been applied in the company with good effect.


It is a well-known fact that economic freedom is one of the important stimulators of its impact on the level of development and welfare of a country. In this study, data from the Fragile Five Countries covering the years 1999-2018 were used to investigate the effect of the economic freedom index, which is used to determine and measure economic freedoms, on the human development index, which is used to measure human welfare. According to the results obtained, a 1% increase in the economic freedom index increases the human development index by 0.54% for India, 0.30% for Brazil, 0.61% for Turkey. For Indonesia, it decreases by 0.48%. In South Africa, however, no effect of the economic freedom index on the human development index was detected. When comments are made for all countries, the 1% increase in the economic freedom index increases the human development index by 1.84%.


Remarks The GDG noted the limited evidence on the benefits of antenatal corticosteroid in this subgroup of women. However, the group placed its emphasis on the overall benefits of antenatal corticosteroid, the potential benefits in terms of reduced handicap among surviving intrauterine growth-restricted (IUGR) infants, and evidence of reduced odds of adverse newborn mortality and morbidity outcomes, and therefore made a strong recommendation. The GDG acknowledged the concern about the effect of antenatal corticosteroids on fetal growth, but agreed that there is no evidence to suggest that steroids will perform differently in this subgroup compared to the overall preterm population.


The data obtained during the test of the generated Bonner neutron spectrometer of an activation type consisting of 5 polyethylene balls are analyzed. Indium was used as the activated material. Measurements were made an electron beam with energy E=12 MeV was transformed into a 100-micron tantalum ( e, g ) -converter into g-radiation, which fell on the lead plumbum ( g,n ) -converter. The neutrons from converter were incident on the spectrometer balls. Different parts of the neutrons arrived in each of them, and therefore the activation of indium tablets was different. After irradiation on the accelerator, indium tablets were extracted from the balls, and was placed in a g spectrometer, where the degree of activation of the tablet was determined. Thus, the results of the measurements were 5 numbers characterizing the activation of 5-ball tablets. Assuming some function F ( E,a j ) , which can describe the neutron spectrum and depends on several parameters a j , and, by having the response function of the i th ball f i (E), activation can be represented as a convolution of functions F ( E,a j ) and f i ( E ) . The results of mathematical processing of measurement data of radioactivity induced in Indium are presented. Model based on minimization of the quality functional and nonlinear regression equations is constructed. Using the stochastic recurrent algorithm, the problem of neutron spectrum restoration is solved. For the used four-parameter model of the spectrum, such as the Maxwell distribution, estimates of its parameters are obtained, as well as estimates of the errors of parameter estimates.


Whilst the historian of the nineteenth-century town is able to turn to the censuses for information about the demographic and occupational character of a particular community, nothing comparable survives for the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Lists of the entire population are extremely rare and records enumerating sections of the community only, such as tax lists, are difficult to use without firm evidence of the proportions exempted and the levels of evasion. An impression of the social and occupational structure of the early modern town can be obtained only by deriving material from a range of local as well as national sources.


A method of manufacturing a magnetic circuit of an electrical machine, wherein: is formed by cutting in a cutting station (112) at least one strip (12) of sectors (20) interconnected by deformable links (16), andthe winds the tape around a mandrel sectors (201) to a winding station, characterized in that between the cutting positions and winding it has an area (300) configured to allow the band to deform so as to compensate a speed difference between the speed of the strip at the outlet of the cutting station and that at the inlet of the winding station.


In the frame of the complex ecological investigation, phytoplankton, zooplankton and environmental factor measurements were carried out at fixed station (Vlaska station, 43o 03' N, 17o 29' E, 10 m max. depth) in the estuary of the Neretva River in 1999 and 2000. The estuary of the Neretva River is situated in the Middle Adriatic, NE Mediterranean. It is highly stratified and low tidal (25 cm average daily amplitude) estuary. The annual average flow of the Neretva River is 414 m3 s–1. According to the TRIX trophic index, the estuary can be classified as mesotrophic. Water samples were taken using 5 L Niskin bottles from the surface to bottom at each meter depth at monthly intervals. The aim of the study was to investigate the diatom structure and abundances, and its relationship with physical-chemical conditions in the water column. Seventy-four diatom taxa were identified. Of these, 32 were in at least10% of all samples and eleven rare taxa were in ≤1% of samples. The diatom community, of marine origin, varied over five orders of magnitude (30 - 1.2 x 106 cells L-1) and had three peaks: April 1999 (1.2 x 106 cells L-1), August 1999 (7.9 x 106 cells L-1), and October 1999 (1.3 x 106 cells L-1). The lowest abundance was in November 1999. The most abundant diatoms (exceeding 105 cells L-1) were Nitzschia longissima, Leptocylindrus minimus, Skeletonema marinoi, and Thalassiosira sp. N. longissima (max. 7.9 x 106 cells L-1) dominated the highest peak (August 1999), comprising 54 - 87% of microphytoplantkon (cells longer than 20 μm) abundance. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) showed that temperature and salinity were the main factors influencing diatom community structure in the estuary. No direct connection was noted between the monthly distribution of diatom abundance, transparency, and small zooplankton taxa (microzooplankton). A main feature of the diatom assemblages was the dominance of more than one species. This likely is owed to the frequent and rapid environmental changes typical of this dynamic estuarine ecosystem.


Hungarian constitutional and legislative reforms have been in the spotlight since Hungary's adoption of a new Fundamental Law, which entered into force on the first day of 2012. Europe's two leading international organizations (the Council of Europe and the European Union) already issued an opinion about it the year before its entry into force, and they continued to closely follow Hungarian constitutional developments during ensuing years. The new Fundamental Law was followed by a series of new 'cardinal laws' and many controversial reforms. This article presents and discusses the opinions delivered by the Venice Commission, the European Court of Human Rights, and the EU institutions on these reforms and the different types of arguments on which they relied. This article also aims to present the interaction between the Hungarian government and Europe's two leading organizations concerning the new constitutional setting of Hungary, focusing on the legal arguments in each case.


The kings of the Austria dynasty used widely the sale of offices with the purpose of arbitrating resources for their hegemonical politics. Through the analysis of this sales we have been able to settle down the serious economic and social consequences they brought as well as the institutional opposition generated.
The process of patrimonialization of the public thing and the oligarchic way taken by the municipalities propitiated abuses and corruption, causing the complete degradation of the municipal institution. For the highest layer of the nobility, it supposed a statement of their power and his dignificacion as a class. To satisfy their longings of power the nobility will invest in offices, dominions and taxes («alcabalas») sold by the kings.
While the Crown obtains about 300.000 ducados from the sale of offices, the investment in unproductive goods and the inmobilization of the capitals of the nobility caused a lack of wealth creation in Asturias. The expense of the dominant class adquiring habits and titles as well as his luxury and ostentation, they act in the same sense. In addition, the costs of cases, rescues and consumption of offices produced the indebtedness of the municipalities and, together with other forms of fiscal pressure, an important social cost.


The aim of this paper is to contribute to a more critical understanding of the shareholder value maximization proposition. It seems that many take for granted the meaning of this proposition without realizing its inherent conceptual and undesirable problems. Consequently I hope to make a clarification of the meaning of the proposition with this paper and to bring it back to the discussion table especially in these times of global economic crisis. I argue that maximizing shareholder value is an institutionalized illusion and unachievable in real firms. I argue that managers, who think they are "maximizing" shareholder value, are making either satisficed profit, based on satisficed goals, or just any profit by chance. I argue that some managers and shareholders understand that "maximizing" shareholder value does not make economic sense; and therefore these managers make either satisficed profit, based on satisficed goals, or just any profit by chance, in their effort to satisfy all stakeholders of their firms. Notwithstanding these same managers say they are "maximizing" shareholder value in order to sound legitimate. I argue that what is feasible for managers is to create value (I will define this value later) for all stakeholders of their firms.


: Central nervous system infections are frequently associated with cerebrospinal fluid shunting procedures. Although most infections associated with central nervous system shunting procedures are caused by staphylococci, enterococci, including vancomycin-resistant enterococci, are increasingly a cause of nosocomial and community-acquired infections. We report a case in which a combination of intravenous and intrathecal daptomycin successfully eradicated vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium infection of a cerebrospinal fluid shunt in a 59-year-old woman. In our patient, intrathecal daptomycin at a dose of 5 mg every 3 days re- sulted in microbiologic improvement 6 days after the initiation of therapy without a clinically significant rise in creatine phosphokinase levels. ( Infect


Utilizing a broadly diversified portfolio of nine equity and debt assets, we show our portfolio's in-sample Markowitz return/risk profile considerably improved by keying asset proportions to cyclical changes in economic activity. For comparative purposes, we use the same assets in a hypothetical buy-and-hold benchmark portfolio. We find the variance/covariance structure of our portfolio to be considerably altered by the phase of the business cycle, with the diversification benefits enjoyed during expansions substantially diluted during recessions. Thus, cyclical reallocation appears to be more important in maintaining Markowitz efficiency during recessions vis-a-vis expansions. In the latter case, we find expansion reallocation producing a 3.53% increase in our portfolio's return-to-risk ratio (relative to a buy-and-hold position), while for recessions optimal reallocation leads to a 79.14% increase. Copyright 1998 by MIT Press.


The method involves the formation of the movement member during the manufacture of tires for vehicle wheels in the control tire of the present disclosure. A method for controlling movement of the tire building member during manufacture of a tire for vehicle wheels, comprising: providing a first emitted electromagnetic radiation (R1) of the building member on a first transmitter (200) in the first tire device (210); formation during movement of said first member (200), wherein detecting the first electromagnetic radiation (R1) defined by the first follow emitter device (210) in the movement track a first image (A1); in the first image (A1) and performed between one or more first reference data (Refl) a first comparison; according to the first comparison, generating a first notification signal (NS1 ). Also describes a device for the movement of the control member formed of a tire during the manufacture of tires for vehicle wheels.


A procedure for estimating the stress intensity factor of an embedded elliptical crack near the corner in a region of high stress concentration such as pressurized or thermally shocked nozzle-to-cylinder junction is discussed. The procedure is then used to analyze two hypothetical embedded circular cracks near the corner of a nozzle-to-cylinder junction where stress distributions in the uncracked junction are known. Also shown are two new stress intensity magnification factors for two embedded elliptical cracks, i.e., b/a = 0.2 and 0.982, close to a free corner, i.e., a/h = b/h = 0.9.


The techniques as well as effects of rare earth (RE) fertilizer applied to Amorphophallus rivieri were further studied with varied ingredients and the spaying times. The impacts of different altitudes on different varieties of Amorphophallus rivieri were investigated as well. The result showed that to fertilize Amorphophallus rivieri with RE fertilizer could help the plants to resist disease, thus improve the quality and increase production.


Canada, Australia and European countries, about 25% of deaths are related to malignant diseases. Chemotherapy is a central component in the fight against cancer. It is based on various classes of compounds, among which platinum-based drugs are a unique class. cis-Diamminedichloroplatinum(II) (cisplatin), first approved for clinical use in 1978 in the U.S.A., is one of the most effective anticancer drugs currently available for the treatment of testicular, lung and bladder carcinomas. Driven by the impressive impact of cisplatin on cancer therapy, numerous analogues have been prepared and evaluated in a search for alternative active agents, leading to the discovery of another important Pt drug, carboplatin, cis-diammine(1,1cyclobutanedicarboxylato)platinum(II) in 1986. Today, carboplatin has become one of the most successful anticancer drugs after cisplatin and has received worldwide approval for treating ovarian and small lung cancers (1, 2). Carboplatin shows a spectrum of activity identical with that of cisplatin, but is much less nephrotoxic and emetic. However carboplatin is not effective in treating cancer cells resistant to cisplatin, possibly due to the same diammine carrier, suggesting that crossresistance exists between the two Pt drugs (3, 4). Therefore, the search for new potent Pt complexes possessing high antitumour activity and lack of cross-resistance continues. The so-called 'third generation' Pt drug, oxaliplatin, (trans-1R,2Rcyclohexane-1,2-diamine)oxalatoplatinum(II), was approved in 1999 as the first line therapy for metastatic colorectal cancer in combination with 5-fluoroural. Oxaliplatin has also shown potency in many cancer cell lines, including some cells resistant to cisplatin and carboplatin (5). Further Pt-based drugs, nedaplatin, lobaplatin and eptaplatin, have gained regionally limited approval, respectively, in Japan, China and South Korea, for the treatment of certain kinds of cancers (6). Ptbased drugs currently in clinical use are shown in Figure 1. In the meantime, the rational design of Pt anticancer compounds with specific characteristics has led to the invention of the orally available drugs satraplatin (JM216) and picoplatin (AMD473, a sterically hindered complex), see


Metals and organic contaminants are common in many marine and fresh water environments as a result of industrial and military activities. Traditional remediation/risk management options for sediments contaminated with these materials include no action, monitored natural recovery, institutional controls (land use restrictions, etc.), in situ treatment and management, and ex situ treatment and management. Active capping is a newer approach for treating contaminated sediments that involves applying chemically reactive amendments to the sediment surface. The mobile, soluble forms of contaminants are generally considered toxic. Induced chemical precipitation of these metals can shift toxic metals from the aqueous phase to a solid, precipitated phase which is often less bioavailable. This can be achieved through the application of sequestering agents such as rock phosphates, organoclays, zeolites, clay minerals, and biopolymers (e.g., chitosan) in active caps. Active caps can stabilize contaminants in contaminated sediments, lower the bioavailable pool of contaminants, and reduce the release of contaminants to the water column thereby providing an economical and effective alternative to traditional treatments.


A poor contract management is considered the main cause of disputes in construction contracts. While dispute in a project oftenly unavoidable, it is however can be minimized by applying a proper contract management which should be in line with the project's nature. A common understanding to the roles and intricacies of the contract will lead the involved parties in the project to be open to negotiate, hence produces a better construction contract in a balanced manner. This study aims to determine the management phases in the construction contracts in which incorporate the approach of input, process, output, risk and impact. All activities in every phases of the contract management will be identified for it influence to dispute. The findings will suggest a strategic management strategy that is manageble in minimizing dispute in construction industry.


Ovarian cancer is a relatively common tumor in women with the highest mortality among female reproductive system tumors. The lack of apparent early symptoms and effective screening strategies often leads to ovarian cancer being diagnosed at an advanced stage. Immunotherapy relying on tumor-associated antigens might improve the treatment of ovarian cancer. Cancer-testis antigens (CTAs) are ideal tumor-associated antigens, and MAGE-A, NY-ESO-1, CT45, and Sp17 are classic CTAs highly expressed in ovarian cancer. Here, we review the research on CTAs in ovarian cancer, including prognostic value and advances in immunotherapy, all of which are essential for developing a theoretical basis for targeted therapy strategies.


This paper discusses pirate conspiracy as the nexus between text and context in Joseph Conrad's Malay novels. It argues that the narrative of An Outcast of the Islands, which establishes itself as the prequel to Almayer's Folly, points to an under-represented past—the suppression of piracy. It demonstrates that the legacy of this "beginning" contributes to the conspiracy which propels the narrative events. This paper shows that the "originary impetus" of the pirates suggests a "textual" impetus to return to the beginning, and that the local conspiracy of the pirate is compatible with regional sentiment across Borneo in reaction to the suppression of piracy. This paper calls for attention on conspiracy in Conrad who witnessed an epoch when conspiracy was a powerful strategy for colonial resistance.


Autonomous driving requires decision making in dynamic and uncertain environments. The uncertainty from the prediction originates from the noisy sensor data and from the fact that the intention of human drivers cannot be directly measured. This problem is formulated as a partially observable Markov decision process (POMDP) with the intention of the other vehicles as hidden variables. The solution of the POMDP is a policy determining the optimal acceleration of the ego vehicle along a preplanned path. Therefore, the policy is optimized for the most likely future scenarios resulting from an interactive, probabilistic motion model for the other vehicles. Considering possible future measurements of the surroundings allows the autonomous car to incorporate the estimated change in future prediction accuracy in the optimal policy. A compact representation allows a low-dimensional state-space so that the problem can be solved online for varying road layouts and number of other vehicles. This is done with a point-based solver in an anytime fashion on a continuous state-space. We show the results with simulations for the crossing of complex (unsignalized) intersections. Our approach performs nearly as good as with full prior information about the intentions of the other vehicles and clearly outperforms reactive approaches.


Using survey data collected in 1983-84 on 212 participants in the 1964 Mississippi Freedom Summer project arul 118 individtutls who applied, were accepted, but did not take part in the project, the author seeks to assess the shortand long-term political and personal consequences of high-risk activism. Using both descriptive and inferential statistics, the author demonstrates a strong effect of participation on the subsequent lives of the volunteers and "no-shows," The voltmteers were more politically active throughout the sixties than the no-shows arul remain so today. In addition, the volunteers are much less likely to be married and to have significantly lower incomes at present than are the rto-shows. Besides reporting these basic findings, the author seeks through path analysis to explore the specific factors and processes that mediate the impact of participation in Freedom Summer on the later lives of the volunteers.


A large part of the development of mathematics was driven by the desire to understand why objects in nature are found in a myriad of shapes and sizes and why certain forms are preferred over others. The area of mathematics called the calculus of variations has been utilized to handle the optimal forms in geometry and nature. It has been used to comprehend morphogenesis and the similarity, yet variety, of forms in the natural world. The mathematical underpinnings of natural form are beginning to influence the inorganic materials world, especially the unusual morphologies that arise in the field of self-assembly. These morphologies often exhibit curved shapes resembling those of minimal surfaces rather than familiar Platonic, polyhedral crystal habits. The curved shapes of mesostructured inorganic materials synthesized by supramolecular templating are striking examples of minimal surface area and energy principles at work in their growth and form.Key words: mesoporous materials, morphosynthesis, silica, sup...


The subject turbine was investigated to determine the effect of high rotor pressure-surface diffusion on turbine performance. A comparison of the subject turbine with the most efficient transonic turbine in the present series of investigations showed that the efficiency of the subject turbine was almost as high, the suction-surface diffusion parameter was about the same, and the solidity was reduced by 36 percent. Because the loss per blade increased greatly with an increase in pressure-surface diffusion, the latter is also considered to be an important design consideration.


This research examines the code mixing in YouTube video content. Researchers use youtube video Daniel Mananta's because every video content he always uses a code-mixing which is his trademark and sees from background of his life. For this situation, researchers apply code-mixing on Daniel Mananta's youtube content. The this research is to determine the type of code mixing and the code mixing factors contained in Daniel Mananta's youtube conten.analysis to be conducted to Hoffman (1991).   Researchers used qualitative descriptive method techniques according to Sudaryanto (2015).  The technique of collecting data by observation and listening to conversations in the content then records the mixed code contained in the content. From this study, researchers found 23 types of intra-sentential information, 6 intra-lexical data, and 1 type including changes in articulation or speech. Researchers found that there are factors that influence code mixing such as discussing certain points, exciting. keywords: sociolinguistics, code mixing.


A series of methyl-terminated oligooxyethylene (CH3(OCH2CH2)nO, n = 8.8)-substituted phthalocyanines with peripheral substitution at four β positions, at four α positions and at the eight α positions was synthesized and structurally characterized. These compounds are isotropic liquids above 10 °C. Non-linear optical properties of the tetra-α- and tetra-β-substituted compounds were examined. Both are reverse saturable absorbers in the visible region of the spectrum, but the tetra-α-substituted compound has the larger non-linear absorption coefficient and can be a useful optical limiter in cases where a non-volatile liquid is desirable.


In this study, anatomical, ecological and trichome morphology features of Symphytum bornmuelleri and Symphytum aintabicum were compared and identified their valuable features taxonomically. S. bornmuelleri and S. aintabicum are endemic Euxine and East Mediterranean element of Turkey respectively, and have limited distribution. Anatomical investigations of species were made using light and stereo-microscopes. In anatomical investigaions, the cross-sections were taken from root, stem and leaves of species, and the surface-sections were taken from upper and lower surfaces of leaves. S. bornmuelleri and S. aintabicum have bifacial leaves in terms of mesophyll structure. Stomata were observed on both upper and lower surfaces of the leaves. Stomata are anomocytic type in S. bornmuelleri , while stomata were anomocytic and anisocytic types in S. aintabicum . Straight and hooked eglandular trichomes in different sizes and capitate glandular trichomes with different number of stalk cells and head part were seen on vegetative and generative organs. The number of layers of collenchyma and parenchyma in the stem cortex, the number of layer of sclerenchyma between the vascular bundles, the status of the vascular bundles, the arrangement of collenchyma and paranchyma layers in stem cortex, the density of micropapilla in the cuticle, the density of papillae in the epiderma, stoma index, stoma types, the margin structure of epiderma cells and number of stalk cell and head structure of capitate trichomes were detected very valuable as distinguishing anatomical characters. Soil samples were taken during flowering periods of these species and the physical and chemical properties of soil samples were determined. The species depict a distribution on the soil containing clayey-loamy, loamy, saltless, slightly alkaline, medium degree calcareous, rich in organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.


A rare case of chondrosarcoma at the left scapula was reported. About 13cm×12cm size mass was palpable in his lateral side of the scapula, however, the range of motion of the left shoulder was not restricted. Roentgenorams showed the huge mass of the scapula and the partial calcification of the surface was noted. To confirm the diagnosis, complete excision of the mass was performed, and histological findings revealed secondary chondrosarcoma arising in osteochondroma of the scapula.


NIR spectroscopy has become an analytical tool frequently used in many chemical production processes. Its use in polymer processing applications such as polymer extrusion would greatly increase product quality. Parameters of interest in this application are composition of the processed polymer, moisture or reaction status in reactive polymeric systems, as well as rheological parameters such as melt flow index (MFI) or viscosity. The measurement of NIR spectra could provide a way to control the processes. For this purpose a transmission sensor was developed for the application of NIR spectroscopy to extrusion processes. This sensor includes fibre optical probes and a measuring cell that can be adapted to the various extruders for in-line measurements. In contrast to mid-infrared sensors, it uses optical quartz components, which provides a low-cost solution. Extrusion processes at temperatures up to 300°C and pressures up to 35 MPa have been investigated. The application of multivariate analysis for PE/PP blending demonstrated the performance of the system with respect to process monitoring. In this case deviations between predicted and actual polymer composition were below 2%. Together with an AOTF spectrometer that was also developed, the complete system is suitable for harsh industrial environments and could lead to improved extrusion processes.


We describe an experiment that was designed to explore differences between active and passive travelers in a way-finding task. In this study, we ex- amined the effect of active travel mode on spatial and visual memory for a built environment. After completing a way finding task in a university campus, we tested participant's memory for the test route using sketch map, mirror-image discrimination, and scene recognition tests. In addition, we tracked participant's eye movements during the scene recognition test. Results were consistent with the hypothesis that active travelers had enhanced memory for the built envi- ronment. Our data also provide some evidence for qualitative differences be- tween active and passive travelers in the visual cues they used to recognize scenes. Based on our findings, we suggest that travel mode is an important con- sideration when designing built environments.


The machining technology method of aero engine main shaft bearing cage made of 40CrNiMoA steel is introduced.According to the performances,the broach to machine cage pockets is designed and manufactured.The broaching hole is made by adopting multi-pull type broaches and horizontal broaching method,and the accuracy of the cages meet design requirements.


Cation-pi or cation-pi-pi interaction between one cation and one or two structures bearing rich pi-electrons (such as benzene, aromatic rings, graphene, and carbon nanotubes) plays a ubiquitous role in various areas. Here, we analyzed a new type interaction, cation circle times 3 pi, whereby one cation simultaneously binds with three separate pi-electron-rich structures. Surprisingly, we found an anomalous increase in the order of the one benzene binding strength of the cation circle times 3 pi interaction, with K+ > Na+ > Li+. This was at odds with the conventional ranking of the binding strength which usually increases as the radii of the cations decrease. The key to the present unexpected observations was the cooperative interaction of the cation with the three benzenes and also between the three benzenes, in which a steric-exclusion effect between the three benzenes played an important role. Moreover, the binding energy of cation circle times 3 pi was comparable to cation circle times 2 pi for K+ and Na+, showing the particular importance of cation circle times 3 pi interaction in biological systems.


The invention relates to a method for detecting a damage of a vehicle (12) by way of using a portable imaging device (2) provided test pattern (22) of the vehicle (12) by identifying at least one predetermined reference object (13) on the vehicle (12 ') in the test image (22) and determining a dimension (R_v_b) of the image of the identified reference object (13) by a computing device (4), by identifying at least one predetermined test object (16) on the vehicle (12 ') in the test image (22) and determining a dimension (S_v_h_1, S_v_h_2) of the image of the identified test object (16) by the computing means (4), and by detecting the damage depending on the extent (S_v_h_1, S_v_h_2) of the image of the test object (16) and (on the extent R_v_b) of the image of the reference object (13) by the computing means (4).


Image compression is an important research domain in image processing. Recently, several neural netowkr (NN) based schemes developed in this are. In particular, constructive feed-forward neural networks have been attempted by many researchers to this problem. The constructive NN-based schemes are promising given their lower training cost, satisfactory performance and automatic determination of proper network size. In this paper, we first consider a NN- based technique that uses a constructive one-hidden-layer FNN for image compression. In standard NN-based schemes when a new hidden unit is added to the net the whole net is retrained while in this scheme the input-side weights are first trained and then all the network output-side weights are adjusted, resulting in a considerably less computational efforts. Next, two pruning techniques are proposed to remove the unnecessary input-side weights during the network construction, without sacrificing the performance of the network, to yield a smaller and a more economical network. To confirm the effectiveness of the prosed techniques, we have applied them to both regression problems and image compression. It has been found that a significant number of weights can be pruned without degenerating the network performance.


Human resource is a kind of financial resource. It can create value beyond itself. Today's investment is for tomorrow's economic increase,income improvement and full development of human being.This paper analyses the value, investment and profit of human resource. Nowadays, human capital shows its great effet on social devlepment. We should create a good environment to utilize human resource so as to compete in the international world.


The decay rate constant of the phosphorescence of singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) was measured in a vitamin E (VE) emulsion system by single-photon counting. The results suggest that the 1 O 2 emission mainly occurs around the oil droplets of VE rather than in the bulk solution.


The highlight is the better understanding of knowledge as an economic research object. Therefore the relevant sources are interpreted. It is characterised as an economic category based on types of knowledge important for the economic development. They are matched in dichotomous combinations (such as scientific – daily routine, theoretical – empirical, codified - tacit). The specific characteristics of knowledge as an object of economic research are the personalization, mobility, risk-sensitivity. The common and different facets among information, scientific and technological knowledge are specified. From the historical point of view the experience in statistic monitoring and rating is evaluated systematically, being of vital importance for the economic characteristics of knowledge. The present day issues are focussed. The aspects of the application in practice are discussed in view of the critical review and the systematization of the concepts of a strategy for the socio-economic development.


Container (1) comprising a body (2) intended to contain a fluid and an orifice (3) through which said fluid can be introduced into said body, the container (1) equipped with a transfer system (4) being sterile fluid into said body (2), characterized said container when said transfer system includes: - a wall (5) deformable and sealed, placed relative to the container (1) so as to form a closed space and sterile wherein the hole (3) is enabled; - a device for fluid communication (6) between the closed space and the outside of the container, said device (6) operable sterile; - a means of capping (7) of the hole (3), said means being located at least partially in the enclosed space so operable between an open position and a closed position of the orifice.


This paper intends to evaluate the adsorption behavior of the sodium pentachlorophenol to the loess soil inNorthwestern China.The experiments of dynamics and thermodynamics have been conducted on the adsorptive behaviors of sodium pentachlorophenol to the loess soil at 25℃,35℃,45℃ and 55℃,respectively.The results indicate that the adsorption of sodium pentachlorophenol on the loess soil can reach equilibrium within 16 hours,and the adsorption of sodium pentachlorophenol by the losses soil could be described by the pseudo-second-orderkinetic model.The adsorption thermodynamics of sodium pentachlorophenol onto the loess soil is nonlinearby nature and well fitted with the Freundlich isothermal model.The adsorption capacity of sodium pentachlorophenol tends to decrease with the increase of the environmental temperature.When calculating the thermodynamic parameters of Gibbs free energy(ΔG),enthalpy(ΔH),and entropy(ΔS),the negative value ofΔHsuggests the exothermic nature of the adsorption,whereas the negative values of ΔG tends to prove the spontaneous nature of the adsorption process.The adsorption process also suggests that the pH value,the initial concentration of sodium pentachlorophenol and the particle size of the loess soil have significant effects on the adsorptive behaviors of the sodium pentachlorophenol in the Northwestern China.The results indicate that the adsorption capacity of the sodium pentachlorophenol tends to decrease with the increase of the pHvalue below 6,while it tends to increase when the pHvalue is bigger than 6.When the initial concentration of the sodium pentachlorophenol increased from 6 mg/L to 40 mg/L,the adsorption capacity of the sodium pentachlorophenol would increase from 33.43 mg/kg to 100.93 mg/kg.Besides,when the particle size of loess soil increased from 0.075 to 0.425 mm,the sorption capacity of sodium pentachlorophenol on loess soil is likely to decrease from 134.26 mg/kg to 28.71 mg/kg.


Eunuchs are biological males who have undergone voluntary castration. Eunuchs in India, are commonly known as 'Hijras' and are under-represented. The thoughts of pursuing voluntary castration arise from a variety of reasons such as to reduce libido, correct a perception of their dysmorphic (part of the body is a different shape from normal) genitalia, or fulfill a sexual fantasy. Eunuchs suffer from urinary retention as a side effect of castration. Castration causes urethral stenosis (physical narrowing of the urethral channel), which ultimately led to the development of various urological problems in eunuchs, such as urinary dribbling or retention, urinary incontinence, urinary tract infection, and bladder stones.


This paper describes current results of an ongoing program to develop a test verified analysis method for crack arrestment of bonded structures. Bonded specimens have been tested with and without fasteners, which include a bonded wide pull-off pi-joint specimen (Mode I), and a bonded double shear I-beam pi-joint specimen (Mode II). Finite element models utilizing the Virtual Crack Closure Technique (VCCT) for crack progression have been constructed to simulate the crack arrest capability of fasteners in the bondline of these composite joints. Promising comparisons were achieved between the models and tests, showing the ability of the damage modeling technique to predict the residual strength. However, the model and test comparisons have also shown that although the interlaminar fracture failure modes are necessary for model prediction of crack arrest behavior, additional failure modes occurred in the tests that will need to be included in the simulations.


The predict model was established to estimate the vapor pressure of hydrocarbons in molecular structure intrinsic frequencies.The vapor pressures were calculated by Antoine equation for different molecules of hydrocarbons, and used in quantitative structure property relation (QSPR)analysis.The correlation coefficients are m(?)re than 0.967 between vapor pressure and molecular structure intrinsic frequencies,and the correlation coefficients are more than 0.999 between previous correlation coefficients and Temperature.The vapor pressures predicted by the model equation are good consistent with experiment values in the reference.2figs.,3tabs.,7refs.


In this paper the design and simulation of automatic voltage regulator (AVR) is proposed. The AVR provides voltage buck and boost capability to eliminate power problems created by under voltage or over voltage fluctuations. It also protects against minor and severe spikes and surges that comprise over 80% of power problems. Over heating of components due to voltage swell is also avoided by using AVR. The switching losses are also reduced as only one arm among three arms is maintained at higher power frequencies depending on mode of operation. Moreover, there is no need to use large capacitor as a result the overall size of converter is also reduced. Hence, the output voltage of the AVR can be maintained at the specified voltage. Hence, the AVR is cost can be reduced, and the efficiency of the power convertor can be extended.


This research is the first study to discuss the combined influence of peer communication and tax authority communication on taxpayers' trust in tax institutions, perceptions of service climate, and voluntary cooperation. We also compare the influences of the tax authorities and peer communication on trust, service climate, and voluntary cooperation. The survey was conducted in 2019 and represented five major cities in Indonesia (Jakarta, Surabaya, Semarang, Bandung, and Denpasar). Respondents included 120 self-employed taxpayers in two business fields, namely, trade/production and services/professions. The respondents mainly included those from the millenial and generation X age groups due to their significant contribution to the tax revenue. Participants were recruited using quota sampling, and the data analysis tools included partial least square with Wrap-PLS software. Results show that tax authority communication is more powerful in influencing trust, perception of service climate, and voluntary cooperation, than peer communication.
Keywords: Peer communication, tax authority communication, trust, service climate, voluntary cooperation


Objective To investigate effects of Danazol on gene transcription in experimental rat models and its effects on pathogenesis of endometriosis.Methods Endometriosis model in rats was made using Vernons'method ,we established animal models using rats.Rats with successful models were randomized into untreated group and Danazol group.Normal rats were selected as the control group.Gene transcription of c myc in both eutopic and ectopic endometrium of endometriosis were investigated using semi quantitative RT PCR.Results Transcription of c myc mRNA in eutopic endometrium of untreated group was higher than that of control group(0.29).Transcription of c myc mRNA in ectopic endometrium of untreated group was higher than that of control(0.14).The expression of c myc mRNA in ectopic endometrium was higher than that in eutopic endometrium.There difference in Danazol group was significantly greater than those in untreated group.Conclusion Expression of c myc in ectopic endometrium of endometriosis was higher than that in normal endometrium.Through increasing transcription of c myc,Danazol might increase cellular apoptosis of ectopic endometrium to treat the disease.


SCF-MS-Xα calculations have been carried out on the trihalide ions I–3, IBr–2, ICl–2, Br–3, BrCl–2 and Cl–3 and on XeF2. The nuclear quadrupole coupling constants calculated from the Xα wavefunctions agree well with experimentally determined values. In the case of the X–3 ions (X = Cl, Br or I) calculations have been carried out for unsymmetrical structures as well as for symmetrical D∞h structures, and it is found that the experimentally observed dependence of the quadrupole coupling constants on geometry is well reproduced by the Xα calculations. For D∞h I–3 the valence σ wavefunctions are very similar to those of the three-centre four-electron bonding scheme originally proposed by Pimentel. The bonding involves the valence p orbitals almost exclusively, s and d orbitals being involved to only a limited extent. The unbalanced p-orbital populations calculated for these species from the Xα wavefunctions agree reasonably well with those obtained from nuclear quadrupole coupling data using the Townes and Dailey equations, but systematic differences are observed, particularly for the central halogen atoms. Analysis of the various contributions to the Xα calculated electric field gradients shows that most of the approximations involved in the derivation of the Townes and Dailey equations are justified. However, it is shown that a slight contraction of the π atomic orbitals on the central halogen atoms results in a larger field gradient and quadrupole coupling constant at this atom. This has the consequence that the unbalanced p-orbital populations calculated for the central halogen atoms from the Townes and Dailey equations are systematically too high.Similar calculations have been carried out for the IF–2 ion, which has recently been identified by matrix-isolation infrared spectroscopy. In this case the I 5d orbitals become involved to a greater extent in the bonding, so that the I orbital populations are midway between those expected for the delocalized three-centre four-electron bonding scheme involving p orbitals only and a localized bonding scheme involving pd hybridization on iodine.


The amount of released water (discharge) in a levee breach is a primary input variable to establish an emergency action plan for the area next to the levee. However, although several studies have been conducted, there is still no widely applicable discharge coefficient formula; this needs to be known to estimate discharge amount through an opening caused by a levee breach. Sometimes, the discharge coefficient developed for a sharp crested side weir is used to rate the discharge, but, in case of a levee breach, the resulting geometry and flow types are similar to that over a broad crested weir. Thus, in this study, two different openings—rectangular and trapezoidal shape—are constructed in the center of a levee at a height of 0.6m to replicate levee breach scenarios, and the effect of two different approach flow types—the river type approach and reservoir type approach—are explored to suggest a discharge coefficient formula applicable for discharge rating for a levee breach. The results show that the ratio of head above the bottom of an opening and the opening width is a key variable for calculating the discharge coefficient of a reservoir type, but the approach Froude number should also be considered for a river type approach. The measured data are used to improve rating equations and will be useful in the future to validate computational fluid dynamics simulations of wave propagation during levee failure into the inundation area.


Summary This study compares plasma membranes from solid hepatoma cells to liver cell plasma membranes for comparison of phospholipid profile, degree of fatty acid unsaturation, and amount of calcium and magnesium bound to membrane. These parameters are based on proposed roles in membrane structure. Whole-tumor analysis showed the presence of the major phospholipids with no unidentifiable components. The Reuber H-35 hepatoma plasma membrane had the same percentage of the individual phospholipids as liver, whereas the Morris 3924A hepatoma cell membrane exhibited a 4-fold increase in sphingomyelin and the appearance of a significant increase in choline plasmalogen. Phospholipid fatty acid analysis of whole tumor and plasma membrane showed the 3924A tumor plasma membrane to have the largest number of unsaturated fatty acids. The ratio of stearic acid to oleic acid in the two tumors was less than 1. Calcium as measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry exhibited increased membrane-bound calcium in both tumors with the 3924A tumor containing the largest amount.


Coronary arteries isolated from human, porcine, and canine hearts were depolarized with potassium chloride and relaxed by cromakalim (0.0125-10.0 μmol/L) at low (1.5 mmol/L) and high (7.5 mmol/L) extracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+] o). At low [Ca2+]o, cromakalim (1 μmol/L) relaxed the coronary arteries with the order of porcine > canine > human. Fifty percent effective concentrations of cromakalim revealed the same order: 0.15 μmol/L in porcine, 0.36 μmol/L in canine, and 3.91 μmol/L in human coronary arteries. High [Ca2+]o significantly enhanced the relaxing effect and decreased the potency of cromakalim in porcine and human but not in canine coronary arteries. In human coronary arteries, precontracted with the prostaglandin analogue (U46619), high [Ca2+] o enhanced the effect of 0.1 μmol/L cromakalim more efficiently in the presence than in the absence of endothelium. It appears that the coronary dilating effect of cromakalim largely depends on the species and is modulated by [Ca2+]o, with a partly endothelium dependent manner.


In the paper we analyze factors reducing the possible accuracy of the heterodyne laser interferometers. The analysis is performed for the avalanche-photodiode input stages but is in main points valid also for stages with other type of photodetectors. Instrumental error originating from optical, electronic and digital signal processing factors is taken into consideration. We stress factors which are critical and those which can be neglected at certain accuracy requirements. In the work we prove that it is possible to reduce errors of the laser instrument below 1 nm point for multiaxial APD based interferometers by precise control of incident optical power and the temperature of the photodiode.


The provisional seed zones and breeding zones were developed for Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) in the Siskiyou National Forest in southwestern Oregon. Zones were based on maps of genetic variation patterns obtained by evaluating genotypes of trees from 260 locations in the region. Genotypes controlling growth vigor and growth rhythm were assessed in the common garden. Within the Forest, three breeding blocks were recommended, with different numbers of elevational bands in each block: from 0 to 610 meters, from 611 to 838 meters, and then a series of bands 152 meters wide at higher elevations.


The higher direct image complex of a coherent sheaf (or finite complex of coherent sheaves) under a projective morphism is a fundamental construction that can be defined via a Čech complex or an injective resolution, both inherently infinite constructions. Using free resolutions it can be defined in finite terms. Using exterior algebras and relative versions of theorems of Beilinson and Bernstein-Gel′fand-Gel′fand, we give an alternate and generally more efficient description in finite terms. Using this exterior algebra description we can characterize the generic finite free complex of a given shape as the direct image of an easily-described vector bundle. We can also give explicit descriptions of the loci in the base spaces of flat families of sheaves in which some cohomological conditions are satisfied: for example, the loci where vector bundles on projective space split in a certain way, or the loci where a projective morphism has higher dimensional fibers. Our approach is so explicit that it yields an algorithm suited for computer algebra systems.


The effect of SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity on the immune response to mRNA-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccines has not been well-described. Here we report longitudinal SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody responses pre- and post-vaccination among a cohort of healthcare personnel, with and without prior infection, from a large academic medical center. Our results provide preliminary evidence that prior SARS-CoV-2 infection may prime the response to the first mRNA-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccine dose. These findings could have significant impact on the allocation of mRNA-based vaccines and support the need for future research into the effect of prior infection on magnitude and durability of vaccination response.


The National Council for Geographic Education bestows its highest honor, the 2021 George J Miller Award for Distinguished Service, on co-recipients Dr. Michal LeVasseur and Dr. Howard Johnson. Working individually and together, this married couple's boundless commitment and steady leadership have shaped many institutions and enriched the educational and professional lives of community college, undergraduate, and graduate students; pre-service and K-12 teachers; and women in geography. They have also generously befriended, advised and mentored many of the NCGE's members and leaders.


One of the most important conditions for successful treatment is the proper psychological contact between physician and patient. Culture of communication, appearance of the physician, method of examination should not cause the patients' negative reaction. Contact between physician and patient may result in patients' fear or anxiety, which can be related to the use of invasive diagnostic tests or some treatment options. Novel technological advances in medicine should not replace direct contact between physician and patient, because physician treats not only the disease, but, above all, the patient.


A superconducting tunnel junction (STJ) in combination with a superconducting absorber of radiation may function as a highly resolving x-ray spectrometer. Electronic excitations, or quasiparticles, are created when a superconductor absorbs an x ray and are detected as an excess tunnel current through the junction. The number of quasiparticles created and the magnitude of the excess current is proportional to the energy of the absorbed x ray. This is similar to existing semiconductor-based spectrometers that measure electron-hole pairs, but with 1000 times more excitations. The energy measurement therefore can be up to 30 times more precise with a superconducting detector than with a semiconductor detector. This work describes the development and testing of an STJ spectrometer design for x-ray fluorescence applications. First, the basic principles of the STJ spectrometer are explained. This is followed by detailed simulations of the variance in the number of quasiparticles produced by absorption of an x ray. This variance is inherent in the detector and establishes an upper limit on the resolving power of the spectrometer. These simulations include effects due to the materials used in the spectrometer and to the multilayer structure of the device. Next, the spectrometer is characterized as functions of operatingmore » temperature, incident x-ray energy, and count rate. Many of these tests were performed with the spectrometer attached to a synchrotron radiation port. Finally, example x-ray fluorescence spectra of materials exposed to synchrotron radiation are presented. These materials are of interest to semiconductor processing and structural biology, two fields that will benefit immediately from the improved resolving power of the STJ spectrometer.« less


In the domain D = z m F it is considered a degenerate nonlinear higher order elliptic equation such that the corresponding energetic space is W 1, q (D, w q ) 7 W m , p ( D , w p ), mp < q < n , and w q , w p are weighted functions from some Muckenhoupt classes. A behavior of a solution u ( x ) is studied for the equation under consideration with the boundary value condition , where and f ( x ) = 1 for x ] F . The pointwise estimate for u ( x ) is proved in terms of the weighted higher order capacity of the set F and the distance from the point x to the set F .


Three nanostructured platinum-niobium supported on Vulcan XC-72R carbon black materials were prepared as catalysts for the ethanol electroxidation: (i) deposition of platinum and niobium on Vulcan XC-72R carbon black, (ii) platinum decorated on a mixture of commercial amorphous Nb2O5/carbon black, and (iii) the same than ii but using crystalline Nb2O5, by reduction of the precursors with sodium borohydride in ethanol. All the catalysts showed platinum crystal sizes in the range of 3–4 nm, with no or little modification of the lattice parameter. The analyses of the electronic structure from the XANES region of the XAS spectra displayed some interactions between platinum and niobium, despite the niobium was primarily in the form of pentoxide in all the catalysts. CO stripping exhibited a promising low onset potential and a large current density, especially in the case of the deposited catalyst. Ethanol electroxidation experiments revealed that the Pt-Nb2O5crystalline/C generated the largest current. However it was not effective to completely oxidize ethanol, leading to acetic acid as the main product. In this sense, the highest efficiency for the complete oxidation of ethanol was obtained for the deposited catalyst. These results were interpreted in terms of the physico-chemical characteristic displayed by the different catalysts.


The invention discloses process equipment for installing and welding a backboard of a dumper, relating to the technical field of dumper manufacturing. The process equipment comprises a platy welding platform, wherein positioning blocks are arranged on at least three side edges of the welding platform; the positioning block on at least one side edge of two opposite side edges is a moveable positioning block; the welding platform is connected with a support frame through a hinged shaft; and a lifting device is installed at the bottom of the welding platform. Compared with prior art, the process equipment disclosed by the invention can solve the problems that size and quality of the backboard of a middle door of a reinforced door of the dumper during manufacturing are difficult to ensure, products of same batch are poor in consistency and positioning takes time and labor.


This study investigates the sensibility of Sentinel-1 C-band backscatter to the moisture content of tree canopies over an area of about 500 km2 in north-western Portugal, with specific analysis over burnt areas. Sentinel-1 C-VV and C-VH backscatter values from 276 images acquired between January 2018 and December 2020 were assigned to five classes depending on the Drought Code (DC) scenario over several unburned and burned sites with total (>90%) forest canopy cover. Confounding variables such as tree cover and incidence angle were accounted for by masking using specific thresholds. The following results are discussed: (a) C-VV and C-VH backscatter values are inversely correlated (R2 = 0.324 to 0.438 −p < 0.001) with local incidence angle over canopies; (b) correlation is significantly stronger over very wet scenarios (DC class = 0 to 1); (c) C-VV and C-VH backscatter values can discriminate wet to dry forest environments, but they are less sensitive to the transition between dry (DC classes = 1 to 10, 10 to 100) and extremely dry environments (DC classes = 100 to 1000); (d) C-VH is more sensible than C-VV to capture burnt canopy; and (e) the C-VH polarization captures post-fire recovery after an average minimum period of 360 days after the fire event, although with less distinction for extremely wet soils. We conclude that C-band VH backscatter intensity decreases from wet to dry canopy conditions, that this behavior of the backscatter signal with respect to canopy dryness is lost after a fire event, and that after one year it is recovered.


Summary

The gambler's ruin.

When a single trial has two possible outcomes A and B, with probabilities p and q(p+q= 1), a succession of these trials forms a so-called Bernoulli chain. The well-known result for the probability of n times A and m times B is

In this article we consider the ruin problem, in which the initial capitals of the gamblers are a and b, respectively. In stead of a Bernoulli chain we then have a Markoff chain, with coefficients that are less simple than the ordinary binomial coefficients.

A more general expression (formula 1) is obtained for the probability distribution of the gambler's profit after a certain number of games, provided none of them became ruined beforehand. The probability for ruin after a certain number of games is a special case, similar to the results of Lagrange, Laplace and others, but appears in a form, more suitable for numerical calculations.

Some other results, obtained through the same method as developed in this paper are indicated.


AbstractThe Christchurch City Council election of 2013 provides a compelling case study through which to consider the interaction between politics and city space. On the one hand, through the careful placement of campaign posters, politics encroached on the physical terrain of the city. On the other hand, candidates included in their campaign material multitudinous references to 'Christchurch the city,' demonstrating the extent to which the physical environment of the post-disaster city had become central to local politics.


This note relies heavily on arXiv:1404.6509 and arXiv:1410.7693. Both articles discuss domino tilings of three-dimensional regions, and both are concerned with ips , the local move performed by removing two parallel dominoes and placing them back in the only other possible position. In the second article, an integer Tw(t) is dened for any tiling t of a large class of regionsR: it turns out that Tw(t) is invariant by ips. In the rst article, a more complicated polynomial invariant Pt(q) is introduced for tilings of two-story regions. It turns out that Tw(t) = P 0 t (1) whenever t is a tiling of a duplex region, a special kind of two-story region for which both invariants are dened.


The paper discusses the problem of finding the Origin-Destination(O-D) shortest paths in internodal transportation networks with time-schedule constraints. The shortest path problem on the internodal transportation network is concerned with finding a path with minimum distance, time, or cost from an origin to a destination using all possible transportation modalities. The time-schedule constraint requires that the departure time to travel from a transfer station to another node takes place only at one of pre-specified departure times. The scheduled departure times at the transfer station are the times when the passengers are allowed to leave the station to another node using the relative transportation modality. Therefore, the total time of a path in an internodal transportation network subject to time-schedule constraints includes traveling time and transfer waiting time. In this paper, a genetic algorithm (GA) approach is developed to deal with this problem. The effectiveness of the GA approach is evaluated using several test problems.


D.H. Lawrence's Sons and Lovers is an extremely rich and complex book, so complex that critical opinion has been sharply divided on sev? eral of the central issues of the work.1 And of these issues the one receiv? ing the most attention is undoubtedly that concerned with Paul Morel's future at the end of the novel. Are we to suppose that Paul will continue in his "drift toward death," or is there evidence to indicate that he will resist the pull and eventually come to some kind of an affirmation of life? Much of the confusion over this matter may be blamed on what seems to be a contradiction within the last chapter of the work. On the one hand, the substance of most of the chapter?itself entitled "Derelict" ?seems to indicate that Paul is indeed a derelict irretrievably bound for extinction. But, on the other hand, the concluding paragraph seems, at least on the surface, to indicate that Paul is breaking away from the deathward drift and moving toward a new life: "But no, he would not give in. Turning sharply, he walked towards the city's gold phosphores? cence. His fists were shut, his mouth set fast. He would not take that direction, to the darkness, to follow her. He walked towards the faintly humming, glowing town, quickly" (p. 491). The contradiction within the last chapter is, however, more apparent than real. When considered in context, the concluding paragraph is consistent with both the last chapter and the work as a whole; Paul is going to continue in his drift toward death, and the concluding paragraph, instead of contradicting this idea, actually reinforces the certainty of the drift. Of course if one accepts as the final word on the novel Lawrence's celebrated letter of November 14, 1912, to Edward Garnett, the matter is settled at once.2 In this letter the author explicitly states that Paul "is left in the end naked of everything, with the drift towards death." How? ever, there would seem to be much justification for not accepting Law


This paper presents a research project that involved Mexican and Honduran families in a family literacy program through a service-learning course of cross-cultural education for teacher education candidates The study examined how the families in the program articulated their purposes for participating in the program and how they changed their attitudes toward education and toward the program, moving from a stance of participant to stakeholder in the program. The paper also describes the dissonance that occurred when the program incorporated an online language learning program. Despite the dissonance, however, the instructor posits that a family literacy program that regards the families as partners offers numerous possibilities for strengthening children's education.


Objective To explore the significance of the 5 anatomical spaces in saddle area in operation of total removal of large and complicated craniopharyngiomas.Methods Guided by the operating microscope,the craniopharyngiomas in 8 patients were resected through the 5 anatomical spaces via pterion approach.Important structures including the optic nerve and internal carotid artery(ICA)and it's arteriae hypophysialis superior were paid attention.Results Among eight cases of sellar tumour,seven cases(87.5%) were performed with total resection,one case was performed with subtotal resection and one case(12.5%) recurred.Conclusion In microsurgical removal of large craniopharyngioma via pterion approach,a skillful grasp of five anatomical spaces and microanatomy of blood supply of appendices suprasphenoidalis,which plays an important role in improving the rate of total resection ,decreasing mortality and recurrence.


Very intense proton sources are being planned at many facilities worldwide. These facilities are based on superconducting radio frequency accelerating structures. The nature of these structures require many power sources with a peak power capability in the 1 MW range with a duty factor on the order of 10%. In the past, the conventional choice for RF power has been klystron based systems. The cost and efficiency of klystron systems has caused a number of accelerator laboratories to consider lower cost and more efficient technologies. This paper will explore the possible use of induction output tubes (IOTs) with a peak power level in the range of 1 MW as an alternative for powering high intensity superconducting proton linacs.


The geese eggs (n=67) procured from the farmers were analyzed for the external and internal quality traits. Weight of goose eggs ranged from 116-157g with the average of 136.65±2.10g. Shape index was 71.05±0.70% and specific gravity was found to be 1.09±0.01 g/dL. Shell colour was observed to be white. Average weight of albumin, yolk and shell was 60.06±1.56, 55.88±1.77 and 22.33±0.63g, respectively. Average shell and membrane thickness was 0.53±0.31 and 0.11±0.02mm respectively. Albumin and yolk index was 0.09±0.01 and 0.38±0.01 respectively, whereas Haugh unit was found to be 71.31±1.84. Colour of yolk varied from orange to yellow through all intermediate grades and average grade for yolk colour was calculated to be 4.18±0.37. Albumin, yolk and shell accounted for 43.48±0.78, 40.27±0.81 and 16.25±0.46% of the total egg weight. No inclusion bodies were found to be present in the eggs studied. Defects like cracks, rough shells and dirty shell in very small percentage was recorded. 54.55% of the total eggs studied were of grade AA; while as 39.39, 3.03 and 3.03% of eggs were of grade A, B and C respectively. The average grade for shell cleanliness, shell texture, shell soundness, egg shape, egg white and egg yolk was A, AA, AA, A, AA and A. The goose egg as a whole was ranked as grade A.


This article is based on a case study research realized at the USP (University of Sao Paolo) School of Education. We investigated the possibilities, limits and meaning of the use of the theatrical language with a group of visual deficient adolescents. We intend to look upon the use of the dramatic text Romeo and Juliet as a brechtian "model of action", in the theater-education experiment accomplished at the Bahia Institute for Blinds. Then, we tried to know in details the particularities of the visual deficiency and blind person's education, taking as empirical reference the work process developed alongside the adolescents. Besides the informations founded in the specialized literature in visual deficiency, we took Brecht's theory of didactic play as a basic reference to illustrate the process. The present article shows that theater stimulate reflection about problems within the community, updating the context of a literary work, through imitation of attitudes and corporal actions from the daily life of the participants


What is the prognosis for patients with frontotemporal dementia and motor neuron disease? A new study suggests the answer depends not on which occurs first, but whether cognitive and motor symptoms develop simultaneously.


AIM: The link between hyperglycemia, enhanced freeradical activity, and the complications of diabetes is unknown. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) measured as thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), an index of lipid peroxidation, in patients of type 2 diabetes without complications, and compare with normal subjects of the same population. METHODOLOGY: We recruited 60 type 2 diabetic subjects without complications and with poor metabolic control and 60 age-matched controls with good metabolic control. Levels of glucose, total cholesterol, HbA 1C , and MDA as TBARS were determined. RESULTS: Diabetic patients had higher levels of blood glucose (P<0.001), HbA 1C (P<0.001), and MDA (P<0.001) than control subjects. The total cholesterol of the control subjects and diabetic patients did not differ. There was no correlation between the family history in diabetics and elevation in either HbA or 1C MDA levels. CONCLUSION: Increased levels of MDA may be a useful marker of oxidative stress. The enhanced lipid peroxidation leads to an increase in free-radical activity in type 2 diabetics. This increase in free-radical activity in type 2 diabetes mellitus along with insulin resistance can lead to activation of stress-sensitive pathways, which may play an important role in the complications of diabetes.


A method and an apparatus for address allocation are disclosed in the present invention. The present invention relates to the technical field of communications and solves the problem in the prior art that, in the current Dynamic Host Configure Protocol (DHCP), users can not reserve one Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPV6) address or a section of IPV6 addresses in a Dynamic Host Configure Protocol Version for IPV6 (DHCPV6) server address pool for a future specific usage. The solution provided in the embodiment of the present invention includes the following steps: a node is enabled to carry an address reservation option in its sending request by defining a new address reservation option; an IPV6 address is reserved for the node from the server address pool after the server has received the request carrying the option; then, the server allocates the reserved IPV6 address to the node when the node sends a request for the allocation of the reserved address. The embodiment of the present invention is applicable to a DHCPv6 protocol-based communication system.


Purpose – The article is aimed at evaluation of the patterns of demographic processes development in terms of their impact on shaping the level of countries' economic security. Research methodology – The study is based on a multidimensional estimation technique, which proposes the development of an integral indicator of the demographic component of countries' economic security. Stochastic research methods, in particular the t-test method, were used to identify and justify different hazard zones. Findings – On the basis of the formed sample of the countries, the integral indices of the level of the demographic component of countries' economic security for the period of 2000–2018 were calculated. The thresholds of demographic security indicators were identified and reasoned; the countries' security risks by demographic indicators were assessed; systematisation of countries according to the level of the demographic component of security was provided. Research limitations – It is proposed to include ten indicators in the structure of the index of the demographic component of economic security; these indicators characterise different aspects of the demographic processes development. However, this is not a complete list of possible valuation indicators. This determines the necessity of further studies in terms of justifying the advisability of including various parameters and assessing the degree of their importance in the structure of the demographic security index. Practical implications – The practical value of the results of the comprehensive analysis of the demographic processes development in the system of ensuring countries' economic security is the possibility of identifying real or potential threats to the sustainable social and economic development of countries and regions of the world. Originality/Value – The authors' improved methodology for assessing the level of economic security based on the demographic component consideration, taking into account the system of proposed indices, allows to assess the level of security, to monitor its changes and to identify factors that pose risks not only for one country but also for groups of countries both in regional dimension and in terms of the level of their development.


This study examined the influence of knowledge assimilation on organizational dynamic capabilities of telecommunication firms. A sample of 136 respondents was drawn through proportional sampling technique from the population of 210 managers and supervisors of four Nigerian Communication Commission recognized and authorized Global System Mobile telecommunication firms in the SouthSouth of Nigeria. The research design is a cross-sectional survey and its method is quantitative. Data sourced using the structured questionnaire. The instrument used for data collection was validated by experts and reliable with a reliability coefficient of 0.70. The Spearman's, rank order correlation was used to test the relationship between knowledge assimilation and the measures of organizational dynamic capabilities (sensing, learning and reconfiguring capabilities). The findings revealed that knowledge assimilation positively influences organizational dynamic capabilities of telecommunication firms in the South-South, Nigeria. The study recommends that knowledge assimilation should begin with the identification of knowledge that share or contain features that serve the purpose and goals of the organization and as such, are well appreciated based on their relevance and applicability within the organization. Functions and expertise which the organization should therefore match knowledge development expectations and bridge the gap between the organization's knowledge processing as well as utilization capacity and its expected knowledge application outcomes.


An analytical model for crosstalk is developed for an infrared scene projector that utilizes a deformable-mirror device as an infrared spatial light modulator. Partial-coherence effects that result from the physical layout of the projection system are included. Crosstalk is determined by defining a crosstalk ratio in the projected image. Crosstalk-ratio calculations are carried out for monochromatic and blackbody projection sources over the 3- to 5-μm wavelength band. The results predict crosstalk ratios of 260:1, 1200:1, and 2400:1 for deformable-mirror pixels of 50, 100, and 150 μm when a blackbody source is used in the projection system. Crosstalk performance is improved at shorter wavelengths and for larger deformable-mirror pixels. The results of a proof-of-principle experiment are included to verify the feasibility of a deformable-mirror device in the projection system.


A new resonant absorption mechanism of an electromagnetic wave incident on a magnetized plasma is investigated. A dc magnetic field along the density gradient couples the incoming electromagnetic wave to electromagnetic waves in other directions. These electromagnetic waves drive electrostatic waves which results in resonant absorption of the incident electromagnetic wave. This indirect process can be well separated from the direct process in the s polarization case in which a maximum absorption of 90% is obtained. For completeness, the total directly and indirectly driven absorptions due to perpendicular, parallel, and azimuthal magnetic fields are obtained.


TGF‐β1 is involved in tumour growth. Four TGFB1 SNPs and TGF‐β1 production by stimulated PBMC were determined in seventy‐eight gastric adenocarcinoma patients. In addition, TGF‐β1 levels were measured in the plasma of further thirty patients. rs1800471‐G/C genotype was prevalent in patients (20.7%) compared to controls (8.4%), as it also was the rs1800468 SNP‐G/A genotype in stage IV patients (20.7%) compared to stage I, II and III patients, combined (10.3%). Conversely, the T/T rs1800469 SNP‐T/T genotype was absent in the former group and present in 19.0% in the latter. Furthermore, the rs1800469‐C/rs1800470‐T (CT) haplotype was found in 15.0% of stage IV patients as compared to 3.0% of the remaining patients (3.0%) and also identifies patients with worse five‐year life expectancy (P = .03). TGF‐β1 synthesis by stimulated PBMCs was significantly lower in patients with the risk SNPs or haplotype, compared to the alternative genotype. Finally, TGF‐β1 plasma levels were lower in patients with worse life expectancy. Analysis of TGFB1 SNPs and measurement of plasma TGF‐β1 levels serves to identify patients at risk of developing a more aggressive disease.


The effects of frictional damping on the dynamic response of a beam structure have been investigated. The frictional damping was contributed from the slip mechanisms in a 'pseudo' joint, that is a joint that did not take any static load. Using pseudo joints for vibration control has significant advantages over using joints that are designed both to take static load and to introduce frictional damping; because there is almost no restriction on the configuration of the pseudo joint, the undesirable side effects related to the frictional damping such as fretting corrosion of contact surfaces and loss of static stiffness are zero if the frictional damping from a pseudo joint is utilized. An 'optimum' clamping force was found which minimized the magnitude of the frequency response function (FRF) of the structure under excitation. A reduction of about 20 dB in the amplitudes of the FRFs was achieved by adjusting the clamping force at the joint. Frictional damping was found to be significant over the measured frequency range of 20-2000 Hz, and it was particularly effective over the range of 20-1000 Hz. The magnitudes of the FRFs of the structure were determined by the ratio of clamping force to excitation force. They were insensitive to the change of clamping force near its optimum value; also the optimum clamping force was not sensitive to small modifications to the structure. Therefore, utilizing frictional damping in pseudo joints is an effective technique for vibration control.


The establishment of the "tax source linkage",from a certain degree can overcome our current tax collection and management problems existing in information collection,which save cost,simplify procedures,and through the different tax collection and administration department of information resources,make resources maximize tax loopholes,obstruction loss.However,in the pursuit of tax collection and management modernization and tax efficient process,there are a series of legal issues need to be examined.Therefore,from the perspective of tax,procedure justice to examine "tax source linked",and adhere to the tax program in legal,based on the public to promote the "tax source linked",it is very important for the "tax source linked" rule system and its practice.


The parking space is one of the crucial problems in the urban city. Most buildings have parking facilities for residents and visitors. The common parking patterns are parallel parking, perpendicular parking and angular parking. Parallel parking is a common design for street side parking whereas perpendicular parking and angular parking are a common design for garages. Angular parking is easy to park than other types. A typical parking space for a personal car is 3 meters in width and 6 meters in length. The parking space have limitation but the number of car increasing along with the economic growth [7]. So the parking space should accommodate the maximum number of car. Normally, the parking space configuration is designed by architects or construction engineers because it's required technical knowledge to calculate a number of car and parking pattern. In parking area, there must be an alleyway for cars to enter and exits. This study is to design and implement a calculation model for number of car and parking pattern in the specified parking area. In the calculation, the dimension and the specific condition of parking area is require. The model calculate the maximum number of car and also calculate the parking pattern for the parking area. This model is use to support non-technical user during the parking area design and can be as engine to develop mobile application for general user in the future.


The effect of spraying commercial gibberellic acid (GA) on alternate cropping and yield of Late Valencia orange trees was studied in detail at three sites over three seasons. Two applications of GA were applied at a minimum concentration of 25 ppm (in two experiments 0.75% emulsifiable oil was used as an adjuvant) 3 weeks apart during April and May for Dareton (on the River Murray) or June and early July for Yanco (Murrumbidgee Irrigation Areas) prior to the heavy-crop blossom. These sprays partly inhibited flowering and the subsequent heavy crop was reduced by up to 22% (by fruit number). In the next season there were more flowers and the light crop was increased by up to 57% at Dareton and 228% at Yanco. Some treatments practically eliminated alternate cropping while all reduced considerably the heavyllight crop ratio. Mean weight yields over 2 years were increased by up to 17% at Yanco and 16% at Dareton with mean increases for all successful GA treatments of 12.6% and 7.2% respectively. This represented an increase of 34 and 24 kg fruitltree. No long-term adverse effects on yield were found.Apart from re-greening of the fruit present at the time of spraying, fruit quality was not affected. There were fewer non-saleable small fruit at Yanco in the heavy crop as a result of the GA treatments, and a better range of fruit sizes in both the heavy and light crops. Trees on Rough Lemon rootstock responded well to GA treatments, especially in terms of increased yield in the light crop. Poncirus trifoliata rootstock was less responsive than Sweet Orange. This method might be used for the commercial control of alternate cropping of Late Valencia orange trees.


Over recent decades, wage inequality has expanded. While there has been much work on the causes behind these changes in the wage structure, it is unclear to what extent voters and politicians have agitated for political reforms in response to increasing inequality. This paper investigates House and Senate voting records as well as House Election results to examine the political response to wage inequality. The results suggest that inequality is related to turnover in the House, leading to a slightly greater number of Democrats on net. Voting records show that inequality leads to polarization by party, with Democrats voting more liberally and Republicans voting more conservatively. The results are consistent with models in which relative position in the income distribution matters, and where the "bite" of inequality hurts the bottom more than the top.


The problems concerning traffic congestion, air pollution and the damage done to the environment by road traffic make it imperative to increase use of public transport as opposed to other transport modes. However, a strong increase in car-ownership and a continuing increase in the spread in trip patterns is expected. This situation requires that a reconsideration be made of the public transport system. This paper presents such a reconsideration. The main points are: (a) most of the public transport system is a well extended basic-system, consisting of a number of connecting subsystems. Each subsystem fits in with its specific function; (b) a change in network-structures from the dominating radial shape to a more spider's-web model is advocated. Essential in these networks is good junction synchronization; and (c) a differentation in linking systems (wide-mashed network, stretched routes and big distances between stops) and territorial systems (high density of stops) is also advocated. A trip time factor is being introduced as a method of measuring the quality of the linking systems. This factor is the ratio of the total trip time by public transport to total trip time by private car. (TRRL)