Abstract The corrosion performance of a newly developed corrosion-resistant rail steel (U68CuCr) was investigated and compared with that of a normally used high-speed rail steel (U71MnG) by neutral salt spray tests, electrochemical tests, X-ray diffraction analyses, and the scanning vibrating electrode technique. It was found that the weight loss and corrosion rate of U68CuCr were lower than those of U71MnG under the same corrosion conditions. In addition, due to the influence of alloying elements (copper and chromium) in U68CuCr, the rust layer was thicker and denser, resulting in a stronger protective effect. Moreover, U68CuCr had a higher corrosion potential in electrochemical tests. Finally, the dynamic corrosion process of U68CuCr in 2.2% NaCl solution mainly followed a lateral extension of corrosion. Therefore, the corrosion resistance of U68CuCr was better than that of U71MnG in the subsea tunnel environment.


We introduce a new class $\mathcal{G}$ of plane bipartite graphs and prove that each graph in $\mathcal{G}$ admits a proper square contact representation. A contact between two squares is \emph{proper} if they intersect in a line segment of positive length. The class $\mathcal{G}$ is the family of quadrangulations obtained from the 4-cycle $C_4$ by successively inserting a single vertex or a 4-cycle of vertices into a face.


Lentinan is a natural polymer extracted from high quality shiitake seeds, and its biological activity has received increasing attention with the development of modern molecular biology. The complex chemical structure of lentinan has a great influence on its biological activity, and in this paper, its structure is divided into primary structure and stereospecific structure respectively. In addition, we can enhance the biological activity of lentinan by structural modification. As one of the most promising drug resources, lentinan have strong immunomodulatory, antitumour and antiviral activities and are widely used as clinical adjuvant therapy for tumours. Lentinan do not kill tumour cells directly, but exert their anti-tumour effects through three main pathways by inducing biological responses in the body. In addition, lentinan can significantly improve the dysbiosis of intestinal flora while enhancing its immune function, and can be intensively studied as a microecological modulator with immunostimulatory functions.


Elementary school teachers have an awesome responsibility: what they accomplish?or don't accomplish?with the young children they teach will remain with those children throughout their school years. The degree of influence teachers have on the children in their classrooms depends on the amount of personal contact they have with those children?for the most part, we assume that teachers will be in contact with their students for nine months. But this is not the case with migrant children. The teacher's association with such children may be very brief, and the teacher's responsibilities are certainly complicated by the presence of migrant children in the classroom. According to Jose A. Cardenas, writing in "Education and the Children of Migrant Farmworkers: An Overview" [ED 134 367], children of migrant farmworkers have the highest dropout rates, the lowest achievement levels, and the most failures when compared to other school children. Performances of migrant children deviate so drastically from the norm that common evaluation techniques are not even valid for this group. The value of the classroom experience for the migrant child depends not only on academics but also on the interest that the teacher shows. The teacher must find out who the children are, what they lack, and what their individual needs are. Migrant children must cope with continual disruption of their classroom studies, repeated adjustment to new environments, and, often, discrimination that results from their being members of minority groups. Early in their elementary school years, many bilingual migrant children develop oral language difficulties that compound these problems. It is important that the teacher understand the problems of migrant children and be flexible enough to adapt his or her teaching procedures to these children's needs. The focus of the educational program for migrant children must be on individualized instruction. Each child must be tested and then given activities that will help him or her become an independent learner?a must for any child who continually moves from one school to another?and that will give the child a


Hydrogen station deployment needs to be progressed in response to the introduction of fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) to the commercial market. Since resources allocated for deployment are limited for either private companies who wish to install stations and governments who provide subsidies, efficient station allocation should be cognizant of the service of potential customers. Based on a literature review, the results of a social survey and data analysis, p-median is chosen to find optimum locations for hydrogen stations. Location and the amount on potential demand for FCV's in the early stage of deployment is estimated by a regression model. The result of GIS analysis for both 2020 and 2025 using p-median implies the importance of covering regional hub cities (such as prefectural capital cities) as well as metropolises. The coverage rate of potential FCV demand is around 60% at the national level, and exceeds 70 to 80 percent when limited to urban areas for the 400-station allocation. The geographical tendency of station locations allocated by the developed methodology provides guidance for hydrogen station location practice.


It has long been hypothesized that individuals' migration propensities depend on their attitudes towards risk, but the empirical evidence, to the extent that it exists, has been indirect. In this paper, we use newly available data from the German Socio-Economic Panel to measure directly the relationship between migration propensities and attitudes towards risk. We find that individuals who are more willing to take risks are more likely to migrate between labor markets in Germany. This result is robust to stratifying by age, sex, education, national origin, and a variety of other demographic characteristics. The effect is substantial relative to the unconditional migration propensity and compared to the conventional determinants of migration. We find no evidence that these findings are the result of reverse causality.


Protease is a type of enzyme that hydrolyzes proteins into peptides and amino acids. The demand for protease for green technology in some industries like detergent, food, and leather is increasing nowadays. Some soil bacteria, especially the Bacillus strains, are known to have the ability to produce protease. Compared to other sources like plant and animal origin, microbial protease has more advantages as it can be produced at an industrial scale, short cultivation time, and are easy to harvest. This research aimed to screen the proteolytic bacteria from the bulk soil samples collected under mango trees and to study the optimum condition for protease production using the response surface methodology (RSM). Three bacterial strains (SH2CR, SH3CR, and SC4CR) were isolated and shown to have proteolytic activity. Based on 16S rRNA gene analysis, the strain SH2CR was close to Priestia megaterium NBRC 15308T (96.97% similarity), while the strains SH3CR and SC4CR were related to Bacillus zanthoxyli strain 1433T (100% similarity). One of them, SH2CR, was further studied using a fermenter at a one-liter production scale with the medium containing skim milk at 30°C. The best condition for protease production by SH2CR was achieved at 48 h incubation time, 300 rpm of agitation, and 1.25% skim milk.


Near surface wind speed has significant impacts on ecological environment change and climate change. Based on the CN05.1 observation data (a gridded monthly dataset with the resolution of 0.25 latitude by 0.25 longitude over China), this study evaluated the ability of 25 Global Climate Models (GCMs) from Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 6 (CMIP6) in simulating the wind speed in the Arid Region of Northwest China (ARNC) during 1971–2014. Then, the temporal and spatial variations in the surface wind speed of ARNC in the 21st century were projected under four Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs), SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0, and SP5-8.5. The results reveal that the preferred-model ensemble (PME) can fairly evaluate the temporal and spatial distribution of surface wind speed with the temporal and spatial correlation coefficients exceeding 0.5 at the significance level of p = 0.05 when compared to the 25 single models and their ensemble mean. After deviation correction, the PME can reproduce the distribution characteristics of high wind speed in the east and low in the west, high in mountainous areas, and low in basins. Unfortunately, no models or model ensemble can accurately reproduce the decreasing magnitude of observed wind speed. In the 21st century, the surface wind speed in the ARNC is projected to increase under SSP1-2.6 scenario but will decrease remarkably under the other three scenarios. Moreover, the higher the emission scenarios, the more significant the surface wind speed decreases. Spatially, the wind speed will increase significantly in the west and southeast of Xinjiang, decrease in the north of Xinjiang and the south of Tarim Basin. What's more, under the four scenarios, the surface wind speed will decrease in spring, summer and autumn, especially in summer, and increase in winter. The wind speed will decrease significantly in the north of Tianshan Mountains in summer, decrease significantly in the north of Xinjiang and the southern edge of Tarim Basin in spring and autumn, and increase in fluctuation with high values in Tianshan Mountains in winter.


The paper studied the effect of three different pretreatments of leaves dark treatment,wilting treatment and plasmolysis in advance on leaf protoplam production of Manilkara zapodilla by using the M.zapodilla tender leaf as the material.The results showed that all the production of protoplam increased after dark treatment,the best of yield was after 36 hours,increasing by 36.46% as compared with the control;the production of protoplam increased significantly after treatment of plasmolysis in advance,in 90 minutes,the yield increased with the increasing of treatment time;the wilting treatment effect on production of protoplam was more complex,the yield reduced after 6 hours of treatment,but the yield were relatively high after 8 hours,increased by 22.93% as compared with the control.


An $H^+ W^- Z$ vertex, i.e, the interaction connecting a singly charged physical scalar to the $W^\pm,~Z$ gauge bosons is absent at the tree level in a scalar sector comprising only $SU(2)_L$ doublets. However, the interaction can be generated radiatively in such a case, an example of which is a two-Higgs doublet model. In this study, we extend a two-Higgs doublet scenario by additional $SU(2)_L$ scalar doublets. Upon endowing with appropriate discrete symmetries, these additional doublets so introduced can furnish successful candidates of dark matter. Interestingly, the same"dark"scalars can also radiatively enhance the strength of the $H^+ W^- Z$ interaction. We compute the $H^+ W^- Z$ vertex at one-loop in a non-linear gauge that eliminates certain unphysical interactions. While all possible constraints are taken into account in doing so, particular emphasis is given to the ones stemming from dark matter. Correlations between the dark matter observables and the $H^+ W^- Z$ interaction-strength are studied. The study thus connects a radiatively generated $H^+ W^- Z$ vertex to dark matter phenomenology.


N. Bernard-Duquenet— The Front Populaire Government and the Problem of Compulsory Labour in French West Africa. The Front populaire declaration of policy was only marginally concerned with colonial problems, and chiefly with those of Indochina and North Africa. Nevertheless the Socialist Colonial Secretary, Marius Moutet appointed as Governor General in Dakar Marcel de Coppet, an administrator well known for his liberal views. Coppet set himself to the task of enforcing the application in West Africa of the international rules prohibiting forced labour. He failed, mainly due to the opposition of vested interests, but also for lack of personnel and financial means to carry out his policies.


The invention discloses an HT-STC-TBD (Hough Transform and Successive Target Cancellation Based Track-Before-Detect) detection method for multiple weak targets under a radar-ranging fuzzy condition and belongs to the field of radar data processing. The HT-STC-TBD detection method comprises the following steps: (1) sending a measured target value which is detected by a high/middle pulse repetitionfrequency radar (such as an airborne pulse Doppler radar) into a data processing computer and then acquiring all the possible states of a target in the data processing computer; (2) performing Hough transformation on the possible states, thereby acquiring an energy accumulation column diagram; (3) searching for a peak value of the energy accumulation column diagram and performing Hough inverse transformation according to a peak value coordinate so as to confirm a valid detecting data point; (4) eliminating a false track, modifying a state of the target and realizing once target tracking; (5) eliminating the influence of the last detection and secondarily detecting the target; and (6) repeating the steps (3)-(5) till all the targets are detected, thereby realizing the tracking and detection of multiple weak targets.


Since their introduction, use cases (UCs) have become increasingly important for the specification of software requirements. Model driven development approaches like the Rational Unified Process base the whole software life cycle on UCs. Therefore, high quality UCs are a prerequisite for project success. Despite the high importance of their quality, UC driven approaches often lack systematic and integrated quality assurance techniques. Only ad-hoc recommendations, creation guidelines, and a few checklists for inspection are available in the literature. If at all, these techniques are developed and used seperately, so that one class of defects is addressed by several techniques and other classes are not addressed at all. In this paper, we present an integrated approach that combines UC creation guidelines, UC inspections, and simulation in a systematic way. The techniques are combined based on a classification of defects in UC development. Each technique is focused on a different set of defect classes. The integrated approach is systematically developed and thus more efficient in its application.


This chapter explores Robert Musil's case-based concept of an "imaginary precision" in the novel The Man without Qualities (1930–1943). In the 1920s and 1930s, Musil's literary production also follows the formula of contingency, which the protagonist of his novel The Man without Qualities connects with the "principle of insufficient cause." One of the central objectives of this sprawling text is to take this principle seriously and to make it the basis for a literary program that would surpass the representation of the real world with the realization of the possible one. It is one of the major differences between Döblin and Musil's poetologies that Döblin's literary program is centered around facts and based on a material foundation, but Musil's novel is interested in that which is possible. To Döblin's call for a fantasy of facts Musil responds with the concept of fantastic precision. And whereas Döblin demands from literature to get closer to reality, Musil claims in an interview of 1926 that he is not interested "in the real explanation of real events." In fact, Döblin's and Musil's realism can be distinguished by the opposite direction of their reference to reality.


Let $S$ be a right reversible semitopological semigroup, and let LUC$(S)$ be the space of left uniformly continuous functions on $S$. Suppose that LUC$(S)$ has a left invariant mean. We show that there always exists a common fixed point for any jointly weakly continuous and super asymptotically nonexpansive action $S\times K\mapsto K$ of $S$ on a weakly compact convex subset $K$ of a Banach space. Several variances involving weak* compactness of $K$ and other function spaces on $S$ are also provided.


Information technology has penetrated into various fields in sports. As school sports, the rapid development of modern information technology has not only provided technical assistance and support for the development of school sports in various fields, but also provided a network for school sports. Informatization, and digitization have brought professional challenges. Based on this, this article starts the research on the selection strategy of physical education teaching model based on the information age; this article uses education statistics method and questionnaire survey method to conduct research. Through the data collected by education statistics method, we can understand all aspects of the application of information technology in sports industry. Leisure accounts for about 20%, the sports industry accounts for about 15%, and mass sports accounts for about 8%, and the specific scope of the application of information technology in various industries. Through a questionnaire survey, I learned how the school teachers and students hope to better use information technology in physical education, and finally summarized the application strategy of physical education informatization.


This project of Reinforcement of the National Distribution System and with the commitment to improve the quality of the electric service in the CORPORACION NACIONAL DE ELECTRICIDAD REGIONAL LOS RIOS, have been giving significant changes reason why it is necessary to make changes in electrical networks and biphasic meters to improve the quality of service to the user. (Ministry of Energy, 2014).
Ecuador proposed to change its energy matrix, part of the change is that we all start cooking based on energy; for this reason the electricity service coverage already exceeds 96% of the national territory and continues to increase.
These significant advances in the electrical system and in order to improve the quality of the CNEL EP electric service at National level, The Efficient Cooking Program, this involves the acquisition of Induction Cookers.
In view of the demand in has developed a plan of improvement in the medium and low voltage networks with the purpose of performing the CHANGE OF MONOPHASE TO BIPHASIC METERS in the Province of Los Rios, beginning to execute this plan in Canton Baba and to continue advancing with the rest of cantons that the Province has.
The objective is to satisfy all the needs of purchasing growth of citizens, without this entailing at an additional cost to have a meter of greater capacity is avoided internal overload, it is important to emphasize that it is not necessary to change the internal electrical installations, since the appliances will continue to operate without any inconvenience.


Objective: To determine if posttraumatic nonconvulsive electrographic seizures result in long-term brain atrophy. Methods: Prospective continuous EEG (cEEG) monitoring was done in 140 patients with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and in-depth study of 16 selected patients was done using serial volumetric MRI acutely and at 6 months after TBI. Fluorodeoxyglucose PET was done in the acute stage in 14/16 patients. These data were retrospectively analyzed after collection of data for 7 years. Results: cEEG detected seizures in 32/140 (23%) of the entire cohort. In the selected imaging subgroup, 6 patients with seizures were compared with a cohort of 10 age- and GCS-matched patients with TBI without seizures. In this subgroup, the seizures were repetitive and constituted status epilepticus in 4/6 patients. Patients with seizures had greater hippocampal atrophy as compared to those without seizures (21 ± 9 vs 12 ± 6%, p = 0.017). Hippocampi ipsilateral to the electrographic seizure focus demonstrated a greater degree of volumetric atrophy as compared with nonseizure hippocampi (28 ± 5 vs 13 ± 9%, p = 0.007). A single patient had an ictal PET scan which demonstrated increased hippocampal glucose uptake. Conclusion: Acute posttraumatic nonconvulsive seizures occur frequently after TBI and, in a selected subgroup, appear to be associated with disproportionate long-term hippocampal atrophy. These data suggest anatomic damage is potentially elicited by nonconvulsive seizures in the acute postinjury setting.


Introduction: In sudden cardiac arrest, early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), with emphasis on chest compressions, is a fundamental step in the Chain of Survival. Due to irregular training and low skill retention, CPR can be performed ineffectively. Simulation can be a useful resource for training resuscitation. Feedback on performance is a crucial component of the learning processes associated with simulation and has been shown to improve CPR quality during simulated cardiac arrest on manikins. Aim: The general aim of this study is to evaluate skills acquisition using a new tool for CPR self-training, by assessing its efficiency and effectiveness when compared to the standard training methods. The prototype is expected to facilitate regular training and improve long-term knowledge. Methods: This study was carried out at the Biomedical Simulation Center of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto and consisted in the comparison of two homogeneous groups of medical students, undergoing Basic Life Support (BLS) training. For training BLS skills, the control group used a standard task-trainer and received feedback from an instructor. The intervention group used a standard task-trainer coupled to the CPR Personal Trainer providing automated performance feedback (with no instructor). Students' knowledge and skills were assessed before and after the course, through theoretical and practical pre and post-tests. After both theoretical and practical training courses the intervention group was also asked to assess the usability of the CPR Personal Trainer. Results: Theoretical and practical tests in both groups presented an increase in the score between the pre and the post-test with statistical significant difference. The inter group comparison showed, for all tests no statistically significant differences indicating no differences between groups. The pre and post-test comparison for the overall and all individual compressions related parameters present a statistical significant increase, in both groups. Considering the practical test results for the parameters not related to compressions (such as adequate ventilations or shout for help), an overall improvement is observed in both groups, but with a greater difference in the control group. The usability test global score was 75, which is considered above the average. The three most commented positive aspects were: real-time feedback, rapid learning curve, and correct evaluation of compression's parameters. The three most mentioned aspects that


Dynamic properties of a coupled tanks apparatus are analyzed in the context of control teaching. The main issue detected is that although it is a second order system, its dynamics are very similar to that of a first order one. The paper highlights the problems which should be discussed when the coupled tanks experiment is used for control teaching.


ArFIT, a detailed model of Ar K-shell emission from high energy density plasmas, is used to provide density and temperature dependent spectra for use in the inference of core conditions in laser-driven microballoon implosions. In order to make this process of inference independent of radiative hydrodynamic simulation, a uniform core approximation is used in the calculation of radiative transfer effects on line shapes and relative intensities. The impact of this core approximation is explored herein, and is found to have small effect on the accuracy of inferred emissivity average core electron temperatures and densities for implosions where the Ar K-shell lines used in the inference process are optically thin.


I have long believed that most important scientific discoveries are in large part accidental. Very few of us are like Christopher Columbus, who reasoned that the world was round and set out with his three little ships to prove that he was right. In 1953, our group at the Cleveland Veterans Administration Hospital (associated with Western Reserve University, now Case Western Reserve University) consisted of Joseph R. Kahn, a pathologist who had worked with Harry Goldblatt during his important discoveries in the field of hypertension, Walter Marsh, and myself. Walt Marsh and I had recently received our PhD degrees in biochemistry from Western Reserve. These were exciting times for us. We were in what we considered to be a race to isolate and determine the structure of angiotensin with Merlin Bumpus and his group at the Cleveland Clinic and Stanley Peart in London. I must explain, parenthetically, that angiotensin was known to us, being followers of Harry Goldblatt and Eduardo Braun-Menendez, as hypertensin. Merlin Bumpus knew angiotensin as angiotonin. This was natural because Merlin worked with Irvine Page, who had coined the name angiotonin. It was a number of years later that Page and Braun-Menendez agreed on the name angiotensin, and all the rest of us used the new name. We prepared very crude renin from hog kidneys and an equally crude substrate from horse blood. Both preparations were thoroughly dialyzed against distilled water, and the insoluble proteins formed during dialysis were removed by centrifugation. The renin was then reacted with its substrate to produce angiotensin. The reaction was terminated by the addition of 3 volumes of alcohol. After filtration, the alcohol was removed by evaporation, and the cloudy, aqueous solution was extracted with ethyl ether. The resulting solution was then subjected to countercurrent distribution between n-butanol and phosphate or bicarbonate buffer. Countercurrent distribution was then newly developed by Lyman Craig at Rockefeller University, and it proved very useful to us because none of the chromatographic methods that were available at the time worked well with angiotensin. The results of the distribution could also be mathematically analyzed to obtain an estimate of a component's purity. We later used the method to good advantage in our purification


During pandemic situations the adoption of technology and digital products is faster and growing, this situation makes a rapid growth of the startup industry. Many startups fail in the middle of the growing process. No market is still the biggest reason why startups failed. iSeek, as a newly formed startup which offers service through digital products, has been facing marketing issues that report marketing strategy implemented by iSeek did not meet the target in terms of awareness and engagement rate which led to a small amount of convention rate to iSeek service. The problem was a question for the company itself whether iSeek really has value that customers want or not. The researcher tries to find out what values are being desired by customers of digital products. This research aims to identify the values that can affect customer willingness to use the digital product, particularly in the human resources field and recommendations to improve marketing performance for digital products. This research is a qualitative approach with manual coding as a data processing technique to identify the values that are desired by the customer of a digital product. The data was collected from fourteen interview participants who live in the Greater Jakarta and West Java area aged from 19 to 24 years. The findings show several aspects which can influence customer desire for that particular product or service such as the ease of use of the product, relevant information that is expected, safety and security, the scope in the digital product, and personalization. It is recommended to have an understanding and better approach to introduce and promote the product about benefits that they can perceive and customer's feedback and after service in order to improve the marketing for digital product or service.


Ttus paper presents an intelligent electromc transmssion control system using both fuzzy logic and conventional methods The controller is part of the drive tram, therefore rqunng that special attention is paid to the system's secunty We propose two dfferent methods to pnonze the controller outputs and show how these methods can be realized wihn fuzzy control theory Next we show in an application how rules can be denved as a mixture of human expert knowledge and dynamic process models The controller is tested in OUI simulation environment The results are compared to those obtaned by using conventional shft logic


Yield and fibre qualities are economically important parameters considered by the majority of stakeholders engaged in the cotton value chain in Uganda. The study objective was to determine the stability and adaptability of advanced cotton lines in diverse agro-ecological zones. Yield potential and fibre traits of cotton genotypes were evaluated in cotton growing agro-ecologies of Uganda. Sixteen genotypes were evaluated for two-year cycles of 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 in Arua, Lira and Serere districts. Additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) and genotype main effects and genotype by environment interaction (GGE) biplots determined the stability of genotypes for seed cotton yield in different environments. Significant differences were observed among genotype performances for all the traits assessed with exception of ginning out turn. Some genotypes showed good fibre traits and high seed cotton yield across sites in the two-year cycles. The mean yield across sites and years ranged from 1422 to 1883kg/ha with eight genotypes including the check (BPA2002), attained yield above the overall mean of 1729kg/ha. Five genotypes BTAM(13)MO.2 (1883kg/ha), MS(13)MO.1 (1838kg/ha), EZAMMAR(13)MO.1 (1839kg/ha), BTAM(13)MO.3 (1824kg/ha) and BHG(13)MO.2 (1818kg) had higher yield than the check (1777kg/ha). Using AMMI model, the genotype and environment effects revealed significant differences for yield. Genotype by environment interactions was significant, indicating that there is genetic variability among genotypes for yield in the changing environments. The relationships observed among test locations using GGE biplot revealed three mega-environments. This indicated that classifying genotypes into mega-environments implied higher heritability and faster progress for plant breeders and higher yields for growers. AMMI analysis revealed six stable genotypes G11(BPA2002), G15 [BHG(13)MO.2], G7 [BTAM(13)MO.3], G14 [EZAMMAR(13)MO.1], G9 [BPAN(13)MO.2] and G16 [BPAN(02)14] which contributed to relatively lowest interaction. Generally, these results showed that genotypes with above average means of seed cotton yield, good fibre traits and stability were considered for further evaluation in national performance trials prior to release.


The recurrence formulas of inverse method for calculation of unknown σ (h, t) from pure particle velocity measurements are presented. It seems more flexible but needs consistency check, since it offers various fitting functions for unknown stresses along pathlines. The concept of consistency examination (CE) is reasonable, but it does not work well sometimes in practical use. The reason is analyzed and a new idea for qualitative consistency check is suggested based on cσ and cμ relation for nonsimple waves.


Science and technology will figure more strongly in Egypt's future, but the first priorities include urgent needs like feeding the hungry and eradicating illiteracy.


Abstract— An enzymatic‐isotopic assay for the measurement of tyramine with a sensitivity of 1.0 ng has been developed. Using this assay, the endogenous content of tyramine in various tissues from adult rats has been determined. The highest tyramine content was found in rat heart atria, followed by salivary gland, kidney, and brain. Within the brain the distribution of tyramine is heterogeneous and the highest tyramine content was localized in the striatum.


We analyze fusion hindrance in heavy systems, where the fusion probability around the Coulomb barrier is hindered compared with that in light and medium-mass systems. We perform simulations of central collisions around the Coulomb barrier in heavy systems with time-dependent Hartree‒Fock (TDHF) and find that the fusion hindrance is realized in TDHF simulations. We extract nucleus‒nucleus potential and energy dissipation in heavy systems by a method combining a microscopic TDHF evolution to a macroscopic collective equation of motion. We find that the extracted potentials exhibit a dynamical increase at small relative distances, while the extracted friction coefficients show rather a behavior similar to that in light and medium-mass systems. We find from our analysis that the dynamical increase in potential is a main contribution to this fusion hindrance.


A new grafting-from procedure was developed for the synthesis of arborescent styrene polymers of successive generations in a single reaction pot. Styrene was first copolymerized anionically in a semibatch process with 1,3-diisopropenylbenzene (DIB), and the chains were terminated with methanol. The pendent isopropenyl moieties of the DIB units were then reacted with sec-butyllithium to generate a polyfunctional anionic macroinitiator. Further additions of styrene−DIB monomer mixture to the activated linear substrate yielded a comb-branched (generation G0) copolymer. After termination of the chain ends and activation of the double bonds on the G0 substrate, styrene monomer was added to generate G1 arborescent polystyrenes, with a dendritic architecture. Alternately, the G0 copolymer was isolated by precipitation and activated in a separate procedure. The size (molecular weight) of the side chains in the G1 polymer was conveniently controlled by varying the amount of monomer added to the G0 macroinitiator. ...


A magnetic composite of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and iron oxide nanoparticles was prepared by chemical precipitation and characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The XRD pattern showed that MWCNTs and iron oxides coexisted in the composite. TEM observation indicated that the iron oxide nanoparticles, with sizes of 10 to 30 nm, were highly dispersed on the outer walls of the MWCNTs. Magnetic measurement with VSM at room temperature demonstrated that the saturated and residual magnetisation of the adorned MWCNTs were 23.50 and 4.95 emu g−1, higher compared with those of the unadorned MWCNTs. However, the unadorned MWCNTs had a higher coercivity (793.92 Oe) than that of the adorned MWCNTs (160.32 Oe).


Organizing wireless sensor networks into clustered architectures is an effective approach for energy balancing so as to prolong the network lifetime. This paper proposes an Energy-Balanced Clustering Algorithm based on Distance to the base station and neighbor Distribution (EBCADD) to generate clusters in wireless sensor networks with random distribution. In order to minimize the energy consumption of entire network, a cluster has a larger cluster size as increasing distance from the base station. The optimal node became cluster head on the basis of the residual energy and neighbor distribution in cluster head election process. Besides the algorithm controls the size of cluster based on threshold size in terms of the number of the nodes per cluster to form an appropriate architecture of the network topology. Simulation results demonstrate that the new algorithm can establish more balanceable clustering structure effectively in uniform and nonuniform distribution of nodes, and prolong the network life.


The oxidation behavior of amorphous Fe-Si-B and Fe-Cr-Si-B, containing Cr of 10 to 19 at %, alloys was studied in a temperature range of 623 to 923 K, under an atmosphere of 17 Torr 02 and 3 Torr Ar for periods up to 6 x 104 s. The SEM observation revealed that flowery agglomerates of oxide particles grew locally on the oxide film and they were distributed randomly. The above was thought to be responsible for the observation that the oxidation kinetics did not follow any simple rate laws so far reported. The oxidation rate has a minimum for the Cr content of 12 to 16 at % and this minimum corresponded to the highest peak of Cr profile in the oxide film shown by an IMA. In the oxide film formed on the alloy without Cr, Si and B were enriched near the outer surface, while in that formed on the Cr-containing alloy Cr was enriched near the outer surface and the enrichment of Si and B followed next.


Magnetorheological elastomers (MREs) belong to the new group of the functional materials called "smart". Although smart materials are known since long time, their intensive development started in the end of the XXth century. The term smart materials, intelligent materials or less frequently used adaptive materials or multifunctional materials, was introduced in the eighties of the twentieth century, when some materials, which were included in the group were already known. Till today there is no accepted universal definition of smart material, it is also not included in the encyclopedia devoted to these materials, published in 2002 [1, 2].


Oplopanax elatus (Ci Ren Shen, in Chinese), a perennial bush with thorn, wildly grows in Chang Bai Mountain area, northeast China. The essential oil of its root, rhizome and stem was extracted by steam distillation with yields of 0.8~1.2%. By means of GC/MS/DS, 31 chemical constituents were identified as follows: n-hexanal (0.22%), heptaldehydc (0.17%), α-pinene (1.30%), β-pentyl furan(0.27%), n-octanal(2.07%), limonene(0.31%), ocimene(1.62%), δ-3-carene(0.19%), perillen(1.33%), 2,6-dimethyl heptalene(1.07%), borneol(1.27%), α-dodecenal(7.14%), α-copaene(0.54%), tetradcanal(1.17%), iaocaryophyllene (0.58%), β-farnesene(0.92%), α-caryophyllene(0.82%), γ-muurolene(0.73%), longifolene(1.67%), 3, 7, 11-trimethyl-2, 6, 10-dodinene(8.64%), γ-cadinene(2.79%), δ-cadinene(5.03%), nerolidol(14.93%), gualol(4.20%), torreyol(10.0%), cedrol(4.24%), bulnesol(7.79%) and farnesol(1.16%).The antimycotic activities of Ci Ren Shen cssential oil was determined in vitro by serial dilutions on solid nutrient medium. Fungistatic results were visible on 5 species, Microporum gypseum, M. lanosun, Trichophyton gypseum, T. purpureatum and Epidermophyton floccosum. The MIC is 0.0625%.


This paper considers the maintenance of aircraft engine components that are subject to stress. We model the deterioration process by means of the cumulative jump process representation of crack growth. However, because in many cases cracks are not easily observable, maintenance decisions must be made on the basis of other information. We incorporate stress information collected via sensors into the scheduling decision process by means of a partially observable Markov decision process model. Using this model, we demonstrate the optimality of structured maintenance policies, which support practical maintenance schedules. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 45: 335–352, 1998


Preface 1. Introduction 2. Distribution and variation 3. Diet 4. Foraging behaviour 5. The ecology and behaviour of the prey 6. Prey selection and energetics 7. Ranging and roosting behaviour 8. Moult 9. Breeding seasons 10. Nest sites 11. Courtship and eggs 12. Production of young 13. Dispersal 14. Mortality 15. Population size and regulation 16. Conservation 17. Conclusions Appendices References Index.


The use of curvilinear fibre paths to develop variable stiffness laminates is now recognised as a promising technique offering great potential for performance improvements over conventional 'straight fibre' laminates. Its manufacture is feasible by fibre placement technologies, such as automated fibre placement. However, these technologies present a set of limitations that need to be included in the design to guarantee the manufacturability and quality of the composite laminates. Although this approach experiences an increasing interest from the specialised literature, most of the works completed overlook the manufacturing reality and, as a result, variable stiffness laminates are not used in industry. This work aims to provide a review of the State-of-the-Art on design for manufacture of variable stiffness in order to highlight the current gaps and research needs. As a conclusion, tools for analysis of the effect of manufacturing defects, manufacturing optimisation of gaps/overlaps or cycle time and the systematic integration of manufacturing constraints in design, are the main challenges that will be faced in the future to be able to exploit the potential of this advanced tailoring technique.


Nervilia Commerson ex Gaudichaud (1829: 42) is characterized by having prominent fan-shaped venation of leaves and developing flowers and leaves at different times and all above ground parts died back at the end of the growing season (Pridgeon et al. 2005). This genus comprised approximately 71 species, distributed from tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions of Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Southwest Pacific islands (Govaert et al. 2017). The characteristic of ephemeral pattern of emergence tends to make plants overlooked in the field and under-represented in herbaria, and the temporal separation of the flowering and leafing phases makes complete or correctly matched collections rare (Seidenfaden 1978), confounding taxonomic understanding of the genus as a whole (Chen and Gale 2009). The genus was divided into four sections (Linervia, Vinerlia, Nervilia and Kyimbilaea) by Schlechter (1911, 1915), but Pettersson (1990a, b) sunk sect. Kyimbilaea into the sect. Linervia. Although revision of some confused species or new species have been published in the last decade (Gale et al. 2008, 2010, 2013, Eum et al. 2011, Jalal et al. 2012, Hsu et al. 2012), a comprehensive infrageneric delimitation combined with descriptions of morphological characters and molecular phylogeny within Nervilia is still needed.


In this paper, the bending loss, modal field diameter and the modal field distribution of the air core optical fiber are investigated. The effect of optical and geometrical parameters on the bending loss, power confinement and modal field diameter are examined in this special fiber. Detailed design parameters and operation principles of the air core optical fiber are discussed. The structure is based on a unique three layered structure of air core optical fiber, having the central air core, germanium silicate ring core, and silica cladding. It has been demonstrated that air core optical fiber has an excellent mode transformation capability. The air core optical fiber is expected to have a versatile application in local area optical communication networks and tunable wavelength selective devices. The main advantages of air core optical fiber are low bend loss and small mode field diameter, which is a prime focus of this paper.


Foam formation in bioreactors (fermenters) and other types of reactors is a highly interesting topic that touches several disciplines. All of the phenomena involved in foam formation have been the subject of many studies, but their relationships are still not obvious to newcomers. This review aimed to give the reader a good background for understanding the various phenomena involved in foam formation, especially in bioreactors. Hopefully, this would give the reader the tools necessary to access any needed information about foaming, a task that can be difficult without such basic knowledge.


In order to prevent the bottom water of the horiozntal coning feeding toward the heel of the well,and a new Inflow Control Devices(ICD),channel-nozzle ICD,was designed,which features a series of helical passages and bulkhead which can be thrusted different slots in a maze configuration.ICD can extend the well life by extending the plateau period,minimize water and gas coning,minimize annular flow and increase recovery.CFD modeling and analysis of the channel-nozzle ICD shows Channel-nozzle ICD is fluid viscosity insensitive,also maintaining low erosion potential(lower flow velocities) and high plugging resistance(large flow area).The performance of channel-nozzle ICD is better than similar products.


Application of enzyme preparation «CelloLux-F» as a component of combined feeds for broiler chicks favours live weight gain, feed conversion efficiency and safety of young birds


The purpose of CDA is to examine the value system or the ideology hidden in discourse by analyzing their language features and the social and historical background generated,and thus to reveal the relationship among the language,power and ideology.This paper is based on CDA theory,combined with Foucault's discusses on the disciplinary power and the mental medical power,and adopts the analytic approaches of Halliday's functional linguistics to illustrate literary significance and the author's criticism of social system of stream of consciousness novel Mrs.Dalloway written by Virginia Woolf.


The present invention by reacting adiponitrile, hexamethylenediamine, steam, in a multistage distillation column reactor to a method for producing nylon 6,6. Multi-stage distillation column, adiponitrile, hexamethylenediamine, nylon 6,6


This paper presents new criteria for DGA (Dissolved Gases Analysis) using CDF (Cumulative Distribution Function) obtained from the data from the diagnosis of transformers operated in KEPCO over a period of 16 years. Because of differences in operating environments, construction type, oil volume, and other factors, the interpretative criteria of DGA at KEPCO differs from other standards such as IEC-60599, or Rogers and Doemenburg. To suggest the most appropriate criteria, the DGA data from transformers under normal conditions as well as from developing fault transformers were collected. Using these data, this study suggests the limitative gas level of transformers under normal operating conditions and verifies the suitability of the criteria. Because the application of this new criterion to transformers at KEPCO increases the detectable ratio of incipient faults and reduces unnecessary follow-up sampling and analysis, the new criteria yields a more reliable prediction of transformer condition.


The preschool education in Baotou pastoral area has been developing faster in recent years,and the conditions and level for preschool education keep rising,in which the gap between rural and urban area is gradually narrowing,but its popularity,condition,quality and management,etc.are obviously different from that of the city kindergarten,and more backward than that of developed regions.It is suggested that overall planning and development should be made to form a new pattern of pastoral preschool education with balanced development,the perfect input mechanism for childcare and multi-channel additional funds should be offered for the healthy development of preschool education in pastoral area,the treatment should be improved to build a stable and fine teaching group for pastoral preschool,and that kindergarten management should be regulated properly and legally;we should maintain the pastoral and preschool education characteristics,strive to improve the popularization and level of pastoral preschool education.


Research background: How will the world change after the pandemic? What will be the trends of the global economy after the pandemic in the conditions of digital transformations and the impact of other cutting-edge technologies that will change both the global paradigms of the world economy and the global financial and monetary architecture? It is a problem both globally and in each country.
Purpose of the article: In this article we aim to examine the processes of transformation of the financial architecture worldwide in the current conditions of financial-monetary globalization, but also of the revolutionary transformations of digitalization and cybersecurity of national, regional, and global financial systems.
Research method: We start from the historical approach of the world financial and monetary phenomenon in correlation with the social evolutions. Another method of research is longitudinal: the study of the world financial and monetary phenomenon in time in the context of building the new paradigm of development at the global level with the transition of building paradigms at the national level. In this context, the statistical method and the method of collecting statistical information are also necessary.
Findings & Value added: In the conditions when many countries face various serious problems of social, demographic, mass population migration, imbalances in labor markets, declining quality of life, the new international financial-monetary paradigms, but also regional and national ones demand to be correlated by promoting current policies and building economic, financial-monetary and social systems that correspond to solving these socio-economic problem.


Based on the background of rapid development of China's industrialization and urbanization,the urbanization and upgrading of industrial structure of Anhui Province are researched in this thesis,using the coefficients of industrial structure.Then,empirical analysis of the coordinated development between the upgrading of industrial structure and the urbanization is made.The results show that the upgrading of industrial structure takes the leading role in the relationship of the two.The upgrading of industrial structure is the Granger cause of urbanization.Moreover,the coordinated level has been developed from the elementary to the intermediate,yet,there still exists gap to the excellent coordination.Hence,it is of great significance to promote the urbanization of Anhui Province and the coordination from the following four aspects:adjusting agricultural construction,optimizing industrial structure,developing the service industry and strengthening the construction of infrastructure.


Properties of solid 4 He have regained interest since the discovery that it exhibits nonclassical moment of inertia 1 and several accompanying phenomena for a review, see Refs. 2–4. Recently, Kim and Chan 5 studied torsional oscillator response as a function of pressure. A large fraction of sample growth about one half in that study was completed at fixed pressure. Kim and Chan found that the supersolid fraction changed threefold over the studied pressure range up to 135 bar and had a distinct maximum at pressures near 55 bar, which is well above melting pressure. These results call for a study of possible supersolidity mechanisms under isobaric conditions. Crystal defects are believed to be indispensable in the


Visitors' subjective impressions of the biophysical, social, and managerial setting relations in the Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS) may not correspond with objective inventory and analysis criteria. This paper reports results of two studies that utilized a questionnaire to measure easy access car campers' subjective evaluations of the ROS setting components. Results of natural condition and social density relations are reported that show a diversity of preferences. Further analysis segmented campers based on their past experience camping at the campground where contacted. For both studies this approach provided a basis for identifying potential problem areas and providing managers with insights for solving these potential problems.


Purpose. To assess the effect of carotid endarterectomy on the functional activity of the visual analyzer, based on the registration of visually evoked potentials in patients with chronic ischemic neuroopticopathy (CIN) associated with hemodynamically significant atherosclerotic stenosis of the internal carotid artery (ICA). Material and methods. The main group included patients with CIN (20 people, 20 eyes). Their age varied from 61 to 78 years (average 70 ± 4.5 years). Men – 13 people, women – 7. Of the specialized methods, the study of visual evoked potentials (VEP) was performed. Results. By the end of the follow-up (12 months), there was a decrease in the maximum corrected visual acuity below the preoperative values and an increase in the negative dynamics of the VEP values. There was an increase in the latency of the main peak by 13.2 % compared with the control and a decrease in amplitude by 34 % during stimulation with the pattern for both 30 and 60 minutes. Conclusion. Our studies have shown that further studies are required to develop an integrated approach to the treatment of CIN associated with hemodynamically significant atherosclerotic stenosis of the ICA. Keywords: visual evoked potentials, chronic ischemic neuroopticopathy, ocular ischemic syndrome, hemodynamically significant stenosis of the internal carotid artery.


Abstract In response to provocative comments by 2 European clinicians and scientists, the World Health Organization Director General has declared that Africa will not host COVID-19 vaccine trials. Such a stance risks stigmatizing COVID-19 vaccine trials in Africa and depriving Africa of critical research. To the contrary, there is a critical need for Africa to host COVID-19 vaccine trials on public health, scientific, and ethics grounds.


Douglas Vickers has written extensively on the concept of the marginal cost of debt capital. His defmition is shown to be ambiguous and his derivation rather unusual. This paper points out the problems in his work and derives a conventional marginal cost of debt.


In this paper, a compact two-shape slot microstrip antenna is proposed for global positioning system (GPS) satellite application. The proposed antenna is designed with FR 4 substrate with a height of 1.6 mm, a dielectric constant εr of 4.3 within a compact size 56 x 56 mm2 area. The design parameters are optimized to achieve good performance. At the optimum setting of design parameters, this antenna shows good characteristics to cover L1 band 1,575.42 MHz, ± 12 MHz frequency which is used for GPS satellites. At the 1,572 MHz resonance frequency, this antenna achieves a minimum return loss of -30 dB covering a frequency bandwidth of 50 MHz (1,550 MHz – 1,600 MHz) at -10 dB reference level which ensures 100% bandwidth coverage of the L1 band. Besides, the proposed antenna achieved a maximum gain of 8.3 dBi and a beam width of 1010 at -3 dB point. In terms of other performance, such as voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR), directivity, radiation pattern, the proposed antenna shows good performance for the application of GPS satellites.


Abstract Background : Although the clinical experience with transcatheter closure of the patent ductus arteriosus using the coils has grown rapidly, one important complication of this procedure using the conventional Gianturco coil was the migration of coils into peripheral vessels. This is especially for patients with a relatively larger size ductus and the risk for such complications could be increased. In this situation, the detachable coil may have some technical benefits to perform coil occlusion and reduce the incidence of complications.


Mr. J. HERBERT PARSONS: I think the case a member has just refefred to was one under the care of the late Nr. Gunn. It was a very interesting case. There was a little mass at the edge of the disk, like that seen in the' present patient. The retina was folded up, and 'there were definite evidences of hwemorrhage under the retina. In the light of Coats's work, there is no doubt that it was of the character of exudative retinitis, in a very early stage. In the present case it is difficult to decide whether it is a birth injury or not: I think this is the most probable explanatioti.


Volcanic rocks in Jeju island show vesicular structure caused by various environmental factors, and indicate the differences in geological and mechanical characteristics from region to region. Previous studies on the volcanic rocks in Jeju island have been actively conducted on geological and chemical properties in terms of geophysics and geology and on physical and mechanical properties in terms of engineering. But comprehensive comparative analysis on physical and mechanical properties of volcanic rocks in Jeju island is not conducted. In this study, the physical and mechanical properties of volcanic rocks in Jeju island were compared and analyzed comprehensively through the existing research papers and reports about volcanic rocks in Jeju island. As a result, it was found that the relationship between absorption (porosity) and apparent specific gravity is commonly linear and could be represented as two different linear approximations. In addition, it was found that the relationship between P-wave velocity and S-wave velocity and the relationship between absorption (porosity) and uniaxial compressive strength could be classified more clearly, considering two different linear relationships in absorption (porosity) and apparent specific gravity.


In a digital array, each receiver performs analog-to-digital-conversion (ADC), with the resulting digital data later combined via digital beamforming techniques. Since ADC is performed prior to beamforming, it is thus theoretically possible to enhance the dynamic-range (DR) of the individual receivers through post-ADC array integration gain. In practice, however, DR enhancement is limited by correlation of the nonlinearities (from receiver to receiver). Worse still, little published data exists on this subject (i.e. suitable for quantitatively assessing the correlation coefficients). This makes it difficult to predict how much DR enhancement will be achieved on real digital. arrays. This paper describes the results of recent experiments involving a, four-channel digital receiver system. The system was used to measure the correlation (between receivers) of different types of nonlinear distortion. The measurements quantitatively demonstrate that some nonlinearities are highly correlated. Next, the system was used to evaluate a recently proposed method for decorrelating nonlinear distortion in digital arrays. The measurements show that the mitigation technique is successful in decorrelating some nonlinear signal components.


Natural plant extracts and phytoconstituents have excellent bioactivity in-vitro but less in-vivo due to their poor lipid solubility or multiple ring large molecules or destruction in gut. Novel drug delivery system phytosomes were prepared by complexing polyphenolic phyto-constituents with phospholipid mainly phosphatidylcholine which bind components to each other on a molecular level. Bioavailability is enhanced due to their capacity to cross the lipid rich bio-membranes and to protect the valuable components of the herbal extract from destruction by digestive secretions and gut bacteria. Phytosomes have the capacity to deliver the standardized plant extracts and phytoconstituents through several routes of drug administration which increases the bio-availability of the herbal formulation. The present study directed toward the development and evaluation of phytosomes of Pomegranate peels. The physicochemical properties of the prepared complex were analyzed by ultravioletvisible spectrometry (UV), infrared spectrometry (IR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), in-vitro dissolution study etc. The result showed that methanolic extract and phospholipids in Methanolic extract phospholipids complex were joined by non-covalent bond and did not form a new compound. Prepared pomegranate peel phytosomes showed better bioavailability.


The present investigation is concerned with scintillation observations of radio signals at 40 MHz from satellite BE-B recorded at Adak, Alaska, and at Wellington, New Zealand. The point conjugate to Adak is approximately 1000 km west of Wellington along a constant L shell. The nigttime irregularity patches that cause scintillation have a dimension 500 km in the north-outh direction and much larger in the east-west direction. Therefore, Adak and Wellington are sufficiently close to being a conjugate pair to permit a meaningful correlation of scintillation study.

One year's data have been studied, extending from October 1964, through October 1965. The nighttime scintillation shows a semiannual variation especially equatorward of Adak and Wellington.

Cross-correlation studies indicate that the conjugate effect is statistically significant at night, but not in daytime. There is also an indication of slight asymmetry with respect to L shells. When the time difference of observations at the two stations is reduced from 2 ½ hr to ½ hr, the correlation coefficient is increased from 0.46 to 0.56. This suggests the time variability of the phenomenon under study.


Production of lysophosphatidic acids (LPA) by "activated" cells may be important in stimulus-response coupling. Using human citrated platelet rich plasma (PRP) we examined the effects of Oleoyl (0), Palmitoyl (P) and Decanoyl (D) LPAS on platelet function. DLPA (≤300 μM) did not affect platelet function, and OLPA and PLPA (≤200 μM) did not inhibit uptake of 3H-5HT (0.3 μM). However OLPA and PLPA (1-30 μM) induced reversable aggregation in the absence of 5HT release (primary aggregation), and higher concentrations (≤300 μM) induced irreversible aggregation and TxB production and release of ≤79% of 5HT, 89% of βTG and ≤73% of β -N-acetyl glucosaminidase that was released by thrombin (1U/ml). LPA-induced release of platelet granule constituents was associated with <5% release of cytoplasmic markers LDH or 3H-adenine. OLPA or PLPA (300 μM) suppressed the elevation of platelet cyclic AMP induced by PGE1. Primary and secondary aggregation induced by LPA were suppressed by PGE1 (1 μ M) and the intracellular Ca antagonist, TMB-8 (200 μM). The Ca transport inhibitor verapamil (100 μM) was ineffective. Indomethacin (30 μM) and the ADP antagonist, β,γ-methylene-ATP (30 μM) inhibited only secondary aggregation. PRP exposed to OLPA or PLPA (30 μM) for greater than two minutes at 37°C failed to respond to subsequent addition of LPA but showed augmented responses to ADP, U 46619, vasopressin and 5HT. OLPA and PLPA resemble the more powerful platelet agonists (e.g., collagen, thrombin) in that they induce secretion of βTG, 5HT and lysosomal hydrolases and cause aggregation that is independent of ADP, 5HT or arachidonate metabolites. Endogenous LPA may function as a mediator of platelet aggregation and degranulation. Alternatively LPA may serve as a mimic of related platelet agonists (acetyl- glyceryl-ether-phosphorylcholine [AGEPC], or PAF-acether).


In this paper, we present a high temperature superconducting (HTS) Filter subsystem, which consists of a 14-pole HTS filter, a low noise amplifier (LNA), a Stirling Cooler and an electronic control system. The HTS filter has a 2.1% fractional bandwidth at 814MHz. It was fabricated on MgO substrate which was double sides coated with YBCO thin films. The insertion loss of the HTS filter is less than 0.2dB, the gain of the subsystem is 22dB at 60K. In this subsystem, the out-of-band rejection is better than 70dB and the steepness of the band-edges is larger than 25dB/MHz at 60K.


agent and helps to protect skin from sun damage), aloe vera (give a cooling effect to the skin and work as skin barrier), lemon (used to protect skin for sunburn) which will be effective for skin and protect skin against harmful sun rays, sunburn, and skin cancer. Prepared herbal sunscreens were evaluated for physicochemical characteristics, SPF, thermal stability, antioxidant activity, in vitro mutagenicity, and stability. Results showed that the F5 and F6 herbal sunscreens were of good consistency and viscosity with excellent antioxidant, non-mutagenic, nonirritant, stability activity and possessed 33.50 SPF for normal skin. In comparison to F1 through F4, formulations with a coconut oil base and carrot seed extract (F5 and F6) were shown to be stable and effective, with a high SPF.


NAMPT is a multifunctional protein, also known as visfatin or pre-B cell colony-enhancing factor, which exists as the rate-limiting intracellular enzyme for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) synthesis starting from nicotinamide [1]. The plasma Nampt levels are reported to have correlation with obesity and obese related metabolic disease, such as Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), cardiovascular diseases [2] and hyperlipidemia [3] due to association with lipoprotein and cholesterol. Therefore, sensitive detection of Nampt potentially enable accurate diagnosis of T2DM, cardiovascular and hyperlipidemia diseases.

In this study, for the first time, we developed an ssDNA aptamer that specifically bind Nampt (Kd=72.52 nM) in human serum by systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) process. Nampt-specific ssDNA aptamers were then applied as the recognition molecules for the development of a capacitive biosensor using non-Faradaic impedance spectroscopy (nFIES), which converts the biological binding event into a quantifiable signal for sensitive and efficient detection of the Nampt (Fig. 1). The interaction of aptamer-Nampt induced the change in dielectric properties, charge distribution, and conductivity. The limit of detection was 1 ng/ml with a dynamic range of upto 50 ng/ml in serum and this range is under the clinical requirements both in the normal Nampt levels, which is 15.8 ng/ml, and in the T2DM patients level, which is 31.9 ng/ml. This assay system for Nampt detection using aptamers is a potential alternative approach for applications in clinical studies and Point-Of-Care health technologies.


Nonferrous metals is one of indispensable mineral resources for China's economic development.With the trend of the international economic cooperation among many countries,in the backdrop of Beibu Gulf Economic Zone development, it is worth for China cooperating with Vietnam,the country with rich nonferrous metal resources and carrying out capital co- operation for exploring the resources together,in order to relieve the problem of national shortage of nonferrous metal re- sources


The effect of biologically active preparations on the growth and development of soft spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and hard wheat (Triticum durum) has been studied and peculiarities of grain yield and quality formation have been determined. The trials were carried out in the JSC «Bobrovskoye», Samara region, in 2013 2014. The seeds of the soft spring wheat varieties Kinelskaya Niva, Tulaikovskaya-100 and those of the hard spring wheat varieties Bezenchugskaya Niva and Bezenchugskaya 205 were treated with Rizoagrin, Mizarin, Agrofil, Flavobakterin and PG-5 preparations prior to sowing. The results of the studies conducted show that the treatment of seeds with biopreparations increases the spring wheat plants vegetation at 1 10 days, their viability by 0.9 6.7 % and their stems length at 1 7 cm. The highest effect was observed with the application of Flavobakterin, PG-5 and Agrofil. The application of Flavobakterin ensures grain yield increase by about 10.2 10.8 % in hard spring wheat crops as well. It is shown that the pre-sowing treatment of seeds with Flavobakterin contributes noticeably to the improvement of grain quality of all the spring wheat varieties. The Mizarin bio-preparation does best in obtaining grain of Tulaikovskaya 100 spring wheat variety with the 13.85 % content of protein and 33.5 % content of gluten. The maximum protein concentration in grain of Bezenchugskaya-205 hard spring wheat is obtained with application of the Agrofil preparation.


The simulated laboratory set-up Three-Tank System is investigated from the standpoint of fault-tolerant control. The problem of robust model-based diagnosis is therefore addressed. Dynamic neural networks with mixed structure are used to design different observer-based schemes. Symptom evaluation is based on static neural nets. They are used to classify the obtained residuals. Different classifiers and decision criteria are analysed. Experimental results of simulation are included into a comparative study. This refers to actuator, component and instrument fault detection and isolation.


The thermal shock behaviour in air and vacuum of three different advanced ceramics is investigated by introducing a new testing method. This thermal shock testing system permits the reproducible setting of defined temperature profiles in thin disks. In order to perform heating - up thermal shock experiments under reproducible conditions and to measure the transient temperature fields, a laser beam is directed spirally across the surface of the specimen. In this process, the specimen is heated up faster than the temperature gradient is compensated by thermal conductivity. Resulting temperature fields were recorded space and time resolved. Based on the knowledge of the local temperature distribution at the moment of failure, the critical fracture stress can be calculated. The scatter of thermal shock strength is quantitatively determined for the tested ceramics by using a improved statistical method.


Background/Objectives: In the information security field, artificial intelligence must be applied first. This is because the frequency of malicious code is too high and the processing method is too difficult, which is very difficult for human to handle. Methods/Statistical analysis: In this paper, we developed a program to classify malicious codes into images and a Tensorflow system to classify malicious codes. The malware used as input was the computer virus code used in the BIG 2015 Challenge. This dataset, called a Kaggle dataset, consists of 10,868 bytes of train set. Findings: We used the Tensorflow SLIM library to develop this machine learning malware learning machine. This resulted in more than 80% accuracy. Especially, when the CRIS-Ensemble algorithm was added, the accuracy was 97%. The study of malicious code analysis using machine learning consists of two major parts. First, the process of making the virus into images is important. To classify 10,868 Kaggle malware datasets that the BIG 2015 winner showed 99.6% accuracy, Tensorflow's accuracy and parameter tuning are important, but finding the way to make good images is the most important technique Improvements/Applications: The results show that the malicious code classification system using machine learning can be an effective method to classify malicious code of malicious code by the accuracy of the result and ease of use.


Review Question/Objectives

The review question is: What is the effectiveness of nurse-led cardiac clinics concerning nurse-delivered care for adults with coronary heart disease compared to interventions given in other clinics?
The quantitative objective is to identify the effectiveness of nurse-led cardiac clinics on adult patients with coronary heart disease. More specifically, the objectives are to identify what interventions given by cardiac nurses are most effective concerning:
•readmission and admission rates
•exacerbation of CHD symptoms
•reduction of risk factors
•patient satisfaction and compliance related to risk factor reduction and lifestyle changes.

Inclusion criteria
Types of participants
This review will consider studies that include adults (aged > 18 years), presenting to a cardiac nurse-led clinic with new or existing CHD.

Types of intervention(s)
The review will consider nurse-led cardiac clinics, defined as clinics providing a service for the costumer that is managed and staffed solely by nurses, with the ability to assess or treat and consult or refer the consumer to other health disciplines as required13. Interventions of interest are those related to the common role of staff in a nurse-run cardiac clinic, including education, assessment and monitoring, consultation, referral and administrative duties. Nurse-led clinics will be compared to any other form of a clinic that does not take place in a solely nurse-led setting, eg. care delivered in a hospital, in a practice or a health care centre where health care professionals other than nurses deliver care.

Types of outcomes
The primary outcomes to be considered in this review are:
•exacerbation of CHD symptoms or angina attacks,
•readmission and admission rates,
•reduction of risk factors (blood lipids, blood pressure, general health status),
•consumer satisfaction and
•compliance (such as with recommended management of CHD medications, risk factor management and compliance with interventions or modified behaviours related to cigarette smoking, weight management, exercise and diet).For example the outcomes can be measured by questionnaires on lifestyle changes, smoking and exercise behaviour, with assessment instruments on nutrition, quality of life by survey or by audit of medical records. If possible they will be subdivided in a short time period (up to 6 month) and a long-time period (from 7 month and more).


Signaling theory proposes that consumers use signals, such as price and guarantee, sent by firms to form impressions of quality. Several tip-collection strategies and types of service guarantee are employed by travel agencies as pricing strategies and marketing tools, but empirical evidence for the effects of these strategies and guarantees on consumers' pre-purchase evaluation is lacking. This study employed a 2×3 between-subjects factorial design—with two tip-collection strategies (tipping by participants and included) and three types of service guarantee (none, attribute-specific, and full satisfaction)—to elucidate these effects. The results indicate that a group package tour (GPT) with a tips-included strategy and full satisfaction guarantee was preferred by our subjects because of higher expected service quality and willingness to buy, and the lower perceived risk. Research implications and future research directions are also discussed.


By analyzing demand changes for water regime data acquisition system, a wide area network real-time data acquisition system communication platform design is proposed integrated with status of rapid development of wide area network such as Internet, industry internal network. Basic data ?ows, software and hardware composition, functions realized for the communication platform are presented in detail. Through flood control communication platform construction in Zhejiang province, it has verified that the communication platform has virtues of high reliability, real-time transmission, convenient networking and easy maintenance, which owns broad prospects for application and popularization.


We present a low-pedestal optical pulse source with the repetition rate tunability of 9-15 GHz and the wavelength tunability of 1530-1560 nm. A new timing stabilization method using an IQ modulator is also demonstrated. (2 pages)


In this contribution, we report on the observation of a transient index grating which is produced in cleaved samples of barium fluoride under irradiation from two ultrafast, non collinear laser beams. We demonstrate that this grating, based on the optical Kerr effect [1], appears and decays instantaneously. Consequently, all optical phenomena associated with this grating can be switched with femtosecond time constant.


This book explores the fundamental currents and tensions that lie behind recent trends in health policy such as shared decision-making, co-production, and personalisation.


This paper has investigated a design method for furniture designers in Malaysia to allow users to express their needs and aspirations through place making or creation of meaningful office workspaces. During the field work, we discovered that there were problems in getting the users to explain their ideas through verbal explanations. They did not have the proper techniques and tools to express their ideas. From there we started to use mock-ups as tools to communicate and engage with the respondents in our investigation. In the research, we have identified a promising participatory design approach, role-play with mock-ups. The study revealed that, by using role-play with mock-ups directly with the users, allowed the designers to quickly become aware of arising issues without the need to do a potentially time-consuming, normative and tedious observational study. This research approach is primarily leads to new understanding about practice and described as "practice-led" approach to research. This project had investigated, demonstrated and opened the possibility that these approaches could be turned into a practical participatory process toward design and place making in furniture industry practice in Malaysia.


BACKGROUND
The objective of this study was to determine the incidence and recurrence rate of luteinized unruptured follicle (LUF) syndrome in women with unexplained infertility undergoing intrauterine insemination (IUI).

METHODS
A total of 167 women with unexplained infertility who underwent 292 cycles of IUI were enrolled in the study. All patients were treated with clomiphene citrate, 50-150 mg/daily from day 5 to 9 of their menstrual cycle. Ultrasound examination to confirm ovulation was performed on the day of IUI (day 0) and every day thereafter for another 3 days (days 1, 2 and 3). A total of 69 women who failed to conceive in the first cycle and 56 women who failed to conceive in the second cycle underwent second and third cycles, respectively.

RESULTS
Of the total 167 patients who underwent first cycle, 42 (25%) had LUF. The incidence of LUF was 56.5% in 69 patients who underwent a second cycle of IUI treatment, of whom 33 patients had LUF in the first cycle with recurrence rate of 78.6%. In 56 patients who underwent 3 consecutive cycles, the incidence of LUF was 58.9% and recurrence rate of 90%. No pregnancies were recorded in patients with LUF during the study period.

CONCLUSION
The incidence and recurrence rate of LUF are significantly increased in subsequent cycles of IUI. In these patients, other options of infertility treatment might be justified.


This report summarizes the main findings of the application of iGOPP, the Index of Governance and Public Policy for Disaster Risk Management in Haiti. This index analyzes the formal existence, verifiable and therefore a series of legal, institutional and budgetary conditions that are considered essential to the processes of disaster risk management can be implemented in a particular country.


The geographic coverage of all telephone companies in the United States is presented in a series of maps depicting the operating areas served by Bell and each of the various independent telephone companies. Tables are also presented of state-by-state listings of (l) almost 1500 telephone companies and their headquarters, and (2) the land areas of each state's major telephone companies. In the future, this updated version of telephone company areas should be more useful than the original 1973 report, since it was plotted with an interactive computer system, which has the capability of updating boundary changes with minimal effort.


Pneumococcal antigen type 20 has been identified by counterimmunoelectrophoresis in synovial fluid of a case of septic arthritis in a patient with underlying rheumatoid arthritis. The titer of antigen was high: 1:400. Implications of this finding in the diagnosis and pathogenesis of septic arthritis are discussed.


In this work, I identify with the wavelet coherence method, variables that determine the variation of the price of Bitcoin. I found that the Speculation Index and the number of transactions are variables that determine the variation of the price in the long term. However, I did not find any variable that could affect the bitcoin price in the short term.


Histologically, supraspinatus tendon insertion consists of four zones including tendon proper, non-mineralized fibrocartilage, mineralized fibrocartilage and bone. To clarify the biomechanical roles of this 4-zone structure, tissue material properties of each zone were measured using the scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM). The midpart of the supraspinatus tendon of three Japanese white rabbits (body weight = 3.2-3.5 kg) were cut longitudinally including its insertion. Specimens were fixed in 10% neutralized formalin, embedded in paraffin


Morality originates from the demand for soical morality,namely,the demand for developing social being;while the demand for personal morality,namely,the demand for perfecting self-moral character,originates from morality,it is the way and the means by which morality can be observed and thus realized.Therefore,origin and purpose of morality can only be heteronomy,can only be worked for other thing beyond morality,namely,for ensuring the development of social being and for promoting interest of everyone;they can not be autonomic,can not be worked for morality itself and for perfecting the moral character of everyone.This is just an objective law that origin and purpose of morality are determined by the most profound essence of morality,namely,morality and virtue are a necessary evil.


Social cognition (SC) deficits and of its facial emotion expression (FEE) component have been described in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome (22q11.2DS), a high‐risk for schizophrenia (SCZ) systemic genetic syndrome. Correlations between deficits in FEE skills and visual‐spatial abilities in people with 22q11.2DS warrant investigation.


Abstract This thesis examines Qatar's mediation efforts in the Lebanese crisis of 2008 and how it succeeded in resolving the conflict. It explores the possibility of the emergence of a cross-cultural mediation model that may have relevant application to other Muslim countries. The study was informed by the wealth of Western and Islamic approaches to diplomacy. Qatar's mediation in the Lebanese conflict of 2008 demonstrated the use of tactics from both traditions. The research found that both Islamic and western mediation models are compatible in important respects. The study suggests that building on the strengths of each approach leads to successful outcomes. Qatar's mediation efforts in the Lebanese conflict employed largely western approaches in combination with Islamic principles and values. The experience has been identified as a new cross-cultural mediation model thvat may have a wider application in the region.


The article presents a comparative analysis of Germany and France's approaches towards Russia. The authors compared the place of Russia in the official narrative and program documents of Germany and France as well as their positions on the useful practical mechanisms for developing a dialogue with Russia, on main political (Ukraine crisis) and political-economic issues (Nord Stream-2, negotiations on the Sputnik vaccine) in Russia-EU relations. The authors conclude that conceptual solidarity and agreement on political issues do not prevent Germany and France from disagreeing on some economically sensitive issues of relationships with Russia.


Nb2O5 thin films at various cathode power and substrate bias voltages were deposited by pulsed DC reactive magnetron sputtering of a metallic Nb target in a pure oxygen atmosphere. The characteristics of the films have been studied using spectrometer, atomic force microscopy (AFM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). Laser damage tests at 1064 nm wavelength with pulse duration of 12 ns were conducted on the single-layer systems. Results indicate that the cathode power may not be an important impact-factor of the LIDT of Nb2O5 thin films but substrate bias voltage has significant influence on the laser resistance of Niobium oxides films. The maximum laser induced damage threshold (LIDT) of 28.8 J/cm2 was obtained for the film deposited at substrate bias voltage of -60V.


(±)-Dehydroiridodiol and its epimer (±)-isodehydroiridodiol were synthesized stereoselectively using the homoconjugate addition of cyanide anion to methyl 6-methyl-2-oxobicyclo[3.1.0]hexane-1-carboxylates. Both enantiomers of dehydroiridodiol were prepared after the resolution of l-menthyl 6-methyl-2-oxobicyclo[3.1.0]hexane-1-carboxylate, whose absolute configurations became clear as the result.


The main objective of this article is to mechanize the procedure of tracking and describing the various phases of deformation of a biological circular cell during micromanipulation. The devised vision-based methodology provides a real-time strategy to track and describe the cell deformation by extracting a geometric feature called dimple angle. An algorithm based on Snake was established to acquire the boundary of the indenting cell and measure the aforementioned feature. Micromanipulation experiments were conducted for zebrafish embryos. Experimental results were used to characterize the deformation of the manipulating embryo by the devised geometric parameter. The results demonstrated the high capability of the methodology. The proposed method is applicable to the micromanipulation of other circular biological embryos such as injection of the mouse oocyte/embryo. Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of the International Journal of Optomechatronics to view the supplemental files.


OBJECTIVE
To learn boron background value of some foodstuffs in China and estimation the primary intake of boron.

METHODS
A total of 1035 grain, meat and fruit samples collected from 12 provinces in 2010 were analyzed for boron by ICP-MS. The primary intake of boron was estimated by using the data of "Survey on the Status of Nutrition and Health of Chinese People" in 2002.

RESULTS
Soybeans contain the highest concentration of boron among all the surveyed foodstuffs, with the background valued is 39.46 mg/kg. Fruit and pork contain second highest concentration of boron, with the background value range from 4 mg/kg to 7 mg/kg. Beef, mutton, rice and wheat flour contain less boron than other foodstuffs, with background value less than 4 mg/kg. The primary intake of boron for Chinese habitants is 1.62 mg per day and rice is the main source of dietary boron.

CONCLUSION
Boron concentration varies in different foodstuffs and soybeans are rich in boron. The average intake of boron for Chinese habitants was among the safe range if no illegal boron added to food.


We address the problem of designing a 3-architecture telecommunication access networks that combines optical fiber- and copper-based access technologies with Free Space Optics (FSO) technology. We propose a mixed integer linear programming model for representing the optimal design problem, which can be traced back to a multi-architecture variant of the well-known Connected Facility Location problem. In order to protect design solutions against reduction in capacity that may occur in FSO connections due to adverse weather conditions, we adopt a robust cutting plane procedure. Preliminary computational tests are reported to show the ability of our robust optimization approach to produce weather-resistant design solutions.


The utility model provides a green buffer packing device of liquid crystal display finishing products. The green buffer packing device comprises a carton, an upper buffer unit and a lower buffer unit, wherein the upper buffer unit and the lower buffer unit can form a holding cavity for holding liquid crystal display finished products, and are both composed of cardboards, the upper buffer unit consists of a first display screen cushion for cushioning the upper top surface of a display screen and a first display screen auxiliary cushion, the first display screen cushion and the first display screen auxiliary cushion can form a holding cavity for holding the upper portion of the display screen, the lower buffer unit is composed of a second display screen cushion for cushioning the lower bottom surface of the display screen, a second display screen auxiliary cushion and a concave stage for placing a base, and the second display screen cushion, the second display screen auxiliary cushion and the concave stage form a holding cavity for holding the lower portions of the liquid crystal display finished product. The green buffer packing device is made from cardboards in the same material, is environment-friendly, and can be recycled and repeatedly used, the liquid crystal display finished products held are protected from vibration and pressure and protected through cushions through utilizing the characteristics of the cardboards.


The Bunte salt derivative was prepared from bovine insulin-A isolated from natural sources, and was purified by chromatography. Natural abundance 40.55 MHz 15N NMR spectra were measured in water and dimethyl sulphoxide. The latter solvent gave the best resolution, and 20 of the 22 possible amide nitrogen signals were detected. Several model oligopeptides were also measured and their usefulness for assignments is discussed.


Since 1980s,the study of capital structure in the strategic view has attracted more and more attention from strastegy researchers and financial economists.From strategic perspective,enterprises' choice of capital structure is the result based on enterprise strategy,competition strategy and the conditions.Combining strategy with capital structure is a new field for the study of capitl structure.The paper makes a study of the inner relation between cappital structure and other elelments such as enterprises' strategy,competitive conditions and competition strategy.


This paper explores young people's access to and use of computers in the home and at school. Drawing on a questionnaire survey, conducted in 2001 and 2003 with over 1800 children in the South-West of England, on group interviews in school with over 190 children and with visits to 11 families, the paper discusses: (1) children's current use of computers in the home and in school; 2) changing patterns of computer use in home and school between 2001 and 2003; (3) the impact of age, gender and socio-economic area on young people's computer use in home and school. The paper then goes on to discuss young people's perceptions of the differences between home and school use of computers and to address the question of whether young people's home and school use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) are really 'different worlds'. Through analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data, the paper proposes that the boundaries between home and school are less distinct in terms of young people's ICT use than has previously been proposed, in particular through young people's production of virtual social networks through the use of instant messenger that seem to mirror young people's social school contexts. The paper concludes by suggesting that effective home–school link strategies might be adopted through the exploration of the permeability of home/school boundaries.


The work presented here is part of a larger on going study in Central Portugal, and it focus only in a general description of the bioaccumulation results of arsenic and several metals by aquatic plants. We have observed that Callitriche brutia (436.92 mg/kg DW), Callitriche stagnalis (354.03 mg/kg DW), Callitriche hamulata (160.37 mg/kg DW), Ranunculus trichophyllus (268.53 mg/kg DW), Ranunculus peltatus (103.98 mg/kg DW), Lemna minor (279.42 mg/kg DW), and Oenanthe crocata (157.94 mg/kg DW) accumulate large amounts of arsenic. Key-Words: Aquatic plants, arsenic, bioaccumulation, biogeochemistry, phytoremediation.


AIM To assess the attenuation of the baroreceptor reflex by α chloralose, urethane and sodium pentobarbital. METHODS In chronically instrumented conscious rats, the baroreflex sensitivity(BRS) was determined by intravenous injection of phenylephrine before and after intravenous administration of these three anesthetic agents. RESULTS α chloralose and sodium pentobarbital slightly decreased blood pressure, while urethane transiently decreased blood pressure. None of them significantly changed heart rate. To the same extent, urethane and sodium pentobarbital significantly depressed baroreceptor reflex. α chloralose only transiently depressed baroreceptor reflex, and the BRS almost attained to the baseline thirty minutes after administration of it. CONCLUSION Attenuation of the baroreceptor reflex by α chloralose is less than urethane and pentobarbital.


BACKGROUND
It is unclear whether psychiatric disorders are specifically related to the terminal phase of cancer, or independent of the underlying disease.

AIM
To investigate the rate of psychiatric comorbidity and psychotropic drugs prescription in terminally ill patients in the GP setting, comparing both patients with terminal cancer and heart failure.

DESIGN AND SETTING
Retrospective cohort study using the Utrecht General Practitioner Research Network.

METHOD
Equally-sized groups of patients with terminal cancer and heart failure were randomly selected from the database of four general practices over the years 2005-2009. Psychiatric comorbidities were determined using the International Classification for Primary Care (ICPC) codes and psychotropic drugs prescriptions using the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) Classification System codes.

RESULTS
A total of 191 terminally ill patients were included in the study (111 with cancer and 80 with heart failure). The mean age for patients with terminal cancer (70.8 years, standard deviation [SD] = 12.8) was 15 years younger than that of patients with heart failure (85.6 years, SD = 9.2). Half of the terminally ill patients (50.3 %) were prescribed psychotropics, but only 13.6% of them had obtained a psychiatric diagnosis. There were no significant differences in prevalence of psychiatric disease and psychotropic drug prescription between patients with terminal cancer and heart failure.

CONCLUSION
The results demonstrate a high use of psychotropic drugs in terminally ill patients, often in the absence of a formal diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder. The absence of differences between patients with cancer and heart failure suggests that psychiatric diagnoses and increased psychotropic prescriptions are primarily related to the terminal stage of the disease and not to the background of cancer or heart failure.


To obtain high spatial resolution over a long sensing distance in Brillouin optical correlation domain reflectometry (BOCDR), a broad laser spectrum and high pump power are used to improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). In this Letter, we use a noise-modulated laser to study the variation of the Brillouin spectrum bandwidth and its impact on the coherent length of BOCDR quantitatively. The result shows that the best spatial resolution (lowest coherent length) is achieved by the lowest pump power with the highest noise-modulation spectrum. Temperature-induced changes in the Brillouin frequency shift along a 253.1 m fiber are demonstrated with a 19 cm spatial resolution.


Campylobacter jejuni is a major cause of infectious diarrhea worldwide. Increasing incidence of C. jejuni is attributed to new non-culture based detection methods and antibiotic resistance is unfortunately on the rise, necessitating development of interventions. Therapeutics development like vaccines have been hampered by lack of a small animal model that recapitulates campylobacteriosis symptoms. To better facilitate vaccine efficacy testing, we adapted a recently-published mouse C. jejuni infection model to adult mice fed a zinc-deficient diet and pre-treated with antibiotics prior to oral infection with C. jejuni strain 81–176. Non-vaccinated infected mice develop diarrhea, lose weight and show increased expression of fecal inflammatory markers indicating development of campylobacteriosis. We tested whether an 81–176 C. jejuni capsule conjugate vaccine delivered with a potent liposome adjuvant containing monophosphoryl lipid A and QS-21 known as ALFQ could protect mice against 81–176. Vaccinated mice developed high levels of anti-CPS IgG1 and IgG2b titers and serum bactericidal responses against 81–176. Vaccinated infected mice were protected against development of diarrhea, did not lose weight, and had significantly lower levels of fecal inflammatory marker expression. Importantly, vaccinated infected animals were protected against C. jejuni colonization indicating that parenteral vaccination with a conjugate vaccine plus the ALFQ adjuvant may provide protection against both C. jejuni disease and colonization. These promising results support further development of a multivalent C. jejuni conjugate vaccine platform delivered with potent adjuvant systems for use in human clinical studies.


There is an ongoing research in the identification of sperm antigens related to fertilization because the Antisperm Antibodies (ASA) may be a reason of infertility in some individuals which may affect the pre- as well as post-fertilization stages of the reproductive process. This phenomenon is being exploited to develop a vaccine that is immunocontraceptive for effective prevention of fertilization leading to unwanted pregnancy, which offers an attractive approach to the growing global problem of overpopulation. Genetic mechanisms in the determination of antigens, thereby eliciting immune response leading to prevention of fertilization and development, are understood thoroughly, helping in the construction of cDNA library and production of recombinant vaccines.


Two classes of stacked structures with (i) varying InAs nominal thickness θ but fixed GaAs "spacer" layer (d = 25 nm), and ii) a varying d but fixed InAs nominal thickness (θ = 2.73 monolayers (ML)) were grown by solid-source molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The formation of large 'volcano-like' defects with stacking faults and dislocations, penetrating several layers into the stack, was observed for a nominal InAs deposition of 2.73 ML and 3.62 ML in case (i). In case (ii), with, d = 50 nm, a dramatic improvement in structural integrity was observed with the absence of the 'volcano-like' defect. The Photoluminescence (PL) intensity where, d = 50 nm, was almost 132 times stronger for, θ = 3.64 ML, indicating that the improvement in crystal structure resulted in better PL efficiencies. Remarkably, significant improvements in PL intensity were observed when the material was etched to selectively remove the topmost stacks thus demonstrating that the 'volcano-like' defects were responsible for the severely suppressed PL efficiencies. (© 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)