Vehicle sharing systems, which are considered to be a sustainable solution for urban transportation, can nowadays be found in many cities (He et al., 2017). In New York City, for example, there are three types of vehicle sharing services. The first, also the most popular, is ride-sharing, where a platform coordinates the rides shared by drivers with customers who need a ride. As shown in Figure 1(a), the drivers pick up the customers at their origins and drop off them at their destinations. Since the drivers instead of the platform (e.g., Uber) own the vehicles, the drivers may reject the match proposed by the platform, which may increase the overall driving distances (Wang et al., 2017). Free-floating vehicle sharing is another vehicle sharing service (e.g., car2go). Customers choosing this service have to first search a vehicle in their proximity, go to it, and then drive to their destinations. This is shown in Figure 1(b). The vehicle can be left at any parking space at the destination. However, the company offering this service needs to hire a crew to reposition and to refuel the vehicles for maintaining daily operations (Perlman, 2014). Station-based vehicle sharing is a service where vehicles must be picked up and left at designated refueling or recharging stations (shown in Figure 1(c)). Since the platform owns all vehicles, customers must drive vehicles themselves in both freefloating and station-based vehicle sharing systems. To attract more customers to use these two types of services, more vehicles need to be deployed and more stations to be built in the service region, which lowers the utilization of the vehicles. Email addresses: firstname.lastname@example.com (René De Koster), email@example.com (Yuxuan Dong), email@example.com (Debjit Roy) Preprint submitted to TSL2020 December 18, 2019 Figure 1: Four types of vehicle sharing services Autonomous electric vehicle (AEV) sharing systems can reduce the disadvantages of the three vehicle sharing services (Daimler, 2017; Jing, 2017). From the customer perspective, it is similar to ride-sharing. The only difference between ride-sharing and AEV sharing is that the latter does not need drivers (illustrated in Figure 1(d)). From the platform perspective, the platform (or another company) owns the vehicles, which are autonomous and electric. In an AEV sharing system all processes, especially matching vehicles with customers and charging vehicles, need to be controlled by the platform. Moreover, customer patience times may vary with travel distances. In practice, longdistance customers can endure a longer waiting time than customer who wish to travel a short distance. If the waiting times of customers exceed their maximal patience time, they will leave the system and choose for other transport options. Loosing a long-distance customer implies revenue loss. Therefore, operating an AEV sharing system introduces a new challenge: how should the platform allocate vehicles to customers and when to charge them? There are some differences with manned vehicle sharing systems. In ride-sharing, there is no need to consider refueling or recharging because the platform does not own the vehicles (Bai et al., 2018). For free-floating and station-based vehicle sharing services, refueling or recharging is executed manually, and also outside the control of the platform. Therefore, in literature on these systems, activities related to charging are usually simplified as exogenous parameters rather than endogenous decisions (He et al., 2017; Bai et al., 2018). In the studies on vehicle routing and recharging, charging times and paths


A retainer mechanism for an axial piston machine embodies a shoe plate having a plurality of openings defined in a circumferential outer portion thereof to receive a plurality of shoes and a biasing mechanism operative during assembly to apply a force to an inner portion of the shoe plate to hold the plurality of shoes against a swashplate disposed in the axial piston machine. Prior to assembly the shoe plate has a force transferring surface that is generally frusto-conical in shape. During assembly, the biasing mechanism applies a force to the inner portion of the shoe plate to generally flatten the frusto-conical shaped force transferring surface and urge it against a flat bearing surface of the respective shoes.


ABSTRACT Extending the existing low- and high-context culture theoretical framework, the current research examined the extent to which globalization has shaped low- and high-context cultures in relation to nonverbal communication. The current study employed an exploratory sequential design mixed research method. The first phase of the study observed cultural convergence evident in people's nonverbal communication in real life and reported the observations qualitatively. In the second phase of the study, a quantitative content analysis was carried out. The content analysis, namely sentiment analysis, examined the occurrences of people of diverse nationalities expressing their emotions when they provide reviews of airlines on a travel website and empirically test the relevance of low- and high-context theoretical framework in the era of globalization. A total of 85,228 reviews of 592 airlines available on a travel website were downloaded using a web crawler. The qualified records used for analysis included records from the following regions: Africa, Asia, Australia, Latin America, Northwestern Europe, Southern Europe, and United States. An analysis of variance on the number of words people used in writing travel reviews online yielded significant variations among the seven regions. This data also sheds light on cultural convergence.


The N-terminus ofa mutantform of apolipoprotein Al [apoAl] has previously been shown to be the subunit protein of amyloidfibrils in a human kindred with a form of familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP, type III) and in a recently reported kindred with aform ofnon-neuropathic hereditary amyloidosis. In this study, we demonstrate by amino-acid sequence analysis, that a form of vascular amyloidosis occurring in the lungs of aged dogs is derived from a N-terminal fragment of apoAI and that no amino acid substitution is present in this confirmed sequence. This represents the first documentation of apoAI as a precursor for a form of amyloidosis in animals, and provides the first documentation of apoAM as a precursorfor amyloidfibrils in aform of age-associated ("senile') amyloidosis. Secondary structure prediction analysis of the N-terminal regions of normal human and dog apoAM indicated a propensity for p-pleated sheet conformation, and thus amyloidogenesis, in 40 and 45% of the respective sequences. These results suggest that apoAM (like transthyretin) may serve as an amyloid precursor protein for both familial and senile forms of amyloidosis. ApoAI should, therefore, be considered as a potential amyloid precursor when forms of human senile amyloidosis ofunknown origin are evaluated (AmJPathol 1992, 141:1013-1019) Amyloid fibrils are derived from any one of at least 15 different proteins (ie, amyloid precursor proteins)1 present in blood or tissues. The amyloid precursor protein may be either a normal protein or an abnormal variant thereof, and the repetitive monomeric amyloid protein incorporated into the amyloid fibrils may represent the intact precursor or only an incomplete degradation fragment of the precursor. The amyloidogenicity of many of these various precursor proteins is known to be importantly linked to intrinsic molecular regions that have appreciable p-pleated sheet conformation.2 However, additional factors are involved in the conversion of a precursor protein to amyloid fibrils, and these factors vary with each of the different forms of amyloidosis. Of the known amyloid precursors, three are apolipoproteins that are associated with high-density lipoproteins (HDL) in plasma. Serum protein AA (ApoSAA)3'4 is an acute phase reactant5 6 whose N-terminus constitutes the repetitive subunit protein of the amyloid fibrils in AA amyloidosis (eg, reactive or "secondary" amyloidosis).7 The N-terminus of a mutant form (glycine-* arginine at position 26) of apolipoprotein Al (apoAl) is the subunit protein of the fibrils in a form of familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP, type III) in an Iowa kindred of English, Scottish, and Irish descent,810 and also in a more recently reported form of non-neuropathic hereditary amyloidosis in a Massachusetts kindred of Scandinavian descent.11 The amyloid protein in amyloidosis associated with senescence-accelerated mice (SAM) is a mutant form (proline-* glutamine at position 5) of apolipoprotein All


The 5th International Family Nursing Conference in Chicago, hosted by the University of Illinois at Chicago and ably organized under the leadership of Drs. Kathy Knafl and Suzanne Feetham, took place from July 19 to 22, 2000, at the downtown Chicago Marriott. The conference provided a forum for more than 550 nurses from 20 countries to share their research findings and ideas about family nursing theory, practice, education, and policy. Maturana and Varela (1992, p. 23) have written that reflection is the moment when we become aware of that part of ourselves which we cannot see in any other way. Here, then, are my reflections about this important meeting.


The low-dimensional halide perovskites have attracted increasing attention due to their improved moisture stability, reduced defects, and suppressed ions migration in many optoelectronic devices such as solar cells, light-emitting diodes, X-ray detectors, and so on. However, they are still limited by their large bandgap and short charge carriers' diffusion length. Here, we demonstrate that the introduction of metal ions into organic interlayers of two-dimensional (2D) perovskite by cross-linking the copper paddle-wheel cluster-based lead bromide ([Cu(O2C-(CH2)3-NH3)2]PbBr4) perovskite single crystals with coordination bonds can not only significantly reduce the perovskite bandgap to 0.96 eV to boost the X-ray induced charge carriers, but can also selectively improve the charge carriers' transport along the out-of-plane direction by shortening its interlayer spacing of 8.1% and blocking the ions motion paths. The [Cu(O2C-(CH2)3-NH3)2]PbBr4 single-crystal device can reach a record charges/ions collection ratio of 1.76 × 1018 μGyair-1 s, and exhibit a large sensitivity of 1.18 × 105 μC Gy-1air cm-2 with the lowest detectable dose rate of 56 nGyair s-1 under 120 keV X-rays irradiation. In addition, [Cu(O2C-(CH2)3-NH3)2]PbBr4 single-crystal detector exposed to the air without any encapsulation shows excellent X-ray imaging capability with long-term operational stability without any attenuation of 120 days.


Conceptual modeling is a core activity within information systems analysis and design. In response to continuous criticisms targeting the foundation of conceptual modeling, the notion of ontology as a theoretical reference has gained immense popularity over recent decades. At the forefront of these ontology-based theories is the Bunge-Wand-Weber representation model, which has frequently been applied in conceptual modeling research, most notably to the task of evaluating conceptual Information Systems analysis and design models and modeling grammars. Recently, however, ontology-based theories themselves have been subjected to criticisms, in particular in respect to their epistemological presuppositions. In our paper we address the question of epistemology in conceptual modeling research based on ontological theories, and argue that there is an immanent need for publishing the epistemological assumptions of these theories in order to be able to critically evaluate boundaries, scope and limits of these theories for conceptual modeling. We present a discussion framework that facilitates the analysis of epistemological viewpoints and their implications. We apply this framework to the commonly known Bunge-Wand-Weber model and discuss the implications of our findings towards the feasibility of ontology as a reference theory for conceptual modeling.


The present issue of the Journal is primarily on qualitative research. Qualitative research pertains to a variety of widely varying evaluation traditions, all of which share a focus on understanding subtleties and complexities of human behavior, often with an idiographic focus, that are unlikely to be achieved in and of itself through nomothetic, quantitative methods (Ely, Anzul, Friedman, Garner, & Steinmetz, 1991; Nichter, Quintero, Nichter, Mock, & Shakib, 2004). The linking of an observation with other features of context, which replicates across cases, encapsulates the strength of this approach. While quantitative research focuses on large populations, and representation of subject data as numbers, qualitative research grew primarily out of anthropological and sociological disciplines, and is used primarily as a formative research device (Nichter et al., 2004). That is, hypotheses are generated by the research in qualitative approaches, from which other


The 13C and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance data of 3-oxycyclohexenes, 2-oxymethylenecyclohexanes, and 1-oxytetralins show (i) that the pseudoaxial preference is larger for the acetoxyl group than for the methoxyl group in 3-oxycyclohexenes, (ii) that the methoxyl and the acetoxyl groups have the same pseudoaxial preference in 1-oxytetralins, and (iii) that in 2-oxymethylenecyclohexanes, the acetoxyl group prefers the equatorial orientation whereas the methoxyl group prefers to be axial. These results are interpreted in terms of the orbital picture (π–σ* stabilization of the axial conformer) of the generalized anomeric effect to which is opposed a conformational effect termed the "unsaturation effect" in 2-acetoxymethylenecyclo-hexane and probably also, but to a much smaller extent, in 1-acetoxytetralin. The results also show that cis and transtert-butyl analogues of 3-oxycyclohexenes do not represent the true limit conformers whereas cis and trans 4-tert-butyl derivatives of 2-oxymethylenecyclohexanes do n...


This paper places the 'V' factor at the epicentre of meaningful and productive living, learning and leadership endeavour. It explores the authors' reflections upon their own professional experiences, research studies and review of the literature as they work towards establishing 'working with' leadership practices appropriate for a knowledge era. This paper also reports on Nanschild's preliminary PhD research findings of "A Values-Based Approach to Leadership Development: Implications for Organisational Change".


Xenorhabdus nematophilus var.pekingensis CB6 strain is symbiotic bacteria with Steinernema carpocapsaea and is carried in the intestine of the infective juvenile(IJ) stage of the emtomopathogenic nematode.It is significant to identify and bioassay antibacterial substance from metabolites of Xenorhabdus nematophila var.pekingense.The antibacterial substance was identified as Xenocoumacin 1 by()~1H NMR,()~(13)C NMR,mass spectrum,infrared and ultraviolet absorption spectrum.The substance inhibited broad-spectrum plant pathogenic fungi.The mycelial growth of Phytophthora boehmeriae,P.melonis,P.infestance,P.capsici,P.cactorum Botrytis cinerea and Alterinaria alternata was completely inhibited at 10 μg/mL concentration.The EC_(50) of 6 fungi species was 0.25~4.17 μg/mL.The inhibitory activity to Phytophthora spp.was the highest among tested 12 fungi species.The antibacterial substance could result in abnormal branching increasement,hyphae tip inflation and cytoplasm leak of P.infestance.The research will establish a base for development of novel biofungicide.


······························································································ 29 Introduction ·························································································· 31 Materials and methods ········································································ 33 Results and discussion ········································································ 36 Conclusion ···························································································· 41 IV. Literature cited ······················································································· 51 V. Summary in Korean ·············································································· 66 VI. Acknowledgement ·················································································· 68


Design of Medium Access Control(MAC) protocols is one key problem in Wireless Local Area Networks(WLANs).The major features of a MAC protocol are high throughput and good fairness.In this paper,we propose a new efficient Contention-Window(CW) resolution mechanism,called Adaptive Double increase double Decrease algorithm(ADD),according to the IEEE 802.11 Distributed Coordination Function(DCF),which improves the performance of original MAC protocol.The algorithm is developed as follows:each station will halve the contention window after n consecutive successful transmissions,and the value of n is adjusted adaptively according to the throughput of AP node.This algorithm can reduce the collision probability;meanwhile,it improves the fairness between different stations.


Outpatient clinics are becoming a more essential part in health care since more attention has been paid to preventive medicine practices and shorter lengths of stay. The growing pressure on the outpatient clinics expresses itself in long access times to the consultation hours. Since patients with a lower priority arrive before patients with a higher priority (like emergency patients), lower priority patients are booked before higher priority patients. Therefore, this research defines a reservation level for the consultation hours, to be able to schedule all patients within their desired access time. This reservation level will be used as a target for the planned utilisation and will serve as a basis for tactical decisions, like expansion of available capacity. The output of the model shows that in a basic scenario, the utilisation matches the current utilisation for both dermatology and urology. Moreover, all patients have access to the consultation sessions within their prescribed access time.


One commonly held stereotype is that females are more concerned with, and attentive to, dates than are males. One possible implication of this idea is that females have a more welldeveloped temporal reference schema than males, which should allow females to reconstruct the dates on which past events have occurred with more accuracy than males. This accuracy hypothesis was assessed by re-analysing the data from four studies collected in previous work on the accuracy of event dating. Analyses of two of the studies yielded evidence for more accurate female dating; analysis of a third study produced a substantial, but non-significant, trend in the predicted direction; and analysis of the fourth study yielded a small, but nonsignificant, reversal. A meta-analysis combining the results of these four studies indicated that the dating accuracy of females was superior to the dating accuracy of males. Additional analyses indicated that these differences were probably not due to differences in self-disclosure patterns. Language: en


Roentgenologic studies, gastric acidity, gastroscopy, cytology and response to intensive medical therapy all help to determine the proper approach in treatment of gastric ulcer. It is now believed that the ulcer's location is of little value in indicating whether it is benign or malignant. In addition to gastric ulcer and cancer, the authors discuss lymphoma, benign tumors, gastritis, and rare chronic infections.


According to the faults and errors of electric energy metering, this paper analyzes the influences of various external conditions on electric energy meters, and advances some corresponding measures.


A metallograph has been constructed so as to permit the microstructural examination of the surface of metallurgical specimens during deformation and fracture at elevated temperature in a controlled environment. Auxiliary instrumentation provides for the recording of specimen elongation, load, load transients, and temperature on a time base. The rate of specimen elongation may be controlled independently of the load. Microstrain can be measured from the relative displacement of surface markings at the same time as the microstructural appearance is observed and photographed. Cine photography can be employed to record deformation or fracture sequences. In all circumstances a careful correlation is maintained between all the measured parameters.


In today's corporate scenario, "human talent" acts as the key differentiator between successful organizations and others. The recognition of Human Capital as the Prime Resource of business organization, has led to fierce competition for attracting, retaining and motivating talent. The Employee Stock Option Schemes in different forms are the most effective form of management as it synergizes the interests of the employees and corporate entity they work for. It is this synergy which motivates employees to give that indefinable "extra" which brings sustained growth and profitability. In India, we have discovered a few examples of the success of ESOPs, to be specific Wipro, Dabur, Infosys and so on. However, India has still not fully utilised the benefits to be offered by ESOPs mainly due to lapse in policy regulations. The present study aims to talk about the development of ESOPs, its benefits, the structure followed in other countries, the legal framework in India and the assessment of this framework. The paper presents different ideas and strategies through which ESOPs has been applied by enterprises to enable successful management to discover the current viewpoints in order to make it an achievement in the future.


This essay was first presented at an Ibsen workshop at the Center for Ibsen Studies in Oslo in 2011 and further developed as a keynote address at the XIIIth International Ibsen Conference in Tromso in the summer of 2012. Participants in both events helped me significantly develop this piece, including Tore Rem, Frode Helland, Narve Fulsa˚s, and Lisbeth Pettersen Waerp. First printed in Ibsen Studies 2013, vol. 13, no. 4.


Experimental Inversion data of 13 fluids (air, nitrogen, oxygen, argon, xenon, neon, krypton, methane, propene, water, ammonia, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide) are used for determination of four adjustable parameters of Soave ― Redlich ― Kwong new modified equation of state. A non linear optimization procedure is used. The covolume in the proposed equation of state is given by a simple function of reduced temperature. We note here that developed equation gives a so precise description of inversion curve for all studied fluids in all range of inversion temperature. In particular at high reduced temperatures (T r ≥ 2.5) the equation estimates well the maximal inversion temperature, T r,LIM .


This study analysed the determinants of adoption of cover cropping soil conservation technology in Imo State, Nigeria. Data were collected with questionnaire from 126 randomly selected farmers composed of 72 adopters and 54 non-adopters of cover cropping technology and analyzed using multivariate logistic regression model. Results showed that education level, age, farmsize, extension contact, credit access, membership of farmers' association, farm income and farming experience were significant determinants of adoption of cover cropping soil conservation technology. More liberal credit policy, increased farmland allocation and increasing the extension contacts between farmers and extension personnel are critical for policy designed to increase farm output through adoption of cover cropping soil conservation technology. [Life Science Journal. 2009; 6(1): 90 – 93] (ISSN: 1097 – 8135).


This paper describes the restructuring of an inverted pendulum prototype in order to re - cover its functional capacity and perform local control to uphold pendulum's arm upright position. Regarding control, state-feedback control feasibili- ty for the experimental prototype using a low-cost process device was studied. For this, the design and implementation of signal conditioning cir- cuitry for measurement, performance, and control devices was accomplished. An experimental proce- dure was performed to validate the mathematical model proposed for the system, and therefore, the state-feedback controller was designed based on this. State regulation towards zero was obtained on both simulations of the model and the experimental rig when trying to keep the vertical position of the pendulum. Ongoing tasks include the analysis of advanced state-space control techniques and con- siderations regarding nonlinearities in the model of the system.


Dichrostachys cinerea (L.) Wight and Arn. seeds were heated to various temperature ranges in the oven and
immersed in boiling water to improve germination and determine the effect of the different pre-treatments on germination
and vigour growth of the resultant seedlings. Immersing seeds in boiling water (100 °C) for 10 s recorded the highest
germination percentage and energy (94 %; 85 %). Treatment for 40 s also gave good results. Incubating seeds in
oven at 80 °C for 360 min recorded high germination percentage (84 %) and germination energy (70 %), seeds heated at
80 °C for 60 min and at 100 °C for 360 min gave encouraging results. Majority of the seeds germinated within the first
nine days, and subsequent seedlings from this pre-treatment were mostly of the high vigour category. © 1999 Inra/Editions
scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS


In the future, the need to identify and sense objects through ultra-low-power or zero-power communication mechanisms will be more crucial than now. Backscattering-based radiofrequency identification (RFID) technology could still play a major role through the possible implementation of low-power identification (ID) and communication directly over other technologies. In this work, RFID capabilities are introduced over the X-band microwave motion sensor (MMS), typically used to detect and locate objects. Specifically, the concept of offset-carrier backscattering modulation is exploited to design a 10.525 GHz RFID system where the reader is purposely and slightly modified commercial and low-cost MMS (a few euros) to make the technology actually reliable. The transponder is instead a new microwave device capable of backscattering an MMS compatible wave modulating ID code and sensor data. The proposed RFID-over-MMS system has been designed, prototyped, and tested to verify the appropriateness of the proposed approach.


Consolidated-drained triaxial test is conducted for coarse-grained soil,based on the values of this test and three dimension particle flow code theory,the numerical model of triaxial test for graded coarse-grained soil is obtained by programming PFC3D(particle flow code of three dimension)from the view of microscopic scale.Stress-strain relationship of particle flow model and triaxial test are compared under different confining pressure.The influence of micro-properties on coarse-grained soil strength is analysed.The numerical results show that the strength of PFC model is lower than that of test,the increasing of friction coefficient between particles and bonded strength in contact result in higher strength of model.The particle shape has significant effects on the shear strength of numerical model.The research found the effect on coarse-grained soil strength from the view of microscopic scale and the results overcome the limits of real lab tests.


Purpose
The purpose of this study is to find out whether French companies in the private sector were willing to make allowances to help religious minorities to integrate and express themselves. They also wanted to analyze if the accommodations caused resentment among other staff.

Design/methodology/approach
The authors carried out 28 semi-structured interviews with individuals in positions of authority at private sector companies.

Findings
They found three common strategies. The first was "flexibility within the rules," meaning managers made allowances for religious practices. The second was the "separation strategy," insisting on the strong adherence to rules and refusing to make allowances. The third common approach was a "common ground strategy" that found common points of interest between all workers.

Originality/value
Clashes between managers and religious workers are becoming more common in Europe as religiosity is on the rise. The results help managers to formulate effective strategies to deal with the issues.


The optical properties of porous silicon microcavities are strongly dependent on the environment. For highly luminescent samples, both the luminescence intensity and the peak position are affected by organic substances, giving the possibility to obtain dual-parameter optical sensors. While the peak position depends on the organic compound refractive index, luminescence intensity depends on its low-frequency dielectric constant. This allows the discrimination between different organic substances. This sensor is particularly interesting for solvents with low dielectric constant, where the response of electrical sensors is very weak.


D EAR E DITOR , SLE is a chronic autoimmune disease with various manifestations. Hair loss is a common complaint, and can reflect SLE disease activity [1]. Diagnosing SLE in cases with alopecia as the main complaint is very difficult, because various types of hair loss are observed in SLE and there are lots of aetiologies for hair loss apart from SLE. SLE-related alopecia is classified as lupus erythematosus (LE) specific or LE non-specific. LE-specific hair loss patterns include lupus hair or DLE, whereas LE-non-specific hair loss patterns include non-scarring alopecia or telogen effluvium [2]. Non-scarring alopecia was added to the 2012 SLICC Group criteria and the 2019 EULAR/ACR criteria for SLE [3, 4], and hair loss is now considered an important clue to the diagnosis of SLE. In addition, a significant positive association has been observed between alopecia areata and SLE [5]. The hair loss pattern observed in that case was patchy non-scarring alopecia, and it is necessary to differentiate non-scarring alopecia caused by SLE from simple alopecia areata or alopecia areata associated with SLE. Here, we reported a case of SLE presenting with patchy non-scarring alopecia.


During the period of Beijing Olympic Games, the star-rated hotels' occupancy rate in Daxing District was lower than expected. Hotels had thought they could take this opportunity to get profitable--the room occupancy rates would be high, but in fact this phenomenon was not happening. The realities are: low room occupancy rates, room prices are lower than their expectations, the gap between scheduled rate and the occupancy rate. This paper analyzes the reasons for these phenomena and gives the corresponding development of countermeasures.


A Four month old male calf with sign of ceased urination, off feed and unusual posture was evaluated for urolithiasis. The perineal or ischeal urothrostomy technique was applied to correct the problem. After 25 days, the calf was relieved and the urethra reached to its complete patency.


Presents some vibrant, supportive and challenging strategies to ensure that employees do not quit jobs after a short stint. It is very important to appoint appropriate and skilled managers, staff should be praised, encouraged and mentored, and paid adequately. A bonded and happy team is a productive team.


Veld condition was determined on seven farms in the Mopane veld, during two seasons using the nearest plant method and a Dyksterhuis-related classification system. During wet periods, Increaser 2c increased faster than Increasers 2b, 2a and Decreasers and this resulted in lower veld condition scores during wet periods. The limitations of this method are discussed in the light of other driving forces. Keywords: classification; decreasers; increasers; limitations; method; mopane veld; range; season; semi-arid; south africa; veld condition score


In this paper a new edge and motion adaptive normal definition to higher definition (NDHD) scanning rate conversion algorithm is presented. The algorithm utilizes both edge and motion information. Edge analysis is done separately inter- and intrafield, intended for interpolation in stationary and moving regions, respectively. Motion information is obtained from a frame difference signal which is expanded horizontally if horizontal interfield edge is detected. Steerable FIR-filters are used in the interpolation. >


Néstor García Canclini. Art beyond Itself: Anthropology for a Society Without a Story Line, trans. David Frye. Durham and London: Duke University Press, 2014. 240 pp. $84.95 cloth; $23.95 paperback Reviewed by Tijen Tunali Néstor García Canclini is an Argentine-born Mexican anthropologist and a leading figure in cultural studies worldwide. He is known for his studies of hybrid cultures and multicultural conflicts. Canclini has a long history of thinking at the intersections of disciplines. Once again, he successfully orchestrates a unique perspective transgressing the disciplinary borders of art history, sociology, philosophy and anthropology and analyses what has been happening to art in the past few decades. Throughout the book, Canclini does not only question the concept of art but also that of the 'art world' and 'art field' that have entered in complex and contemporaneous interrelationships with politics, economics, and culture. For Canclini, it is more important to talk about what's happening to art, or what art can do than about what and who defines art. To understand art's c © Aesthetic Investigations Vol 1, No 2 (2016), 336-338


The cluster [(η-C5Me5)V(μ-Cl)2]3 was synthesized from VCl3(thf)3 and Bun3SnC5Me5. It was oxidized by O2 to give (η-C5Me5)VCl2(O), and by NaN3 to give [(η-C5Me5)VCl(μ-N)]2. X-ray diffraction showed that [(η-C5Me5)V(μ-Cl)2]3 had an equilateral triangle of vanadium atoms (mean V−V 3.367 (2) A), with each edge of the triangle symmetrically bridged by two chlorine atoms. The cluster contains six core electrons. The cluster [(η-C5Me5)V(μ-Cl2]3 had a magnetic moment of 2.92 μB at room temperature and showed antiferromagnetic behavior.


Sjogren's syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune exocrinopathy and might cause symptoms of various extraglandular involvement. Overt or latent renal tubular acidosis (RTA) caused by autoimmune interstitial nephropathy might be present during the course of the disease. Hypokalemic paralysis is a well known but rarely encountered complication of RTA. Renal tubular acidosis in Sjogren's syndrome is usually asymptomatic; however, hypokalemic paralysis has been reported in a few cases. In addition, some cases of Sjogren's syndrome might first present with hypokalemic paralysis.


Objective:To investigate the loss of correction at short-term follow-up after bracing for patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis(AIS).Method:Eighty-four AIS patients(4 males and 80 females),undergoing bracing according to standard treatment protocol from October 2002 to December 2007 and followed-up for short-term after bracing,were enrolled in this study.The mean age at initial admission was 12.8 years(range,from 10 to 15 years),the mean Risser sign was 1.6(range from 0 to 3) and the mean Cobb angle for major curve was 29.5°(range,from 20° to 43°).36 patients had double major curve,22 had single thoracic curve and 26 had either single thoracolumbar or single lumbar curve.All patients took the standing long-cassette anteroposterior radiographs of spine at intervals of 3 to 6 months and 6 to 18 months after bracing.The curve type,chronologic age,Risser sign and menarcheal status were recorded respectively.Cobb angles were measured at initial admission and every timepoint of follow-up.The loss of correction was calculated and analyzed.Result:The average correction rate of bracing for AIS was 12.4%,14 patients(16.7%) were noted with curve progression.No significance difference of correction and curve progression rate was found between different curve patterns.The mean major Cobb angle at the end of bracing was 25.5°(range,10°-37°),which showed no significant difference compared with the final off-brace follow-up of 27.2°(P 0.05),but significantly lower than the initial admission of 29.5°(P0.05).After brace treatment,15 patients(17.6%) were observed having curve progression.No significant difference was observed with regarding to the rate of curve progression between different curve patterns(P0.05).Of all the patients with off-brace curve progression,the correction rate of major curve at bracing was 23.3% and statistically higher than that with no off-brace curve progression(10.6%).The curve magnitude during off-brace had no effect on the overall rate of curve progression.Conclusion:The curve progression of AIS can be effectively prevented in most AIS patients by bracing according to standard treatment protocol.Curve magnitude is stable at early stage after bracing.However,curve progression is still present in some patients,which is probably associated with more curve correction due to bracing rather than curve patterns and curve magnitude.


The authors discuss the main environgeological hazards and their relevance,put forward the measures of protection and control of geological disasters,in the hope that the protection of geological environment can become an important part of the process of the social development.


OBJECTIVE
To supply the far-lateral transcondylar approach with some basic microsurgical anatomy and to protect vital structure.

METHOD
We examined 10 cadveric adult heads and 10 dry skulls.

RESULTS
Mastoid process, jugular fossa, and occipital condyle were important signs. Inferior occipital triangle was formed by muscle rectus capitis posterior major, muscle oblique capitis superior, and muscle oblique capitus inferior, the important mark for distinguishing vertebral artery. Abdundant venous plexus around vertebral artery was the important bleeding source during operation.

CONCLUSION
The aforementioned anatomic landmarks assist in localization, protection of vital structures.


The results of the design and testing of circular polarization splitters (polarizers) of the Ka-, X-, and S-bands, intended for operation as constituent parts of a three-band feed of a radio telescope reflector antenna, are presented. In addition, the results of developing a set of polarizers intended for connecting to waveguide outputs of band-measuring horn antennas are presented. These polarizers are developed to measure the antenna feed patterns on the co- and cross circular polarizations.


Handheld ground penetrating Radar needs to have a directional low profile light weight UWB antennas preferably in the frequency range of 500 MHz-3 GHz. A hybrid printed monopole antenna back by a reflector is designed and developed for requisite frequency band. The impedance matching and directional property is mentioned throughout the frequency band. Keywords-UWB; GPR;Bow-tie I. INTRODUCTION Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) offers a good solution for detection and imaging of buried plastic mines, IEDs and UXOs. Ground penetrating radars (GPRs) are realized in either in time domain or in frequency domain (1). In time domain approach either baseband radiation or modulated time domain waveforms are used. Stepped frequency is one of the commonly used frequency domain approach. The resistively loaded dipoles, bow-tie, vee and monopoles commonly used antennas (1-3) for both time domains and frequency domain approaches. The requirement of low frequency for better penetration and large bandwidth for finer resolution and size constraints for hand held GPR makes it very difficult to choose the most appropriate antenna type. The required frequency band of 500MHz-3GHz and size constraints for hand held requirement leads to design of printed bow-tie antenna category .The antenna profile is obtained using combination of bow-tie and elliptical profile (4). The issues with this design are that its differential feed requirement and non-directional radiation pattern. The differential feed can be converted to single ended feed using UWB balanced to unbalanced (BALUN) line, which may add up to the size of the antenna. The single ended version of this antenna was designed using printed monopole and microstrip line impedance adaptor to match to 50Ω waveform generators. The directional property was improved by backing the printed hybrid monopole with a curved reflector In Section II of this paper design details of antenna element is presented. The analysis and measured results are discussed in Section III. Conclusion is presented in Section IV.


The choir at SMP Negeri 1 Kudus is one of the extracurricular activities engaged in music. Problem of the choir members of SMP Negeri 1 Kudus is notation reading. The application of solfeggio ear training method is used by the instructors as a choir learning method in SMP Negeri 1 Kudus. The purpose of writing this study is to train the sensitivity of choir members in guessing the tone and reading the notation. This study uses a qualitative approach. Data collection techniques used are observation, interview, and documentation. Extracurricular teachers use steps in applying the method of solfeggio ear training on choir learning. The first step is to observe the members and give the song material. The second step, the instructors use imitating method (imitation) by writing song notation and applying it. The final step is to try by singing and changing the basic tone to train the member's sensitivity in guessing the tone. _______________________________________________________ * Corresponding Author Email: firstname.lastname@example.com ISSN 2503-2585 Nugroho Kwidura et al/ JURNAL SENI MUSIK (9) (2)


After leaving the issue of thyroid cancer epidemics in Korea out of the discussion [1], it is clear that thyroid nodules are common worldwide, ranging from 5% to 7% of the adult population. Furthermore, the cost-of-illness of thyroid disease is relatively great in an economically active age group, and demonstrates a very rapid growth rate in Korea, which is facing an economic burden regarding the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid diseases, especially involving thyroid nodules [2]. The vast majority of cases are benign, and most cases of thyroid cancer are curable by surgery if detected early. Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) of the thyroid plays a pivotal role in distinguishing benign and malignant lesions, triaging patients who need the appropriate surgery and reducing the rate of unnecessary thyroid surgery for patients with benign lesions. Up to 80% of thyroid nodules are clearly classified as either benign or malignant; however, the remaining 20% to 30% of them have equivocal findings including indeterminate, atypia or suspicious, usually due to vagueness of the optical images. These nodules usually require re-aspiration or surgery for a definite diagnosis, which increases the inconvenience and cost. The current guidelines recommend repeat FNA for patients with a diagnosis of "atypia of undetermined significance" and lobectomy with or without intraoperative pathology consultation for those with a suspicious diagnosis.


The article considers actual issues of paronyms study by foreign students. The causes of paronymic merging, characteristics of functional and semantic paronyms differentiation are studied.


This paper deals with designing a simulation model of test setup for deriving information for analyzing the discharging characteristics of a battery in accordance with a predefined discharging profile. As an initial step, in order to determine the parameters from the discharging circuit, the requirements of the batteries were collected. A DC-DC boost converter of 4 kW input power and maximum input current of 100 A is designed for discharging the source battery in a controlled manner using PI controller. From a variable input voltage, boost converter is able to step-up the input voltage to a higher constant dc output voltage using feedback technique. The resistive load is used initially and later the dc motor load is used as a variable load. The constant output voltage of 50 V is obtained. The simulation is done using MATLAB/ SIMULINK. The final outcomes are determining the suitable loads for discharging battery and obtaining the regulated output voltage.


Abstract Objective to identify the scientific evidence available in the literature on factors associated with functional disability in older people with cataract. Methods integrative literature review carried out in PubMed, Web of Science, LILACS and CINAHL databases. Original articles that answered the guiding question were included: what is the scientific evidence on the factors associated with the functional disability of older people with cataract? Results six articles were included, most were published from the year 2000 (n=4) and carried out in America (n=3). Longitudinal (n=3) with level of evidence IV, and cross-sectional (n=3) with level of evidence VI predominated, and that performed path analysis (n=3). Based on the findings, three thematic categories emerged: demographic characteristics; related to eye, physical and mental health, and behavioral. Conclusion the functional disability of older people with cataract may be the result of demographic, related to eye, physical and mental health, and behavioral characteristics.


As the train approaches La Spezia, the traveller has short glimpses of the celebrated beauty of Cinque Terre – the 'five lands'. This secluded place lies at one side of a triangle between Genoa, Livorno and Parma, the region where Niccolò Paganini spent most of his youth mesmerizing his audiences and outpacing his instructors. One of the most famous aspects of Paganini's playing was his ability as an improviser – extemporizing compositions on the spot, quickly solving musical challenges and making the best out of unexpected situations. It was only logical that Paganini and his intriguing technique would be highlighted at a conference about improvisation held at the centre of this very region, the coastal town of La Spezia. But the conference Beyond Notes: Improvisation in Western Music in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries was more wide-ranging than that. Twenty-nine specialists in eighteenthand nineteenth-century music with an interest on improvisation were brought together to discuss aspects related to this elusive practice, 'one of the subjects least amenable to historical research', as the New Grove entry on improvisation puts it (Bruno Nettl and others, 'Improvisation', in Grove Music Online <www.grovemusic.com> (5 March 2011)), but which is highlighted in many musical treatises and accounts of performance up to the mid-nineteenth century. The keynote speakers approached the subject from very different vantage points. Rudolf Rasch (Universiteit Utrecht) is well known for his publications in music history, theory and cognition and his many editions from renaissance to classical music. His address was mostly concerned with the points of contact between improvisation and composition as illustrated by the history of music editions. If there seems to be no controversy in stating that improvisation is a volatile art form, Rasch demonstrated that the same could be said of Western musical composition for the greater part of its notated history. Throughout the last few centuries works by Corelli and Boccherini have been subjected to different approaches to the question of how much information, if any, should be supplied by the editor. Rasch argued that Corelli's Sonatas Op. 5 always needed or were subjected to some sort of adaptation. From the sketchy first editions to nineteenthcentury arrangements with performance markings and written-out piano accompaniments to the most recent historically informed publications, performers and editors were called upon to supply the missing information, thus making it meaningful to their own time. With his forthcoming edition for the Boccherini Opera Omnia Rasch faced a different problem. Since there is no autograph or reliable copy of the Six Trios Op. 1, any edition would have to deal with the issue of multiple copies and profuse variants – sometimes major reworkings. Even though a reconstruction might get closer to Boccherini's text, it cannot claim to represent his exact conception. Paradoxically, a single notated version does not seem to be enough to represent the composer's intention. A conference on improvisation in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries would inevitably touch on the controversial question of whether improvisation has ever existed in Western 'art' music. Of course, that would depend on how we define improvisation, and this was the core issue of the second keynote speech, delivered by Vincenzo Caporaletti (Università degli Studi di Macerata). A composer and jazz specialist, Caporaletti is also known for his 2005 book I processi improvvisativi nella musica: un approccio globale (Lucca: Libreria musicale italiana). For Caporaletti, Nettl's descriptions of improvisation as 'rapid . . . composition' or 'creation of a musical work as it is performed' (Bruno Nettl, 'Thoughts on Improvisation: A Comparative Approach', The Musical Quarterly 60/1 (1974), 6, and 'Improvisation', Grove Music Online) are examples of circular thinking. Since one object simply replaces another, an improvisation would not be phenomenologically distinct from a composition or a musical work, the difference being only contextual. Although the keynote speech sounded somewhat nihilist at certain points, it did call for a more thoughtful way of using communications


The paper is organized based on three objectives: first, to analyze the contributions of the study of regional integration to International Relations; second, to present Latin American contributions to the field of study of integration; third, to analyze the current disciplinary discussion on the development of International Relations from the perspective of the contribution of the Latin American academy. Regarding this last issue, discussions on the use of social knowledge and its articulation with public policies are incorporated. Throughout the work, we present arguments for each objective. Especially for the second we argue that Latin American thought for integration has been generated in regional knowledge networks and constitutes a novel contribution to the field of studies. Regarding the third, the argument that arises is that the discussion on the globalism, globalization or internationalization of the discipline —recently posed, still presents modest reflections that pay little attention to the identification of the central problem: how knowledge in International Relations is produced, the delimitation of centers and peripheries and their different cognitive problems and the consequent situations of academic dependence.


Summary After acute myocardial infarction (MI) the damaged heart has to be repaired. Factor XIII (FXIII) is considered a key molecule in promoting heart healing. FXIII deficiency was associated to cardiac rupture and anomalous remodelling in MI. During MI, FXIII contributes firstly to the intracoronary thrombus formation and shortly after to heal the myocardial lesion. To quantify the real contribution of FXIII in this process, and to explore its possible prognostic role, we monitored the FXIII-A subunit levels in 350 acute MI patients during the first six days (d0-d5) plus a control at 30–60 days (d30). A one-year follow-up was performed for all the patients. A transient drop in the FXIII-A mean level was noted in the whole cohort of patients (FXIII-Ad0 99.48 ± 30.5 vs FXIII-Ad5 76.51 ± 27.02; p< 0.0001). Interestingly, those who developed post-MI heart failure showed the highest drop (FXIII-Ad5 52.1 ± 25.2) and they already presented with low levels at recruitment. Similarly, those who died showed the same FXIII-A dynamic (FXIII-Ad5 54.0 ± 22.5). Conversely, patients who remained free of major adverse cardiac events, had lower consuming (FXIII-Ad0 103.6 ± 29.1 vs FXIII-Ad5 84.4 ± 24.5; p< 0.0001). Interestingly, the FXIII-A drop was independent from the amount of injury assessed by TnT and CKMB levels. The survival analysis ascribed an increased probability of early death or heart failure inversely related to FXIII-A quartiles (FXIII-A25th< 59.5 %; hazard ratio 4.25; 2.2–5.1; p< 0.0001). Different FXIII-A dynamics and levels could be utilised as early prognostic indicators during acute MI, revealing the individual potential to heal and suggesting tailored treatments to avoid heart failure or its extreme consequence. Note: This paper was presented in part at the 14th Congress of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Amsterdam, Netherlands, June 29 – July 24, 2013.


The study aimed to identify the trends of faculty members in the Faculty of Education at Taibah University towards distance education in light of the Corona pandemic (Covid-19), and to achieve the objectives of the study, the descriptive analytical approach was used, and the questionnaire was used as a study tool. The College of Education at Taibah University, in the first semester of the academic year (1442 AH), totaling (152) faculty members. The results of the study showed that the attitudes of faculty members in the College of Education at Taibah University towards distance education in light of the Corona pandemic (Covid-19) came in a moderate degree. The study also showed that there are no statistically significant differences at a significance level (0.05) between the averages of the study sample's trends towards distance education in light of the Corona pandemic (Covid-19) due to the study variables (academic department, degree, gender). The study recommended the importance of adopting distance education as an effective strategic alternative to continue the educational process in the event of emergency or natural accidents, and to benefit from the best practices of Saudi universities in the field of distance education.


The present invention discloses a vehicle rain shielding apparatus, comprising: an umbrella stand, a door mounted on the side of the first column, a second side legs attached to the vehicle body, a plurality interposed between the two sides of the main column rib, and Eren movable member; a cloth umbrella, the umbrella cover frame; and an accumulator comprising a movable member, a plurality of auxiliary ribs, and a storage element, the interlocking member will door opening force is converted to the pulling force of the movable member, the movable member and then through the auxiliary rib interlock thus promoting the plurality of main umbrella open toward a radial direction, it is opened to the umbrella cloth flashing, wherein the energy storage element during storage in open umbrella cloth, the opposite may be able to release the door closing process, to provide additional power when folding the umbrella cloth, while achieving rapid collapsing effect.


The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) has been revised to more accurately estimate soil loss from both crop and rangeland areas. Major revisions affecting rangeland soil loss estimates include new 'R' factors for the Western United States, a subfactor approach to determine the 'C' factor and a 'LS' table for rangeland. Measured soil losses from erosion simulation plot studies on rangelands throughout the Western U.S. were compared to soil losses estimated by the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). Correlations between measured and predicted soil loss varied among the 17 sites tested. The RUSLE factor values are examined and related to special conditions found on rangelands.


Introduction Reading Bakhtin Dialogically Dialogism, Carnival, and Chronotope in the Fiction of Vassily Aksyonov: A Bakhtin Primer "Look Both Ways": Double-Voiced Satire in the Work of Ilf and Petrov Language, Genre, and Satire in the Works of Mikhail Zoshchenko Good and Evil, Truth and Lie: Dualism and Dialogism in the Fiction of Yuz Aleshkovsky The House that Bitov Built: Postmodernism and Stalinism in Pushkin House All-Purpose Parody: Sasha Sokolov's Astrophobia Works Cited Index


Death is not a new phenomenon in the history of humanity however, what matters is the perception about it among every population and their attitude towards the socio-economic, environmental and health factors surrounding it. The present paper focuses on examining the concept of death across generations and the religiously and culturally informed attitude and belief towards it; the implication of this to the knowledge about and control of the socio-economic, environmental and Health factors surrounding life expectancy in traditional African societies such as Nigeria. The paper with regard to physical explanations of the factors surrounding lower life expectancy among the traditional African people such as Nigerians bring to limelight the implication of superstitious belief about death to the awareness and control of the socio-economic, environmental and health factors surrounding lower life expectancy among the population.


Although ground-level PM2.5 monitoring sites provide accurate measurements, their spatial coverage within a given region is limited and thus often insufficient for exposure and epidemiological studies. Satellite data expand spatial coverage, enhancing our ability to estimate location- and/or subject-specific exposures to PM2.5. Recently, a new Multi- Angle Implementation of Atmospheric Correction (MAIAC) algorithm was developed for MODIS which provides AOD at 1 km resolution. Using MAIAC data, the relationship between MAIAC AOD and PM2.5 as measured by the 27 EPA ground monitoring stations was investigated. These results were also compared to conventional MODIS 10 km AOD retrieval (MOD04) for the same days and locations. The coefficients of determination for MOD04 and for MAIAC are R2=0.45 and 0.50, respectively, suggesting that AOD is a reasonably good proxy for PM2.5 ground concentrations. Finally, we studied the relationship between PM2.5 and AOD at the intra-urban scale (≤10km) in Boston. The fine resolution results indicated spatial variability in particle concentration at a sub-10 kilometer scale.


This paper proposes a middleware structure for the personal robot, which can provide real-time services and be running on various types of networks. The proposed middleware is divided into two layers of an application management layer and a network adaptation layer. The former manages application-transaction using middleware service and the later manages heterogeneous network interfaces and provides real-time services. To verify the proposed middleware structure it is implemented using C and tested.


Veronique Debacker, Jean Plum and Georges LeclercqAn De Creus, Katrien Van Beneden, Frederik Stevenaert,http://www.jimmunol.org/content/168/12/6486J Immunol€2002; 168:6486-6493; ;Referenceshttp://www.jimmunol.org/content/168/12/6486.full#ref-list-1This article cites 63 articles, 43 of which you can access for free at: Subscriptionshttp://jimmunol.org/subscriptionsInformation about subscribing to The Journal of Immunology is online at: Permissionshttp://www.aai.org/ji/copyright.htmlSubmit copyright permission requests at: Email Alertshttp://jimmunol.org/cgi/alerts/etocReceive free email-alerts when new articles cite this article. Sign up at:


Abstract This work presents a tube-based Robust Model Predictive Controller (RMPC) with an application to the control of a mobile robot performing unmanned path tracking. In addition to robustness against unknown but bounded uncertainties, the RMPC algorithm proposed in this work is implementable (i.e. it imposes low complexity and conservativeness), thus making it highly amenable to real-time applications. This is due to an improved formulation of the tube over previous works (here a tube is sequence of sets) which is constructed by predicting the evolution of the difference between the actual uncertain system under control and its respective nominal disturbance-free system. Moreover, a feedback corrective controller formulated as a time-varying finite-time Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) is proposed to regulate the uncertain system around its respective nominal uncertainty-free system and thereby suppress the effect of uncertainties acting on the actual system. The proposed RMPC algorithm is applied to a Pioneer P 3 – DX mobile robot platform performing unmanned path tracking. Experimental results demonstrate robust and stable performance of the proposed RMPC algorithm.


Latent factor analysis via dynamical systems (LFADS) is an RNN-based variational sequential autoencoder that achieves state-of-the-art performance in denoising high-dimensional neural activity for downstream applications in science and engineering. Recently introduced variants and extensions continue to demonstrate the applicability of the architecture to a wide variety of problems in neuroscience. Since the development of the original implementation of LFADS, new technologies have emerged that use dynamic computation graphs, minimize boilerplate code, compose model configuration files, and simplify large-scale training. Building on these modern Python libraries, we introduce lfads-torch -- a new open-source implementation of LFADS that unifies existing variants and is designed to be easier to understand, configure, and extend. Documentation, source code, and issue tracking are available at https://github.com/arsedler9/lfads-torch .


In this article we present the design and implementation of a mobile cardiac monitoring system oriented to patients in Phase II and III of cardiac rehabilitation. The complete monitoring system involves both hardware and software design perspectives. At the hardware level, we present a T-shirt with a 12-lead ECG system and an embedded inertial sensor for the monitoring of activity and energy expenditure. At the software level, a modular cloud platform performs data processing to detect relevant cardiac events and to provide advanced visualization capabilities. As a case study, we have implemented our system at the Cardiac Rehabilitation program at Donostia University Hospital (Spain). Finally, the validation of the 12-lead ECG recording system is also presented and discussed.


U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis data show that the nation's rate of yearly output growth between 1995 and 1999 was more than 50% higher than for the period 1987 to 1994. Using state-level data, this study examines foreign capital's contribution to this upturn in growth. Pooling data for the 50 states in a regression framework showed that foreign capital accounted for 2.6% of overall state output growth for the full period. Foreign capital made no contribution between 1987 and 1994 but accounted for 3.7% of output growth between 1995 and 1999. Furthermore, estimates show that foreign capital had a much larger impact on the manufacturing sector, accounting for more than 16.7% of state manufacturing output growth between 1995 and 1999.


Antigen‐independent adhesion of resting adult CD4+ CD45RO+ T cells to B lymphocytes has been shown to be transient and can be down‐regulated by CD4 major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecule interactions. Conversely, adhesion of adult CD4+ CD45RA+ subpopulation to B cells is not regulated by ligands of CD4. We have investigated the regulation of adhesion of cord blood CD45RA+ CD4+ T lymphocytes. In contrast to adult CD45RA+ CD4+ T cells, cord blood CD45RA+ CD4+ T cells were strongly sensitive to the down‐regulation of adhesion mediated by the CD4‐HLA class II interaction, since adhesion to MHC class II(+) B cells was transient and inhibited by an anti‐CD4 antibody. In addition, human immunodeficiency virus gpl60, synthetic gpl06‐derived peptides encompassing a CD4 binding site inhibited conjugate formation between cord blood CD45RA+ CD4+ T cells and B cells. Following activation of the cord blood CD4 T cells by an anti‐CD3 antibody, a conversion from a transient to a stable adhesion pattern of cord blood CD4 T cells to B cells occurred in 2 days. The reversal to a transient adhesion occurred at day 8 following anti‐CD3 activation in correlation with a complete shift to a CD45RO phenotype of the cord blood CD4 T cells. These data suggest that CD4 T cell adhesion can be developmentally regulated.


Three-dimensional (3D) structuring of polymers by tightly focused femtosecond laser pulses and interference is demonstrated. Photo-structuring by the tightly focused sub-1 ps laser pulses realizes a direct laser writing inside dielectric materials without self-focusing. Photo-polymerization of 3D photonic crystal templates with photonic stop bands in IR-spectral region has been achieved. Holographic photo-polymerization of photonic crystal templates with counter-propagating beams was numerically modeled. Three-dimensional structures with an axial period smaller than the lateral can be recorded using the counter-propagating beam alignment. Photo-polymerization of large-area polymeric structures with a high surface-to-volume ratio is demonstrated.


Subtitle: Rapid airline growth in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly in China and India, is causing a shortage in skilled staff and putting pressure in costs. But is this a short-term phenomenon, or do carriers face a longer-term problem?


Chloroplast gene expression is regulated by developmental and environmental signals. It has been proposed that there is a direct coupling between electron transport in biological membranes and gene expression (J. F. Allen, 1992, Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1098, 275-335). The hypothesis predicts the existence of a sensor in the thylakoid membrane capable of transmitting redox signals to the chloroplast genetic machinery. A contribution towards identifying the sensor is made by the discovery of a protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) activity in the thylakoid membrane which phosphorylates light harvesting complex II (LHC II) proteins. To test whether variations in electron flow affected transcription of chloroplast genes, we produced imbalances in electron flow in mustard (Sinapis alba, L.) and pea (Pisum sativum, L.) seedlings by illumination with different light qualities. The same effect was achieved in vitro by using specific inhibitors of electron transport. The effect of the modulations in electron flow on the transcription rates of chloroplast-encoded genes was analysed in chloroplast run-on transcription assays and revealed that the transcription rate of the psaB gene, coding for one of the reaction centre proteins of PS I, is under direct control of the redox-state of the plastoquinone (PQ) pool: reduction of the pool results in increased transcription rates of the psaB gene, while oxidation of the pool gives the opposite effect. In vitro studies with isolated pea chloroplasts point to redox regulation of gene expression at the post-transcriptional level for the petB gene, coding for cytochrome b6 of the cytochrome b6f complex. In this case, we used chemical redox agents to assess stability of petB-containing messages. Under reducing conditions, petB mRNA does not exhibit altered stability compared to control chloroplasts; oxidising conditions cause almost complete degradation of petB mRNA molecules. It is proposed that the first event in chloroplast redox signalling is the phosphorylation of a membrane-bound PTK in response to the redox state of the PQ pool, which could be the starting point of a signalling cascade affecting transcription and transcript stability of chloroplast-encoded genes such as psaB and petB, respectively. (Less)


The concept of «agricultural cooperation», which is special in relation to the category of «cooperation», should contain general signs of cooperation and, at the same time, reflect the specifics of agriculture. Agricultural cooperation is the most important factor of the sustainable development of rural areas, as it is a link between measures of state influence on the social development of the village and the villagers with their traditions, skills and aspirations. It is also important to take into account the geopolitical importance of agricultural cooperation, which should play its role in preserving the population in rural areas and preventing the decline of certain regions of the country. To date, there is no consensus among scientists on the definition of agricultural cooperation. Consider the main approaches to explaining the essence of agricultural cooperation. S. L. Maslov was an outstanding theorist of agricultural cooperation. He saw the socio-economic mission of cooperation in the village in protecting the interests of the peasant from the exploitation of intermediary traders [4, p. 48]. O. Chayanov understood agricultural cooperation as a «union of farms», which are not destroyed by this, but continue to remain small farms and receive a corresponding profit [3, p. 6].


BACKGROUND
Accumulating articles have suggested the important regulatory roles of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in human cancers, including oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). However, the role of circ_0001971 in OSCC progression remains to be determined.

METHODS
3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and colony formation assays were conducted to analyze cell proliferation ability. Cell migration and invasion abilities were assessed by transwell assays. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was conducted to confirm the target relation between miR-107 and circ_0001971 or FZD4. Xenograft tumor model was established to analyze the biological role of circ_0001971 in regulating tumor growth in vivo.

RESULTS
Circ_0001971 was markedly up-regulated in OSCC tissues and cell lines. Circ_0001971 knockdown inhibited the growth of xenograft tumors in vivo. miR-107 was confirmed as a direct target of circ_0001971, and circ_0001971 depletion-mediated anti-tumor effects in OSCC cells could be largely alleviated by silencing miR-107. miR-107 directly targeted the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) of FZD4, and FZD4 overexpression largely reversed the anti-tumor effects of circ_0001971 in OSCC cells. Circ_0001971 could positively regulate FZD4 expression by targeting miR-107 in OSCC cells.

CONCLUSION
Circ_0001971 promoted the proliferation, migration, and glycolysis of OSCC cells through mediating miR-107/FZD4 axis. Circ_0001971 might be a new effective target for OSCC treatment in future.


The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationships between the fecal P excretion and the dietary P intake by digestion trial in beef cattle.Twenty-four crossbreed heifers(Simmental×local cattle,BW=369.5±37.8 kg) were selected and randomly assigned to six dietary treatments,which contained phosphorus at the level of 0.38%,0.45%,0.50%,0.56%,0.61% and 0.67% in concentration(DM basis),respectively.Animals were fed the roughage once a day ad libitum,and the concentrate was supplied in two equal amounts(3.50 kg/d).A 10-day digestion trial was included in this 30 days experiment.Total feces were collected and recorded for each cattle during the last 7 days of the experiment.Daily feed offerings and refusals were measured to obtain net feed intake for each animal.Animal feeds and feces were preserved for further analyses of P and DMI.The linear regression analysis was used to study the relationships between the fecal P excretion and the dietary P intake.Results showed that: The levels of concentrate P had no significant influence on DMI(P0.05).The linear relationship between fecal P execrated and dietary P intake was y=1.004 3x-8.726 8(R2=0.829 8,P0.05,n=24) if it was measured as g/d unit,then was y=0.933 0x-1.169 9(R2=0.828 2,P0.08,n=24) and y=0.631 7x+0.081 9(R2=0.571 1,P0.05,n=20) if measured as g/kg DMI unit.It was suggested that faecal P excretion increased linearly as dietary P intake increased.


Background: The World Health Organization recommends provision of mother's breast milk to infants within one hour of birth. Despite this, the national data suggest only 40.8% infants were put to breast within one hour of birth and these figures are considerably lower among the tribal population. The objectives were to find out the proportion and socio-demographic factors associated with early initiation of breast feeding among tribal children aged 0-23 months residing in tea gardens of Jalpaiguri district, West Bengal, India. Methods:  A community-based cross-sectional study was undertaken among 219 tribal children aged 0-23 months in two tea gardens of Jalpaiguri district, West Bengal. The mothers of the selected children were interviewed and information on gender of child, socio-economic and educational status of the mother; feeding history and feeding practices of children was collected. Binary logistic regression was performed for statistical analysis using SPSS version 20. Results: The proportion of breast feeding initiation within one hour of birth was 68.5%. The odds of early initiation of breastfeeding was found to be higher among male infants those belonging to Hindu families and upper socio-economic status, whose mothers were more educated and among those who were delivered at any health institution than their counterparts. Conclusions:  The results signify that early initiation of breastfeeding was suboptimal. Therefore, efforts should also be made to increase the awareness of infant and child feeding practices for improved health status of the children of the tribal population.


The invention discloses a preparation method for extracting gastrodine from gastrodia elata. The preparation method comprises the following steps: crushing gastrodia elata into coarse powder, adding the coarse powder into continuous-converse extraction equipment, and carrying out refluxing extraction with an acetone aqueous solution of which the concentration is 63.6-79.6%; carrying out filtration to obtain a gastrodine crude extract; at the temperature of 30-50 DEG C, concentrating the gastrodine crude extract to obtain a gastrodine crude concentrate; pumping the gastrodine crude concentrate into a material pump of an ultrasonic extraction pot, taking ethyl acetate as an extraction solvent, and obtaining a gastrodine ethyl acetate extraction liquid through an extraction tower of the ultrasonic extraction pot; concentrating the gastrodine ethyl acetate extraction liquid to obtain gastrodine condensed paste; mixing the gastrodine condensed paste with silica gel through stirring, and placing the stirred mixture on a silica gel column, and carrying out elution to obtain an eluent; conducting solvent recovery on the eluent, and then carrying out concentration and drying to obtain a semi-finished product of gastrodine; carrying out dissolution, filtration, acetone recovery, concentration, still standing for crystallization, and suction filtration to obtain gastrodine. The preparation method is a gastrodine production process being convenient, rapid, high in extraction efficiency, obvious in separation and purification effect, and high in extraction purity.


Abstract Crimes such as terrorism pose some of the biggest postmodern challenges faced by criminal justice systems worldwide. How systems react and prevent such crime raises numerous legal, political and strategic issues i.e. cross-jurisdictional collaboration, policing and the erosion of civil liberties such as privacy. In this article, taking inspiration from criminological theory, two criminal justice challenges that are posed by terrorism are explored from the United Kingdom's perspective: the international definition of terrorism including the factors that impede a common definition from being established and the domestic response to define, prevent and prosecute this crime. The aim of, and originality in, this article is to explore the criminal justice challenge facing the United Kingdom in balancing complex and competing interests when effectively responding to terror crime.


Modern young people ("digital natives") have grown in an era dominated by new technologies where communications are pushed to quite a real-time level, and pose no limits in establishing relationships with other people or communities. The fast growing use of social networking sites among the teens have made them vulnerable to get exposed to bullying. Comments containing abusive words effect psychology of teens and demoralizes them. In this work we have devised methods to detect cyberbullying using supervised learning techniques. Cyber bullying is the use of technology as a medium to bully someone. Although it has been an issue for many years, the recognition of its impact on young people has recently increased. Through machine learning, we can detect language patterns used by bullies and their victims, and develop rules to automatically detect cyber bullying content. The data we used for our work was collected from the website kagle.com, it contains a high percentage of


Inherited retinal degenerations are a group of disorders characterised by great genetic heterogeneity. Clinically, they can be divided into two large groups of diseases, those associated with night ...


Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) accounts for approximately 15% of all breast cancers but disproportionately accounts for the majority of breast cancer related deaths. As no specific signaling pathways driving TNBC growth have been established, chemotherapy with anthracycline drugs remains a mainstay of treatment. Although effective against TNBC, anthracyclines are known to cause dose limiting cardiac toxicity. We have previously shown that cardiovascular side effects of an anthracycline drug doxorubicin are mediated, at least in part, by the TGF‐beta pathway. Therefore, we set out to determine if the TGF‐beta signaling is upregulated in TNBC tissues, and suppression of this pathway impedes growth of TNBC cells. Using a database of 51 patients, we found that TNBC tumor samples were enriched for the TGF‐beta pathway related transcripts, as compared to normal breast tissues. Furthermore, upregulated TGF‐beta pathway related transcripts positively correlated with poor outcomes and, specifically, decreased survival of patients with TNBC. After this bioinformatic approach demonstrated a link between the TGF‐beta pathway and TNBC progression, we assessed the effects of an ALK4/5/7 receptor kinase inhibitor SB431542, a known suppressor of the TGF‐beta/Smad2/3 pathway, on proliferation and viability of cultured MDA‐MB‐231cells. Although effects of SB431542 alone were modest in this TNBC model system, its combination with an anthracycline drug doxorubicin more effectively suppressed viability of cultured breast cancer cells than either of these agents given alone. It appears that the enhanced tumoricidal effect of this drug combination was due to suppression of proliferation of MDA‐MB‐231 cells and not due to augmented apoptosis. Thus, the bioinformatic analysis of patients' TNBC tissues transcriptome highlighted the role of the TGF‐beta pathway in cancer progression. Complementing the doxorubicin treatment of the cultured TNBC model cells with an inhibitor of the TGF‐beta pathway enhanced the tumoricidal effect of chemotherapy.


Many empirical studies emphasis the role of social net- works in job search. The social network implied in this process is known to be characterized by complex properties, including com- munities, homophily or more or less strong ties. Nevertheless, pre- vious models of the labor markets fail to capture the complexity of social networks, as each specific network requires the development of specific algorithms. In this paper, we rather rely on an indepen- dent generic network generator for creating detailed networks de- scribing friendships, colleagues, communities and various degrees of connectivity. We build a simple model of the labor market in which individuals find positions solely through their acquaintances, and up- date their network when being hired. This original experimental set- ting facilitates the analysis of various characteristics of networks on the labor market, including various size, more or less friendships, or the impact of communities. Experiments confirm the "strength of weak ties" phenomenon. However, the initial characteristics of the network like communities are shown to be destroyed by the implau- sible mechanisms described into this simplistic model; this suggests that the impact of plausible networks on models' dynamics may only be studied when the mechanisms of this model are plausible as well - in other words, "a model is only as descriptive as its most implausible components"


This paper presents an iterative confidence interval based parametric refinement approach for questionnaire design improvement in the evaluation of working characteristics in construction enterprises. This refinement approach utilizes the 95% confidence interval of the estimated parameters of the model to determine their statistical significance in a least-squares regression setting. If this confidence interval of particular parameters covers the zero value, it is statistically valid to remove such parameters from the model and their corresponding questions from the designed questionnaire. The remaining parameters repetitively undergo this sifting process until their statistical significance cannot be improved. This repetitive model refinement approach is implemented in efficient questionnaire design by using both linear series and Taylor series models to remove non-contributing questions while keeping significant questions that are contributive to the issues studied, i.e., employees' work performance being explained by their work values and cadres' organizational commitment being explained by their organizational management. Reducing the number of questions alleviates the respondent burden and reduces costs. The results show that the statistical significance of the sifted contributing questions is decreased with a total mean relative change of 49%, while the Taylor series model increases the R-squared value by 17% compared with the linear series model.


The disk boundaries of coronal holes have been determined from He II 304 A spectroheliograms which were taken with the Naval Research Laboratory slitless XUV spectrograph during the manned Skylab missions. These boundaries are plotted by Carrington rotation as synoptic charts in both the standard rectangular as well as polar-view projections. The periods of time for which boundaries were determined are 24 May through 28 June 1973 (first manned Skylab mission), 2 August through 24 September 1973 (second manned mission), and 21 November 1973 through 2 February 1974 (third manned mission); the Carrington rotations covered (in part or totally) are 1601 and 02; 160r, 1604, 05 and 06; and 1608, 09 and 10, respectively.


We aimed to investigate the distribution of retinol, carotenoids and tocopherols in serum lipoprotein fractions, and to investigate associations with dietary intake in a longitudinal observational study with Brazilian lactating women. Lactating adults (n=15) were followed from between the weeks 2 to 4 (t1) through to weeks 12 and 14 (t2) postpartum. Dietary intake was assessed through dietary records and a quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Dietary data were analyzed by the Multiple Source Method internet tool (https://msm.dife.de/). Serum vitamins were analyzed by reversed phase HPLC‐DAD‐FL. Levels of carotenoids in serum were comparable to those reported for Brazilian lactating women in other studies. Alpha‐tocoferol, alpha‐carotene, beta‐carotene and lycopene were primarily parted in LDL/VLDL fraction and lutein and zeaxanthin were primarily in HDL fraction. In contrast, retinol was equally distributed between the LDL/VLDL and the HDL/RBP fractions. Both total and HDL‐fraction lutein/zeaxanthin were positively correlated (Pearson) with dietary intake (p< 0.007 and p< 0.005, respectively). Our results indicate that retinol, carotenoids and tocopherols are differently distributed in serum lipoproteins, suggesting that selective mechanisms can account for serum transport of these components in lactating women, with potential consequences to mechanisms of transference into breast milk.


. An idealized mathematical, multispecies model of the pelagic foodweb was used to explore the impact of resource competition, selective grazing, and species composition within each trophic level on the structure and functioning of a foodweb at a variety of light irradiance and nutrient levels. This concept is based on the general assumption that poorly edible species are poor competitors. The concept demonstrates that with increasing eutrophication, specialists in competition will be replaced by generalists and subsequently by poorly edible primary producers. Controlling factors not only determine the growth rate of primary producers but also select predators according to their ability to utilize the energy fixation of the system. Plankton community structure seems to adapt in such a way that the energy fixation rate of the system is optimized at a given set of nutrients and light. Red tides, dense algal blooms in shallow lakes and the varying results of biomanipulation in shallow lakes, can be explained by the concept of selective grazing. If this assumption is correct, the same ecosystem concept may be applicable for terrestrial ecosystems.


Racial, ethnic and weight disparities in patient management exist overall and in the emergency department (ED). Provider's implicit bias - unconscious negative attitudes towards specific social groups - contribute as a driver of these disparities. Although studies have shown biases against Black and obese individuals among physicians, the magnitude of those biases varies among specialties. No known studies have investigated the co-existence of implicit biases related to race, ethnicity and weight among physicians.


A simple chip-discrimination technique is presented for use with ultra-wideband (UWB) impulse radio (IR) that improves performance for large near-far interference power ratios. A typical spread-spectrum IR that employs a matched-filter sum for bit decisions is susceptible to small numbers of large power pulses that can dominate the bit decision-threshold statistics. This letter describes a technique for chip discrimination prior to the spreading summation, that can greatly reduce the effects of large near-far power ratios among interferers. The technique exploits the very narrow pulsewidth and resulting low-duty-cycle characteristic only achievable with ultra-wide bandwidth. A statistical model is developed that predicts bit-error performance for binary offset pulse position modulation as a function of near-far density and power for varying discrimination thresholds. An analytic solution for perfect chip blanking is developed, and is in good agreement with chip discrimination for large near-far power ratios. We find that even a small number of very near interferers can greatly reduce the performance of a system without blanking or discrimination. Results show substantial improvement using this method for near interferers with near-far power ratios greater than 20 dB.


In this work we studied the susceptibility to heat and antifungal agents of the first strains of environmental Cryptococcus neoformans var neoformans (serotype D) isolated in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. In order to achieve a rigorous analysis, we employed the methodology recommended by NCCLS, Yeast Nitrogen Base (YNB) proposed by Ghannoum et al (YNB-1), Antibiotic medium 3 (AM3) indicated by others, YNB adjusted to the NCCLS methodology (YNB-2) and Etest. Our results indicate that all strains were susceptible to amphotericin B (0.0625 – 0.5 μg/mL), fluconazole (0.125 – 8.0 μg/mL), itraconazole (0.031 – 0.25 μg/mL) and flucytosine (0.125 – 4.0 μg/mL). The C. neoformans serotype D strains were more susceptible to heat (47oC / 30 min) than C. neoformans serotype A.


The present study used a sample of high school youth (N = 218) and a mixed-methodological research design to examine high school students' reactions to participating in focus groups and completing surveys that inquired about dating violence (DV). Results showed that showed that 1.5% (n = 3) of the youth regretted participating in the study and 6% (n = 12) were upset by the study questions; being upset was attributed to personal experiences with DV and being disturbed by peers' responses during the focus group. Furthermore, 49% (n = 99) of the youth reported feeling that they personally benefited from participating in the study for reasons such as learning ways to help friends in situations of DV. Results have implications for conducting mixed-methodological DV research with youth.


Very well-preserved Pliocene diatoms from a diatomite unit interbedded within glacial sediments at Ocean Drilling Program Site 742 in Prydz Bay, Antarctica are documented and illustrated. The presence of Thalassiosira kolbei, T torokina, Actinocyclus actinochilus, A. karstenii and the absence of Nitzschia interfrigidaria. T insigna and T vulnifica in Sample 119-742A-15R-4, 44-46cm constrain its age to ca. 2.2-1.8 Ma (late Pliocene). Diatoms associated with sea ice constitute 35% of the Pliocene diatom assemblage, compared with 71% of the modem sediment assemblage at the site, suggesting that sea ice was present during the late Pliocene period of deposition of the sample, although it probably was not the significant feature it is today. Thalassiosira ellitipora (Donahue) Fenner is described and illustrated in detail and is validly published. An expanded description and numerous illustrations are also presented for T. torokina Brady. INTRODUCTION During Ocean Drilling Program Leg 119 on the continental shelf in Prydz Bay, Antarctica, a 60-cm-thick unit of distinctive greenish gray to gray diatomite (lithologic Subunit IIIB) was recovered within a thick (300+m) sequence of coarse-grained glacial diamictite in Core 15R of Hole 742A at 67?32.98'S, 75?24.27'E and a water depth of 426.2m (text-fig. 1) (Shipboard Scientific Party 1989). The abundant Pliocene diatoms found in this diatomite were apparently deposited during a period of enhanced biologic productivity in a distal glaciomarine setting, possibly during an interglacial period warmer than today (Shipboard Scientific Party 1989). The presence of well-preserved Pliocene diatoms within otherwise glacial sediments that typify the Antarctic shelf is relatively rare and offers an opportunity to study a nearshore environment of East Antarctica during an interval of the late Pliocene. A study of the diatoms of this Pliocene diatomite may provide evidence that bears on the hypothesis of Webb et al. (1984) and Webb and Harwood (1991) that calls for large scale deglaciation of East Antarctica during parts of the early and late Pliocene. In addition, the well-preserved nature of the diatoms in this deposit allows their study under the scanning electron microscope(SEM) and may contribute to solving some of the numerous problems of taxonomic confusion that currently plagues the study of Pliocene Antarctic diatoms (Harwood and Maruyama 1992). MATERIALS AND METHODS Sample 119-742A-15R-4, 44-46cm was collected from the 60cm-thick diatomite unit. The sample was processed for light microscopy (LM) and SEM by the Van der Werff (1955) hydrogen peroxide method. Strew slides were mounted in Hyrax for LM with individual species ringed for identification and photographic reference. Examination of taxa was made using a Leitz Ortholux II and an Olympus IMT at magnifications of x500 and x1250. SEM examination and photography was made using a Cambridge 250 mark II SEM at the U.S. Geological Survey (Menlo Park) and a Hitachi S520 at the California Academy of Sciences. Diatom terminology follows that of Ross et al. (1979). Sample material (CAS number 613278, ODP 119-742A-15R-4, 44-46cm) and slides (CAS numbers 217016-217018, 217022, 217026, 217027, 217029) are deposited at the California Academy of Sciences. TEXT-FIGURE 1 Location of ODP Site 742 in Prydz Bay, East Antarctica, and other sites cores by ODP Leg 119. Contours in meters. micropaleontology, vol. 42, no. 3, pp. 285-302, text-figure 1, plates 1-8, table 1, 1996 285 This content downloaded from 126.96.36.199 on Tue, 19 Apr 2016 06:51:08 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms Albert D. Mahood and John A. Barron: Late Pliocene Diatoms in a Diatomite from Prydz Bay, East Antarctica TABLE 1 Tabulation of diatom taxa in Pliocene Sample ODP-119-742A-15R-4, 44-46cm and their relative percentage compared with the relative percentage of taxa recorded in surface sediment at the site by Stockwell et al. (1991). * = extinct; ( ) = possible decendent.


Growing demand for transportation continues to increase throughout the world almost as rapidly as the demand for improved environmental performance, increased efficiency and safety and enriched quality of life and social inclusion. Those responsible for network operations and leaders of local, regional, national and international government are faced with trying to get the best from existing legacy systems while balancing economic and social issues. Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) can provide the tools to help deliver clear benefits and help achieve the balance for such complex policy situations. To better inform potential implementers access to reliable information on the real benefits, evaluation and costs of ITS are needed. The IBEC group promotes access to results, advice and decision makers who are already investors in and operators of ITS throughout the World. Of course, the more who actively contribute to the IBEC resource the better the information and experience available. IBEC is embarking on a major initiative to strengthen its core membership to better serve the ITS community.


The KaiTai lipase was used to catalyze transesterification reaction of rapeseed oil with methanol to prepare fatty acid methyl este(rFAME). Compared with rapeseed oil,the emulsified rapseseed oil has higher transformation ratio. In order to increase the transformation tatio,the response surface methodology was used to optimize the transesterification reaction conditions of rapeseed oil, and the optimized conditions of the reaction was found:the reaction temperature is 47℃,reaction time is 34 h,molar ratio of methanol and oil is 4.5∶1,and the dosage of lipase is 450UI. Under these optimal conditions,the transformation ration reached 95.81%. This sample was analyzed by GC–MS technique,the results showed that the main component of FAME from rapeseed oil is methyl oleate.


A monolithically integrated low temperature MEMS and HgCdTe infrared detector technology has been implemented and characterised. The MEMS-based optical filter, integrated with an infrared detector, selects narrow wavelength bands in the range from 1.6 to 2.5 μm within the short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The entire fabrication process is compatible with two-dimensional infrared focal plane array technology. The fabricated device consists of an HgCdTe SWIR photoconductor, two distributed Bragg mirrors formed of Ge-SiO-Ge, a sacrificial spacer layer within the cavity, which is then removed to leave an air-gap, and a silicon nitride membrane for structural support. The tuning spectrum from fabricated MEMS filters on photoconductive detectors shows a wide tuning range and high percentage transmission is achieved with a tuning voltage of only 7.5 V. The FWHM ranged from 95-105 nm over a tuning range of 2.2 μm to 1.85 μm. Finite element modelling of various geometries for the silicon nitride membrane will also be presented. The modelling is used to determine the best geometry in terms of fill factor, voltage displacement prediction and membrane bowing.


The parabolic equation is a simplification of the wave equation that admits an efficient full wave solution to the problem of microwave propagation in a two-dimensional refractive index structure. Field strength diagrams for propagation in the presence of typical elevated ducting layers are given. The fields are significantly more complicated than can be predicted by one-dimensional mode methods.


Nowadays the study of bridge construction is short of systematic research from micro and macro points.Based on the characteristics of bridge construction,the hidden trouble influencing safety construction is analyzed in the view of time and space by the method of 'line-dot-face-dot-face'.In the method,the whole construction process is seemed as 'line',the exact technology as 'dot',and all the influential factors constitute 'face'.Every influential factor is considered as 'dot'.On the basis of every influential factor,the influential indexes form 'face'.With this method,hidden risk can be mainly got.Then the risk is assessed by the method of Wavelet Neural Network,combining computer software.On the basis of the above analysis,the 'double-line' measurement is made.One line is the main line,and the regulations are made from the macro perspective.The other is a branch line made for every factor.It was used in Qingdao bay bridge.The practical situation shows that the research result can match the reality.Almost all the hidden trouble can be found and the bridge construction can be developed safely.


Since January 2010 Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute of Polish Academy of Sciences in Kraków participates in the implementation of the Project: Geothermal Communities – demonstrating the cascading use of geothermal energy for district heating with small scale RES integration and retrofitting measures (acronym GEOCOM). The Project is financed by the European Commision under the 7th Framework Programme. The consortium implementing the project includes partners from Hungary, Italy, Slovakia, Macedonia, Serbia, Romania and Poland. The project covers part of the investment, in with particular emphasis and expansion of two existing geothermal installations (Galanta in Slovakia and Morahalom in Hungary) and the construction of a new system for existing customers (Montieri in Italy) is underway. The project aims to present best practices in the use of geothermal energy in integration with other energy sources, with particular emphasis on renewable energy sources. Studies presented in this article conducted by MEERI PAS will assess evaluate the society's understanding in the function and role of geothermal energy in energy systems and everyday use.


We developed a technique for thermal neutron detection not making use of 3 He, also suitable for online real time monitoring of CASTOR spent fuel containers. As a neutron converter we used 6 LiF, being the neutron capture cross section of 6 Li very well known and with only an alpha and a triton in the exit channel. We can deposit thin layers of converter onto several different substrates, to be placed on top of solid state detectors or scintillators capable of efficiently detecting the decay products.