Ene-type chloride (5 a) was prepared with trichloroisocyanuric acid as a chlorination reagent from pentenylchromanol (3), obtained from myrcene and 2, 3, 5-trimethylhydroquinone in 3 steps. Chloride (5 a) reacted with 3, 7-dimethyloctylmagnesium bromide in the presence of CuCl (I) as the catalyst in THE to afford mixture consisting of SN2' type cross coupling products (7 a) and (8 a) with high regioselectivity. Compounds (5 b-e) reacted with the Grignard reagent in the presence of CuCl (I) to give SN2' type cross coupling products (7) and (8) with high regioselectivity Table-1. dl-α-Tocopherol was prepared in good yields by the hydrogenation of compounds (7 a) and (8 a).


We find that hexagonal structures forming in semiconductor resonators can range from coherent patterns to arrangements of loosely bound spatial solitons, which can be individually switched. Such incoherent arrangements are stabilized by gradient forces, as evidenced by the stability of hexagonal structures with single- or multiple-soliton defects. We interpret the experimental observations by numerical simulations based on a model for a large aperture semiconductor microresonator.


The use of electronic devices for ease of operation has increased largely in the world. Various techniques are used for intelligent extraction of information from the surroundings and developing effective interfaces for obtaining the same. This paper proposes a system that rules out this interface altogether and provides the user with intelligent task completion. Pattern recognition techniques have been used for data extraction from the surroundings and cascaded with data mining algorithms that fetch the relevant information from the web. Users commonly make to-do lists on their smart devices. However, it is common for users to forget to refer to them in places where tasks can be completed potentially. The system is so designed to send a message to the user that a particular task can be completed at a particular time. An adaptive learning based algorithm also improves the efficiency of the system with usage. I. I NTRODUCTION The development of comsumer electronics has seen large number of products being developed for ease of operation and consumer satisfaction. This paper proposes a system that aids the customer for better management of task completion. It is common for a lot of people to make a to-do list on their smart devices. It is also common for them to have been to places where a particular task could have been completed. However, the users forget to refer to the list. Hence, to-do lists today are used by people when they take time off from routine and dedicate time only for task completion. As an example, suppose a user has added a clause of purchasing coffee from the market. The user, while working say visits a coffee shop to have coffee with colleagues. It is potentially possible for the user to buy coffee and complete the task, however he may not remember the same as he is in a different mindset. This work proposes a system that requires very less interaction and helps to complete such tasks. We assume that such to do list has been generated by the user. The algorithm then extracts key words from the list to determine the things associated with the tasks. Using data mining techniques, relevant brand names and brand logos are extracted. We have developed an algorithm that simply extracts this information from the well known website wikipedia. The brands of these commodities are then downloaded. A collage of all the images is created to develop a single image for comparison. In order to extract the availability of commodities with these brand names, we have


In this paper, a specific pragmatic type of request mitigation strategies (orders and requests) is analyzed in the dialogues of two Portuguese textbooks for foreigners, namely, the accompanying procedures, as classified by Kerbrat-Orecchioni (2005, 2006). The work is based on speech acts theory (Austin, 1962/1990; Searle, 1979/2002), on Goffman's (1967/1980) concept of face and on Brown and Levinson's (1987) concepts of positive and negative politeness. The results showed that mitigation strategies included not only lexical resources but also reformulation procedures and that the use of moderators, such as "please", was among the most used lexical mitigation resources. The results also point out failures in the pragmatic treatment of the issue in the books analyzed.


A new approach in the method of depositing an external lubricant on the die walls of a powder metallurgy press has been developed which allows the compaction of parts from mixes with no or minimal lubricant content. By heating the die to moderate temperatures (70°C 100°C) and using new composite lubricants, optimum thickness lubricant layers can be deposited allowing the compaction-ejection of difficult parts. Trials were carried out on an industrial press with measurement of the compaction and ejection forces for different parts and powder mixes. In particular, an iron-resin powder mix with no internal lubricant was pressed into rectangular shapes of different thicknesses and punch profiles. Mixes for high density applications were also pressed into rectangular shapes using die wall lubrication (DWL). The results are compared to those obtained with regular mixes containing 0.75% wax and special mixes intended for high density applications (low internal lubricant) pressed without the DWL.


Summary Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) (Oregon strain) was propagated in salmonid cell lines and purified by differential and density gradient centrifugation. The virus had a density in sucrose gradients of 1.16 g/cm3. The nucleic acid extracted from purified virus was shown to be RNA as determined by chemical analysis, by its density in a cesium sulfate gradient, and by its sensitivity to ribonuclease. The latter property, together with a nonequimolar ratio of adenylic to uridylic acids, indicate its single stranded nature.


The role of technology transfer in technical and vocational education is significant since lecturers, trainers, and students can obtain the updated knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are currently being practice by local and international business and industries. Technology transfer can indeed close the gap between what is being learned and practice in technical and vocational institutions and the world of work. However, the success technology transfer in technical and vocational education perspective would depend entirely on the quality of management. It is their responsibility, when signing an agreement with internal or external providers of technology, to include calluses that enable academic staff in related specialty to interact positively and freely with the supplier on technology. In other terms, ensuring no clear or hidden restriction imposed by the supplier of technology to acquire the know-how and know-why that are embedded in the agreement. In this paper, I present some of the empirical results and observations which describe the interactions between the supplier of technology (Electrical Engineering System) and the recipient of the technology (PAAE&T) in the field of technology transfer. In other word, whether the PAAE&T have taken the opportunity, while building its new headquarter, in the transfer of technology from the supplier of electrical engineering system to its academic staff in its various Electrical Engineering Academic Departments at the PAAE&T colleges and institutions. The paper argues that, for effective and efficient transfer of technology, the recipient (PAAE&T) must ensure that the agreement with the supplier of Electrical Engineering System must include calluses that would allow the PAAE&T academic staff in its various Electrical Engineering Academic Departments in its various colleges and institutions to acquire the technology embedded in the agreement. The paper concludes that the transfer of technology and the building of a local scientific and technical infrastructure must be viewed by Kuwaiti decision-makers as a complementary to one another. Thus, reducing, to great extent, the level of dependence on expatriate, particularly in essential sector of the economy.


Electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in acidic media are crucial in proton-exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells and other electrochemical devices. Achieving ideal ORR activity and durability in acidic media remains a challenge. Here, we developed a new NFeCo-CNT/NC nanocomposite electrocatalyst from the highly available and recyclable plant biomass Typha orientalis using a readily scalable approach. The electrocatalyst exhibits excellent ORR activity, superior stability and tolerance to methanol poisoning effects in acidic media. The value of the onset potential and half-peak potential of the typical product is only 70 mV and 65 mV less than that of Pt/C, respectively. The NFeCo-CNT and NFeCo-NC in the nanocomposite have synergistically enhanced ORR activities. The catalyst may have practical applications in fuel cells. One of the important accomplishments of this work is the discovery that trace Fe3+ and Co2+ can synergistically catalyze the growth of the carbon nanotubes when melamine serves as the CNT precursor.


Achieving 20nm designs with 193nm lithography is difficult even with immersion technology. At 20nm, the metal-1 pitch will be ~64nm, which is well below the 80nm limit for single exposure. In this work we extend on our earlier results [1-4] to show simulation-based patterning of both SRAMs and logic cells. This is consistent with the emerging industry consensus that regular designs and multiple exposure techniques will extend 193nm immersion as far down as 7nm [5]. The approach relies on 1D Gridded Design Rules with Lines/Cuts (1D GDR LC) selective double patterning. Due to the highly regular patterns of 1D GDR LC we are able to determine a sharp lithographic optimum as a result of numerical co-optimization of key layout parameters and lithography settings such as scanner illumination, etc. including realistic scanner capability. Critical layers (holes/cuts in 1D GDR LC) consist of a number of identical hole/cut patterns with varying density. We propose a novel algorithm for full-chip proximity correction of such critical layers. The algorithm consists of 1) a source-mask optimization step (SMO) to choose optimal scanner settings for a class of designs using standard cells, followed by 2) a final correction step applied to the entire layout to determine individual sizing for each cut to componsate for its optical/process environment. This procedure converges rapidly in our test cases producing close to 0nm CD error for each cut. Several test designs including one with approximately 100k transistors using ~20 cells from a standard cell library including both SRAM and logic cells were used, with good convergence obtained in all cases. Out procedure is a combination of an SMO step followed by cuts-OPC, the equivalent to OPC applied to cuts of 1D GDR LC designs. The procedure scales linearly with layout area and can be efficiently applied to full-chip designs.


It introduces characteristics of multi-level steel structure workshop,discusses its structural arrangement from aspects of its structural system,arrangement of pillar net,system of sustainment,structyre of node and structure of maintenance,and propounds calculation design requirements of multi-level light steel workshop.


factory and of their links with the wider political arenas in Maharashtra. The phenomenon of multiple entrepreneurships of Maratha elites, encompassing a range of economic and political arenas, is vividly described and richly illustrated. The structure of factions and alliances and their interpenetration into the various avenues of power are carefully described. These two chapters constitute by far the most perceptive analysis of factional politics in Ahmednagar district. Unfortunately Baviskar has not seen fit to go into a broader as well as deeper sociological analysis of the Congress Party in Maharashtra, even as he argues that a party which controls the cooperatives will dominate rural politics and will have to acquire many of the characteristics of the Congress (p. 178). There exist abundant hints and analyses in both popular and scholarly literature about the class and caste basis of Congress power and we wonder why Baviskar prefers to completely ignore them. The last chapter is even more apologetic about the scope of the study and also about the structure of sugar cooperatives. Baviskar defines success in terms of 'achieving benefits for members of the cooperative from the economic activity undertaken by it,' and yet the book is not an ordinary, insipid organisational analysis of a factory. The analysis of the links between the factory and the politics of Maharashtra elevate this book to a level of


― 85 ― Abstract Raman spectral analyses were conducted of carbonaceous materials ( CM ) in meta-sedimen-tary rocks to estimate the metamorphic thermal structure of the Outer Zone of Southwest Japan in the Akaishi Mountains area, central Japan. Twenty samples of pelitic and psammitic rocks were collected along the Koshibu River and by traversing the Sanbagawa, Chichibu, and Shimanto belts. The datasets of the full width at half maximum of the D1-band ( FWHM D1 ) ─ which is a sensitive thermal parameter of the Raman spectra of CM ─ imply that each rock records a single metamorphic thermal event. The peak metamorphic temperatures estimated with Raman CM geothermometry show 286  339°C in the Sanbagawa Belt, 284  350°C in the Chichibu Belt, and 328  347°C in the Shimanto Belt with a continuous spatial change including at the boundaries between belts. From northwest to southeast, a clear temperature decrease is observed in the Sanbagawa Belt, but an increase in the Chichibu Belt with a constant high- T condition ─ similar to those recognized in southeast part of the Chichibu Belt ─ in the Shimanto Belt. A comparison of geological structures suggests that the present thermal structures in the Chichibu and Shimanto belts were formed with the formation of a "twist-bend" structure related to the collision of the Izu-Ogasawara ( Izu-Bonin ) Arc with respect to the Honshu Arc at middle Miocene. In contrast, the thermal structure in the Sanbagawa Belt was mainly formed before about 20 Ma but the above middle Miocene tectonics may involve the formation of the apparent


The invention relates to a communication authentication method and device and a terminal device. The communication authentication method comprises the steps that an access authentication request sent by the terminal device is received on the condition that account verification provided by a third-party authentication system for the terminal device is passed; a third-party authentication request is sent to the third-party authentication system corresponding to a third-party application identifier; an account corresponding to a first token sent by the third-party authentication system is received, a user identifier bound to the account is obtained, and a second token and the IP address of a gateway are allocated according to the user identifier so that the terminal device can use service provided by an operator after authenticating the second token at the gateway. According to the communication authentication method and device and the terminal device, a user just needs to provide the account once for login once on the terminal device, and after the account passes verification by the third-party authentication system, the user can obtain the authority of the service registered by the user identifier bound to the account through an operator authentication system to use the service; the process is simple, and user experience is good.


The actual development of science-based approach to build «event tree» to quantify the risk of accidents at hazardous production facilities. Analyzed Modern logic «event trees» of existing regulations is analyzed. Findings, recommendations for their elimination are giver.


This article examines two novels that deal with the problem of past representation in German literature: Malina (1971) by Ingeborg Bachmann and Pawels Briefe (1999) by Monika Maron. These novels incorporate either musical or photographic images in a metonymic mode that forms an alternative poetics of memory. Metonymy is a figure of speech in which a part implicitly represents the whole, thus not constituting the 'thing' but rather hinting at it. In shaping acoustic as well as visual metonymic manifestations, both Bachmann and Maron create poetics that reveal the partial, fragmented nature of memory regarding the 'catastrophe' in Europe. However, the transformation from voice to picture and from anonymous subjects to private family narratives, which might be associated with 'normalisation' processes, also indicates a change in dealing with the past, as it is reflected in post-unification literature.


Abstract : The elimination of fire and explosion hazards in aircraft fuel tanks has been investigated. DOD and FAA tests have shown that a reduction of the oxygen concentration in the ullage gas to under 12 percent will prevent rapid propagation of the flame front and subsequent overpressure explosion. One means of providing the required reduction in oxygen concentration is to provide a source of inert (nitrogen-rich) gas which would replace fuel used, and flush out atmospheric oxygen and dissolved oxygen which may be released from the fuel. Molecular sieve pressure swing adsorption technology could be used to generate inert (nitrogen-rich) gas. A Molecular Sieve Inert Gas Generator (MSIGG) was designed, fabricated, and delivered to the U.S. Air Force, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio where it will undergo extensive laboratory testing to establish the feasibility of using the molecular sieve pressure swing adsorption technology to provide fuel tank inerting protection for large fixed wing aircraft. In preliminary testing prior to delivery the developed system met performance goals and predictions. (Author)


The deforestation of a site for agriculture and/ or cattle raising purposes changes either microclimate and soil properties. These environmental changes can act as physical barriers which drastically limits tree species establishment in reforestation . From microclimatic point of view, the study of the energy balance plays a key role when the original environment is severely changed. The net energy in a site is mainly dissipated by latent and sensible heat fluxes which are associated to evapotranspiration and thermal regimes, respectively. The analyses of these fluxes allow to design control systems to reduce the high evaporation rates and high temperatures registered in a deforested site. Energy balance, latent and sensible heat fluxes and other components are analysed, and some techniques to manipulate energy balance are also presented.


Services of infocommunication networks become more and more accessible for us. Using of these services is natural and permanent need for more and more people. An evident answer to this expectation by the vendors, access and content providers is the concentration and integration which can be observed in the physical networks as well as in the eld of used protocols. Although the expansion of network capacities seems to keep up with the increasing amount of user tra c, perceptible quality degradation can be experienced due to the huge amount of transmitted data. To combat these problems network operators have several potential solutions. Among these the tra c control methods are emphasized in my dissertation. In the rst part of my work I proposed a scheduler primarily applicable in xed size packet switching networks. This method provides optimal service in a given network node for all ows taking into account the individual ows' quality-of-service requirements given by their sources, and the quality of the service received by the ows previously. I veri ed the functionality of the server with simulation. In the second part of my work I proposed an other packet scheduling method which is a variant of the well known round robin. The main di erence is that the ows have multiple service opportunities in a single round. In this system called Advanced Round Robin we allow to set up a new connection only in the case if it is ensured that all active ows (including the new one) can achieve the required quality of service. Based on the architecture of the scheduler I gave the statistical and deterministic (worst case) service guarantees provided to the individual ows. I revealed that ARR scheduler is related to the servers based on the Generalized Processor Sharing, it can be characterized as a Latency Rate server and I calculated the fairness index of the ARR. I compared the Advanced Round Robin scheduler with the most popular similar servers treated in the literature. It can be stated that ARR is one of the best servers regarding latency and fairness parameters. The mechanisms of the ARR scheduler and the provision of quality of service guar-


We report phase synchronization for the coupled diffusionless Lorenz system and for a new coupled chaotic system in four dimensional space. Stability is also examined by applying a measure to the linearlized evaluation difference matrix between coupled chaotic systems. c © Electronic Journal of Theoretical Physics. All rights reserved.


The objectives of the study were to collect and analyze data relating to the types, costs, and operational problems of gas leak and fire detection devices and of fire prevention and suppression systems used at LNG facilities operating in the United States. Data from 39 LNG facilities, which accounted for 45% of the total U.S. storage capacity, were collected. The report provides information relating to equipment manufacturers, site applications, operational problems, initial installation costs, annual operational costs, and equipment lifetime. Equipment of interest included fixed gas leak, fire and cryogenic detection systems, water deluge and barrier systems, thermal radiation walls and protective coatings, and fixed high expansion foam, dry chemical, carbon dioxide and halon fire suppression systems. In addition, internal fire fighting capabilities were reviewed.


Preliminary analysis has been completed on measurements of limiter heating during high fusion power deuterium-tritium (D-T) operation of TFTR, in an attempt to identify heating from alpha particle losses. Recent operation of TFTR with a 50-50 mix of D-T has resulted in fusion power output ({approx} 6.2 MW) orders of magnitude above what was previously achieved on TFTR. A significantly larger absolute number of particles and energy from fusion products compared to D-D operation is expected to be lost to the limiters. Measurements were made in the vicinity of the midplane ({plus_minus} 30{degree}) with thermocouples mounted on the tiles of an outboard limiter. Comparisons were made -between discharges which were similar except for the mix of deuterium and tritium beam sources. Power and energy estimates of predicted alpha losses were as high as 0.13 MW and 64 kJ. Depending on what portion of the limiters absorbed this energy, temperature rises of up to 42 {degrees}C could be expected, corresponding to a heat load of 0.69 MJ/m{sup 2} over a 0.5 sec period, or a power load of 1.4 MW/m{sup 2}. There was a measurable increase in the limiter tile temperature as the fusion power yield increased with a more reactivemore » mixture of D and T at constant beam power during high power D-T operation. Analysis of the data is being conducted to see if the alpha heating component can be extracted. Measured temperature increases were no greater than 1 {degree}C, indicating that there was probably neither an unexpectedly large fraction of lost particles nor unexpected localization of the losses. Limits on the stochastic ripple loss contribution from alphas can be deduced.« less


EIR January 22, 2010 Jan. 1 —In the midst of the greatest international financial crisis in modern history, all of Asia, including, emphatically, the Russian Federation, is engaged in a process of rapid expansion of nuclear power construction, a source of great pride to the nuclear producer-nations, and of great hope to their clients among the developingsector nations. These former colonies have been systematically deprived of their natural right to the use of nuclear power by the continuing legacy of British imperial power. What was promised by the Atoms for Peace process of U.S. Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy—access to the virtually unlimited power potential of nuclear energy, to escape from the colonial legacy of backwardness and poverty—was abruptly sabotaged in the 1970s. This was done under the cover of the anti-nuclear hysteria fostered by Prince Philip's environmentalist movement, and the fraudulent argument that non-proliferation of nuclear weapons required a halt to peaceful uses of nuclear power. Now, the nations of Asia have definitively rejected British imperial dictates, asserting their long-term development to be centered, necessarily, upon expanded nuclear power capacities. Unfortunately, the West is still mired in the British Empire's muck. While Asian nations are currently engaged in the construction of 3 nuclear plants, the entire rest of the world is constructing only 12. The United States, once the unquestioned leader in nuclear power development, is now constructing but one facility—and that is simply the completion of a mothballed TVA plant, suspended in the 1980s. All of Western Europe is constructing only two plants, while Germany and Sweden have determined to phase out all their nuclear power plants—although the global economic collapse is forcing a reconsideration of that lunacy. In the United States, 22 nuclear scientists, engineers, and others issued a public letter this week to President Obama's Science Advisor John Holdren, himself an anti-nuclear, anti-science zero-growther, warning that "the world is leaving us behind." The letter reads in part: "Our nation needs to proceed quickly— not twenty or fifty years from now—while the people who pioneered this science and engineering can still provide guidance to a new generation of scientists and engineers. There is no political, economic, or technical justification for delaying the benefits that nuclear power will bring to the United States, while the rest of the world forges ahead." Contrast this to South Korea, where the Ministry of Knowledge Economy announced Jan. 13 that South Korea intends to export 80 nuclear plants, with a total value of $ 00 billion, by 2030. South Korea recently became only the sixth nuclear exporter, by winning a contract to build four nuclear units for the U.A.E. The East Goes Nuclear, While The West Heads for the Caves


A statistical segregation threshold (SST) that determines the spatial distribution of solids and pores in
computerized tomography (CT) images of porous media is presented. The proposed algorithm combines basic image
processing techniques with consideration of measurement errors and CT scanning resolution. While traditional threshold
methods use only one or two parameters to identify pore features in CT images, the SST characterizes the spatial
distribution of features by segregating image voxels into groups and treating each group differently according to its known
statistical properties. This provides a major improvement when pores are smaller than the image resolution. By classifying
the CT image into mixed-component, peak and tail-voxel fractions, the proposed algorithm provides a semi-automatic and
theoretically sound technique for component segregation. The SST algorithm results are insensitive to the local threshold
value and sample heterogeneity. Three acrylic test objects with various void sizes and water content are used to test and
demonstrate the SST.


A Final Report Submitted to the USDA Forest Service, Santa Fe National Forest and USDI National Park Service, Bandelier National Monument


Background and Objective: N-Methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonists such as piperidines are the most important antiepileptic drugs. Considering the fact that piperidine derivatives such as phencyclidine (PCP) and its new derivative, 1-[1-(3-methoxyphenyl) (tetralyl)] piperidine (PCP1), have different potencies, the antiepileptic effects of mentioned drugs were investigated in the present study. Material and Methods: Fifty male mice weighing 25-30 g were randomly selected and divided into five experimental groups: 1-Control 2- Pentylentetrazole-kindled mice, 3- Positive control group which received valproate, and groups 4 and 5, which received PCP and PCP1, respectively. Kindling was down by 11 periods injection of PTZ every second day for 22 days. At the 12th injection, all kindled group were tested for PTZ challenge dose. The exhibited phases of seizure (0-6) were observed and noted till 30 minutes after PTZ injection. Finally, the malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase and nitric oxide levels of the animal's brain tissues were determined and compared with others. Results: PCP1 could have a prominent anti-convulsion effect compared to PCP, especially in the reduction of phase 2 duration time and seizure score in challenge dose. Our additional experiments showed that there was a significant reduction in NO level in PCP1 treated animals. Conclusion: Administration of the new piperidine derivate, PCP1 could have yielded a prominent anti-convulsion effect in grand epilepsy. Regarding to the changes in conformation of PCP1 as a non-competitive antagonist of NMDA receptor, it may block the NMDA receptors potentially more effectively than phencyclidine.


s of Selected Papers NAREA Annual Meetings, Portsmouth, NH, June 8S10, 2003 Agriculture and the Environment I MODERATOR: Robert Johnston (University of Connecticut) "Enduring Impacts of Temporary Land Retirement Payments: Econometric and Simulation Analysis of the Conservation Reserve Program." Ruben N. Lubowski and Michael J. Roberts (Economic Research Service/USDA). This study examines the determinants of land-use decisions following Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contract expiration, using data from the National Resources Inventory (NRI). Land use is simulated after a hypothetical termination of the CRP. The results provide insights into enduring impacts of the CRP and of other potential incentive-based land-use policies. "Factors Influencing the Acceptance of Wetland Easement Offers in North Dakota." Steve Shultz (North Dakota State University). USFWS wetland easement payment offers to North Dakota landowners (1989S1998) are evaluated. A logistic model demonstrates that landowners exhibit rational profit-maximizing behavior when evaluating easement offers, and that the USFWS made fair and reasonable payment offers based on its ability to account for heterogeneous land values across counties. "Economics of Agriculture and Preservation of Wetlands." Jorge D. de Prada, Farhed Shah, and Boris E. Bravo-Ureta (University of Connecticut). Upstream as well as downstream farmers may lack incentives to pursue soil conservation needed for wetlands preservation. A dynamic model linking soil erosion with deterioration of wetlands is presented. The model is applied to data from Córdoba, Argentina. Private and social planner solutions are compared, and corrective actions are suggested. "Equilibrium Behavior in the Conservation Easement Game." Christopher M. Anderson and Jonathan R. King (University of Rhode Island). We develop a game-theoretic model of the private incentives induced by conservation easement programs. A laboratory experiment verifies that conservation decisions are based on private incentives, without consideration of the public goods provided. Therefore, unless land trusts are discriminating, conservation easements may not lead to optimal conservation, and may reduce


Clinical Laboratory is a major of great importance in modern medicine. Laboratory tests results are objective indicators of the status of the body. A large percentage of diagnoses of various diseases are placed on the basis of laboratory analyses. At the current stage of development of the healthcare systems, great consideration is given to the assessment of the quality in providing medical cares. Quality in Clinical Laboratories is a system of actions, at all levels of the clinician and laboratory process, aimed at achieving a maximum correct result, which will help doctors-clinicians in specifying the diagnosis, monitoring the treatment and predicting the course of the disease concerned, the provision of quality laboratory medical services being the responsibility of every professional. Clinical Laboratory major, when used optimally, generates knowledge that guides clinicians and serves to properly treat and monitor patients, which in turn is the key to more cost-effective and quality health cares. There are many definitions of a 'Quality Laboratory Medical Care' but they are all united around the thesis that the good quality of laboratory testing assists clinicians in practicing modern medicine at a high level. To achieve a high level of quality in Clinical Laboratory and a maximum accuracy of laboratory analyses, control materials–medical devices are used in the clinical and laboratory process to control the analytical reliability of the laboratory methods. Control materials used in the Clinical Laboratory should: closely resemble patient specimen; remain stable over time; have a concentration of ingredients within the clinically relevant areas and reference ranges. Values stated in control materials should be obtained with primary reference methods and should be traceable to international standards, as well as to use controls in several concentration areas. The use of control materials certified at different levels is at the heart of the concept of 'quality' in Laboratory Medicine. This concept is focused not only on analytical accuracy but on a more comprehensive basis, including all the steps of the Clinical Laboratory process, providing valuable information in the course of making important clinical diagnostic decisions on patient-centered health cares.


The utility model provides a self-help cashier terminal, which comprises a display device, a bar code scanning device, a payment device, a demagnetizing device and a host machine, wherein the display device, the bar code scanning device, the payment device and the demagnetizing device are respectively connected with the host machine, the display device sends instructions from the users to the host machine, and receives commands returned by the host machine, the bar code scanning device reads bar codes on the commodity and sends the bar codes to the host machine, the payment device is communicated with the host machine, and carries out the account settlement, and the demagnetizing device demagnetizes the commodity when the host machine judges that the transaction is successful. The self-help cashier terminal of the utility model can reduce the account settlement time of each user, so the users do not need to wait in lines at an exit of a market. Thereby, the cost of sellers can also be reduced.


This paper describes the BE06 Corpus, a one million word reference corpus of general written British English that was designed to be comparable to the Brown family of corpora. After providing a description of the Brown sampling frame, and giving the rationale for building a new corpus, the process of building the BE06 is elaborated upon, with reference to collecting previously published texts from internet sources, defining "British" authors and enabling accessibility of the corpus. Three studies of lexical frequency using BE06 and comparable corpora (LOB, FLOB and BLOB) are then carried out. These involve a comparison of the 20 most frequent lexical items, an examination of pronoun usage, and an investigation of keywords derived from comparing the 1991 FLOB corpus with the BE06. The paper ends with a critical evaluation of the worth of using the same sampling frame for linguistic studies of diachronic variation.


This article presents how to design multiband energy selective surface (ESS), which has a nonlinear transmission response to the power of incidence in multiple frequency band. It is demonstrated that ESSs with an arbitrary number of operating bands could be obtained with both parallel and serial LC resonance circuits and each single operating band could be modulated from a passband with low insertion loss (IL) to a stopband with high shielding effectiveness (SE). Furthermore, a dual-band ESS is designed to verify the proposed methods, in which two rectangular resonance rings mounted with Sckotty diodes are used. A 0.5 IL and 30 dB SE are observed at the central frequency of both operating bands with ECM and full-wave simulations. Prototypes are fabricated and measured with a waveguide set-up. There is a good agreement between the simulations and measurements under low-power incidence. However, some differences are observed under high-power incidence. The reason behind is discussed in detail and some measures for improvement are also proposed. The proposed approach provides general guidelines for multiband ESS design and is supposed to obtain wide use in adaptive shielding for high power microwave (HPM).


-The pandemic of 1918, or more famously the Spanish flu remains a dark and disruptive phenomenon, a scourge in the face of time and history. But what makes it most intriguing is its own oxymoronic entity-its own absent-presence, an experience that was simultaneously ubiquitous and hidden. Such exclusion, when understood as deliberate, remains at the heart of discourses of power and domination. Human civilization is rife with many such practices; be it indiscriminate exploitation of the environment, or the discrimination on grounds of race, caste, colour, gender, sexuality, et al-all based on a systemic delegitimization of "discarded negatives" (Butler). Representation, when empowered with a disruptive force that can push through state sanctioned borders and mainstream interpretive constructs, can emerge as alternative frames that can "see" through the suppressed. Lifting the veil of the archival dust ambient upon long forgotten stories will enable us to excavate narrative possibilities from all that has been silenced, granting them a voice that is long due. This article will be structured into two cluster of materials: the first part will briefly document the extent and spread of the contagion, tracing its evolution from a miasmic atmospheric entity, shifting in waves, towards becoming a horrifying, visible reality.


Friends for Life is a community-based AIDS service organization which deals with the practical and emotional issues of HIV. The organization has grown considerably over its 6 years of existence. The three main HIV clinics at the Provincial Hospitals of Johannesburg Helen Joseph and Hillbrow are staffed and assisted by organization volunteers who help manage patient files provide emotional care and refer patients. The Friends for Life community liaison officer has launched a pilot project in Alexandria focusing upon AIDS education and the care of people with HIV in the area. Friends for Life personnel also visit hospital inpatients to offer an understanding ear and toiletries when needed; provide nonperishable foods on a weekly basis to needy people with HIV/AIDS; and run a successful home care satellite which provides practical and emotional care and support to people who are too sick to care for themselves while still living at home. Friends for Life holds training courses for volunteers three times per year to train and evaluate prospective volunteers. Various referral services are also available to patients including organizing disability grants legal psychosocial and welfare advice as well as a hotline on safer sex and referrals to general practitioners a clothing bank for the needy and a weekly support group from the offices in Berea on issues applicable to all people who are infected with HIV.


The marketing strategy is included in the overall corporate strategy, for example in the strategies of the organization, holding company or its subsidiaries, strategic business units. Strategic planning is a mandatory process of determining the strategic purposes of the enterprise and the allocation of scarce resources to achieve them


This study is one of the few attempts to investigate customers' intention to repurchase in Internet shopping. Using an online questionnaire filled out by 1,111 online customers to conduct a multiple regression analysis, a new factor, perceived benefits, had a positive impact on the repurchase intention. In addition, extrinsic benefits measured by time and money savings, social adjustment, and self-enhancement as well as intrinsic benefits measured by pleasure and novelty had significant strong effects on online repurchasing. Findings indicate that customer retention of Internet shopping must be promoted by guaranteeing not only extrinsic benefits but also intrinsic benefits.


The relation of equivalence of cyclic finite automata and their generators is discussed.And a necessary and sufficient condition of the equivalence of two finite automata is given.


The author of the article intends to call people's attention to the fact that full and proper protection of the rightsof the minority nationalities is one of the most important steps towards joint development and peaceful coexistence of theworld.


It is proposed and demonstrated that fiber-optic Mach-Zehnder interferometer measures accurately the EO coefficients of, not only the poled polymer thin film, but also the poled polymer waveguide. Furthermore, the tensor components, both r13 and rr33, of EO coefficient can be measured simultaneously.


Objective To study the clinical and pathologic features of invasive micropapillary carcinoma(IMC). Methods We reviewed all 128 cases of primary breast carcinoma that were surgically resected at our hospital between 1990 and 2005. Of these, 5 cases of invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast with a pure or partial micropapillary component were reported. The cases were analyzed using various parameters, including age at presentation, tumor size, tumor grade, presence of lymphatic invasion, and axially lymph node status. Results The patients' age at presentation ranged from 35 to 62 years (mean 51.4 years). Tumor size ranged from 2.0 to 4.0cm (mean 2.9 cm). All of the cases had lymphatic invasion and positive lymph nodes. All of these 5 patients died from breast carcinoma within 5 years. Conclusions IMC is a special kind of infiltrating breast cancer with poor prognosis and high incidence of lymph node metastases.


The research was conducted from  August 2014 to Januari 2015 in the Ultisol Land, Pematang Berangan Village, Rokan Hulu Regency, Riau Province. The study aims to determine the availability of P, P and Si uptake by upland rice plants granting silicate and phosphate fertilizer on Ultisol land. The form of this research is experimental factorial completely randomized design consist of two factors. The first factor is silicate consists of four levels (0, 50, 75, and 100 kg SiO 2 /ha), while the second factor is phosphate fertilizer consists of four levels (0, 36, 54, and 72 kg P 2 O 5 /ha), each combination was repeated three times. The results showed that administration of silicates and phosphates increase the availability of P, P and Si uptake of upland rice crop. Giving of 100 kg SiO 2 and 36 kg P 2 O 5 per hectare increase  uptake of P and Si, each respectively increased by 208 % and 218 % compared without silicates and phosphates fertilizer.


Objective:To take survey among health professionals of family planning services in Jiangsu province and evaluate the feasibility of carrying out cervical cancer/breast cancer screening in local-level family planning services.Method: 11 family planning services(3 of city-level and 8 of county-level) in Jiangsu were selected as study sites, the questionnaires were used to investigate all health professionals from the study sites.Result:All sites had launched cervical cancer/breast cancer screening service. The differences between city-level and county-level workers on education and professional title were significant(P0.05); while on work seniority were not(P=0.053). The main way of gaining knowledge on treatment and prevention of cervical cancer/breast cancer was attending training. And workers of countylevel family planning services had little acquaintance with breast cancer screening methods and risk factors(P0.05). Conclusion:Personnel quality of city-level professionals are better than county-level, but the knowledge level of cervical cancer/breast cancer screening should be promoted further. This investigation shows it's possible to carry out cervical cancer/breast cancer screening service based on present work condition, however, standardized training should be done and investment on screening equipment should be increased. Building the screening system and technical team is the cornerstone of providing women healthcare service.


The tourism industry was a new industry.The development of the tourism industry of Traditional Chinese Medicine not only carry forward and develop the culture of Traditional Chinese Medicine,but also promote the tourism industry.There were abundant tourism resources of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Hunan Province.So it would largely promote the tourism industry in Hunan Province with the research and development of Traditional Chinese Medicine tourism in Hunan Province.


Rosiglitazone is a second-generation aminopyridyl thiazolidinedione that has been observed to be a safe and effective oral glucose-lowering agent in diabetic patients. In the present study two different preparations containing 2 mg rosiglitazone were compared in twelve healthy Indian human male volunteers under fasting condition. The trial was performed in a randomized two-way crossover design with a wash out period of one week. Rosiglitazone was extracted from human plasma using liquid-liquid method of extraction. HPLC method was used to determine the plasma concentration of the drug.


We present a basic introduction to the theories of Möbius structures and hyperbolic ends and we study their applications to the theory of k-surfaces in 3-dimensional hyperbolic space. Classification AMS: 57K32, 53C18, 53C42, 58D10


ABSTRACT Today, with the rapid advancement of technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered chatbots have become omnipresent across sectors like e-commerce, travel, hospitality, banking, EdTech, etc.; but they still haven't been predominantly adopted by academic libraries. This paper reports on a qualitative study aimed to explore the perceived risks and challenges behind the adoption of chatbots in libraries and how chatbots could help deliver superior experience to all library users as well as stakeholders. We conducted interviews with multiple stakeholders of academic libraries: the library staff, doctoral students and the faculty, to understand their perspectives on the adoption of Chatbots. We used CAQDAS NVIVO 12 content analysis software to analyse the interview transcripts. Our findings suggest that the majority of the stakeholders we interviewed favour the adoption of chatbots, as they believe that integrating chatbot technology with an existing library information system could deliver diverse services, which in turn would help in research and scholarly communication. However, 'perceived risk' with respect to employing chatbots among stakeholders was high. Also, the stakeholders raised some serious concerns with respect to privacy intrusion by chatbots, and with respect to chatbots' comprehension of task complexity, which are issues that must be addressed by chatbot developers while designing them, specifically for libraries.


Preface A global perspective on biomass gasification Innovation on biomass wastes utilization through gasification and co-gasification. Stage of deployment and needs for further R Auto-Gasification Of Biomass Biomass Gasification Systems Integrated With Fuel Cells And Microturbines Allothermal Gasification: Review of Recent Developments Modelling fixed-bed biomass gasifiers: A review Upgrading of a biomass generated gas with commercial-like and home-made catalysts The study on the performance of "mobile oxygen" catalysts used for biomass gasification Biomass production with fast-growing trees on agricultural land in cool-temperate regions: possibilities, limitations, challenges Producer Gas and Vegetable Oils Operated Compression Ignition Engines for Rural Applications Biomass gasifier based power projects under clean development mechanism in India: A preliminary assessment Biomass Gasification in China: Some Recent Research and Demonstration Index.


This paper explores social integration of ethnic minority youth in the context of micro-level leisure interaction in Finland. The aim of the study is to disentangle the types of ties that are formed between ethnic minority and majority youth. Moreover, the article will examine how these ties build bridges across group boundaries in the form of providing new leisure resources for ethnic minority youth. The qualitative data of the study consists of multi-sited ethnography conducted in the context of youth work and distinct interview data of ethnic minority youth (n = 38). Strong interethnic ties in the form of close friendships are rare in the data. Instead, many weak ties in the form of distant acquaintances are maintained. However, because of manifold micro-level elements, these weak ties are often too fragile to function as bridges accumulating the leisure resources of ethnic minority youth. Strong interethnic ties seem to have more bridging qualities. Thus, the conceptual distinction of weak/bridging and strong/bonding ties originally formulated in the framework of the labour market may not be applicable in the fields of youth leisure.


Abstract : The president signed the Fiscal Year 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA, or Public Law 112-81) in December 2012, setting in motion the requirement under Section 346 of the NDAA to commission a report on force posture and deployment plans of the U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM). One week later, on January 5, 2012, the president released at the Department of Defense (DoD) a new Strategic Guidance document that directed a rebalancing toward the Asia Pacific region of military forces and national security efforts across the government. This guidance, and the Fiscal Year 2013 defense budget, marks only the beginning of force posture rebalancing. In March, DoD tasked the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) to undertake that study, with a report due 180 days after enactment, or by the end of June, 2012.


On the basis of summarizing the technical practice of oil drilling rig from U.S.,analyzed the technical connotation of the main parameters of the revised standard and discussed in detail the reasonableness and advancement of the standard.


Metastatic melanoma, a cancer historically refractory to chemotherapeutic strategies, has a poor prognosis and accounts for the majority of skin cancer related mortality. Although the recent approval of two new drugs combating this disease, Ipilimumab and Vemurafenib (PLX4032), has demonstrated for the first time in decades an improvement in overall survival; the clinical efficacy of these drugs has been marred by severe adverse immune reactions and acquired drug resistance in patients, respectively. Thus, understanding the etiology of metastatic melanoma will contribute to the improvement of current therapeutic strategies while leading to the development of novel drug approaches.

In order to identify recurrently mutated genes of therapeutic relevance in metastatic melanoma, a panel of stage III local lymph node melanomas were extensively characterised using high-throughput genomic technologies. This led to the identification of mutations in TFG in 5% of melanomas from a candidate gene sequencing approach using SNP array analysis, 24% of melanomas with mutations in MAP3K5 or MAP3K9 though unbiased whole-exome sequencing strategies, and inactivating mutations in NF1 in BRAF/NRAS wild type tumours though pathway analysis. Lastly, this thesis describes the development of a melanoma specific mutation panel that can rapidly identify clinically relevant mutation profiles that could guide effective treatment strategies through a personalised therapeutic approach.

These findings are discussed in respect to a number of important issues raised by this study including the current limitation of next-generation sequencing technology, the difficulty in identifying 'driver' mutations critical to the development of melanoma due to high carcinogenic exposure by UV radiation, and the ultimate application of mutation screening in a personalised therapeutic setting. In summary, a number novel genes involved in metastatic melanoma have been identified that may have relevance for current therapeutic strategies in treating this disease.


In this paper,on the basis of introducing the general situation of the first mining face deformation observation station in Gubei Coal Mine,we would be focusing on how to obtain basic parameters of surface movement deformation by using the measured data and summarize the basic laws of surface movement deformation and movement cycle in order to provide reference for the similar geological and mining conditions of mining.


: The research aims to try to reveal the level of feeling of psychological security among talented university students after the Corona pandemic and its relationship to motivation for achievement, and the differences between female students of theoretical and applied colleges in the extent of a sense of psychological security and motivation for achievement After the Corona pandemic, the research tools (psychological security scale, and the achievement motivation scale) were applied after verifying their psychometric characteristics, on a total sample of (211) talented female students of Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University, including (102 female students in theoretical colleges, and 109 female students in applied colleges). The results indicated that (15.69%) of female students of theoretical colleges have an average sense of psychological security, and (84.31%) have a sense of psychological insecurity, while (100%) of students of applied colleges do not have a sense of psychological security, and from the total sample, the percentage of those who have an average sense of psychological security (7.58%), and the percentage of ((92.42%) have a sense of psychological insecurity after the Corona pandemic. The results also found a significant and positive correlation between the sense of psychological security and the motivation for achievement for the research sample, And the presence of statistically significant differences between female students in theoretical and applied colleges of gifted women on the scale of psychological security in the direction of students of theoretical faculties, they are more psychologically secure after the Corona pandemic, and on the scale of motivation for achievement in the direction of students of applied colleges, they are more motivated to achieve after the Corona pandemic.


A patellar luxation and concomitant cranial cruciate ligament rupture is a common pathology in dogs. Diagnosis is based on clinical evidence of a patellar luxation and stifle joint instability. However, diagnostic imaging is required to assess the number of skeletal deformities and signs of instability. Surgical options include both soft tissue and osseous techniques, although, in most cases, a combination of multiple procedures is necessary to correct the patellar luxation and restore the stifle joint stability. Complication rates are generally low, but can include reluxation and implant-associated complications. This article describes the patellar luxation and cranial cruciate ligament rupture signs in dogs, including the clinical presentation and diagnosis, and discusses current treatment options.


Carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP)/Ti super hybrid laminates are newly developed structural materials with excellent properties. But they are restricted in aircraft manufacturing because of their poor machining quality and short tool life. The machining quality and tool life are determined by machining ways, tool materials, drill point forms and drilling sequence. Spiral milling, drilling from Ti side, using the PCD tools and carbide drills with special point angle can improve the quality of hole and prolong tool life.


The language Vlashki/Zheyanski, spoken in two areas ‐ the auonjevica area and eejane ‐ of the multilingual, multiethnic Istrian peninsula of Croatia, evinces strong loyalty on the part of its elderly speakers, yet in both areas a language shift to Croatian is well underway. Vlashki/Zheyanski is a severely endangered Eastern Romance language known in the linguistic literature as Istro-Romanian. In order to study the domains and frequency of use of the language and equally to examine speaker attitudes about language and identity, we administered a questionnaire to speakers in both locations. Our sample included responses from individuals in four age groups. Our discussion here focuses on 16 men and women from the two older groups, 51‐70 and 71-andolder. In eejane, speakers saw knowledge of the language and family lineage as defining components of being a "real" member of the community. The name for the language, Zheyanski, comes from the village name. Hence, someone who speaks the language asserts that village belonging and village affiliation are at the core of speakers' identity. In terms of national identification, whether Croatian, Italian, and/or Istrian, Zheyanski speakers by and large showed little enthusiasm for any of the three choices. In terms of language use, all respondents continue to use the language on a daily basis but report that they speak mostly Croatian to their grandchildren. In the auonjevica area, people used the same criteria, language knowledge and family lineage, to define group membership and feel close affiliation to their home village. Unlike in eejane, the name of the language, "Vlashki", does not correspond to a unitary group name accepted and liked by all. In terms of larger identity, villagers embraced identities that they share with their Croatian-speaking neighbors: Most felt "extremely Istrian", and at least "fairly Croatian". The language shift to Croatian is also more advanced here: All the speakers report speaking mostly Croatian to their children. While speakers in both eejane and the auonjevica area endued their language with a critical role in their identity, this attitude toward Vlashki/Zheyanski does not manifest itself in their communication with younger generations where other social forces have caused the shift to the use of Croatian.


We assess the effects of free convection on the boundary layer formed along a flat surface stretching vertically in a quiescent fluid. The flow is laminar and incompressible, the buoyancy forces conform to the Boussinesq approximation and the surface temperature is variable. The two-point boundary value problem of the coupled momentum and energy equations is solved using a simple and accurate relaxation method that provides the general nonsimilar solution to the flow. The effect of free-convection currents on velocity and temperature profiles, skin friction, and heat transfer is studied by varying the flow Grashof and Prandtl numbers. Zero shear stress and heat-transfer rate are predicted at some axial coordinate on a surface with decreasing wall temperature. Also the skin friction is markedly modified by the buoyancy while the heat transfer at the surface is correspondingly only moderately influenced.


The core of the metal-poor galactic globular cluster M92 (NGC 6341) has been observed with Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) on the Hubble Space Telescope through visual, blue, and mid-UV filters in a program devoted to studying the evolved stellar population in a selected sample of galactic globular clusters. In the UV (m255, m255-U) color-magnitude diagram, we have discovered a faint "UV-dominant" object. This star lies within the error box of a low-luminosity globular cluster X-ray source (LLGCX) recently found in the core of M92. The properties of the UV star discovered in M92 are very similar to those of other UV stars found in the core of some clusters (M13, 47 Tuc, M80, etc.)—all of them are brighter in the UV than in the visible and are located in the vicinity of a LLGCX. We suggest that these stars are a new subclass of cataclysmic variables.


This paper deals with the definition of a strong authentication model, coupling usual password/PIN based methods with a biometric matching, over a Multi Agent distributed infrastructure. When the user authentication procedure involves personal devices, the Multi Agent System model helps in the distribution of data and algorithms thanks to a better partitioning of roles and responsibilities, enhancing robustness to eavesdropping and tampering by properly moving agents around the system itself. The system architecture is based on specialized agents tied to the different devices, which safely communicate using both symmetric encryption for messages and asymmetric encryption to check principals' roles. Moreover, agents can carry on biometric parameters matching algorithms, bringing computation on those nodes with enough computing power. A complete authentication protocol has been developed and two different demos have been devised and tested. They differ for the tasks assigned to the mobile devices in use. Experiments show that agent capabilities, together with their power of migration, help in maintaining a higher level of security when mobile devices are involved.


In the bicycle manufacturing industries, manufacturers attempt to reflect a user's preference, namely riding comfort, on their products. Surface electromyogram (EMG)-based approaches have been researched for evaluation of riding comfort. However, the EMG does not capture user preferences, because it focuses on muscle fatigue, not riding comfort. To solve this problem, we propose an approach that combines an electroencephalogram (EEG) generated from the brain, which controls modulation of feelings and thoughts. Two bicycles that have different parameter settings and two types of tracks (straight and slalom) were selected to determine the riding comfort, especially riding difference, for the first time by using an EMG and EEG. Elastic net logistic regression analysis was used to construct predictive models. The classification accuracy of the bicycles was determined to be 81.9±7.0% for the slalom course. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the rectus muscle and frontal lobe are important points for evaluation of the riding comfort of bicycles.


Ultrafine silver monodispersed particle were prepared by wet chemical process. To decrease the reduction speed, an important factor in generating monodispersed particles is to control the following three factors: synthesis temperature, concentration of aggregation-relaxing agent added, and concentration of silver nitrate solution. Synthesis of monodispersed spherical Ag particles, used as metal powders for electrode, became possible using the nucleus growth reaction method. This process also allowed the control of the diameter of the powder particles. The silver particles were distributed in a narrow particle diameter range with on average of 0.5μm. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that single-crystalline silver particles were prepared by the present method.


Pb(Zr, Ti)O 3 (PZT) films were deposited into sub-micron trench structure consisting of SiO 2 /TiAlN/Ti/SiO 2 /Si to investigate their thickness and composition conformality by pulsed-metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) using liquid delivery source-supply system. Bis(dipivaloylmethanato)lead [Pb(DPM) 2 ], tetrakis(1-methoxy-2-methyl-2-propoxy)zirconium [Zr(MMP) 4 ] and tetrakis(1-methoxy-2-methyl-2-propoxy)titanium [Ti(MMP) 4 ] were used as Pb, Zr and Ti source materials, respectively. In Arrhenius plot, the slopes of the straight lines for the constituents Pb, Zr and Ti in PZT film were almost the same at a lower deposition temperature ( T d ) region as well as a higher T d one. This means the composition change in the film against the T d can be suppressed by using Pb(DPM) 2 -Zr(MMP) 4 -Ti(MMP) 4 -O 2 source system. From the results of Arrhenius plot, the T d s were fixed on 450 and 540°C as lower and higher temperatures, respectively. At both T d s, the sidewall-bottom step coverage ( SC s-b ) was approximately 70 %, while the sidewall step coverage ( SC sw ) reached excellent values above 90 %. It is suggested that low SC s-b value was caused by crystallization of the PZT films at the bottom of the trench because underlayer of the film at this area was not SiO 2 but crystalline TiAlN. On the other hand, no significant composition fluctuation was observed along the depth direction of the sidewall. These results mean that the film deposited at 540°C had almost the same level in terms of thickness and composition conformality as that deposited at 450°C.


Ergonomics is the behavior, ability and limits for creating a systems, machines, tools, tasks and work environment that is productive, safe and effective for human use. It is a common problem in the Industrialized Building System (IBS) manufacturing without being noticed by workers. Hence, a method must be implemented so that this problem can be solved. In particular, the research was carried out to identify activities that can lead to ergonomic, therefore it will providing the solution to the workers when they do work. For data collection, questionnaire was used to carrying out this research, the questionnaire was distributed to workers in IBS manufacturing. After that, the data was analyzed statistically. Data were processed by using the SPSS software as method to get the relative index and frequency of percentages. The workers are satisfied with the solution to ergonomically. The results of this research are expected to help the workers from determining cause and solution to ergonomic and it will prevent this problem from recurring. Then the parties are involved in IBS manufacturing can give full attention to ergonomic factor.


In this paper, we design and analyze a new zeroth-order online algorithm, the zeroth-order online alternating direction method of multipliers (ZOO-ADMM). We prove that ZOOADMM has a convergence rate of O( √ m/ √ T ), where m is the number of optimization variables, and T is the number of iterations. Compared to the first-order gradient-based online algorithm, ZOO-ADMM requires √ m times more iterations, however, it enjoys dual advantages of being gradient-free operation and employing the ADMM to accommodate complex structured regularizers.


The PNW-PMN-PZT ternary system piezoelectric ceramics with different additions of WO3 and Pb3O4 were successfully prepared by the conventional mixed-oxide method.Effects of the additions on the phase structure and electrical properties of ceramics were investigated.The results revealed that when calcining temperature was 800℃ and sintering temperature was 1 150℃,the optimized electrical properties were obtained in case of the 0.6% WO3 and 0.5% Pb3O4,and the parameters were Kp=0.66,Qm=1 318,d33=430 pC/N,er=2 229 and tan δ=0.006 6,respectively.This composition with optimized properties is considered to be a good candidate for preparation of high power piezoelectric transformers.


The concentration of chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) is an integrative bio-indicator of aquatic ecosystems and a direct indicator that evaluates the ecological status of water bodies. In this study, we focused on predicting the Chl-a concentration in seawater using machine learning (after replacing missing values). To replace the missing values among marine environment observation data, a comparison experiment was performed using multiple built-in imputation methods (i.e., pmm, cart, rf, norm, norm.nob, norm.boot, and norm.predict) of the mice package in R. The cart method was selected as the most suitable. We generated each regression model using six machine learning algorithms (regression tree, support vector regression (SVR), bagging, random forest, gradient boosting machine (GBM), and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost)) to predict the Chl-a concentration based on the complete imputed dataset. The prediction performance of the models was evaluated by four evaluation criteria using 10-fold cross-validation tests. XGBoost, an ensemble learning approach, outperformed other models in predicting the Chl-a concentration; SVR, a single model, also showed a good performance. The most important environmental factor in predicting the Chl-a concentration was an organic carbon particulate; however, dissolved oxygen also showed potential. This study was conducted with field observations in the spring and summer in the coastal zone of Korea. There exists a limit in machine learning applications, which excludes temporal and spatial factors. However, extensions to time series forecasting for deep learning or machine learning can lead to meaningful regional and seasonal analysis. It can also improve prediction performance as a result of the long-term data accumulation of field observations of more varied features (such as meteorological and hydrodynamic) besides water quality.


This paper gives a method to solve single-restriction not 0-1 integer knapsack problem with DNA computation.DNA encoding for all values of any variable was applied and all possible solutions were synthesized.And all optimized solutions were filtered out using group insert experiment and electrophoresis experiment.Finally all optimized solutions were found using detecting experiments.And an example explains the feasibility of the DNA algorithm.


In the clustering domain we have identified several problems, which require the mining of actionable subspaces defined by objects and attributes over a progression of time. These subspaces are actionable which means that they have the ability to propose profitable action for the decision-makers. We suggest mining actionable subspace clusters from sequential data, which are subspaces with high and associated utilities. We propose algorithm OCA 3DS Seeker, which uses a hybrid of SVD, optimization algorithm, and 3D frequent item set mining algorithm to mine OCA 3DSs in an efficient and parameter insensitive way. The algorithm is to mine actionable subspace clusters from 3D dimensional data, which are subspaces with high and correlated utilities. The OCA 3DS Seeker provide high efficiency in financial data and is able to discover to significant clusters and find the optimal centroid values to cluster of data with efficient performance and reducible size. We show that our clustering results are not sensitive to the framework parameters. In this paper we show that clusters with higher utilities correspond to higher action ability, and we can able to use our clusters to perform better than one of the most famous value investment strategies. Keywords— data mining; 3D subspace clustering; singular vector decomposition; financial data mining


In this document, we begin the technical design for the distributed RunII computing for CDF and D0. The present paper defines the three components of the data handling area of Run II computing, namely the Data Handling System, the Storage System and the Application. We outline their functionality and interaction between them. We identify necessary and desirable elements of the interfaces.


A step-by-step procedure for the identification of the Chaboche model ́s parameters applied to a copperbase alloy that may be considered as a cost efficient material for a rocket engine combustion chamber inner liner is presented in this paper. Experimental data from a strain-controlled uniaxial low cycle fatigue test and a stress relaxation test are used for the identification of the model ́s parameters. In addition to the fatigue test and the stress relaxation test, a dwell test with a hold period of 600 s at extreme strain amplitude in tension and in compression is considered for the assessment of the accuracy of the identified model parameters. The comparisons of the predictions of the model with optimized parameters to the above mentioned experiments at 900 K for the considered copper-based alloy are presented.


Objective To explore the neuroimage characteristics and clinical significance of traumatic brain injury in the elderly( TBIE). Methods Data of 94 cases of TBIE was retrospectively analyzed,who were admitted into our hospital from Jan. 2010 to Oct. 2014. There were 52 males and 42 females,with an average age of 72. 3( 60-90) years. In combination with neurophysiological changes,the neuroimage characters were summarized and analyzed. Results Of the 94 cases,74 cases had positive results in CT images,including intracranial hematoma,contusion and brain laceration; 25 cases showed significant lesions in CT image within 2 hours of TBI. Some patients also had diseases such as cerebral atrophy and old brain infarction. Conclusion CT is the preferred imaging examination after TBI with features of high sensitivity,efficiency and affordable expense; it is possible for the TBIE patients to develop brain infarction if there are obvious changes in the head CT and the patients' clinical situation worsen; it is necessary to do follow-up and perform head CT dynamically for the mild TBIE to observe the brain status,and perform MRI examination to define the changes of brain lesions.


When attempting to automate Auger spectra analyses it becomes necessary to have a deeper knowledge of the constituent elements of the spectra. In order to obtain a reliable analysis, the unavoidable spectral noise must be reduced, thus giving a clearer view to the spectral peaks and the spectral background. Therefore, the necessary step is to analyze the spectral noise and to find a way to evaluate the noise-reduction algorithms. A method in which simulated Auger electron spectra are used for testing the efficiency of noise-reduction routines has been proposed. The performance of noise-reduction procedures on measured spectra cannot be evaluated since the intrinsic noiseless spectra is never available for reference; therefore, the spectra were simulated and the noise-reduction routines were used on the simulated spectra. After the processing, the simulated noiseless spectrum is subtracted from the complete spectrum, leaving the remaining noise for further analysis and a comparison with the exactly known simulated noise. For each spectrum data point the noise ratios are calculated by dividing the remaining noise levels by the initial noise. When plotting the noise ratios for each respective processing route, it was found that most of the noise ratios lie in the interval –1 to +1, indicating an improvement in regard to the initial noise. Such a plot of the noise ratios offers a convenient way for assessing the efficiency of the noise-reduction routine at a glance.


As an enabler, transport plays a major role in achieving these goals. A number of initiatives have been launched at local, provincial, and national government level to improve the accessibility of the transport system to people with disabilities. These have ranged from installing kerb cuts and ramps at some CBD intersections and new transport facilities, to launching higher cost demonstration projects involving full-size buses retrofitted with wheelchair lifts (e.g. Durban), Dial-a-Ride services operated by smaller accessible vehicles (e.g. Cape Town and Johannesburg), and state-of-the-art low-floor buses (e.g. Cape Town, see Hugo and Stanbury, 2001). These efforts have contributed to the growing local experience with accessible transport (Venter and Mokonyama, 2001). Yet their overall impact has been limited. Implementation has been small-scale and piecemeal, without a long-term plan for the effective utilization of resources.


U.S. internal medicine residents are primarily trained in hospitals, but a majority will practice in ambulatory care settings, caring for Americans with chronic disease. Some programs are improving training in ambulatory medicine for all internal medicine residents.


The inoculant is an important factor in microalgae cultivation. The right initial density will be more efficient and minimise production costs. The Glagah consortium culture is a mixture of microalgae and bacteria isolated from the Glagah coast in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. This study aimed to determine the initial density to produce optimal growth for the Glagah consortium culture. The study used 3 initial densities: 100,000 cells ml−1, 500,000 cells ml−1 and 1,000,000 cells ml−1, with 3 replicates of each treatment. Parameters observed included specific growth rate, doubling time, biomass and productivity. The results showed significant differences in specific growth rate and doubling time between inoculant treatments. The highest growth rate and fastest doubling time were reached with 100,000 cells ml−1 although the highest cell density was reached with 1,000,000 cells ml−1. Biomass and productivity were not significantly different between treatments. The inoculant density of 100,000 cells ml−1 is considered the most efficient treatment, as compared to the other treatments it can produce similar biomass with less inoculant; it is therefore recommended for use in the cultivation of the Glagah consortium isolate.


Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) research efforts to transition cognitive modeling from the laboratory to operational environments are finding that available architectures and tools are difficult to extend, lack support for interoperability standards, and struggle to scale. This paper describes a component-based modeling and simulation framework that exploits the Discrete Event System Specification (DEVS) formalism to eliminate these impediments. It extends the earlier DEVS Modeling Language (DEVSML) architecture and integrates Domain specific languages (DSLs). The paper discusses the framework and the transformation processes with a DSL tailored to the needs of cognitive modeling.


Abstract Background Studies have demonstrated that persons with HIV (PWH) maintaining viral suppression do not transmit HIV to HIV-negative partners through condomless sex, leading to the "Undetectable = Untransmittable (U = U)" prevention campaign. However, few studies have examined the durability of suppression in the era of U = U. Methods This retrospective cohort study was conducted in Providence, Rhode Island. PWH aged ≥18 years with documented viral suppression (defined as at least 1 viral load [VL] <200 copies/mL and no VL ≥200 copies/mL) in 2015 were included in the baseline cohort. Primary outcomes were viral suppression, viral rebound (at least 1 VL ≥200 copies/mL), or gap in VL monitoring assessed annually from 2016 to 2019. Those with viral rebound were assessed for resuppression within 6 months. Demographic and clinical characteristics associated with viral rebound or gaps in VL monitoring were investigated by bivariate analysis and logistic regression. Results A total of 1242 patients with viral suppression were included in the baseline cohort. In each follow-up year, 85%–90% maintained viral suppression, 2%–5% experienced viral rebound, and 8%–10% had a gap in VL monitoring. Among those with viral rebound, approximately one-half were suppressed again within 6 months. In the logistic regression models, retention in care was significantly associated with viral suppression, while younger age, black race, high school or equivalent education, non–men who have sex with men, and history of incarceration were significantly associated with viral rebound. Conclusions In the U = U era, most patients with viral suppression who are retained in care are likely to maintain viral suppression over time. Some patients require additional support for regular VL monitoring.


This article proposes and suggested improves real-coded genetic algorithm (IRCGA) for optimal scheduling of thermal plants in coordination with fixed head hydro units. Genetic algorithm (GA) is based on inbred operation of human chromosomes. GA has the ability to establish the global or very close to the global optima. Here, in this article to heighten convergence speed and solution quality the IRCGA method has been recommended. Two different test systems have been used here to verify the effectiveness of the proposed IRCGA method. The results obtained from the emerged IRCGA method have been compared with other evolutionary techniques. The simulation results from different test systems demonstrate that the proposed IRCGA algorithm has the capability to generate better result.


An easy and fast high performance liquid chromatographic(HPLC) method has been developed for the determination and quantification of acrylamide in plastic toys.This method was performed on a Waters Atlantis T3 column with pure water as mobile phase.Acrylamide was extracted by ultrasonator,detected by HPLC and verified by LC-MS/MS.The concentrations of acrylamide in self-made positive sample and the migration of acrylamide in simulated sweat and saliva were determined.The recoveries of acrylamide were among 97.49%~103.42%,with the relative standard deviations among 0.66%~4.24%,and the limit of detection was 0.02 mg/L.


The intriguing title of Lauren Bliss's first book suggests the confluence of two discourses that are rarely paired in film studies: [feminist] film theory and the maternal. The first is framed in this study as a system that offers essential observations about the place of representation in culture, but is in need of interrogation because of what is felt to be its detrimental effect on lived life. The final line of the introductory chapter states the book's intention


Background: The use of thermotherapy is been practised in the domain of physical therapy. Patients with heel pain which is caused by composite factors still prevalent so, usage of right modality for treating the pain, facilitating the muscle to stretch thereby increasing range of motion (ROM) for dorsiflexors is needed. This study was also done in perspective of reducing logistics and fiscal matters for both patients and therapists. Objective: To empirically prove whether short wave diathermy (SWD) or wax therapy increases dorsi flexion of the ankle joint and a significant reduce in heel pain. Methodology: A hundred samples whose ROM of dorsiflexion is less than or equal to 17 degrees was recruited for the study and divided into two equal groups randomly. Results: Effectiveness of Wax bath and SWD was tested separately and it gave a statistically significant improvement in ROM and decrease in pain. When the two interventions compared the group receiving SWD gained more ROM and self-perceived pain was less.


A simple and effective determination method of nitro compounds in water has been established.The nitro compounds in waste water was extracted with dichloromethane and determined by capillary column GC-FID.2,4,6-trinitrobenzoic acid was difficult to extracted with organic solvent for dissolving in water easily,and it translate into 1,3,5-trinitrotoluene by heating.Thus,we heat the water extracted with dichloromethane and determine 2,4,6-trinitrobenzoic acid.This method is simple,rapid,exact and credible.


Poultry breeding is a relevant component of agriculture in almost the whole world. In recent years, the global poultry breeding in general and a relevant Ukrainian industry in particular have witnessed an increasing share of consumable goods production (eggs and meat of different breeds of poultry) due to the development of small and medium-size farms and small holdings of the population [1]. This is related to the fact that poultry is a relevant source of animal protein and can be bred in situations with limited feeds and other resources. In addition, in rural areas, poultry ensures food safety, family income and plays a relevant role in socio-cultural life of peasants.


Preface Acknowledgement List of Figures List of Plates Introduction 1. RITUAL AND WARFARE IN JAPAN 2. STONE, BRONZE, AND THE FIRST IRON SPEARS 3. HOKO IN THE ASUKA AND NARA PERIODS 4. THE NAGINATA CENTURIES (794-1336) 5. HALBERDS IN THE OMISHIMA SHRINE 6. KIKUCHI-NO-SENBON-NO-YARI 7. KUMADE AND CHINESE 'YARI' 8. THE NANBOKUCHO AND MID-MUROMACHI DEVELOPMENTS 9. YARI DEVELOPMENT AFTER THE ONIN WAR 10. A SURVEY OF SPEAR FORMS 11. SO-JUTSU WITHIN THE BUGEI 12. SPEAR FITTINGS 13. THE TECHNIQUES OF THE SPEAR Glossary Select Bibliography Index


It was in the natural course of things that the Second Conference of 1907, called to elaborate the work of 1899, should deal with the problem of extending arbitration along the lines indicated in the Russian proposal of 1899, and that the question should be reconsidered as to whether the nations could not and should not obligate themselves to refer disputes to arbitration.


When Terry Cook, on behayof the ACA, invited me to be a plenary speaker at the Banff meeting, I was both delighted and a bit apprehensive. My Canadian colleagues have proven to be valuable but severe critics of my work. Terry suggested that as the theme of the meeting was appraisal, this would be an excellent opportunity for me to speak about documentation strategies and h a w both the commentator and the audience wrestle with these ideas. I agreed to the proposal.


Privacy of personal data is a fundamental human right. The freedom and transparency of data flow due to swift advances in data processing techniques and internet technology has heightened concerns of privacy .Reluctance to provide personal information could impede the success of data mining. . Concern about the privacy of data is becoming an important concern in business, academic, defense and health care domains. Privacy-preserving data mining (PPDM) addresses these issues by striking a balance between privacy preservation and knowledge discovery. We propose a novel linear component analysis based transformation technique for Privacy preserving clustering to preserve the privacy of confidential data. We further evaluate the performance of this technique with the classical k-means clustering algorithm. The effectiveness of our new approach is demonstrated by various experiments conducted on synthetic data sets of varying dimensions. The accuracy of clustering has been computed before and after privacy preserving transformation using adjusted rand Index. Based on our results, we conclude that our method is an effective and feasible technique to build data mining models from perturbed data.


Objectives: The idea of absorptive capacity has become one of the most crucial ideas in the field of strategic management since it is frequently seen as a crucial component in developing innovative potential. Observations have been made regarding whether knowledge management must be present. As a result, the function of knowledge management as a mediating variable to the links between potential and realized absorptive capacity, and ultimately their effects on innovation capability, is discussed in this paper.Methodology: 180 Business Administration graduates with relevant employment experience served as our source for the data. We then observed their potential and discovered their capacity for invention, knowledge management, and absorption using SEM-PLS with SmartPLS software which was utilized as an aid in our analysis of the outcomes.Finding: Our results show that there is no significant association between either type of absorptive capacity or innovative capability. Innovative capability does not greatly lag behind absorptive capacity, whether potential or realized. However, when knowledge management is incorporated as a mediating element, realized absorptive capacity has a positive and significant indirect impact on innovative capability.Conclusion: Knowledge management has a strong mediating effect on realized absorptive capacity and has a positive as well as significant indirect impact on innovative capability


ABSTRACT Prostate cancer (PCa) is a complicated cancer with high level of unexplained variability that might affect the patient's health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Using 2670 patients' information with 433 measures per patient, our objective is to identify the minimal set of important variables which can predict 1-year follow-up HRQoL for PCa patients while adding interpretability to the proposed model. We address three problems of dimension reduction, prediction, and interpretability by first developing deep neural networks on top of a clustering algorithm to extract minimal set of important variables of baseline visit. Second, we build a model to predict a 1-year follow-up of HRQoL for PCa patients using the extracted important baseline variables. Third, we utilize Bayesian networks method to provide insights into the proposed model results to discover the relationship between patients' baseline variables and their 1-year follow-up satisfaction. The results support the use of the proposed machine-learning technique as an essential tool in identifying potential baseline variables for predicting 1-year HRQoL. Furthermore, our approach to interpret the findings will help to establish guidelines for a better shared decision-making platform for PCa patients.


Osteoporosis is a condition of decreased overall bone mass, which is characterized by inability to walk / move. It is a painful bone disease that occurs in epidermal proportions. Based on preliminary studies conducted in get data that patients who have osteoporosis due to lack of physical activity such as sports. The purpose of this study to determine the relationship of physical activity habits with the risk of osteoporosis in menopausal women in the area of bancah gulk health center. The research design used was descriptive analytic with cross sectional approach. The number of samples in this study were as many as 74 menopausal women aged 45-55 years. Data collection tool used is questionnaire, With the technique of sampling is Multistage Random Sampling with Chi-Square statistical test. The result of the research showed that the number of respondents who did the mild physical activity with osteoporosis was 79,5% and that did not have osteoporosis that was 20,5%, this result can be concluded that there is relationship of habit of physical activity with risk of osteoporosis in menopausal women. It is hoped for further researchers to further develop this research with other methods such as experimental research


Composite materials have potential applications in power systems because of their excellent electrical and mechanical characteristics. Composite towers can solve problems existing in the construction and operation of regional transmission lines. However, there are many problems that need to be solved before their large‐scale practical application. Composite materials used for electric towers are synthesized with polyurethane resin and glass fiber, contributing to poor hydrophobicity and self‐cleaning capacity as well as poor antifouling property. So hydrophobic coatings have been applied to the surface of materials in this paper. Electrical tests on the composite material samples, including wetting flashover test, pollution flashover test, and icing flashover test, were conducted to study the properties of hydrophobic coatings, which demonstrate that flashover voltage of hydrophobic coated composite samples is significantly improved. At present, the key technical problems that limit the large‐scale application of composite towers are aging and degradation of mechanical properties. To test those two properties of composite towers and relevant composite materials, 5000‐h multifactor artificial accelerating aging tests were carried out, which proved that the composite samples used for the tower and the composite tower itself have good aging resistance and mechanical properties. © 2017 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


We introduce genetic algorithms as a means to estimate the accuracy required to discriminate among different models using experimental observables. We exemplify the technique in the context of the minimal supersymmetric standard model. If supersymmetric particles are discovered, models of supersymmetry breaking will be fit to the observed spectrum and it is beneficial to ask beforehand: what accuracy is required to always allow the discrimination of two particular models and which are the most important masses to observe? Each model predicts a bounded patch in the space of observables once unknown parameters are scanned over. The questions can be answered by minimising a ``distance'' measure between the two hypersurfaces. We construct a distance measure that scales like a constant fraction of an observable. Genetic algorithms, including concepts such as natural selection, fitness and mutations, provide a solution to the minimisation problem. We illustrate the efficiency of the method by comparing three different classes of string models for which the above questions could not be answered with previous techniques. The required accuracy is in the range accessible to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) when combined with a future linear collider (LC) facility. The technique presented here can be applied to more general classes of models or observables.


It is introduced that the catalytic rate constant of surface materials of testing model is determined by solving nonequilibrium NavierStokes equations and measuring heat transfe r rate of the stagnation point of testing model. The flowfield around a hemisp here and a flatnosed cylinder in the shock tube is simulated numerically by using nonequilibrium NavierStokes equations with a n air chemical model of 5 species 17 reactions, and the catalytic rate constant of surface materials such as Pt, SiO2, Ni and a flight vehicle materials is de termined by using the heat transfer rate of testing in the shock tube and the di stribution of heat transfer rate along with the catalytic rate constants.


Research universities are recognized as primary sources of the knowledge essential to the development of innovative solutions to a wide range of economic, social, and ecological problems that affect humankind. This utilitarian function of American higher education dates back to the creation of land grant institutions with the passing of the Morrill Act of 1862 (Lucas, 1994; Veysey, 1965). The prominent higher education historian John R. Thelin (2004) described the importance of this land grant legislation by stating, "Its institutional legacy was the accessible state college and university, characterized by a curriculum that was broad and utilitarian" (p. 76). Shifts in the research paradigm that followed the World War II placed further emphasis on applied research that was to be "directed toward some individual or group or societal need or use" (Stokes, 1997, p. 8). Most recently, the utilitarian function of higher education has become closely linked to the commercialization of knowledge and discovery. Specifically, the passing of the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980, which allowed colleges and universities to take ownership of intellectual properties created in part or in full through federal funding, allowed the transfer of knowledge from higher education to society through market channels to become standard practice.


BACKGROUND
Increased right ventricular afterload leads to left ventricular diastolic dysfunction due to ventricular interdependence. Increased right ventricular afterload is frequently present in patients with COPD. The purpose of this study was to determine whether left ventricular diastolic dysfunction could be detected in COPD patients with normal or elevated pulmonary artery pressure (PAP).

METHODS
Twenty-two patients with COPD and 22 matched control subjects underwent pulsed Doppler echocardiography. Left ventricular systolic dysfunction and other causes of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (eg, coronary artery disease) were excluded in all patients and control subjects. PAP was measured invasively in 13 patients with COPD.

RESULTS
The maximal atrial filling velocity was increased and the early filling velocity was decreased in patients with COPD compared to control subjects. The early flow velocity peak/late flow velocity peak (E/A) ratio was markedly decreased in patients with COPD compared to control subjects (0.79 +/- 0.035 vs 1.38 +/- 0.069, respectively; p < 0.0001), indicating the presence of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction. The atrial contribution to total left diastolic filling was increased in patients with COPD. This was also observed in COPD patients with normal PAP, as ascertained using a right heart catheter. The atrial contribution to total left diastolic filling was further increased in COPD patients with PAP. PAP correlated with the E/A ratio (r = -0.85; p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS
Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction is present in COPD patients with normal PAP and increases with right ventricular afterload.


This paper describes the design of and some preliminary control results for a hydraulically actuated human power amplifier. The system is in the form of an oar, with its reach and pitch degrees of freedom being hydraulically assisted. A robust PI force controller is proposed so that the hydraulic actuator force tracks a scaled copy of the force exerted by the human. Nonlinearities and uncertainties in the compression spring, as well as parametric uncertainties are taken into account. The passivity property of the closed loop system is also analyzed. The controller has been tested in simulations and experimentally. It is shown to be effective when pushing against an object, and in assisting in bearing static loads.Copyright © 2004 by ASME


We investigated the frequency controllability of a single-frequency fiber laser with an external light. It depends on the fiber laser structure and the detuning between the lasing and external light frequencies.