Thermomagnetic studies of Pennsylvanian coals and associated roof shales indicate that hematite and minor goethite are present as ferrimagnetic phases, in addition to the paramagnetic mineral pyrite. Laboratory studies show that the carrier of the stable natural magnetic remanence (NRM) is mainly single domain hematite. X-ray diffraction studies of the samples has directly identified illite, kaolinite and minor amounts of chlorite as the natural suite of clay minerals typical in coal and overclay. Mossbauer spectroscopy identifies hematite and geothite as ferrimagnetic phases within the clay structures. Thermomagnetic studies at higher temperatures show that paramagnetic pyrite is converted to ferrimagnetic hematite through a strongly ferromagnetic phase maghemite. This transition occurs within the 400-500°C temperature interval and results in a significant increase in the ferrimagnetic polarization and paramagnetic susceptibility of the samples.


A basic overview is presented of the main ongoing efforts in large vocabulary, continuous speech recognition (LVCSR) for European languages. We address issues in acoustic modeling, lexical representation, and language modeling for several European languages, as well as issues in comparative evaluation.


We present a simple approach to measure the dielectric constant of solid materials. In this approach, the powder for the solid under investigation is mixed with the oil at a specific volume fraction. By measuring the oil and the mixture, the permittivity of the inclusion, i.e. the solid, can be accurately derived from the Maxwell-Garnett effective medium theory. With this method, the strict requirements for the solid shape and surface flatness in the conventional measuring configurations can be waved off, and meanwhile the broadband permittivity can be obtained. The demonstrations on alumina and glucose show this approach is valid and robust.


Tm3+ and Yb3+ co-doped Bi2WO6 up-conversion luminescence materials with different concentrations were prepared by high temperature solid state method. The microstructure, upconversion emission spectra and optical temperature sensing properties of the synthesized powders were characterized and analyzed. XRD results show that the doping of Tm3+ and Yb3+ ions has little effect on the orthorhombic structure of Bi2WO6 matrix materials. Under 980nm excitation, the maximum emission intensity of Tm3+ was obtained when the doping concentration of Tm3+ and Yb3+ was 1% and 6%, respectively. The intensity of four emission peaks of Tm3+ in 1% Tm3+, 6% Yb3+: Bi2WO6 samples increased with the increase of excitation pump power from 199mW to 400mW. Under the excitation power of 199mW-400mW, the sample light intensity I and the excitation power Pn showed a linear relationship. The relationship between the excitation pump power and the emission intensity of Tm3+ in this range is calculated. The four emission peaks of Tm3+ at 478nm, 650nm, 685nm and 705nm correspond to the n values of 1.01, 1.34, 1.77 and 1.75, respectively, indicating that the above emission peaks are derived from two-photon absorption. Under 980nm excitation (power 379mW), when the temperature increases from 298K to 573K, the thermal coupling energy levels of Tm3+ in 1% Tm3+, 6% Yb3+: Bi2WO6 samples produce 685nm and 705nm emission intensity increased by 31.6 times and 28.4 times, respectively. The relationship between the fluorescence intensity ratio of the thermal coupling energy levels (3F3, 3F2) of Tm3+ in the sample and the temperature was fitted. The maximum absolute temperature sensitivity of the sample was 0.00254K-1 at 298K, and the maximum relative temperature sensitivity was 0.00144K-1. Under the same conditions, the relationship between the fluorescence intensity ratio of 705nm and 650nm produced by the non-thermal coupling energy level pair (3F3, 1G4) and the temperature is fitted, and the maximum absolute temperature sensitivity is calculated to be 0.167K-1 at 573K. The maximum relative temperature sensitivity is 0.0378K-1 at 298K, which is 26 times higher than the relative maximum temperature sensitivity Sr of the thermal coupling level (3F3, 3F2).


1. Hypertensive conduit arteries are thicker and stiffer than those of normotensive controls. Whether they are specifically sensitive to central sympathoinhibition has never been investigated.


In eLearning, the main advantage of using advanced technologies is to lower the burden on the instructor and increase the student's scope of learning. eLearning provides a wide spectrum of learning services from content delivery to online assessment. Besides offering various opportunities to the students in improving their learning, it is also making the ways easier for the students to perform malpractices during the assessment conducted in the absence of the instructor. This will lead the students to get high score without gaining the knowledge, deviating the education goal. This paper puts forward various proposed solutions of constructing reliable assessment models in eLearning environment. One of the main goals of this paper is to provide a secured online assessment that drives the use of one time and one place assessments to ubiquitous environment. This paper also discusses a proposed approach with the consideration of the existing solutions to minimize unauthorized access/help during invigilated online assessment.


This paper examines the unreliability of the flooding protocol - a simple broadcast protocol for delivering a message to all nodes in a multi-hop, wireless network. The protocol is unreliable in that there exist protocol runs in which some network nodes fail to receive the message. A formal specification of the behaviour of a multi-hop network is used to characterize configurations that lead to failure, and to prove unreliability. The specification is also used for simulation, to analyse the percentage of runs that fail to reach all nodes, and the cost and eciency of flooding. The protocol's performance is examined for dierent network topologies, radio transmission properties and protocol retransmission rules. Our results establish a fundamental limit on the reliability of protocols such as flooding, and show how networks can be configured to optimise reliability, cost and eciency. The formal specification provides a basis for future simulation and verification studies of a wide range of protocols for multi-hop, wireless networks and for modelling energy use, node mobility, and other interactions between nodes and their environment.


Increasing attention is being given to the utilization of reserpine in the management and treatment of psychiatric disorders. This most potent single alkaloid derivative of the Indian plant Rauwolfia serpentina has been reported to be of value in the therapeutic approach to acute and chronic schizophrenia, depressed states, anxiety symptoms, agitation, obsessive thinking, disturbed behavior patterns associated with mental deficiency, toxic states, and chronic organic brain syndromes.* The description of such applicability in this heterogeneous group of disorders merits repeated observation and study before conclusions concerning the efficacy of reserpine can be made. In this brief communication, experiences with the use of the drug under the conditions of an acute psychiatric treatment center will be described. THE PATIENT POPULATION In the acute psychiatric treatment setting patients are hospitalized because of relatively acute psychiatric disorders, or acute exacerbations of more chronic psychiatric illnesses. The majority of such cases are of acute


An activity-based probe, containing an irreversibly locked GFP-like fluorophore, was synthesized and evaluated as an inhibitor of human cathepsins and, as exemplified with cathepsin K, it proved to be suitable for ex vivo imaging and quantification of cysteine cathepsins by SDS-PAGE.


This chapter provides an overview of the recent progress in performing synthetically important pericyclic reactions in (and "on") water. In the past, these reactions were almost exclusively carried out in organic solvents to avoid problems arising from the limited solubility of the reagents in aqueous media. In the early eighties of last century, however, it was found that, rather unexpectedly, many types of pericyclic transformations possess greatly enhanced rates and often more favorable stereochemistry in water. Detailed mechanistic studies have now revealed how these advantages of aqueous reaction media depend on the type of the reaction and on the structural features of the initial state (IS) and activated complex (AC) of the various cycloadditions. This work is reviewed in some detail. Enforced hydrophobic interactions of the IS as well as hydrogen-bond stabilization of the AC, characteristic for water as the reaction medium, were, in most cases, identified as major reasons for the observed kinetic and stereochemical phenomena. More recently it was found that there are also good possibilities for catalyzing pericyclic reactions in water. Particularly enantioselective Lewis acid-catalyzed Diels-Alder reactions have been investigated in detail. Green chemistry greatly benefits from these developments since water is the ultimate green solvent for enviromentally friendly chemical transformations. The future for aqueous organic chemistry looks bright.

Keywords:

pericyclic reactions;
water;
organic synthesis;
Diels–Alder reaction;
green chemistry;
hydrophobic interactions


Dipolar dephasing (D. D.) technique has some advantages in studying the structure of coal and kerogen. The proportion of non-protonated aromatic carbon or non-protonated aliphatic carbon in total aromatic carbon or aliphatic carbon can be calculated by a series of experiments with different T_D time. But it takes too long a time. A rapid estimation way of


Locally produced bagasse, which was moist, and wet depithed in Pars Paper Company was used. Fiber length, diameter, were measured at 1.44 mm / 14.63 m respectively. Various treatments for APMP pulping revealed the following results: - Two stage pulping yielded was almost 7% higher than one stage pulping and in the case of treatment no: 2 the yield of 76.2% was reached. However the addition of H2O2 did not significantly improve the yield. - The highest breaking length was related to pulp produced by two stage treatments with the addition of H2O2 in last stage (treatment 3,4) and the lowest breaking length was related to pulp produced with split addition of both NaOH and H2O2. - Two-stage treatment with the addition of H2O2 in last stage produced highest burst index as compared to other treatments. - Application of DTPA produced highest brightness and opacity. The result of this study indicates that APMP pulps of suitable quality can be produced from local supplied bagasse. It should also be emphasized that small scale APMP pulping of this raw material is possible.


"The truly great advances in our understanding of nature originated in a way almost diametrically opposed to induction. The intuitive grasp of the essentials of a large complex of facts leads the scientist to the postulation of a hypothetical law or laws. From these laws, he derives his conclusion."—Albert Einstein, "Induction and Deduction in Physics," Berliner Tageblatt, December 25, 1919, CPAE 7:28.


Globally biofuels have increasingly been considered as an alternative energy source that could help to reduce green house gas emissions for combating climate change. It is also believed that biofuels have a variety of other potential benefits such as promoting rural development and employment generation. Currently some concerned bodies have started to question the benefits of biofuels development especially in relation to food insecurity and improving livelihoods of smallholders in developing countries. However, there are limited studies from the field that show as to whether the smallholders participating in biofuel development initiatives are benefiting from biofuel development schemes. This study takes a case of castor bean production for biofuel through contract farming with smallholder farmers in wolaita zone, southern Ethiopia. The contractual farming was initiated by a company called the Global Energy Ethiopia Private Limited Company (GEE) since 2007. The study aims to contribute to the understanding of the implications of the current biofuel developments by exploring farmers' experience in growing castor beans for biofuel production. Issues of livelihood and food security have been used as guiding concepts and semi structured interviews, participant observation and field notes have been employed for data collection. The study reveals that farmers have relatively low economic incentives to grow castor beans in comparison to food crops. The study further shows that growing castor beans in a contractual agreement contributes insignificantly to the improvement of farmers livelihood and food security situations. However, due to availability of fertilizer at relatively low prices, many farmers continue to grow castor beans on fields that are aimed for food production. The study discusses that growing castor beans on fertile land is not in line with Biofuel Development Strategy of Ethiopia, which emphasizes that energy crops should be grown on "marginal" lands.


An ACIAR-funded research project is looking at ways of helping expand the local forest resource to support a thriving boat building industry in a coastal village in southern Sulawesi, Indonesia.


Abstract 1. Nosema bombi is a microsporidian parasite of bumblebees that is of potentially great ecological and economic importance. Nosema bombi has been shown to have detrimental fitness effects on the bumblebee Bombus terrestris under laboratory conditions. The present study investigates whether N. bombi also has negative fitness effects under natural conditions.


Abstract A spectrophotometric quantitative determination method of aromatic aldehydes via interaction with diphenylamine in the presence of 5N hydrochloric acid was developed. The colored products obtained display maximum absorption at λ = 590-640 nm, Ecm 1% in the range 50-410, and a concentration range of 5-75 μg/ml. The effects of time, concentration and temperature on the nature of reaction products were investigated. Various other organic compounds do not interfere.


Electron microscopy and stereological analysis of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) leaf tissue infected with the cowpea rust fungus (Uromyces vignae) revealed an increase in surface of plant endomembranes that was associated with callose synthesis or the presence of fungal haustoria. In the resistant cultivar in which the haustorium commonly becomes encased, an increase in surface of smooth membranes was observed in cytoplasmic regions adjacent to developing encasements compared with the regions away from the fungus or with any region in infected or uninfected callose nonsynthesizing cells. Cytoplasmic regions adjacent to the haustorium in callose nonsynthesizing cells had an increase in rough endoplasmic reticulum (ER). This increase was greater in a susceptible cultivar than in the resistant cultivar that was treated with tunicamycin to inhibit callose synthesis. In the latter situation, the lack of callose encasement allowed the haustorial neckband to form, but other ultrastructural signs of incompatibility ...


In the modernized construction of building a well-to-do society, Jiang ZeMing has advanced the aoncept of "Political civilization", and has made it the struggle target of the modernized constructionIt is another theoretical breakthrough in china's modernized construction It has surpassed the developing mode of the Western and Chinese traditional political civilization It has enriched and developed Marxism,and also showed the human affection to the pursuing of worth


As health care costs continue to increase rapidly, both health care providers and consumers have expressed concern that the additional resources used for health services do not provide commensurate increases in health benefits. Adding fuel to this concern, a number of disquieting studies have estimated the rates of "inappropriate" use in a variety of settings of a variety of procedures such as coronary angiography, carotid endarterectomy, endoscopy, and coronary-artery bypass graft surgery1–4. The estimated rates of inappropriate treatment have ranged from about 15 to 30 percent, reaching as high as 40 percent for particular procedures at individual institutions. . . .


In the article the globalization problem in culturаl sphere through a prism of globalizational-integrational processes is considered, features of development of culture in the conditions of global market realities are shown.


Hydrated in a Hurry Water has a major influence on the conformation of proteins and related biomolecules. However, so many water molecules participate in the hydrogen bonding networks that it can be difficult to pinpoint which specific interactions play the biggest role. Nagornova et al. (p. 320) sought to answer this question for the case of a 10–amino acid ring—the antibiotic compound Gramicidin S—by probing the conformational impact of successive additions of one to 50 water molecules to the naked gas-phase structure. The primary changes in the overall ring geometry came from the addition of just the first two waters. The main conformational changes associated with the hydration of a peptide ring ensue upon the addition of just two water molecules. Studying solvation of a large molecule on an atomic level is challenging because of the transient character and inhomogeneity of hydrogen bonding in liquid water. We studied water clusters of a protonated macrocyclic decapeptide, gramicidin S, which were prepared in the gas phase and then cooled to cryogenic temperatures. The experiment spectroscopically tracked fine structural changes of the clusters upon increasing the number of attached water molecules from 1 to 50 and distinguished vibrational fingerprints of different conformers. The data indicate that only the first two water molecules induce a substantial change of the gramicidin S structure by breaking two intramolecular noncovalent bonds. The peptide structure remains largely intact upon further solvation, reflecting the interplay between the strong intramolecular and weaker intermolecular hydrogen bonds.


The utility model discloses a seam locating mechanism and a high-precision tunnel welding device with the seam locating mechanism. The seam locating mechanism comprises a rotary roller assembly, sensors, a pneumatic descending mechanism, a pair of blades, a driving motor and a control system. The driving motor is connected with the rotary roller assembly. The sensors are connected with the control system. The control system is connected with driving motor. The pneumatic descending assembly is connected with the pair of blades. The pneumatic descending mechanism is connected with the control system. According to the high-precision tunnel welding device with the additionally arranged seam locating mechanism, unmanned operation of the whole device can be achieved, and feeding, seam locating, welding and discharging are completely automatic; the position of a seam is automatically found, the seam is automatically located, and materials are fed to the welding position automatically.


This paper deals with the finite-horizon estimation of randomly occurring faults for a class of linear discrete time-varying systems. All the system parameters are time-varying and the failures are assumed to occur in a random way, and two sets of Bernoulli distributed white sequences are introduced to govern the failures probability. By using the completing squares method and stochastic analysis techniques, necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of the finite-horizon Hoo fault estimator are derived, and then the time-varying fault estimator parameters are obtained by solving coupled backward recursive Riccati difference equations (RDEs). A simulation example is utilized to illustrate the usefulness of the proposed fault estimation method.


Mitigation techniques are continuously being developed to ensure public safety in the event of intentional or accidental explosions. Building material fragmentation is a major cause of human injury during such events. One of the most common methods of construction in buildings is the use of reinforced concrete material. Reinforced concrete structures are extremely susceptible to producing airborne debris that might cause severe injury to occupants or damage sensitive equipment housed within the building. Slurry Infiltrated Micro-Reinforced Concrete (SIMRC) is a new and innovative Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC). The material consist of three dimensional mat system made from multiple layers of fine wire mesh infiltrated with a high-strength, self consolidating slurry. The slurry consists of Portland cement, supplemental cementitious materials, sand, and admixtures. The resulting product has an average compressive strength of 137 MPa (20 ksi), an average tensile strength of 20 MPa (2.9 ksi) and average shear strength of 15 MPa (2.2 ksi). It has a flexural strength and ductile performance that resembles steel. Detailed three-dimensional finite element models were generated using the explicit finite element software LS-DYNA. The finite element simulations are used to investigate the applicability of this material to various structural details and blast scenarios. This paper will present the analytical simulations, experimental testing and the uses of SIMRC for blast protection.


N MIDDLE CHILDHOOD, it is in the company of other children, rather than in the company of his parents, that a child explores the world; that he tests the meaning of authority and the nature of his independence; that he experiments with adult roles and adult behaviors. Throughout this period he is shifting from living in a world in which he depended almost entirely upon adults for orientation to a world in which his orientation grows out of being part of a group of other children whom he accepts as equals. These problems are not unique to this age; they began in infancy and will continue into adolescence and maturity, but the child now needs the support that comes from being part of a group of equals if he is to achieve the learnings that are an essential part of this stage of development. Finding a place for himself in a society of equals is necessary for the child if he is to take the next step forward along the road to independence and maturity. Adults, however, continue to be very important during this entire period. The child must look to adults for nterpretations of reality even though it often is within the peer group tha he tests his understandings of those interpretations. The child continues to be dependent on his parents for his basic sense of security, but now the parents share with the teacher the responsibility of giving him security. One can say that these adults form the background of a child's life at this age-a background which is essential to his well-being. Being part of a peer group is not a separate compartment in a child's life. It is a part of his everyday activities. Children form groups as they work and play together; they form groups in whatever kinds of situations they find themselves. A child spends a gr at deal of his time in school in hese middle years. Consequently, the school is an important setting in which children relate to one another. If one accepts the theory that, as a member of a peer group, a child is ble to do the most effective job of working through the developmental tasks he faces in these years, then the question of the teacher's role in this process becomes important.


About the Authors We write as a medically qualified professor of public health with considerable experience in researching tobacco policy, in particular the activities of the tobacco industry, and a health practitioner, involved in the management of patients with respiratory disease, who has undertaken an extensive review of the evidence on issues related to the use of electronic cigarettes. We welcome this opportunity to submit evidence regarding the Committee's enquiry into e-cigarettes, and arrange the material in our submission sequentially, in order to address systematically the Committee's stated requests for information regarding the health, regulatory and financial implications of e-cigarettes.


Surveillance is one of the areas where digitalization is discussed intensely today. The phenomenon that can be called digital surveillance is generally discussed in the context of privacy, display, and access to personal information and around concepts such as synopticon, banopticon, and omnipticon. The relationship of digital surveillance with political economy and social movements is often neglected. When examined within the framework of the big data concept, it is seen that the individuals subjected to digital surveillance are categorized. Especially with the pandemic and the focusing of the states on surveillance technologies, the organizational opportunities of social movements are getting harder. The credit system in China is one of the most extreme examples of surveillance technologies. Investments in the metaverse universe add a dystopian fiction to the difficulties mentioned about social movements.


Distributed Generators (DG) provide the lowest cost solution to handle low voltage or overload problems. In conjunction with such problems, a technique of energy saving is introduced by placement of distributed generation (DG) in distribution systems. A GA based optimal sizing and placement of DG keeping in view of system energy loss minimization in different loading conditions with time varying loads is explained. Minimal annual system energy loss is calculated under voltage and line loading constraints. Proposed strategy is applied to power distribution systems and its effectiveness is verified through simulation results on 16-bus, 37-bus and 75-bus systems with time varying load.


The analysis presented in this article falls within the framework of metaphysical and postmetaphysical thought in the so-called 'continental philosophy' and focuses particularly on the contributions of Heidegger and Sloterdijk. It is not intended to give here a complete summary, or a mere summary of the thoughts of the two authors on the question of metaphysics. Instead, I shall focus on an aspect that, in my view, inheres not only the notion of metaphysics carried out by Heidegger and Sloterdijk, but also by other post-traditional philosophers: the 'traumatological' aspect. The choice of this term is motivated by the intention to show that there is a logical affinity between one of the most fundamental problems of metaphysics and the logic of trauma. The first part of the article is guided by the famous question "What is Metaphysics?", with special emphasis on the two aspects of the 'uncanny' and the 'nothing' in the works of Heidegger and Sloterdijk. The second part aims to highlight the logic of trauma that inheres to these metaphysical reflections.


Computational modeling of the macrosegregation that occurs in a casting during solidification requires that the local permeability of the mushy zone be specified. Therefore, an experimental investigation was conducted to determine the permeability of an Al-4.2 wt% Mg alloy cast into a U-shaped channel in a graphite crucible. A nitrogen pressure was applied to one end of the channel and the sample was heated at 0.6 K/s. The pressure and the resulting flow rate of the interdendritic melt were logged over time during remelting. The velocity of the interdendritic melt was determined from measurements of the displacement of a graphite float resting on the surface of the exuding liquid. A fraction solid was estimated from temperature measurements within the sample and the permeability of the mush zone was then calculated using Darcy`s law. The results are compared to recent experiments by others. Additional experiments promise to evaluate the influence of coarsening and the alloy composition on the permeability. Results are to be incorporated into a computer model of exudation during DC casting.


The debate about unequal regional development has consolidated as a very important topic in the literature that addresses growth and economic development. Theories have been and are formulated with the objective of explaining and correcting the regional imbalances, reaching influence both in the scope of the academic environment as in the public policies. In this respect, the purpose of this article is to present a synthesis of some theoretical approaches that have worked, directly or indirectly, with the theme, from the classic to the contemporary. For this, the theoretical production was divided in three parts, being: spatial or localization theories, classic theories of regional development and recent approaches of regional development. It should be noted that this division was carried out as proposed by most scholars in the area, since the grouped theories have lines of thought and similar influences, in other words, this article did not seek to discuss the theories chronologically. 1 Mestrando em Geografia pela Universidade Estadual de Londrina (UEL). E-mail: email@example.com. 2 Professora associada do Curso de Graduação e Pós-Graduação em Geografia da Universidade Estadual de Londrina (UEL). E-mail: email@example.com. Perspectivas teóricas sobre desenvolvimento regional SOCIEDADE E TERRITÓRIO Sociedade e Território – Natal. Vol. 31, N. 2, p. 263–281 Jul./Dez. de 2019 / ISSN: 2177-8396 264


Background: Many multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with normal peripheral hearing suffer from difficulties in their hearing especially speech perception in background noise, which is possibly because of deficit of central auditory processing in this group. Objective: To elaborate the effect of MS on central auditory processing. Subjects and methods: Seven audiologic tests including masking level difference (MLD), auditory memory test (recognition, content and sequence), dichotic digit test (DDT), speech intelligibility in noise test (SPIN) and gap in noise test (GIN) as well as electrophysiologic assessment (speech evoked ABR c-ABR and P300) were used for comparing aspects of central auditory processing between MS patients and controls. Scores for each test obtained through cross-sectional non-invasive study conducted on 30 Egyptian subjects with relapsing-remitting MS who had mean age of 37.07 ± 11.43 years, and 30 controls with normal peripheral

hearing and mean age of 33.40 ± 9.38. Results: This study demonstrated reduced MLD in MS at 500 & 1000 Hz in relation to controls. MS patients were worse than controls in recognition memory (pv = 0.011), memory for contents (pv <0.001) and memory for sequence (pv <0.001). in addition, low scores of DDT (version I & II) revealed in MS patients (pv = <0.001& 0.011 for I & II respectively), reduced SPIN test score in MS subjects (pv<0.001), elevated threshold and reduction of percent of correct answer obtained from GIN test in MS patients (Pv <0.001). Furthermore, in MS patients, there were prolonged latencies and reduced amplitudes of c-ABR waves and P300. In addition, significant differences were revealed between MS subjects and controls in all c-ABR measures analysis. Conclusion: this study revealed apparent effect of MS on auditory processing.


Niacin use improves all components of the lipid profile: It lowers triglyceride, LDL cholesterol, and lipoprotein(a) levels and raises HDL cholesterol levels. Some studies have suggested that women respond more favorably than men to niacin. In this meta-analysis, researchers pooled data from five randomized, placebo-controlled, clinical trials of niacin to further evaluate possible sex differences in treatment response. The analysis involved 155 women and 277 men with dyslipidemia who …


The absorber is one of the most expensive components of an absorption heat pump or chiller, respectively. In order to reduce the cost of a heat exchanger, much effort is invested into searching for additives for heat transfer enhancement. Another way to reduce heat exchanger cost, especially for machines with low capacities, is to use an adiabatic spray absorber. The basic principles of the spray absorber is to perform heat and mass transfer separated from each other in two different components. In this way the heat can be rejected effectively in a liquid-liquid heat exchanger, whereas the mass transfer occurs subsequently in a simple vessel. The spray technique can not only save heat exchanger cost in conventional absorption systems working with water and lithium bromide, it also allows the use of quite different working fluids such as hydroxides, which have lower heat transfer coefficients in falling films. Moreover, the separated heat transfer can easily be performed in a liquid-to-air heat exchanger. Hence it is obvious to use hydroxides that allow for a high temperature lift for building an air-cooled chiller with spray absorber. In this presentation theoretical and experimental investigations of the spray absorber as well as the setup willmore » be described. Finally, possible applications will be outlined.« less


The past twenty years have been marked by major structural and regulatory changes in the banking industry. This article explores the relationships between these changes and the distribution of "brick and mortar" banking offices between 1975 and 1995. The analysis explores how population shifts, deregulation, and mergers, acquisitions, and failures may have influenced changes in the number and location of banking offices. Special attention is given to changes in banking office distributions across neighborhoods grouped by the median income of their residents and their central city, suburban, or rural location.


Objective: Popularize Doula delivery,which can reduce cesarean section rate,promote natural delivery,improve the relationship between doctor and patient.Methods: Compare the cesarean section rate,neonatal asphyxia rate,postpartum hemorrhage rate and parturition process of doula(150 cases),and non-doula accompanied(150 cases) delivery.Results: The cesarean section rate,dystocia rate of delivery,postpartum hemorrhage rate of doula delivery are all significantly lower than that of non-doula group.The neonatal asphyxia rate between these two groups has no significance.Conclusion: Doula accompanied delivery as a new delivery service model may reduce the rate of cesarean section and postpartum hemorrhage,decrease the process of parturition,and no correlation with neonatal asphyxia,which is worth to application in clinical practice.


A transfer-function hydrograph separation model is used to examine event water fraction and transit time of typhoon rainstorms in steep catchments in Taiwan. Few studies of isotope hydrograph separation that involve event water fractions and transit times in high rainfall, subtropical, and steep catchments have been reported in the literature. In addition to a novel catchment setting, a time-variable sensitivity analysis is used to infer processes and controls on event water fractions and characteristics of event water transit time distributions. The results are placed in context with data generated from literature values and show that rainfall intensity influences event water fractions


Objective To optimize the proportion of the prescription of Xiaozheng by uniform design method.Methods The mice were divided into twelve groups,including seven groups treated with the prescriptions which contained rhizoma paridis total saponins,evodiamine and rhymchophylla total alkaloids with different proportion,three groups treated with single traditional Chinese medicine mentioned before,cyclophosphamide group and distilled water group.On the second day,each group was treated with relevant medicinal for fourteen days.The proportion was fixed using uniform design method.The inhibition rates of different formulations of prescription of Xiaozheng on murine xenograft was compared.Results The regression equation was Y=0.851 78-0.014 92×X2-0.000 390 07×X1X2-0.000 878 39×X1X3.The best proportion of the prescription for rhizoma paridis total saponins was 37.5mg and rhymchophylla total alkaloids was 12.5mg,and tumor inhibitory ration was 44%.The body weight of murine were increased significantly in the rhymchophylla total alkaloids group,from(25.12±2.36)g to(33.06±2.47)g,which was higher than that of distilled water group(P0.05).Conclusion Compatibility of medicines in prescription is the soul of traditional Chinese medicine theory.It's a courageous method to explore the law of prescription by the uniform design method.The optimized prescription could achieve the best effect.The optimized proportion of prescription using modern mathematical statistics method can promote the modernization of traditional Chinese medical research.


Nationalism has always been a thought-provoking topic of discussion. Both Indian literature and Irish literature have numerous texts that trace the idea of nationalism. This paper intends to locate similarities in the understanding of nationalism in India and Ireland, through the craftsmanship of Rabindranath Tagore and James Joyce.


Sanctification is not an important theme only in the New Testament, but throughout the canonical books.The conception of sanctification in the Bible is a very large study and has a very broad scope of description.this is a literature study; That's why it is considered important to add several references to the books included in the article as a synergistic whole. The scope of the discussion to be focused on is consistent with the idea of purification. In his description, of course, there will be a lot of theological cases found in the OT and NT, so the author will quote various verses as mutually consolidated evidence.The method used in this research is descriptive with an exposition approach. Exploring deeply the ideas and meanings contained in the discussion text. Theological and biblical studies will be a priority in coloring writing by not ignoring the hermeneutic principles contained in biblical exegesis. since childhood we have got the understanding that every religion in this world none of them teach about impurity and ugliness. In other words, all religions agree that in religion, purification must have a special place.Although it looks one in the theme, namely sanctification, in reality we will find formulations that experience fundamental differences both in principle and in practice, in the conception of sanctification.To put anthropocentrism in sanctification is futile. It takes a second party who is super power, super holy and he must come from the party who knows more about who humans are and how humans are. He must be the creator of the universe and everything in it. ALLAH, only He has the ability to do all these things.


Abstract Elderly-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is rare and difficulties are associated with reaching a diagnosis of SLE in elderly patients because of comorbidities and the lack of the typical clinical features of SLE. We herein report two cases of very elderly onset SLE in males: an 82-year-old male with arthritis and 83-year-old male with serositis. A review of the literature revealed common characteristics among elderly onset SLE patients, such as milder serological findings, less skin involvement, and more severe serositis and arthritis with high mortality. Data obtained from 81 patients (including 19 elderly onset) revealed that skin rashes were less frequent in elderly onset male SLE patients. In contrast, more severe thrombocytopenia, lower complement levels, and higher dsDNA antibody titres were observed in elderly onset female SLE patients. In conclusion, several clinical characteristics were identified in elderly onset female and male SLE patients, and sex differences were noted in these characteristics.


A planar balun based on using parallel-coupled microstrip lines is presented. It is designed to transfer the unbalanced microstrip line to a balanced coplanar stripline as needed in many applications such as centre-fed dipole antennas. The balun includes a T-junction of stepped-impedance and tapered microstrip lines and two pairs of stepped-impedance parallel-coupled lines. The designed balun covers the band from 3 to 11 GHz with less than 0.4 dB insertion loss.


The diffusion model developed by Bass Bass, F. M. 1969. A new product growth model for consumer durables. Management Sci.15January 215--227. constitutes an empirical generalization. It represents a pattern or regularity that has been shown to repeat over many new products and services in many countries and over a variety circumstances. Numerous and various applications of the model have lead to further generalizations. Modifications and extensions of the model have lead to further generalizations. In addition to the empirical generalizations that stem from the model, we discuss here some of the managerial applications of the model.


Bell introduced the well known locality assumption, stating that the detector outcome of particle-1 could not influence the outcome of particle-2, and vice versa, when a singlet pair of particles was subjected to simultaneous experimental tests. Simple cases of violation of the inequalities were taken as proof of inapplicability of the given assumption of locality or hidden variables concept. To this date no one examined Bell's type inequalities for logical consistency from rigorous mathematical point of view. All the terms appearing in the inequalities deal with conditional probabilities given the detector orientations fixed. In brief, conditional probabilities and conditional expectations can be added, subtracted, or compared only when they are defined on the same conditional subensembles. Careful analyses of this paper show that this requirement is not met.


In Construction of new countryside in Yuci,measures have been taken like implement of the leadership,funds,aids and supervise,focus in advantageous local special and promising product or estate,function improvement of the agricultural service system,prominent of the example project and improvement in rural production,life,ecological and social environment which has given an impetus to big progress in leading rural industries,outlook and farmers' income.


This paper is concerned with an inverse random source scattering problem in an inhomogeneous background medium. The wave propagation is modeled by the stochastic Helmholtz equation with the source driven by additive white noise. The goal is to reconstruct the statistical properties of the random source such as the mean and variance from the boundary measurement of the radiated random wave field at multiple frequencies. Both the direct and inverse problems are considered. We show that the direct problem has a unique mild solution by a constructive proof. For the inverse problem, we derive Fredholm integral equations, which connect the boundary measurement of the radiated wave field with the unknown source function. A regularized block Kaczmarz method is developed to solve the ill-posed integral equations. Numerical experiments are included to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.


Letter from E.H. Sellards, director of the Texas Memorial Museum, to Amon Carter asking him to come and present the John Garner portrait to the museum.


Conceptual models are constructed of abstractions of objects in the real world. By precisely specifying the structure of these objects, and the fiinctional relationships between them, we can use mathematics to investigate the nature and properties of the model as a whole. Precise specification also opens up the possibility of implementing the model on a computer. This can have considerable benefits, such as an enhanced ability to perform complex manipulations upon it and the potential to visualise the results in a useful way.


.......................................................................................................................................... 4 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .............................................................................................................. 10 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 11 1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY ......................................................................................... 11 1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM ....................................................................................... 13 1.2.1 A synopsis on Maternal Mortality and Morbidity .................................................. 13 1.2.2 The impact of non-implementation of Accountability on MMM ............................. 16 1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS ..................................................................................................... 20 1.4 LITERATURE SURVEY ......................................................................................................... 21 1.5 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................. 25 1.6 SCOPE/LIMITATIONS ............................................................................................................ 25 1.7 STRUCTURE OF THE THESIS ............................................................................................ 27 CHAPTER TWO: ROLE OF ACCOUNTABILITY TOWARDS THE REDUCTION OF PREVENTABLE MATERNAL MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY .................................................. 29 2.0 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 29 2.1 UNDERSTANDING ACCOUNTABILITY ............................................................................. 30 2.2 ACCOUNTABILITY FRAMEWORK FOR MATERNAL MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY .......................................................................................................................................................... 33 2.3 MAIN 'BUILDING BLOCKS' OF ACCOUNTABILITY......................................................... 34 2.3.1 Responsibility ...................................................................................................... 36 2.3.2 Answerability ....................................................................................................... 40 2.3.3 Enforcement ........................................................................................................ 41 2.4 PREVENTABLE MATERNAL MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY, VIOLATION OF WOMEN'S RIGHTS ....................................................................................................................... 44 2.4.1 Maternal Mortality and Morbidity as a form of discrimination ........................................ 44 2.4.2 Feminist Perspectives on Maternal Mortality and Morbidity .......................................... 48 2.5 FORMS OF ACCOUNTABILITY, THEIR USAGE TOWARDS COMBATING PREVENTABLE MATERNAL MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY. ............................................. 55 2.5.1 National Legal/Judicial Accountability. ................................................................. 55 http://etd.uwc.ac.za 7 2.5.2 Administrative Accountability ............................................................................... 58 184.108.40.206 Responsibility/Standards of performance ............................................................. 59 184.108.40.206 Answerability in the administrative structures....................................................... 62 188.8.131.52 Enforcement/ Remedial Measures ......................................................................... 63 2.5.3 Social Accountability ........................................................................................... 63 2.6 CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................... 65 CHAPTER THREE: IMPLEMENTING 'LEGAL ACCOUNTABILITY' TOWARDS COMBATING MATERNAL MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY IN UGANDA. .............................. 67 3.0 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 67 3.1 APPLYING THE ACCOUNTABILITY FRAMEWORK TO THE LEGAL SECTOR ........ 67 3.2 RESPONSIBILITY IN THE LEGAL SECTOR ..................................................................... 68 3.2.1 International and Regional Level ......................................................................... 69 3.2.2 Domestic Level (Ugandan Court System)............................................................ 77 3.3 ENFORCEMENT UNDER THE COURT SYSTEM ............................................................ 83 3.3.1 CEHURD and Others vs. Attorney General (In the Constitutional Court) ............. 84 3.3.2 CEHURD and others v the Attorney General (Constitutional Court Appeal) ........ 87 188.8.131.52 The 'Political Question' Doctrine ............................................................................. 88 3.4 AN ANALYSIS OF THE MATERNAL HEALTH CASES. ................................................... 92 3.4 ANSWERABILITY FROM THE LEGAL PERSPECTIVE (Court System) ....................... 99 3.5.1 Access to Justice .............................................................................................. 100 3.5.2 Tracking/ Monitoring/Supervision ...................................................................... 106 3.6 UGANDA HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION (UHRC) ...................................................... 110 3.6.1 Responsibility Aspect ........................................................................................ 110 3.6.2 The Answerability Role of the Uganda Human Rights Commission ................... 115 3.6.3 The Enforcement Aspect of the Uganda Human Rights Commission ................ 117 3.7 CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................................... 120 CHAPTER FOUR: ROLE OF ADMINISTRATIVE ACCOUNTABILITY TOWARDS REDUCING MATERNAL MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY. ....................................................... 122 4.0 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 122 4.1 UGANDA'S HEALTH POLICY FRAMEWORK ................................................................. 122 4.2 RATIONALE FOR CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS IN COMBATING MMM ........................ 124 4.3 ADMINISTRATIVE ACCOUNTABILITY ............................................................................. 128 http://etd.uwc.ac.za 8 4.4 OPERATIONALIZATION OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY FRAMEWORK ....................... 128 4.4.1 RESPONSIBILITY ............................................................................................. 129 184.108.40.206 Monitoring/Supervision ........................................................................................... 131 126.96.36.199 Maternal Death Audits ............................................................................................ 134 184.108.40.206 Data Collection Mechanisms ................................................................................. 139 4.4.2 ANSWERABILITY ............................................................................................. 141 4.4.3 ENFORCEMENT .............................................................................................. 146 22.214.171.124 Financial Resource Utilisation ............................................................................... 147 22.214.171.124 Health Professional Associations ......................................................................... 155 a) Health Service Commission ........................................................................... 156 b) The Health Professional Councils ................................................................... 158 c) The National Drug Authority (NDA) ................................................................. 162 4.5 CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................................... 164 CHAPTER FIVE: THE ROLE OF SOCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY TOWARDS COMBATING MATERNAL MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY IN UGANDA ....................................................... 165 5.0 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 165 5.1 UNDERSTANDING SOCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY ............................................................ 166 5.2 APPLICATION OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY FRAMEWORK TO SOCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY ...................................................................................................................... 167 5.2.1 Responsibility .................................................................................................... 168 5.2.2 Answerability ..................................................................................................... 174 18.104.22.168 Awareness Raising/ Capacity Building ................................................................ 174 18.104.22.168 Tracking/Supervising/Monitoring Maternal Health Services ............................. 180 5.2.3 Instituting Remedial Mechanisms ...................................................................... 190 5.3 CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................................... 197 CHAPTER SIX: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................ 199 6.1 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS ............................................................................................. 199 6.1.1 Accountability framework for Maternal Morbidity and Mortality (MMM). ............. 199 6.1.2 Implementation of Legal accountability towards combating MMM in Uganda .... 201 6.1.3 Role of Admi


Today, communication technology is accelerating development of network-connected services. As we observed for the past decades years, communication devices, communication network, and software have been developed and advanced to help people to communicate by putting more choices and more functions in front of us. But for developers, device management is becoming more complex. There are various network services to be handled such as 3G, Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi Direct but data transfer APIs provided by different operation systems have many inconvenient constraints to use in a service. ISP (Interaction Sharing Platform) is a middleware network framework to overcome difficult network communications. ISP facilitates communications between devices in a network through Device management, Connection management and several other components.


The warp and weft adopt the stretch cotton yarn made from 5-60 count (English system) ring spinning (or open-end spinning) cotton yarn and 40-140D spandex filament through fasciated (or core spun) process. The close-fitting cloth is obtd. through the technological processes of dyeing, warping, sizing,w eaving, finishing and shrinking. It possesses of excellent stretching and contracting properties, the stretching rate can come up to 25%. The close-fitting clothing made from said cloth features comfortable for wearing, deformation-less, beautiful washed pattern and bright colour and capable of varying along with the variation of bending and stretching of the body.


The Opomyzidae are a family of insects in the order Diptera, Subordem: Brachycera, Infra-ordem: Muscomorpha. This family includes phytophagous species subservient to plants of the Poaceae family (grasses). Some species are pests of cereal crops. Its biological cycle, adapted to the phenology of grasses with an autumn-spring cycle, determines the distribution of this family, represented almost exclusively in the temperate regions of the boreal hemisphere. The purpose of this manuscript is to mention the Family Opomyzidae with pests of cereal crops. Bibliographic verification of Family Opomyzidae was carried out from 1972 to 2022. Manuscripts published in scientific journals and digital platforms on the subject were examined. Only a few species of Opomyzidae cause significant damage to agriculture: the most important are Opomyza florum (Fabricius, 1794), Opomyza germinationis (Linnaeus, 1758) and Opomyza petrei Mesnil, 1934 in the genus Opomyza, and Geomyza balachowskyi Mesnil, 1934, Geomyza combinata (Linnaeus, 1767) and Geomyza tripunctata Fallen, 1823 in the genus Geomyza.


In order to provide an improved method for the dry cleaning of textile, leather or furs, comprising bringing the to be purified product with a cleaning agent into contact, wherein the cleaning agent comprises at least one solvent, a corresponding method, the invention provides, in which a cleaning agent used is a compound of the general formula as the solvent (I) , wherein x is an integer from 1 to 10 and R In addition, the use of a solvent having the general formula (I) is provided for the preparation of a cleaning agent for dry cleaning of textile, leather or fur products, as well as a liquid detergent for use in a method for the chemical cleaning of textile, leather or furs, wherein the cleaning agent has a proportion of a solvent having the general formula (I).


The increasing resistance of staphylococci to ß -lactam antibiotics has become a major clinical problem. Development of rapid and sensitive techniques for detection of MRSA is an important aim for public health. A duplex PCR were established for specific identification of methicillin-resistance Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in clinical samples. In this work a duplex SYBR Green real time PCR was developed for rapid identification of MRSA in local methicillin-resistance S. aureus isolates. Twenty methicillin-resistance S. aureus isolates, as determined by disc diffusion method, were subjected to DNA extraction and PCR amplification. Two genes were amplified successfully, mecA (533bp) and femA (314bp), as targets for methicillin-resistance and specific identification of S. aureus, respectively using conventional PCR. Sensitivity of the duplex PCR showed that the minimum concentration of DNA that gave positive results for the two genes was 30ng/µl. In order to develop rapid and sensitive test for identification of MRSA, serial dilutions of purified DNA were amplified gradually according to their concentrations using SYBR Green real time PCR. These results indicated that the SYBR Green real time PCR can be used for identification of methicillin-resistance S. aureus (MRSA) in clinical


Large classes in higher education present a major challenge to educators because of the diverse needs of the students. At the same time, there is a demand to facilitate deep engagement by students so that they learn the useful skills and knowledge that society demands of graduates. One of the promising approaches to the problem involves harnessing information technologies to support the educator and provide students with challenging and engaging pathways alongside their formal courses. For example, sophisticated visual materials like simulations and videos that allow students to explore major conceptual ideas in science are becoming available. But re-framing the educational setting so that students can, and do, take advantage of the opportunities remains a challenge. This project is focusing on using dynamic visual materials and haptic-visual materials that provide students with the option to explore and investigate the concepts of science in the self-directed online environment. In this study, dynamic visual materials refer to the videos and animations, and visual-haptic tools refer to the simulations. Dynamic visual materials represent and describe the concepts to students, whilst the visual-haptic tool requires the student to involve, move, experience and experiment with the content and concepts within the dynamic visualisation set up. This paper focuses on the students' preferences for using these materials and the influence of these materials on their learning. Of particular importance is the effect of videos as compared to the simulation on the relevant concepts. The study reveals the consequence of videos is more evident than the simulation in the self-directed online environment. Students prefer the video because it requires less cognitive load in the learning process due to the absence of the haptic elements. However, simulation presents the rich and diverse content, which engages higher order thinking and results in more effective learning for the higher achieving students in the self-directed environment. Consequently, in the learning process where tactile perception is required for a deeper understanding of the concept, the simulation was more effective than the videos. In several cases, the study found that students want the combination of both visual and haptic elements for effective learning. The Implication of this study is to scaffold students self-studying skills so that they move towards independent learning. It has also added the challenge of developing online learning modules that students can carry out without staff oversight.


Skin rashes have been reported after the start of various antipsychotic drugs in the scientific literature. It is important that psychiatrists be aware of antipsychotic-induced skin reactions in patients on antipsychotic medication which can be an uncommon yet possible occurrence. Patients with psychiatric problems may be prone to skin reactions and may not report the same as they may not be aware of the same. We herewith report a case of skin reaction with Olanzapine in a patient with schizophrenia.

Keywords: Schizophrenia, Skin rash, Skin reaction, Antipsychotics, Olanzapine.


A post and panel type noise barrier fence is formed of a plurality of concrete vertical posts or columns which have grooves to hold flat concrete panels between successive ones of the columns. The panels can have a stepped lower edge to accommodate elevational changes in the terrain. Also, certain of the columns have oppositely disposed recesses angled from each other so as to accommodate directional changes at the columns in the direction of the barrier fence.


The use of a polyethylenimine–epichlorohydrin resin for the boron removal from aqueous solutions (boron concentration: 100–5000 mg L -1 ) of non-adjusted and pre-adjusted pH (pH nat , pH init 8.0, 9.0 and 10.0) aqueous solutions was investigated using a batch technique. The boron concentration in the solutions after sorption was determined photometrically. The results indicated that the pH-dependent boron uptake was related to the protonation/deprotonation of the surface functional groups of the resin and to the boron speciation in solutions of different pH values. The maximum boron sorption capacity observed in solutions of pH 9.0 was 55 mg g -1 exceeding the majority of other commercial or alternative sorbents. Five empirical adsorption equations (Freundlich, Langmuir, Redlich–Peterson, Langmuir–Freundlich and Toth) were applied to the modelling of the boron adsorption equilibrium. The modelling results identified the homogenous boron sorption from acidic and heterogeneous from alkaline solutions. At alkaline pH, the system non-ideality can originate either from the different binding mechanism or from the competitive sorption of different boron species. The homogenous type boron sorption from acidic solutions was further confirmed by kinetic studies.


There is a considerable interest in the use of biological materials in electronic device applications. For example the purple membrane, a photoactive biological material, may have an application in artificial retinas. To fabricate devices such as artificial retinas from the purple membrane, a means of patterning the biological material on the substrate surface is needed. We have explored the use of self‐assembled monolayers to achieve the control of the adsorption of the purple membrane to a glass surface. By changing the terminal group of the self‐assembled monolayer, the affinity of the surface for the purple membrane is controlled. The adsorbed purple membrane films have been examined with x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and fluorescence microscopy. The x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy data reveal that the purple membrane adsorbs to a clean glass surface in the amount 0.84 μg/cm2. Modifying the glass surface with a fluorocarbon‐based self‐assembled monolayer reduces the amount of purple membrane adsorbed by a factor of 9.3, to 0.09 μg/cm2. In the future, these results combined with one of the existing methods for patterning self‐assembled monolayers, will provide a means of spatially controlling the adsorption of the purple membrane on a substrate. Thus, this work represents an important first step in the patterning of purple membrane structures and devices on a surface.


Graham J Etherington should be included in the author byline. He should be listed as the sixth author and his contribution is: Genome sequencing and SNPs identification in the mutant plant. His affiliations are 1: The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, United, Kingdom, and 2: The Genome Analysis Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, United Kingdom. The correct citation is: Ramirez V, Gonzalez B, Lopez A, Castello MJ, Gil MJ, Etherington GL, et al. (2015) Loss of a Conserved tRNA Anticodon Modification Perturbs Plant Immunity. PLoS Genet 11(10): e1005586. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1005586


The aim of this paper is prediction of ductile fracture initiation in mismatched and double mismatched welded joints. The micromechanical approach is very well-suited for this purpose, because it describes the process of fracture in a way close to the actual phenomena in the material. Micromechanical models based on the Gurson plastic flow criterion are often used for ductile fracture analysis. One of these models, the Complete Gurson Model (CGM) is used here, because the critical value of the damage parameter can be calculated during the analysis. In many other models, the value of this parameter must be predefined. Experimental and numerical analysis of ductile fracture of pre-cracked single-edge notched bend (SENB) specimens is presented. These specimens contain mismatched or double mismatched (undermatched - OM, and overmatched - UM) welded joints. The crack is located in the weld metal (WM), and in case of double mismatched joints it runs through both weld metals. Numerical analysis is conducted using ABAQUS, with user material subroutine for the CGM created by Z.L. Zhang. Three-dimensional models of double mismatched welded joints are analysed, because they cannot be regarded as plane strain or plane stress. To attain the best possible computational efficiency, the submodelling technique is used in the crack front region. With submodelling, it is possible to have sufficiently refined mesh around the crack front (which is very important, as will be discussed in the paper), without excessive computational cost. Microstructural observation is used to quantify the volume fractions of non-metallic inclusions in base metal (BM) and overmatched and undermatched weld metals. Based on these data, initial void volume fractions and mean free paths between the inclusions for all materials are determined. Crack tip opening displacement (CTOD) at the crack growth initiation is measured experimentally and calculated using the CGM, and different values are obtained in overmatched weld metal in comparison with the undermatched weld metal (for double mismatched joints). The size of the elements near the crack tip strongly influences the prediction of the crack growth initiation, and the best results are obtained for the size of the element similar to the mean free path between non-metallic inclusions. The results are also sensitive to the change of the initial void volume fraction, and the best agreement with the experimental data is obtained for the value determined by quantitative microstructural analysis. It is concluded that the CGM enables determination of the crack growth initiation in analysed welded joints and successfully captures the effect of the inhomogeneity.Copyright © 2009 by ASME


Deixis, or pointing, is the ability to draw the viewer/listener's attention to an object, a person, a direction or an event. Pointing is involved at different stages of human communication development, in multiple modalities: first with the eyes, then with the finger, then with intonation and finally with syntax. It is ubiquitous and probably universal in human interactions. The role of index-finger pointing in language acquisition suggests that it may be a precursor of vocal pointing or that vocal pointing may be grounded in the same cerebral network as gestural pointing.


In quadrature direct-conversion Doppler radar systems, the I and Q receiver channels are subject to amplitude and phase imbalance factors caused by circuit and component imperfections. This nonideality results in an undesired linear transformation of the baseband output signals which degrades output accuracy and sensitivity. With known imbalance factors, compensation can be achieved through digital signal processing, but accuracy is affected by circuit modifications required to determine those factors. Presented here is a new measurement method for I/Q imbalance factors that can be performed without significant modification to the radar system, allowing more precise imbalance correction to be achieved. A phase shifter is introduced at the receiver input to simulate a target approaching with constant velocity, resulting in sinusoidal outputs which can be easily compared to determine phase and amplitude imbalance


I T seems highly probable that the general laws which govern the growth of a man are also the laws which govern the growth of Christ's Mystical Body. The answers to how a man can mature and thus strengthen his true nature and protect himself from those forces which tend to make him less a man, are, mutatis mutandis, the answers to the questions inevitably raised regarding the integrity and growth of the Church. Because the Church of Christ is the unique, divine affirmation of the one Religion of mankind, the supernatural society of which all human beings are potentially members, it is obvious that tension will exist between it and the various social elements which are confined to the realm of particularization and secularity. In a sense this tension is indigenous to the very life of this divine society and in so far as Christian charity is operative, in so far as it exploits and transforms the good inherent in that tension, growth will be a dominant characteristic of the Church. While the Church can never belie itself and its mission, while there are times when it must protect its subjects from the disuniting elements in human factions, 'it must never', as our author points out, 'seek to grow by overriding the law of charity'. Since this Catholic society is composed of men who are capable of immature action, it is obvious that the pages of history must record incidents of imprudent, even vicious human conduct. But history also makes clear that a charity which is not grounded in truth and integrity is false, is weakness, and so the Catholic is always confronted with the necessity of harmonizing the requirements of charity with those of integrity — thus the problem of tolerance.


Space velocities of 146 chromospherically active binary stars have been calculated. Containing F-M spectral types on the main sequence together with G and K giants and subgiants, this very heterogeneous sample has been divided into groups in order to segregate stars which have similar kinematics and ages. After many trials for different criteria, the sample was divided into five groups: two groups for giants, two groups for main-sequence systems, and one group for main-sequence systems. Kinematics of subgiants implies a stellar age of ∼2-3 Gyr


We developed a microscopic approach to calculate the sample-to-sample fluctuations of transmission distribution in disordered conductors. This bridges between Green's function and random matrix theories of quantum transport. The results obtained show that the correlations of transmission eigenvalues obey universal Dyson statistics at small separations between eigenvalues being non-universal otherwise. The results facilitate an easy computation of different physical quantities and impose important constrains on a future imaginable theory of quantum transport.


Objective: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and essential hypertension (EH) are closely associated, while increased arterial stiffness is a marker of diffuse vascular disease. In light of the mass immigration of Eastern European residents, we sought to investigate the prevalence of OSAS along with the assessment of the arterial stiffness within this high risk population Design and Method: We studied 67 Eastern European immigrants with newly diagnosed untreated stage I-II EH (aged = 51.5 ± 15 years, 35 = male, office blood pressure (BP) = 158/92 mm Hg), who immigrated to Greece within the previous two years and 61 untreated hypertensive native inhabitants, matched for age, gender, office BP and smoking status. All participants underwent polysomnography (apnea/hypopnea index >5) and arterial stiffness evaluation on the basis of carotid to femoral pulse wave velocity (c-f PWV) by means of a computerized method (Complior SP), while metabolic profile and anthropometric data were assessed as well. Results: Hypertensive immigrants compared to native ones demonstrated decreased prevalence of OSAS (9.1% vs 12%,p = 0.014) and decreased levels of body mass index (29.3 ± 4 vs 32.2 ± 4 kg/m2,p < 0.05). There was evidence that c-f PWV was elevated in the group of immigrants (8.4 ± 0.3 vs 7.2 ± 0.5 m/sec,p < 0.05). Immigrants also exhibited decreased waist circumference (94 ± 3 vs101 ± 2 cm,p < 0.05). The two groups did not differ with regard to serum glucose and cholesterol levels (99 ± 9 vs102 ± 8 mg/dl and 226 ± 40 vs 228 ± 35 mg/dl, respectively,p = NS in both cases). Analysis of covariance revealed that the prevalence of OSAS and c-f PWV values remained statistically different between the two groups after adjustment for confounding factors (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Hypertensive immigrants demonstrate lower prevalence of OSAS but they seem to have stiffer aorta compared to native hypertensives. Efforts should be directed at this vulnerable population focusing on putative mechanisms for this unfavourable and apparently paradox BP phenotype.


Aluminum nitride (AlN) ceramics were fabricated by pressureless sintering with various sintering additives such as 5 mass % Y2O3, 2 mass % Y2O3–3 mass % Al2O3, 3 mass % Y2O3–1 mass % CaO–0.08 mass % B, and 6 mass % Y2O3–2 mass % CaO–0.16 mass % B. The relative density, phases present, lattice parameter c, and thermal conductivity of the samples were evaluated. The oxygen concentration in AlN lattice was estimated from the lattice parameter c by using the relation between the oxygen concentration and the lattice parameter c of AlN. To analyze the effects on the thermal conductivity of the samples, we plotted the oxygen concentration in AlN lattice estimated from the lattice parameters c versus the thermal resistivity, which is inverse of the thermal conductivity measured in this work. The data of the samples sintered with 5 mass % Y2O3 and 3 mass % Y2O3–1 mass % CaO–0.08 mass % B located on the plot of the relation between oxygen concentration in AlN lattice and thermal resistivity of AlN presented by Slack (Slack's line) or Harris et al. (Harris's line), respectively. In contrast, the data of the samples sintered with 2 mass % Y2O3–3 mass % Al2O3 and 6 mass % Y2O3–2 mass % CaO–0.16 mass % B, which contain excess grain boundary phases, located above the Harris's line. It was suggested that the thermal conductivity of the samples could be influenced by the density, the oxygen content in AlN lattice, and the presence of grain boundary phases.


This journal examines the resistance to the Legal Formalism School which alludes to it from the point of view of basic reports. This legal critique incorporates liberal, radical, and postmodernist ideas as well as Marxist ideas. The background is legal certainty, both those that guarantee the fulfillment of laws that do not require overlapping rules or justice for the formation of laws. This journal aims to briefly familiarize readers with concepts in critical legal studies from various legal perspectives. In addition, for good journal results, the author must convey the goals and context of the development of Indonesian law. This writing uses content analysis research, which is a comprehensive discussion of critical legal studies. The results of the discussion show that the goal of the critical legal study movement to unite various legal perspectives is the main principle of Critical Legal Studies which continues to develop in Indonesia. Because of this legal aspect, recent legal developments in Indonesia are still relatively new. Some formal legal activists use the history of the Critical Legal Studies Movement to understand oppressive legal structures and policies. Therefore, criticism of legal formalism is supported by the fact that several applications are needed, both in terms of themes and movement strategies, as support for the fulfillment of legal formalism from various prevailing legal ideologies.


Experiments in laboratory animals demonstrated safety, areactogenicity, and low allergenic potential of inactivated influenza chromatographic vaccine (IICV) administered by aerosol method. Aerosol immunization of white rats resulted in the development of the same level of secretory antibody as after intraperitoneal inoculation of IICV but the immunizing aspirational dose was 10-20 times as low as parenteral. Marked protection of mice was achieved after triple aerosol immunization of immunologically experienced animals.


The Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA) will consider defending physicians whose ethics prohibit them from participating in advancing a patient's death, but will definitely continue to advise them on all issues.

Canada's top court overturned the ban on medical aid in dying earlier


In this paper, we first study a general type of affine‐invariant codes and their support 2‐designs. Then we derive infinite families of 2‐designs from a special class of affine‐invariant codes and obtain their parameters by determining the weight distribution of the linear codes.


Based on the concepts of social security, social law, distributive justice, affirmative actions and reasonable adjustments, we make an analysis on whether the change that is taking place in the pension systems in Latin America considers these characteristics in order to improve social security or to create a retirement system where all beneficiaries have a better pension and consequently a better quality of life. In addition, we point out the concept of social security and its components such as social law and distributive justice. The importance of state intervention to make the leveling of social inequalities a reality can only be significant if we generate mechanisms such as reasonable adjustments and positive actions. Economically weak or vulnerable groups due to historical discrimination are the ones who need these systems the most in order to place themselves on an equal plane of opportunities within society.


Much of the prior court literature has demonstrated gender and racial disparity exist across various decision-points. Less understood are the processes that produce this disparity, particularly in ...


Manufacturing enterprises nowadays urge for efficiency improvement, adaptability and production systems' sustainability. The formation of manufacturing networks is gaining ground as and effective and efficient solution; nevertheless, the effective end-to-end management of such a formation is more than challenging. The paper at hand aims to introduce and describe a novel approach towards managing Dynamic Manufacturing Networks, based on a Blueprint Model, targeting to achieve seamless collaboration amongst the various actors in such a network. The methodology under consideration introduces an end-to-end manufacturing solution, supporting the uninterrupted flown and exploitation of production information. The main benefits identified, as well as potential risks mitigated through the application of the proposed methodology are also included in the paper at hand.


PURPOSEThis paper empirically evaluate the ability among various types of parsimonious equity valuation models in order to ascertain which model represents the value of equity the best and thereby manage to withstand factors causing valuation errors. The more complicated models applied, the more underlying assumptions are needed. The trade-off here, which will be investigated, is if the benefit of using more difficult models outweighs the cost of including the extra assumptions. Further on the empirical research ́s results will be compared with the results provided by this previous studies examinating American companies. METHODSix valuation models using a discounting valuation method are evaluated; the Present Value of Expected Dividends (PVED), Residual Income Valuation (RIV), Residual Income Valuation Terminal Value Constrained [RIV(TVC)], Abnormal Earning Growth approach (AEG), Abnormal Earning Growth Terminal Value Constrained approach [AEG(TVC)] and Free Cash Flow to the Firm model (FCFF). The five latter investment models are all based on the first model. FINDINGSThe aim of finding the smallest absolute valuation error in the empirical study is given to PVED, a model including little underlying assumptions and inputs. Hence, the implication of the application of valuation models can be summarized as that there are no clear benefits of applying complex models for Swedish companies, and the trade-off between using more complex models and thereby including more assumptions is not compelling given that the benefit does not exceed the cost. All the earnings methods are all found to be superior to the FCFF model, while the constrained RIV and AEG methods provide higher valuation errors than the unconstrained versions. The superiority of the PVED model is inconsistent with the previous results examining American firms, in which the RIV model is preferred. One of the reasons for the difference is the use of different accounting standards in the counties, and thereby the companies ́ capital structure and the inputs used in the investment valuation may be somewhat unlike. Abbreviations In order to simplify the notation, the following abbreviations are used; Abs(V.E) = Absolute Valuation Error AEG = Abnormal Earnings Growth model AEG(TVC)= Abnormal Earnings Growth model Terminal Value Constrained βSn = Equity beta for security n Bvt = Book value of share at time t, after capital transactions at time t Cbt = Conservative valuation bias at time t in equity of the company Cov ( Sn,M ) = Covariance between security Sn and market portfolio (OMX30) CSR = Clean surplus relation D = The company ́s amount of debt Divt = The dividend paid out at time t E = The company ́s amount of Equity EBIT = Earnings Before Interest and Tax Et(...)= Expectation operator at time t FCFF= Free Cash Flow to the Firm model g = Company ́s Growth rate in earnings in the steady state of the firm GAAP = Generally Accepted Accounting Principles HA = Alternative hypothesis H&M= Hennes and Mauritz HO = Null hypothesis IFRS = International Financial Reporting Standards k = Dividend payout ratio Mi = Observation i for the market portfolio N = Total number of observations Pt = Price of the stock at time t, the market price PVED= Present value of Expected Dividends (also called the dividend discount model) PVEE= Present Value of Expected Earnings PWC = Price Waterhouse Coopers rD = Required rate of return by the debt holders rE = Required rate of return of the equity holders RE = rE + 1 rF = Risk free rate RIV= Residual Income Valuation RIV(TVC) = Residual Income Valuation Terminal Value Constrained rM = Return of the market (based on the market portfolio) rP = rF – rM, The market risk premium, i.e. the extra return required by investors for holding a risky securities rather than a risk-free security rwacc = Weighted Average Cost of Capital Rwacc = rwacc + 1 SCA= Svenska Cellulosa Akitebolaget SEB= Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken Sn = Security n T= Tax rate UB = Unbiased accounting Var(M) = Variance of the market Var(Sn) = Variance of security n V.E = Valuation Error Vt = Value of the firm given by the investment model at time t Xt = Accounting net earnings accumulated over the period Yi = Observation i for security n μSn = The mean for security n ν = The mean of the market index


To decrease the difference of the properties along the normal direction of 7050 aluminum alloy plates with heavy thickness,the effects of single-step,double-step solution treatment were investigated on the microstructures and mechanical properties of 7050 aluminum alloy plate with thickness of 200 mm comparatively.Optical microscopy,scanning electron microscopy,energy disperse X-ray spectroscopy and tensile test were used to analyze the microstructures and mechanical properties of the plate.The results show that considerably coarse S and Al7Cu2Fe phase particles are observed at 1/4 thickness and core locations of the rolled plate.After single-step solution treatment,most second phase particles are still distributed along the normal direction of the plate,and the tensile strength of the aged plate markedly decreases first and then increases,finally decreases again.And the lowest strength exhibits at 1/4 layer of the plate.After double-step solution treatment,most AlZnMgCu and S phases are dissolved,the volume fraction of the second phase particles decreases significantly at the 1/4 thick layer from 2.45% to 0.51%,and compared with single-step solution treatment,the tensile strength increases to 561 MPa by 12.5% and the lowest strength exhibits at the core of the plate.Double-step solution treatment not only increases the mechanical properties,but also reduces the difference of the properties along the thickness of the plate.


MARIA ABRAHAMSON is a senior researcher at the Centre for Social Research on Alcohol and Drugs (SoRAD) at Stockholm University (Sveaplan, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden; maria.abrahamson@ sorad.su.se). Her research focuses on perceptions, norms and behaviors concerning alcohol, intoxication and drugs in youth cultures. She is the author of Alkoholkontroll i brytningstid-ett kultursociologiskt perspektiv (Cultural Studies of Alcohol Control in Times of Transition) (1999).


This paper introduces a program used to receive and send the massages, which utilizes the principle of UPD penetrating NET, and can realize the connection and communication among different computers under the protection of the firewall.


If I as a so-called Third World Woman in an extremely Western world, in a place such as the Netherlands, interpret LITERATURE, then I am trying to do that with a consciousness that is first cleansed, more or less, of traditional or modern Western literary concepts. For instance: Comparing Surinamese and DutchCaribbean literature with Dutch literature, in search of "quality," makes no sense, for the following reasons:


In the article the author explains the need of training the students of specialty 031600 "Advertising and Public Relations" NLP techniques in active learning format. Reveals the concept of active learning and the actuality of its use in the learning environment. The paper also briefly describes the essence of the method of NLP, as well as its influence on the development of communicative competence of students, is one of the base for the graduates of this trend. In the article the author gives a brief methodology developed program of training of students, which was implemented in the course of the training of future specialists at SPbGUVK. The article also presents the results of the experiment on the implementation of this technique, showing the positive dynamics of the communicative competence of students after training in this technique.


C ontinuing the Special Feature on Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture (UPA), in this part we return to Europe with just one paper. In the first part, we looked at the political aspect of UPA with the example of the Ortoloco project in Zurich, where UPA is being pursued as an explicit challenge to the neo-liberal economy. The paper in this issue, by Yves Cabannes and Isabel Raposo, looks at a different aspect of the politics of UPA, namely, the function which it plays for immigrant communities. They show, by comparing UPA respectively in Lisbon and London, the very different cultures of UPA in different cities and how in the first case community solidarity plays an important role but in the latter case, with long traditions of allotment gardens that started already in the 19th century as a political movement, now is carried on predominantly as an individual activity with little political or social content. They also look at the issue of the enrichment of crops that immigrant communities introduce to the cities where they carry out their farming and finally enquire into whether or not UPA in these two cases contributes at all to furthering the Right to the City.


Contemporary research in business strategy, new product development, and design management has suggested that cross-functional collaboration within team-based environments is critical to successful...


The steam generator (SG) tube is one of the important components in pressurized water reactors. Flaws such as wall-thinning or stress corrosion cracking have been reported in SG tubes. The burst pressure where both the internal and external pressures from the primary and secondary coolant systems are considered must be predicted to assess the structural integrity of SG tubes. Burst tests were performed by various organizations. On the basis of the test results, failure estimation methods were proposed. In this study, previous burst test data and existing failure estimation methods for SG tubes with wall-thinning or crack were investigated. As a result, the coefficient of the existing estimation method for SG tube with uniform wall-thinning was updated. In addition, failure estimation methods that are suitable for SG tubes with crack or local wall-thinning were proposed by considering the effects of the flaw shape and size on the burst pressure. The applicability of the failure estimation methods was confirmed by comparing the predicted results with the burst test data in actual SG tubes.


The impact of assimilation on a consumer's susceptibility to interpersonal influence is assessed in samples of first‐generation Armenian and Chinese immigrants to the US. We find that: (a) Chinese immigrants are more susceptible to interpersonal influence than are Anglo‐Americans who in turn are more susceptible to this influence than are Armenian immigrants, (b) Chinese immigrants are especially susceptible to the normative type of interpersonal influence and (c) Chinese immigrants' susceptibility to both types of interpersonal influence decreases significantly as they identificationally‐assimilate, whereas Armenian immigrants' susceptibility to both types of interpersonal influence decreases significantly as they structurally‐assimilate into the Anglo‐American macro‐culture.


Investigation and monitoring of power quality is necessary to maintain accurate operation of sensitive equipment. Electrical power systems of mines with their sophisticated technology will always have a need for monitoring power quality to ensure that critical processes are operating efficiently. Two of the most common power quality problems, Voltage Sag and Harmonics are investigated for a Remote Gold Mine in Papua New Guinea. Field power quality data is collected by PQNode(R) and then simulated using the PSCAD (R) / EMTDC (TM) software. Results are then compared with appropriate standards and subsequently correct mitigation techniques are investigated.


Based on the analyses on the present situation of the energy and the biomass energy in China today,this paper points out the necessity and probability of developing the biomass energy strongly in China when the energy resource in short supply and environment pollution becomes the important problem restricting Chinese development.


Lawrence Durrell told me he wanted to be laid out after his death in the abandoned train station of Fontanes-Lecques ("an ancient and aris tocratic name") wearing the uniform of a conductor on the French railroad. The gesture would have suited Durrell, who saw the humor and sadness of life and death, whose writings exceeded any preconcep tions his readers might have of what can happen in life or literature. Such a funeral was not possible, so death proved to be like life for him : "Whatever you think, it isn't." And so, too, will be the writings of Law rence Durrell and the memories of those who knew him: extravagant in wit, intelligence, generosity; paradoxical and elusive in intent and accomplishment. Durrell wanted to write of his time. In so doing, he defined for many the limits of happiness and the dangers of mere hope. Though he had earlier published poetry and fiction, he first heard "the sound of his own voice" in The Black Book which he wrote when in his early twenties. Inspired and admired by both Henry Miller and T. S. Eliot, the novel was different from the juvenalia that preceded it in telling a profane (vulgar to some) tale in prose that is exquisite in conception and language. Miller's affinity for The Black Book was ob vious to me, but I never really grasped what Eliot admired until Durrell told me : "He saw it for what it is : the story of a religious nervous break down." The same concern informs the best writing of both. Yet in Dur rell's writings restless modern men and women lose and find themselves in the erotic, usually in places whose names are redundant with intrigue and adventure: Cyprus, Cairo, Alexandria, Avignon. In such places where our culture took form, Durrell's characters seem fragile, remind ing us that people have always been so.


With the increasing development of China's education reform,it is urgent to train more physical education students as personnel who adapt themselves to the development of modern society.Guided by modern teaching theory,many physical education teachers introduce advanced teaching thoughts and methods from abroad,begin to study the teaching reform of track and field and get great achievement.Based on previous research,this paper takes the teaching of back layout as an example and discusses the significance of the classified teaching used in the required courses of track and field.The main purpose is to suit the instruction to the students' level and improve the quality of the track and field courses.


Since the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, Federal, State and local governments have increasingly moved toward establishing Homeland Security as an institutional response to not only the threat of future terrorist attacks, but as a means of preparing and responding to natural disasters. Every plan at every level has stated that a critical element to any Homeland Security program is the local police and sheriff's departments. What specifically the police are to do under the concepts of Homeland Security has been unclear and poorly communicated and departments across the country have responded very differently from one another. To date, research in the area of Policing and Homeland Security has been lacking. This article addresses that deficiency, introduces the collection of research articles contained within this special issue of Criminal Justice Policy Review, and establishes an agenda for future research.


Calathea pseudoveitchiana, a leaf pattern mimic of the unrelated C. veitchiana, is described as new. The leaf pattern type is charahcteristic of species from Amazonian Peru and Ecuador. Calathea pseudoveitchiana is in Calathea series Nudiscapae, while C. veitchiana is in series Comosae. Calathea longipetiolata, from Peru, is also described as new.


. We study the interaction of ρ , D ∗ and ¯ D ∗ with spins aligned using the fixed center approximation to the Faddeev equations. We select a cluster of D ∗ ¯ D ∗ , which is found to be bound in I = 0 and can be associated to the X(3915), and let the ρ meson orbit around the D ∗ and ¯ D ∗ . In this case we find an I = 1 state with mass around 4340 MeV and narrow width of about 50 MeV. We also investigate the case with a cluster of ρD ∗ and let the ¯ D ∗ orbit around the system of the two states. The ρD ∗ cluster is also found to bind and leads to the D ∗ 2 (2460) state. The addition of the extra ¯ D ∗ produces further binding and we find, with admitted uncertainties, a state of I = 0 around 4000 MeV, and a less bound narrow state with I = 1 around 4200 MeV.


Program instrumentation techniques form the basis of many recent software security defenses, including defenses against common exploits and security policy enforcement. As compared to source-code instrumentation, binary instrumentation is easier to use and more broadly applicable due to the ready availability of binary code. Two key features needed for security instrumentations are (a) it should be applied to all application code, including code contained in various system and application libraries, and (b) it should be non-bypassable. So far, dynamic binary instrumentation (DBI) techniques have provided these features, whereas static binary instrumentation (SBI) techniques have lacked them. These features, combined with ease of use, have made DBI the de facto choice for security instrumentations. However, DBI techniques can incur high overheads in several common usage scenarios, such as application startups, system-calls, and many real-world applications. We therefore develop a new platform for secure static binary instrumentation (PSI) that overcomes these drawbacks of DBI techniques, while retaining the security, robustness and ease-of-use features. We illustrate the versatility of PSI by developing several instrumentation applications: basic block counting, shadow stack defense against control-flow hijack and return-oriented programming attacks, and system call and library policy enforcement. While being competitive with the best DBI tools on CPU-intensive SPEC 2006 benchmark, PSI provides an order of magnitude reduction in overheads on a collection of real-world applications.