The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of psychoeducational groups with homeroom techniques in increasing understanding about the dangers of premarital sex. The type of research used is experimental research with a one-group pretest-posttest design. The sample used was 7 grade XI students of SMAN 11 South Tangerang City who had a low understanding of the dangers of premarital sex. The sampling technique in this research is purposive sampling. The data collection method used is descriptive percentage analysis and Wilcoxon test. The results of this study indicate that students' understanding of the dangers of premarital sex before and after being given treatment in the form of a homeroom technique psychoeducation group increased by an average of 6.62%. The effectiveness of the psychoeducational group with the homeroom technique is marked by a change in understanding of the dangers of premarital sex. This can be seen from the comparison between the results of the pretest which are categorized as moderate to close to low and the posttest results which increase after being given treatment into the high category. Suggestions for further researchers, it is necessary to conduct similar research by studying the weaknesses in this research, or by developing this research by replacing techniques with more innovative and relevant to the conditions of the research subjects.


The fourth-order quark–quark potentials in perturbative QCD are derived with special emphasis on the colour-independent spin-orbit terms, and these terms may be useful in understanding the suppression of the spin-orbit forces in baryons.


This project explores the use of content based image retrieval in the domain of interior decorating. The images in the database represent items used for interior decorating such as wallpapers, borders, fabrics, floorings, and carpets. A comparison is done on the performance of different variations of the colour and texture features and of various distance metrics used to measure the similarity between the query and database features. The colour features extracted from the images include: the average colour in the YIQ, HSV, and RGB colour spaces, colour histograms in the HSV and RGB (8 bin and 64 bin) colour spaces a cumulative colour histogram in the HSV colour space, and the moments of colour distribution in the HSV and RGB colour spaces. The texture features extracted from the images include: contrast, coarseness and four variations of directionality. Six distance metrics are used. They are: L 1 , L 2 , weighted L 2 , L P , weighted sum, and scalar distance. The objective of this project was to find the most appropriate combinations of features and distance metrics for use in an interior decorating application


BACKGROUND Unlike hemorrhagic injuries in which direct pressure is indicated, any pressure placed on the eye after penetrating trauma can significantly worsen the injury by expulsing intraocular contents. The accepted first response measure for obvious or suspected penetrating ocular injury is placement of a rigid shield that vaults the eye so as to prevent accidental iatrogenic aggravation during transport to the ophthalmologist. Patching and placing intervening gauze between the shield and the eye are both contraindicated. Anecdotally, compliance with these recommendations is poor in the military and civilian communities alike; however, published studies documenting compliance are uniformly lacking. This study was undertaken to provide such an evaluation. METHODS In this retrospective observational study, the Department of Defense Trauma Registry was reviewed to identify eye injuries in Afghanistan from 2010 to 2012 and to examine compliance with eye shield recommendations. One hundred fifty-seven records of eye casualties were identified and categorized according to diagnostic codes, noting use of a shield. A subset of 30 records was further analyzed for compliance with other core treatment measures specified by the operant Clinical Practice Guideline. Because comparative studies do not exist, simple statistical analysis was performed. RESULTS Overall, 39% of eye injuries received a shield at the point of injury (61% failure), ranging from 0% to 50% between diagnostic subgroups. Subset analysis revealed that only 4.2% of injuries were successfully mitigated at the point of injury (95.8% failure). CONCLUSION In one of the few studies documenting the use of eye shields after ocular trauma, anecdotal reports of poor, inadequate, or incorrect compliance with basic recommendations were substantiated. Several factors may account for these findings. Corrective efforts should include enhanced educational emphasis and increased shield availability. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Epidemiologic study, level IV. Therapeutic study, level IV.


This article introduces the process modificaion on 4M type H_2-N_2 compressor. After modification, operation is optimized and production capacity is increased.In addition, ammonia and power consumption is decreased.


Abstract

Background. How well the problem based curriculum at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) at the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) prepares graduates for the workforce has not been evaluated.

Methods. We used a pre tested questionnaire to explore the views of resident medical officers (RMOs) on how well the curriculum had prepared them for their role as RMOs in Paediatrics. We also explored the views of clinical supervisors. Responses to a wide range of questions were scored using a 5-point Likert scale. Participants were requested to indicate skills for which they felt insufficiently prepared.

Results. Twenty-five of 38 (66%) RMOs and 19 of 25 (76%) clinical supervisors completed the survey. Mean scores of ≥3.5 and ≥3.9 were recorded for 24 (69%) and 16 (46%) of the 35 questions put to the RMOs. A mean score of ≤3 was recorded in only 5/35 questions. Only two of ten question scores for clinical supervisors' assessment of the RMOs were <3.5.

Discussion. The RMOs felt generally well prepared and clinicians rated RMO performance as at least satisfactory in most areas. Low scores were obtained on questions related to dealing with job stress including dealing with parents and families of children who die, and balancing personal and professional life. Participants felt that more attention should be given to neonatal and infant resuscitation during the undergraduate programme.

Conclusion. The results provide assurance that the PBL based curriculum prepares the students well for their future roles and indicate areas in which the curriculum can be modified to address perceived deficiencies.


Introduction A large and growing body of work exists on the subject of endowment investing, but the equally important topic of endowment spending is treated less often. While the degree to which endowed institutions depend on their endowment for budgetary support varies widely, the market crisis of 2008–2009 demonstrated that failure by the endowment to provide the expected level of cash support to the institution's operating budget can seriously undermine the mission—and, perhaps, the viability —of the institution. Yet the two major market declines of the last decade have also exposed significant weaknesses in prevailing endowment spending policies and practices, as spending methodologies have failed to protect endowed institutions against excessive volatility in the financial support they obtain from their endowments.


Calculating the optimal route on road networks from a given origin to a given destination is one of the problems of real-world applications like car navigation systems, logistic planning and traffic simulations. One of the major difficulties of the route calculation is the computation time when the size of the topographical road map data becomes large. It is difficult to calculate the route with minimum cost by the classical shortest path algorithms because they are too computationally intensive. To speed up the route calculation, two kinds of speedup approaches were proposed. One is to develop a network structure, which can calculate the sub-optimal route by pruning unnecessary search space more than known hierarchy methods. By the proposed method for this kind of network structure, we can provide the route for large size road networks within high calculation speed and acceptable loss of accuracy. Another speed-up method is proposed to calculate the optimal route based on the developed multilevel network structure. The primary disadvantage of this approach is high storage cost because the higher level network has a big number of nodes and sections. To reduce the number of nodes and sections in the higher level network, a genetic algorithm (GA) based clustering method is designed to cluster the original road network into different sub-networks by minimizing the number of boundary nodes and new road sections simultaneously. Moreover, the shortest path may not be the best route when there are several considerations, such as traffic time, costs, environmental problems and many other criteria. It is multiobjective route selection problem, which is another difficult point of the route calculation. In this thesis, a new multiobjective Genetic algorithm is proposed to create enough Pareto-optimal routes with good distribution for the decision maker deiii pending on his/her preferences. The proposed solution approach can effectively combine the accurate route searching ability of Dijkstra algorithm and the exploration ability of Genetic Algorithm for solving the multiobjective route selection problem. Simulation results on a large-scale road network show that the proposed methods can effectively solve the above difficulties of the route calculation by the intelligent techniques, such as Genetic Algorithm and Clustering Algorithm.


Magic tee or hybrid tee is a 4-port microwave passive device and is commonly used for duplexing, mixing and impedance measurement in radar. The four arms of a conventional magic tee direct four different directions, mutually perpendicular to each other. This creates inconvenience when the device is used. To avoid this, an E-Plane folded magic tee has been proposed and simulated using CST Microwave Studio for X-Band radar applications. In the proposed design the collinear arms of the tee have been folded back parallel to the E-arm. So for the proposed design, the collinear arms direct same direction and thus easy to combine or divide power. The proposed design plays an important role in downsizing the microwave radar system and reducing the system weight without hampering its basic properties. Index Terms — Crossed Polarized, E-Plane, H-Plane, Scattering Matrix, X-Band


This study aims to determine the effect of Leadership and Organizational Culture on employee performance at PT. Pertamina EP Limau Field. The population in this study were all employees of PT. Pertamina EP Limau Field as many as 115 employees. The method of collecting samples in this study using the census (saturated sample) method. The results showed that Leadership and Organizational Culture had a positive and significant influence on the performance of PT. Pertamina EP Limau Field and Organizational Culture have the most dominant influence on the performance of employees of PT. Pertamina EP Limau Field. For further research it is recommended to add other variables that affect employee performance such as motivation, compensation, skills, competence, motivation, commitment, facilities and infrastructure, stress levels and work environment.


Interleukin‐1 alpha (IL‐1α) is a pro‐inflammatory cytokine that is implicated in the initiation/maintenance of graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD) and the immune response to infection. A cytosine (C) to thymine (T) transition at position −889 is believed to influence gene transcription. A previous single institution study showed that the presence of at least one IL1A T allele in the donor was associated with improved survival after unrelated donor haematopoietic stem cell transplant and lower transplant‐related mortality if the donor and recipient each possessed the IL1A T allele. The present study sought to confirm these results in a larger homogeneous population. Thus the study population included 426 patients older than 18 years with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), transplanted in first chronic phase and receiving a total body irradiation and cyclophosphamide preparative regimen. Donor recipient pairs were categorised into four groups according to the presence or absence of an IL1A T allele in the donor and recipient. There were no significant differences in patient, donor and transplant characteristics between the groups. We did not observe an association with IL‐1α genotype in donor and/or recipient and transplant‐outcome. These data suggest that the outcome of unrelated donor transplant for CML is not influenced by IL‐1α genotype.


The strains of Bacillus subtilis obtained from different condiments such as Natto (USA), Kinema, Natto (Nigeria), 'Iru' (fermented Parkia biglobosa ), Soy-iru, Cowpea 'iru' and commercial 'ogiri' were used to ferment three different cultivars of melon seeds which include Citrullus lanatus and Cucumeropsis manii . Proximate analyses of the products were also determined, while the fermented and unfermented seed products were compared. The moisture content ranges between 7.57 to 39.33%, dry matter (60.7 to 93.4%), ash (2.65 to 4.71%), soluble protein (24.4 to 35.9%), fatty acid (32.47 to 53.5%), crude fibre (1.89 to 3.75%), carbohydrate (7.60 to 25.17%), pH (6.10 to 7.7) and titratable acidity (0.10 to 0.24). The mineral contents and sensory evaluation of both fermented and unfermented melon seeds were done and revealed that Citrullus vulgaris seed is the best raw material for 'ogiri' production, supported by the proximate values of the seeds and fermented product. Keywords: Proximate analysis, Citrullus vulgaris , Cultivars and Bacillus subtilis strains


Abstract The current network of internationally exchanged in situ station data is not distributed evenly nor densely around the globe. Consequently, the in situ data contain insufficient information to identify fine spatial structure and variations over many areas of the world. Therefore, satellite observations need to be blended with in situ data to obtain higher resolution over the global land surface. Toward this end, the authors calibrated and independently verified an algorithm that derives land surface temperatures from the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I). This study explains the technique used to refine a set of equations that identify various surface types and to make corresponding dynamic emissivity adjustments. This allowed estimation of the shelter height temperatures from the seven channel measurements flown on the SSM/I instrument. Data from first–order in situ stations over the eastern half of the United States were used for calibration and intersatellite adjustment. The results show...


According to the futures and curriculum requirements of the electrical engineering, the national electrotechnics and electronics experiment teaching center of Harbin Institute Technology has reformed the teaching platform, content and mode of Analog Electronic Technology Experiment and Digital Electronic Technology Experiment. Specially, the center changed the traditional analog and digital electronic technology experimental box and established the modular equipment of electronic technology experiment based on the constructivist learning theory. The experiment of virtual-real combination and FPGA pocket lab, individualized and independent experimental teaching method, various digital resources, and autonomous and open learning process, these experimental methods, all showed a beneficial teaching effect. These application practices may be used as a guidance in the teaching reform of experimental courses and talent cultivation for the specialty of electrical engineering.


SABRE EXPERIMENTS We present the design, analysis, and results of the highbrightness electron beam experiments currently under investigation at Sandia National Laboratories. The anticipated beam parameters are the following: 8-12 MeV, 35-50 kA, 30-60 ns FWHM, and 0.5-mm rms beam radius. The accelerators utilized are SABRE a d HEMES III. Both are linear inductive voltage adders modified to higher impedance and fitted with magnetically immersed foilless electron diodes. In the strong 20-50 Tesla solenoidal magnetic field of the diode, nun-size electron beams are generated and propagated to a beam stop. The electron beam is field emitted from mmdiameter needle-shaped cathode electrode and is contained in a similar size envelope by the strong magnetic field. These extremely space charge dominated beams provide the opportunity to study beam dynamics and possible instabilities in a unique parameter space. The SABRE experiments are already completed and have produced 3CkA, 1.5-mm FWHM electron beams, while the HERMES-III experiments are on-going.


The scattering cross section of an adsorbed CO molecule is about 1 order of magnitude larger than expected from the van der Waals radius. The dependences on the He and H/sub 2/ incident velocities reveal glory structures similar to those in corresponding gas-phase experiments. Accordingly the long-standing puzzle of the extreme sensitivity of molecular beams to adsorbates is explained by inhomogeneities of the attractive potential.


My passions grew from the rubble of broken dreams. My life as a graduate student, activist, academic advisor, and community worker has been framed by the (re)building of futures that had been suppressed by my institution's failures. I came of age in the world of digital and campus activism, and I "found myself " through activist work. Could I have predicted the fear, anxiety, and collective despair that a Trump presidency would cause? Maybe. But activists—our work, our emotional, physical labor, is all done in the hope that a Trump presidency would not come to pass. We hope that we reach enough people, gather enough "allies," and lose enough of ourselves to at least make such a dramatic display of white supremacy impossible. Yet, here we are. The university, at its best is a place for ideas. Not the racist, "free-exchangeof-ideas" kind of ideas—no. It is supposed to be the place where ideas are challenged, confirmed, and placed into the context of a specific discipline. It is no mistake that creative dreamers find solace in the university setting. It is the ability to imagine greater—to engage in research toward new possibilities—that entices dreamers to enter academia. It's also, of course, the promise of education to be a gateway to opportunity. The Trump administration has deeply affected my ability to imagine a better world and my motivation to make that world a reality. This has also been the case for many of my colleagues, community partners, and students. In a Trump administration, the ability to dream has been severely damaged. The damage is not irreparable, but must be mended


The growing pressure on elective services at hospitals in England has been laid bare by new figures showing that over 360 000 more people were waiting for inpatient or outpatient treatment in January 2014 than in the same month last year.

The latest quarterly monitoring report from the healthcare think tank the King's Fund shows that 9.6% of patients waited longer than 18 weeks for inpatient treatment in January.1 Although this was just within the target for 90% of inpatients to be seen within 18 weeks of referral, this is the highest proportion of patients waiting longer than 19 weeks since June 2011.

The report …


The control of pH is important in many processes including wastewater treatment, chemical processes and biological processes. This paper considers a model reference non-linear controller developed by Jayadeva et al. (1990a). The method is tested using a 7-litre continuously stirred tank reactor to neutralise a strong acid using a strong alkaline solution. The method is first realised using a simulation of the process. Subsequently it is demonstrated on an experimental rig using real-time control. Experimental results confirm that a robust control of the process is achievable. INTRODUCTION In many processes, pH neutralisation is a very fast and simple reaction. In terms of practical control, it is recognised as a difficult control problem (Shinskey 1973; Pishvaie et al. 2000; Wright et al. 1991). The difficulties arise from high process nonlinearity (the process gain can change tens or hundreds of times over a small pH range) and from changes in the pH characteristics due to changes in influent concentration. Various techniques have been developed to control process pH. Young and Rao (1986) presented a variable structure controller ("sliding mode control for a neutralisation process") involving strong acids and bases. Parrish and Brosilow (1988) used nonlinear inferential control in a simple simulated neutralisation process, using static estimation of the concentration of a single monoprotic weak acid. Kulkarni et al. (1991) presented non-linear internal model control for a simulated system of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and hydrochloric acid (HCl). Li et al. (1990a) and Li and Biegler (1990b) presented non-linear feedback methods for a simulated neutralisation process. In the present work, a non-linear controller design is implemented. It uses a design procedure presented by Jayadeva et al. (1990b). The controller is implemented practically on a 7litre reactor.


Letf?B2?, i.e.,f?L2(R) and its Fourier transformF(s)=?Rf(t)e?2?istdtvanishes outside of ??, ?], then the Shannon sampling theorem says thatfcan be reconstructed by its infinitely many sampling points at {k/(2?)},k?Z, i.e.,f(t)=?k=?∞∞fk2?sin?(2?t?k)?(2?t?k),?t?R.But, in practice, only finitely many samples are available, so one would like to study the truncation errorTN(t)=f(t)??k=?NNfk2?sinc(2?t?k),?f?B2?.The error bounds commonly seen in literature are not uniform. In this paper, the author gives uniform bounds for the truncation error forf?B2?, when its Fourier transform satisfies some smooth conditions.


Heterotopic ossification (HO) is a frequent pathological phenomenon after total hip arthroplasty. Incidence of HO after the total hip arthroplasty is in average 43%. Most often classification from Brooker and co-authors has been used to assess the HO. Overall 47% of all studies published until the 1999 have used Brooker's system, but there has been reported a "fair" reproducibility (Cohen's kappa 0.5) of this system. The aim of the present study was to estimate the influence of used classification system to the evidence of HO, to assess the reliability of the more often used classification systems, to determine the sources of errors in the assessment-process of HO and, to compose a new classification system with higher reliability. Four investigators assessed HO in 111 patients applying most often used classification systems and the new system. Six investigators measured dimensionality of HO in 28 patients applying method of digital planimetry. Kappa statistics of all the compared classification systems were calculated. Main sources of errors were detected by dispersion model. Average evidence of HO differed up to 1.4 times if the different systems were applied to assess HO. Therefore, using literature data, always the criteria of a system used should be taken into consideration. Most important source of errors in the HO assessment was the error of diagnosing process. This source consisted of two components: inter-observer variation that formed 25.5% (+/−8.0%; p=0.0015) of total error and intra-observer variation that formed 60.9% (+/−7.3%; p Reliability of the Brooker's system was lowest among the compared systems. Combining the Della Valle's system which had high reliability with the Brooker's system, we composed a new classification preserving high reliability. The results obtained using the new classification allow comparison with the results obtained using each of the parent classifications.


India is one of the most unequal societies of the world. At the same time, it has the distinction of having the longest history of affirmative action programmes for alleviating socio-economic inequalities. Currently, three social groups—the Scheduled Castes (SCs), the Scheduled Tribes (STs) and the Other Backward Classes (OBCs)—enjoy the benefits of affirmative action programmes, of reservation in particular. However, the demands to get acknowledged as 'disadvantaged' and for inclusion in the system of affirmative action have not stopped. Of late, the demands for reservation for disadvantaged minorities, Muslims in particular, have ignited intense and polarized debates. All this has not only complicated the politics of 'recognition' and 'redistribution' but also affected the discourse on and capacity of existing affirmative measures to tackle the issue of group-based disadvantages. Against this backdrop, the objective of this article is two-fold: (a) to get into the complexities underlying the idea of affirmative action for Muslims; and (b) to move the debates on affirmative action beyond 'one policy fits all' perspective.


Field experiment conducted at Agronomy Farm Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Udaipur with three crop mixtures viz.. berseem with oats: chinese cabbage and mustard at three different seed rates and two intervals of first cut, during rabi season of 1982-83, revealed that borseem green forage yield can be increased to the extent of 115 % by growing chinese cabbage @ 2.0 kg/ha with it, during its establishment phase. With respect to interval of first cut, highest green forage of the season was obtained by first cutting taken at 45 Days Aftet Sowing (1551g/ha) compared to 1486 g/hs at 35 Days After Sowing. Quality components like crude protein, crude fat, crude fibre, mineral matter and phosphorus were also estimated on the basis of dry matter production.


Hot gas conditioning is a remarkable stage for decreasing typical and harsh contaminants of syngas produced in the biomass gasification process. Downstream contaminants containing hydrogen sulphide (H2S) can significantly deteriorate fuel stream conversion reactors and fuel cell systems. Thus, an effective gas cleaning stage is required to remove critical streams that endanger the whole pathway toward the biomass conversion process. In this work, we studied H2S capture from biofuel syngas by using a kinetic deactivation model to analyze the effect of the operating conditions on the adsorption performance. Furthermore, the particle sorbent influence on other reactions, such as methane reforming and water gas shift (WGS), were also evaluated. Breakthrough curves were plotted and fitted following a first-order linearized deactivation model to perform both the H2S adsorption capacity and thermodynamic analysis. Moreover, the influence of the operating conditions was studied through a breakthrough curve simulation. By using the Arrhenius and Eyring–Polanyi expressions, it was possible to calculate the activation energy and some thermodynamic parameters from the transition state theory. Finally, a mathematical analysis was performed to obtain the diffusion coefficient (D) and the kinetic reaction constant (k¯0) of H2S gas within ZnO particles, considering a spherical geometry.


The unfiltered CCD photometric studies of asynchronous polar BY Cam have been carried out in 2007–2009 yrs with Zeiss‐600 and MEADE‐14″ telescopes of the Terskol observatory and 38‐cm Cassegrain telescope of the Crimean astrophysical observatory. Observations covered 88 nights. At definite phases of 14.6‐d synodical cycle the light curves display one‐, two‐, three‐ or 4‐humped profile that points on the accretion occurring onto several (from two to four) accretion zones but with different efficiency. The accretion geometry could display fast variation on the time scale of hours.


This study assesses and compares two forms of measurement instrument for message elaboration in narrative communication research: self-report vs. thought-listing. The validity of the two forms was investigated in a nomological network consisting of need for cognition, message sensation value, identification, transportation, parasocial interaction, risk perception, and behavioral intention. Reliability was also examined. Results showed that the self-report form might be better when the focus was on entertainment-related information, while the thought-listing form might be more advantageous for persuasive information. Implications for narrative communication and future research were discussed.


The book reports a case study which is designed to uncover the beliefs and practices regarding form-focused instruction held by a group of Vietnamese high school teachers. Although research on second language teacher cognition has burgeoned in the last two decades, very few in-depth case studies have ever been reported and none has ever been conducted in the Vietnamese context. Thus, the study reported here is a ground-breaking attempt. Findings of this study show how the beliefs of English-as-a-foreign-language teachers are constructed and shape their practices in an under-resourced environment.


A Hero is the one who stands unique as his own, based on the presumption that, he is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself. Throughout this research paper, there have been undertaken many references and probes to the realm of 'Hero', obviously that of 'Mythical Hero', as the ideology concerning hero dates back it's root in ancient myths and legends all over the world. Myriads of attempts have been made to the 'Hero Myth Cycle' proposed by Campbell, to assert the novel conception, concerning the well renowned fictional character, Harry Potter as a 'Modern Mythical Hero'.


The article is devoted to the determination of the causes of damage in the form of cracking of flange connections of technological pipelines of a delayed coking unit, for which, when designing pipelines, it becomes necessary to use dissimilar flange connections. The article consistently explores the problem of damage in the form of cracking of dissimilar flange connections, the results of studies of the mechanical properties and metal structure of damaged flange connections are presented. It is concluded that the condition of the metal after prolonged operation is satisfactory and it could not be the cause of damage, the damage is not of the nature of damage due to corrosion effects of various nature. The calculated justification of the occurrence of damage is carried out on the basis of checking the strength conditions for equipment elements with the development of measures to prevent new damage. The results of calculations of the stress-strain state of pipeline elements are presented with justification for the occurrence of damage in the form of cracking of dissimilar flange connections with the existing material design of fasteners, as well as with the proposed change in the material.


Abstract This paper presents a novel approach in addressing a critical power system issue, i.e., automatic generation control (AGC) in a smart grid scenario. It proposes the design and implementation of an optimized fuzzy logic controller (FLC) for AGC of interconnected power network. There are three different sources of power generation considered in the two-area interconnected model of power system network. First area is equipped with a single reheat thermal unit and a superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) unit, while another area has a hydro-unit with SMES. A multi-stage optimization strategy for the optimal solution of FLC for tie-line and frequency oscillation suppression is proposed in this paper using an ant colony optimization technique. The optimization of FLC is carried out in four different stages. The first stage is the optimization of range of input and output variables; the second stage is the optimization of membership function; the third and fourth stages are the optimization for rule base and rule weight optimization, respectively. The performance of the proposed controller is also compared with another control approaches to stabilize Ptie-line and Δf oscillations; these are the Ziegler–Nichols-tuned proportional–integral–derivative (PID) controller and genetic algorithm optimized PID controller. A comprehensive analysis of the traditional techniques and proposed techniques is presented on the basis of major dynamic performance parameters, i.e., settling time and peak overshoot.


The aim of this article is to build a comprehensive thermal model of the power IGBT modules in 6 kVA solar inverter. The thermal model is defined in order to predict the junction temperature, using different values of power dissipated. The thermal model is developed by using a new RC model which is implemented in SIMULINK/M. The results of the RC network are comparing with the 3D Finite Element Simulation using ANSYS-WORKENCH in order to validate the model proposed.


Passive sensitivities of the twin- T selective amplifier are derived without assuming pole-zero cancellation. If the twin- T is unloaded, the sensitivities are a linear function of Q . They should not differ greatly in the loaded case since the design formulas in the two cases are shown to be closely similar.


In this paper, an effort was made to enhance the chloride induced corrosion resistance of dual phase steel B500c with the use of shot blasting process. Specifically, after the surface cleaning of steel, which was achieved with the use of the blasting process, positive effects were recorded as far as the corrosion resistance is concerned. In the present study is presented the effect of the corrosion factor on common steel specimens (reference) and on specimens which have been shot blasted with the use of olivine and sinter ball pellets. All the specimens were immersed in the salt spray chamber, and were subsistent to 8 cycles wet/dry per day [1] (according to ASTM B117-94 standard), for various exposure periods. After the corrosion exposure, the results showed an increased corrosion resistance, lower pitting depths and lower mass loss percentages. The three specimens groups (reference specimens, specimens which had been shot blasted with the use of olivine pellets and specimens shot blasted with the use of sinter ball pellets) were subjected to tensile tests. The results showed an improved mechanical behavior for the two latter categories. Precisely, among the two shot blasted categories, olivine specimens demonstrated a better corrosion resistance and mechanical performance than the sinter ball specimens.


A graph \(G\) is called supermagic if it admits a labelling of the edges by pairwise different consecutive positive integers such that the sum of the labels of the edges incident with a vertex is independent of the particular vertex. A graph \(G\) is called degree-magic if it admits a labelling of the edges by integers \(1,2,\ldots,|E(G)|\) such that the sum of the labels of the edges incident with any vertex \(v\) is equal to \((1+|E(G)|)\deg(v)/2\). In this paper, some constructions of degree-magic labellings of some graphs obtained by generalizing the double graph of the disjoint union of a graph are presented. As a result, some supermagic graphs are obtained.


A new equalized on-chip global link structure is proposed for ultra-high-speed and low-energy communication by utilizing continuous-time linear equalizer (CTLE). Modeling and optimization approaches for each building block are introduced and a low-power driver-receiver co-design methodology is proposed to greatly reduce energy-per-bit by 50%. Final design can achieve 20Gbps signaling over 10mm, 2.2um-pitch on-chip T-line with 11ps/mm latency and 0.19pJ/b energy in 45nm CMOS.


Load clustering is the early basis of power grid system planning, load modeling, demand side management, load forecasting and other work. The traditional load classification method based on user types can not meet the needs of power grid services. Iterative Self-Organizing Data Analysis Algorithm (ISODATA) is an unsupervised learning dynamic clustering algorithm based on statistical pattern recognition. In view of the current problems that the initial clustering number of each algorithm is difficult to take and easy to fall into local optimum, the principle and implementation steps of ISODATA are introduced, and this algorithm is applied to the power load curve clustering. The clustering analysis is combined with specific power load curve samples, and the results prove that the clustering effect is better and the time improvement is larger. ISODATA is compared with the traditional clustering method to compare the clustering effect and the time loss of the algorithm. The results of the comparison experiments show that ISODATA has good clustering effect when applied to power load curve clustering.Isodata-based clustering of power load curves can fine distinguish users and provide decision support and scientific basis for the reliable operation of power system.


Purpose: The possibilities of microbeam radiation therapy(MRT) up until now have mainly been studied using synchrotron sources due to their high flux (100s Gy/sec) and approximately parallel X‐ray paths. We wish to show that both of these advantages are also attainable with the use of carbon nanotube(CNT)field emission based X‐ray source arrays, and that by using this type of source a compact MRT system may be possible. Methods: The study was performed with our CNT micro‐CT scanner (100μm focal spot). A microbeam collimator alignment assembly with the capability to collimate and superimpose beams coming from different gantry positions was fabricated and attached to the scanner. Two orthogonal dosimetric films (Gafchromic EBT2) were embedded inside a cylindrical phantom to record the MRTdose distribution. Microbeams were fired at this target from 44 different entry angles to simulate an array of sources. In a separate experiment, phantom translation was used to simulate multiple parallel beams. Results: Forty‐four beams were superimposed in the phantom to produce a single microbeam dose profile with a FWHM of 310m (expected value was 280μm) indicating proper collimator alignment. A new MRT‐ specific tube was proposed and commissioned based on the preliminary experimental results and the corresponding Monte Carlo simulations. The estimated dose rate for this proposed tube was calculated to be over 100 Gy/sec from these initial measurements. Also, during the multiple beam simulation, a reasonable peak to valley dose ratio (∼12) was found when the translation distance was roughly 4x the beam width. Conclusions: We have shown that it will not only be possible to create microbeams with our CNT sources, but that the flexibility of these field emission sources will open the field of MRT study to the larger research community and possibly bring effective and compact MRTdevices to the clinical environment.


Using conventional swabbing discharge method in testing oil operation leads to such problems as big labor intensity,poor data precision and wellhead sealing and high cost.Continuous discharge technology and associated equipments suit for testing operation in different well conditions.The technology has so many advantages including equipments' automatic operation,low labor intensity,ceaseless discharge,accurate testing data,sound wellhead sealing,no weeping pollution and lower cost that it is worth promoting the use of it in a large scale.


Herein, Ta2O5/Ta interface‐based TiN/Ta2O5/Ta and TiN/HfO2/Ta2O5/Ta resistance switched (RS) stacks are investigated. The stacks reveal area‐dependent RS behavior indicating nonfilamentary (homogeneous) current transport. The nonfilamentary nature of the stacks provides high reproducibility of current–voltage hysteresis loops and the absence of electroforming. It is demonstrated that the nature of the current hysteresis in single Ta2O5‐based stacks obeys space‐charge‐limited conduction, and the space charge responsible for this behavior is formed by filled/emptied traps at the Ta/Ta2O5 interface. Due to the high potential barrier at the TiN/HfO2 interface, as measured using X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, sufficiently thick HfO2 (≈4 nm) blocks the trapping/detrapping process, thereby reducing the current hysteresis. The evaluated current mechanism results in a high rectification ratio of the TiN/Ta2O5/Ta device of ≈1.6 × 104. However, relatively short retention is inherent to the observed switching mechanism.


We present a case of 34-year-old female patient with major depressive disorder who had decreased metabolic activity of CYP2D6. Low dosage regimen of...


The retail meat industry produces a significant amount of waste, containing proteins, lipids, and other elements that could serve as the basis for other products. This work presents the results of research on the enzymatic hydrolysis of meat waste as a green technology to obtain products with added value as a substitute for other raw materials. pH, temperature, the protease/proteinic substrate ratio (Eo/So), and the lipolase/lipidic substrate ratio (Eo'/So') were studied as process variables for hydrolysis of proteins and lipids, respectively. Hydrolysis for the recovery of proteins (as protein hydrolysates or collagen) was carried out with the protease Alcalase; pH around 8.0, temperature around 50 °C, and Eo/So around 0.16 AU/g were the optimum process variables' values for obtaining high amounts of recovered proteins and peptides that are easily digestible and have a pleasant taste. The lipase Resinase was used to hydrolyze the lipids; a clear relationship was observed between Eo'/So' and the amounts of recovered fatty acids. The optimum process variables' values were found to be Eo'/So' around 0.83 kLU/g, pH around 8.0 and temperature around 50 °C. Unsaturated fatty acids prevailed in the final product. For the simultaneous recovery of protein hydrolysates, collagen, and fatty acids, a combination of Alcalase and Resinase was used; the process variables examined included the optimal range of values for Eo/So and Eo'/So', as well as pH and temperature that were suggested in research for both Alcalase and Resinase, separately. The results showed that the simultaneous process was mainly influenced by the Eo/So and Eo'/So' ratios, instead of being influenced by the pH and temperature values which were less influential. For Eo/So = 0.16 AU/g, Eo'/So' = 1.11 kLU/g, pH = 7.5, T = 50 °C, the maximum amounts of products (0.8 kg by kg of dry meat waste) were obtained more economically, where the whole of the proteins and lipids in meat waste were practically recovered. Therefore, in order to preserve a circular economy for retail meat waste, enzymatic hydrolysis is appealing and environmentally friendly.


Objective: To study the five years clinical restoration effects of single complete overdenture with magnetic attachment. Methods: Twenty patients were restored with complete overdenture in which one to four magnetic attachments were used. It included 5 maxilla complete overdenture patients and 15 mandible complete overdenture patients. Fourty-one magnetic attachments were used. The gingiva health, mobility and secondary carried of abutment teeth were observed at one month, three months, six months, one year, two years, three years, four years and five years after restoration. Result: All patients were satisfied with the comfort and stability of the complete overdenture with magnetic attachment. Three abutment roots lost stability, secondary caries occurred in two abutment roots, a magnet retainer failed. Conclusion: Complete overdenture with magnetic attachment can improve the comfort and stability of the denture.


In this delightful story collection, you will find the four classic Kipper picture books: Kipper, Kipper's Toybox, Kipper's Birthday and Kipper's Snowy Day. It is the perfect gift for old and new Kipper fans!


The present invention discloses a kind of access control policy synthetic method based on binary sequence set, first binary sequence set element and the set operation rule based on binary sequence is defined, according to above definition, dependency restraint layer carries out Attribute decomposition to the strategy of reality, and is separated by set inner element logical expression expression correct for strategy become based on binary sequence.Then merged, in order to eliminate rule redundancies and semantic conflict problem by semantic test and displacement.On this basis, according to the security requirement definition of reality based on the logic composite operator of binary sequence set, synthesis mode is converted to logical expression.Utilize binary sequence directly as the feature of data structure, directly can calculate synthesis result, as a kind of tactful algebraically realization mechanism without the need to logical transition to the policy space based on binary system modeling according to logical expression.Finally, the synthesis strategy based on binary system aggregate form is translated into attribute item strategy.


Indicator bacterium E.coli and pathogenic bacteria Salmonella and Legionella were detected during the wastewater treatment of oxidation ditch,using SYBR I Real-time quantitative PCR.The detected amount of E.coli was 108 copies/mL and decreased by 2 orders of magnitude eventually.In the initial stages,the amount of Salmonella ranged from 102 to 103 copies/mL but was eliminated or reduced to undetectable level eventually.The amount of Legionella was detected to be 10-102 copies/mL in the sample of activated sludge.However,the amount of Legionella in the effluent samples was detectable and similar to those in the influent samples,which ranged from 104 to 105 copies/mL.


In order to search a relationship between early onset periodontitis and proximal carie, an epidemiologic cross, selectional analytic survey had been carried out in cases and control groups. 58 subjects witch age (ranging from 14-26 years) were selected investigated and parted in two groups : localised juvenile periodontitis group (LJPG : 33 patients) and the control group (CG :25 patients). The survey occurred in periodontology department preserving odontology department and radiology department of CCTD of Casablanca. The most important results are : 1- LJP patients and the control patients have the same level of oral hygiene and the same degree of gingival inflammation. 2- LJP patients and the control patients have the same number of proximal caries detected by a simple clinical examination but this number increase in control group by Bite-Wing radiography. 3- The Bite-Wing radiography is 3 once performent than a clinical examination in the detection of proximal carie.


In this paper we define a kind of decomposition for a quantum access structure. We propose a conception of minimal maximal quantum access structure and obtain a sufficient and necessary condition for minimal maximal quantum access structure, which shows the relationship between the number of minimal authorized sets and that of the players. Moreover, we investigate the construction of efficient quantum secret schemes by using these techniques, a decomposition and minimal maximal quantum access structure. A major advantage of these techniques is that it allows us to construct a method to realize a general quantum access structure. For these quantum access structures, we present two quantum secret schemes via the idea of concatenation or a decomposition of a quantum access structure. As a consequence, the application of these techniques allow us to save more quantum shares and reduce more cost than the existing scheme.


The feasibility and utility of long-distance communication via Earth-orbiting satellites has been demonstrated during recent years and it is appropriate therefore to focus attention on the more important scientific studies and technical developments that will be needed if full use is to be made of this valuable mode of communication in the future. The early communication satellites (the Telstar and Relay series) were pioneers in a relatively unknown propagation environment. The satellites themselves were conceptually simple and the communication equipment consisted essentially of a frequency-changing transponder with an r. f. power output of a few watts and a bandwidth some tens of megahertz. Carrier frequencies in the range 2 to 6 GHz were employed; typically either 2 or 6 GHz was used for transmission and 4 GHz for reception at the Earth station. To obtain an adequate signal/noise ratio at the output of the Earth station receiver, frequency modulation was employed, the frequency deviations being greater than those used on terrestrial microwave links. Launcher limitations and other factors meant that the satellites had to be placed in inclined elliptical orbits (see figure 1) with maximum heights of only a few thousand miles. Nevertheless, these satellites demonstrated that some hundreds of frequency-division multiplex telephony circuits, or a television channel, could be achieved with generally satisfactory quality of transmission. It is to be noted, however, that the satellite transponders accommodated only one, or at the most two, r. f. carriers at any time, and that the transmission performance was at times marginal due to limitations of the satellite effective radiated power. Furthermore, these relatively low orbit satellites provided communication in periods of generally less than an hour at a time and required continuous tracking by the Earth station aerials, due to movement of the satellites relative to the Earth.


On 22 July 1994, a bloodless military coup took place in the small West African state of The Gambia. The Coup ended the democratic rule of Sir Dawda Jawara and his People's Progressive Party (PPP), which had been in power since independence in 1965. At a time when much of Africa was returning to democracy the Gambia coup represented a significant reversal and posed a big question. If one of Africa's oldest democracies could fail then what are the prospects for the newer democracies on the rest of the continent? The objective of this article is to explain why the Gambian coup took place. The explanation for the coup rests on two factors: 1. Legitimacy failure of the civilian regime in power was the primary cause of the coup, and 2. feelings of deprivation by the Gambian army was the secondary cause of the coup. The article then ends by exploring the significance of the 1994 Gambia coup and its implications for The Gambia and democracy in Africa.


Summary A two-colour flow cytometry technique was used to assess killing of Giardia muris trophozoites by rabbit anti-trophozoite antibodies and complement. Binding of rabbit antibody to trophozoites and killing of trophozoites were documented by flow cytometry, after incubating the organisms with fluorescein-conjugated anti-rabbit IgG and propidium iodide (PI). Percentages of PI+ (dead) trophozoites ranged from >80%, after incubation with rabbit antiserum and complement, to <30%, after incubation with complement alone. The assay technique may be applicable to studies aimed at determining whether intestinal antibodies from Giardia-infected mammals can kill Giardia trophozoites.


The warehouse work is among the most important parts of logistics management work. It keeps a complementary, cooperative, and coordinating relationship with other departments. Also, it is a direct embodiment of the general management level and economic benefit of an institution. Actually, there exist many difficult tasks for scientific research guarantee workers. It's still a big challenge for scientific research guarantee workers to deal with the problems such as how to do a better job on warehouse work, how to improve the guarantee ability indeed, and how to meet the needs of scientific research trying our best. The workers of equipment and glass of pharmaceutical equipment suppliers in our institution learned warehouse work knowledge and specific approaches according to the current situation. They increased the communication with scientific research personnel, improved service measures, intensified service guarantee consciousness, promoted related skills, and enhanced the guarantee ability. Comparing the whole issued amount of materials in 2010 and 2009, we can find that our guarantee ability has improved a lot. We think that it's essential to be more responsible and build up a service consciousness besides having related knowledge to do a better job.


Atomic and nuclear shell Hamiltonians can be represented in terms of one‐ and two‐body product tensor operators which act both in spin and orbital spaces. In this paper, equivalence conditions for the matrix elements of these operators are used to find their normalization constant. The results obtained for one‐body operators are tabulated for all pure and mixed shells with l≤3. The normalization constants for two‐body operators are proved to be products of two one‐body normalization constants with the corresponding ranks. Subsequently, expressions for the matrix elements of one‐ and two‐body double tensor operators within all pure configurations are found for arbitrary ranks. Since these generalized product tensor operators may include polar components, they are allowed to participate in configuration mixing. Therefore, reduced matrix elements for these operators have also been calculated both within mixed configurations and between all possible combinations of mixed and pure configurations. These formula...


We study two delay-coupled Lorenz systems and demonstrate unified chaos control by noninvasive timedelayed coupling. Both an unstable periodic orbit and an unstable fixed point of the system can be stabilized close to a subcritical Hopf bifurcation. Using a multiple scales method, the systems are reduced to Hopf normal forms, and an analytical approach for stabilizing a periodic orbit as well as afixed point of the system is developed. As a result, the equations for the characteristic exponents are derived in an analytical form, revealing the range of coupling parameters for successful stabilization. Finally, we illustrate the results with numerical simulations, which show good agreement with the theory.


The discovery that paracetamol is metabolized to the potent TRPV1 activator N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-5Z,8Z,11Z,14Zeicosatetraenamide (AM404) and that this metabolite contributes to paracetamol's antinociceptive effect in rodents via activation of TRPV1 in the central nervous system (CNS) has provided a potential strategy for developing novel analgesics. Here we validated this strategy by examining the metabolism and antinociceptive activity of the de-acetylated paracetamol metabolite 4-aminophenol and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylamine (HMBA), both of which may undergo a fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH)-dependent biotransformation to potent TRPV1 activators in the brain. Systemic administration of 4aminophenol and HMBA led to a dose-dependent formation of AM404 plus N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-9Z-octadecenamide (HPODA) and arvanil plus olvanil in the mouse brain, respectively. The order of potency of these lipid metabolites as TRPV1 activators was arvanil = olvanil..AM404. HPODA. Both 4-aminophenol and HMBA displayed antinociceptive activity in various rodent pain tests. The formation of AM404, arvanil and olvanil, but not HPODA, and the antinociceptive effects of 4aminophenol and HMBA were substantially reduced or disappeared in FAAH null mice. The activity of 4-aminophenol in the mouse formalin, von Frey and tail immersion tests was also lost in TRPV1 null mice. Intracerebroventricular injection of the TRPV1 blocker capsazepine eliminated the antinociceptive effects of 4-aminophenol and HMBA in the mouse formalin test. In the rat, pharmacological inhibition of FAAH, TRPV1, cannabinoid CB1 receptors and spinal 5-HT3 or 5-HT1A receptors, and chemical deletion of bulbospinal serotonergic pathways prevented the antinociceptive action of 4-aminophenol. Thus, the pharmacological profile of 4-aminophenol was identical to that previously reported for paracetamol, supporting our suggestion that this drug metabolite contributes to paracetamol's analgesic activity via activation of bulbospinal pathways. Our findings demonstrate that it is possible to construct novel antinociceptive drugs based on fatty acid conjugation as a metabolic pathway for the generation of TRPV1 modulators in the CNS. Citation: Barrière DA, Mallet C, Blomgren A, Simonsen C, Daulhac L, et al. (2013) Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase-Dependent Generation of Antinociceptive Drug Metabolites Acting on TRPV1 in the Brain. PLoS ONE 8(8): e70690. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0070690 Editor: Silvana Gaetani, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy Received March 6, 2013; Accepted June 21, 2013; Published August 5, 2013 Copyright: 2013 Barrière et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Funding: This work was supported by the ''Association Nationale de la Recherche Technique'', Bristol-Myers-Squibb (grants to CM and DAB), the University of Auvergne, Inserm, the Swedish Medical Research Council (2010–3347) and the Medical Faculty of Lund. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing Interests: CM and DAB have received funding from Bristol-Myers-Squibb. However, this does not alter the authors' adherence to all the PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials. * E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com (AE); firstname.lastname@example.com (EDH) . These authors contributed equally to this work.


High temperature resistant and pressure-bearing water-absorbent resin Poly-gel was synthesized using acrylamide(AM),2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid(AMPS) as raw materials and N,N'-methylene-bis-(acrylamide)(MBA) as cross-linking agent in aqueous solution by means of orthogonal experiment designed.The structure of the copolymer was characterized.The properties of the product synthesized were evaluated.The results show that this copolymer Poly-gel is of high temperature resistant up to 135 ℃ and salt tolerant,and that it has extraordinary pressure-bearing and plugging ability as high as 4.83 MPa.


In the authors' previous study, the dual potential capacity model (DPCM) was proposed to evaluate the shear strengths of reinforced concrete (RC) members, in which the shear contributions of both the cracked tension zone and the compression zone are considered. In this paper, the main concept and formulations of the proposed DPCM were briefly introduced, and the simplified DPCM was developed for the practical application of the proposed model. A total of 1019 data sets of shear test results on RC members were collected for detailed verifications of the detailed and simplified DPCM. The verification results demonstrated that the proposed models can appropriately assess the effects of key influential factors including compressive strength of concrete, shear span‐to‐depth ratio, size of coarse aggregate, sizes of members, and shear reinforcement on the shear strengths of RC members.


The term ''lacune'' was coined in 1838 by Dechambre to define small cavities due to the resorption of small infarcts. In 1901, Pierre Marie distinguished lacunes from ''etat crible'' and from single d


The observations and proposals made by Churchill in the Fulton Address rested on his understanding of two forces shaping politics in the twentieth century — science and democracy — and their effect on the need for and possibility of statesmanship. Neither of these two forces had effects that were simple or unreservedly beneficial. Only through wise rule could these forces achieve desirable effects and be safeguarded from their pernicious potential. In Fulton, Churchill was reiterating and applying to new circumstances concerns that he had voiced many times before; the speech can therefore be seen as more than an immediate response to the events of the day.


SUMMARY Meat birds fed high-quality pellets exhibit advantages in rate and efficiency of growth over birds fed poorer quality pellets. However, the associated feed manufacturing cost and reduced production rates to obtain high-quality pellets are viewed by the industry as offsetting the benefits in broiler performance provided by high-quality pellets. With the combination of increased costs for utilities in the feed mill and for feed ingredients, strategies are needed to conserve milling costs while optimizing the efficiency of broiler growth. In this study, we evaluated the effects of feed form on live performance and meat yield of broiler chickens during a 42-d production period. Four treatments were provided from 18 to 42 d of age: 1) high-quality pellets (88% pellet durability index), 2) low-quality pellets (66% pellet durability index), 3) a proportion of the formulated corn added post-pellet (89% pellet durability index), and 4) mash (corn was ground via a roller mill). Broilers fed the high-quality pellets had higher cumulative BW gain and consumed more feed than birds fed low-quality pellets. Mash-fed broilers had poorer growth performance and less meat recovery than birds in the other treatments. Adding corn post-pellet resulted in broilers having similar performance and meat yields compared with those fed high-quality pellets. In this study, we confirm that adding corn post-pellet does not negatively affect growth performance and meat yield. Feeding broilers high-quality pellets provides a benefit in growth rate over feeding low-quality pellets by increasing feed consumption.


To implement a fast location of metallic foreign body in human body and fast preoperative or postoperative detection of surgical instruments,a portable device based on gradient measurement of fluxgate sensors was designed.Two working modes based on remnant magnetic effect and eddy current effect were proposed for locating two different kinds of metal,thereby solving the problem that nonferromagnetics could not be sensed by fluxgate.Metglas ribbon and modified race-track core were chosen and digital signal processor was utilized to implement harmonic extraction and cross correlation algorithm,which could mean a better fluxgate performance.Database of the depth information was established to provide the ability of analyzing the depth in human body.The locating experiments of 15 foreign body patients has demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed portable device in clinic applications.


The objective of this work is to understand the effect of the board/system environment on package thermal performance. It is found that for most plastic packages and in typical application environment, the majority of heat is conducted to the board. The junction to ambient thermal resistance can be obtained by the package thermal resistance and board thermal resistance. For a particular package, as the board and system environment changes, the package thermal resistance does not change, what changes is the board resistance. Thermal enhancement can be achieved in board and system level in additional to package level. The board and system act as the system heat sink. The thermal resistance of this heat sink is represented by the board to ambient thermal resistance. In this study, the sensitivity of the board thermal resistance to different parameters is examined by simulation. These parameters include: package size and placement, board construction and mounting, and the component interaction. It is suggested that by carefully designing the board and system, the optimal thermal performance can be reached.


We discuss the emission and transport of polarized radio-band synchrotron radiation near the forward shocks of young shell-type supernova remnants, for which X-ray data indicate a strong amplification of turbulent magnetic field. Modeling the magnetic turbulence through the superposition of waves, we calculate the degree of polarization and the magnetic polarization direction which is at 90° to the conventional electric polarization direction. We find that isotropic strong turbulence will produce weakly polarized radio emission even in the absence of internal Faraday rotation. If anisotropy is imposed on the magnetic-field structure, the degree of polarization can be significantly increased, provided internal Faraday rotation is inefficient. Both for shock compression and a mixture with a homogeneous field, the increase in polarization degree goes along with a fairly precise alignment of the magnetic-polarization angle with the direction of the dominant magnetic-field component, implying tangential magnetic polarization at the rims in the case of shock compression. We compare our model with high-resolution radio polarimetry data of Tycho's remnant. Using the absence of internal Faraday rotation we find a soft limit for the amplitude of magnetic turbulence, δB ≲ 200 μG. The data are compatible with a turbulent magnetic field superimposed on a radial large-scale field of similar amplitude, δB ≃ B0. An alternative viable scenario involves anisotropic turbulence with stronger amplitudes in the radial direction, as was observed in recent Magnetohydrodynamics simulations of shocks propagating through a medium with significant density fluctuations.


The crystallization and the crystal and molecular structure of a very slightly soluble electrostatically interacting pair of porphyrins is described. The tetra-anion 5,10,15,20-tetrakis-(4-sulfonatophenyl)-21,23H-porphyrin [H2TPPSO3]4- and the tetra-cation 5,10,15,20-tetra(N-methylpyridyl)21H,23H-porphyrin [H2TMePyP]4+ are found to form an alternating one-dimensional stack that is stabilised by electrostatic interactions between the porphyrin rings but also by π-π interactions between all substituted phenyl rings in the ensemble. The resulting interactions between the porphyrins is exceptionally tight.


Abstract A basic idea suggested in this paper is that a linguistic hedge such as very, more or less, much, essentially. slightly, etc. may be viewed as an operator which acts on the fuzzy set representing the meaning of its operand. For example, in the case of the composite term very tall man, the operator very acts on the fuzzy meaning of the term tall man. To represent a hedge as an operator, it is convenient to define several elementary operations on fuzzy sets from which more complicated operations may be built up by combination or composition. In this way, an approximate representation for a hedge can be expressed in terms of such operations as complementation, intersection, concentration, dilation, contrast intensification, fuzzification, accentuation, etc. Two categories of hedges are considered. In the case of hedges of Type I, e.g., very, much, more or less, slightly, etc., the hedge can be approximated by an operator acting on a single fuzzy set. In the case of hedges of Type II, e.g., technical...


AMAJOR AND MUCH-NEEDED ADVANCE FOR CARDIAC surgeons and patients requiring coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery would be the availability of an easily applied intervention that would improve long-term patency rates for saphenous vein grafts to those achieved with internal thoracic artery grafts. With newer endoscopic techniques, the saphenous vein can be harvested with minimal trauma and without compromising short-term patency rates. While saphenous vein grafts are the easiest conduits to use technically, especially for sequential grafting, the internal thoracic artery, with its excellent long-term patency (especially when used to the left anterior descending vessel), will remain the preferred primary conduit in the vast majority of cases. Saphenous vein graft failure has a trimodal distribution. Early failure occurs within the first 1 to 2 months, probably from primary thrombosis due to technical factors, poor runoff into small or severely diseased distal coronary arteries, or unrecognized intrinsic saphenous vein disease. Late failure occurs after 3 to 5 years and results from the known tendency for saphenous veins to develop accelerated atherosclerosis. These processes may be considerably modified by currently available antiplatelet and lipid-lowering drug therapy. Intermediate failure of saphenous vein grafts is due to the development of neointimal hyperplasia, which is most prominent in the first year after CABG surgery, but can occur up to 3 years after implantation. Several factors act in concert to influence the development of neointimal lesions. These include ischemia of the venous wall, hemodynamic stress and mechanical trauma during vein harvesting and preparation, and inherent abnormalities within the vein exposed to arterial pressure, particularly in patients with multiple risk factors for atherosclerosis. Intimal hyperplastic lesions are composed of mesenchymal cells embedded in the extracellular matrix and result from complex interactions between endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, inflammatory cells, and extracellular matrix macromolecules. Smooth muscle cells, the major component of these neointimal lesions, are believed to arise from phenotypically altered medial smooth muscle cells or possibly from CD34 cells present in peripheral blood. The initial response of a harvested saphenous vein to an operatively induced endothelial injury is smooth muscle cell proliferation. Although this process has been extensively studied in rodents, pigs, and nonhuman primates, little is known about the occurrence, duration, or importance of this proliferative response in humans. An increase in cell number and phenotypical alterations in the cytoskeleton of smooth muscle cells seem to be essential for their migration from the media into the intima and produce intimal thickening. Delineating signaling pathways implicated in smooth muscle cell proliferation, migration, and extracellular matrix production is critically important for designing novel therapies for inhibiting or limiting neointimal thickening. Gene profiling of culprit lesions may offer some insight into these events. Although the complementary DNA arrays of saphenous vein explanted after a mean of 94 months have been analyzed, few human graft explants are available for analysis within the proliferative phase of lesion formation. The E2F family of transcription factors consists of 8 known members and 2 partner proteins, DP1 and DP2, essential for E2F activity. Members 1, 2, and 3 of the E2F family have high-transcription activity and are responsible for G1/S progression of cells through the cell cycle and thus regulate smooth muscle cell proliferation. Other members of the E2F family have poor transcription activity and inhibit cellular proliferation. Targeting strategic transcriptional control of gene expression such as the G1/S transcription phase of the cell cycle with edifoligide, an oligonucleotide decoy, is a logical concept based on preliminary in vitro and in vivo studies. In this issue of JAMA, the PREVENT (Project of Ex-vivo Vein Graft Engineering via Transfection) IV investigators report the results of a large phase 3 multicenter randomized clinical trial evaluating edifoligide, which has been shown in experimental and preliminary clinical studies to inhibit neointimal hyperplasia in vein bypass grafts. In this study of 3014 patients undergoing primary CABG surgery with at least 2 planned saphenous vein grafts, edifoligide had no effect on the primary end point of per patient graft failure (45.2% in the edifoligide group vs 46.3% in the placebo group) or on the incidence of major adverse cardiac events at 1 year. All but 3% of vein graft failures were due to occlusions. Many of these occlusions were clinically important because the incidence of myocardial infarction early after operation was more than twice as high in the vein graft failure group and the incidence of subsequent cardiac events of death, myocardial infarction, or need for subsequent revascularization was 26%


It is shown that an efficient, well-directional single-photon source can be realized via a four-wave mixing process in a cavity. The probability of producing a single-photon state nearly approaches 50%. The bandwidth of single-photons generated in this way is controllable, which is determined by that of the input pulse. Furthermore, we propose a scheme to generate a coherent multichannel single-photon source, which might have significant applications in wavelength division multiplexing quantum key distribution.


Connected vehicle technology is rapidly evolving. In the U.S., the government targets that 50% of all vehicles be electric by 2030 in order to reduce climate change. This initiative comes in the wake of an increased spate of ransomware attacks targeting transportation companies. Unlike traditional ransomware targeting computer networks, the compromise of vehicles can have disastrous consequences on businesses and ultimately the national economy as was evident in the recent Colonial pipeline attack. This research proposes a novel framework to study the spread of ransomware and its impact on connected vehicles. Our contribution is fourfold: 1) three different ransomware infection vectors are considered for connected vehicles, namely, a hotspot attack, OBD dongle attack, and malicious over-the-air updates; 2) business impact of the ransomware is analyzed on a ride-hailing service; 3) a fog computing architecture is used to reduce latency in vehicle-to-vehicle communication and vehicle to base station communication; and 4) the effectiveness of safeguard controls are studied in mitigating the ransomware spread. Our results show that ransomware can have a debilitating impact on connected vehicle businesses due to their high mobility and connectivity with attacks on average impacting earnings by 45% per hour.


Here we discuss the recent trends on statistical analysis and presentation of the experimental data. Among these are: 1) choice of nonparametric instead of parametric tests for the statistical analysis; 2) presentation of the data as univariate scatterplots but not as bar or line graphs; 3) use of figures instead of tables; 4) use English ФУНДАМЕНТАЛЬНАЯ И КЛИНИЧЕСКАЯ МЕДИЦИНА


This article presents optimisation of necessary flight thrust in a V-shaped flight formation of small-unmanned plane "Sikorka". At the beginning is showed analyse of birds behaviour. Their formation flying was the cause of attention in order to minimalize fuel consumption. Afterwards there are overlooked scientific articles about the formation flying subject contain pure physic analyses, and articles about researches which was made in order to explain economic beneficial for airlines. Thus, the article presents mathematical model, which was optimised for three different starting position of a longitudinal axis. After optimisation there are presented results of the wingman position in regard of the leader. Influence of the calculation results on the formation flying was analysed, allowing for some conclusions about the future of the UAV's flights. The given process is aimed to achieve the best (optimal) solution from the point of view of the specific criterion. The following most important terms can be distinguished within the optimization process: decisive variables – parameters determining the basic project assumptions. The basic design variables and design constrains are described.


Purpose
Although place branding (PB) has been researched and practised for several years, the number of studies examining the role of internal stakeholders is still limited. The purpose of this paper is to identify the internal stakeholders associated with PB and particularly, the roles they play in such a process.

Design/methodology/approach
Through a systematic literature review in four major global databases, 55 qualified research studies on PB were identified and thoroughly reviewed. Selected studies were examined, analysed and classified according to five categories: bibliographic data, methodologies adopted, conceptual frameworks, empirical foundation and stakeholders' relevance.

Findings
This study shows no existing consensus over the type/role of internal stakeholders in PB research. The findings indicate different methodologies, conceptual frameworks and branding approaches, as well as various empirical foundations in the reviewed studies. The results highlight the significance of internal stakeholders' influence over PB and their roles in the process. The findings also underline the need for strategies that prioritise stakeholders' social interactions, collective experiences and affective engagement to develop an inclusive place brand.

Practical implications
This study provides an alternative perspective that underlines the development of inclusive PB frameworks by providing stakeholders with motivational and emotional incentives, capturing their creativity and imagination and encouraging them to participate in the process. Such frameworks entail a transdisciplinary approach to PB as a dynamic process that depends on all internal stakeholders' active engagement.

Originality/value
This review offers an in-depth perspective on relevant internal stakeholders and their roles in PB. The study further scrutinises the three most related research topics on internal stakeholders, including co-creation, internal branding and participatory PB.


Representing the interaction of an electromagnetic wave with a frequency selective surface (FSS) by an equivalent circuit model can yield a first approximation to its spectral response, and hence provide a means for preliminary filter design.


Perceived physical competence can be an important predictor of the physical activity behavior of children and adolescents. Parental socialization practices can be instrumental in shaping children's perceptions of competence in various domains and this socialization effect might occur in relation to parental expectancies. Investigated in this study was the role of mothers'expectancies in shaping their child's perceived physical competence. Data were obtained from 156 French children and young adolescents and their mothers. Structural equation modeling revealed that mothers' perceptions of their child's physical competence predicted their child's own perceived physical competence 1 year later, independent of the child's previously demonstrated physical ability and the child's initial level of perceived competence. Child's gender moderated the relation as mothers'perceptions of their daughters'competence were related significantly to their child's perceived competence, but that relation was not present between mothers and sons.


The aim of this work was to give a brief review of some points of wide knowledge of barley yellow dwarf (BYD) disease and its breeding for resistance program. Yd2 gene has been shortly characterised. Current situation in Poland has been underlined.


It is known [1; 2] that every inverse semigroup S has a faithful representation as a semigroup of (1, 1)-mappings of subsets of a set A into A. The set A may be taken as the set of elements of S and the (1, 1)-mappings as mappings of principal left ideals of S onto principal left ideals of S. If E is the set of idempotents of S then there is also a representation of S, not necessarily faithful, as a semigroup of (1, 1)-mappings of subsets of E into E [2]. If eEE denote by S. the subsemigroup eSe of S. In this note we give a representation of any inverse semigroup S as a semigroup of isomorphisms between the semigroups Se, The representation is faithful if (a more general condition is given below) the center of each maximal subgroup of S is trivial. We recall that an inverse semigroup [3] is a semigroup S in which for any a E S the equations xax = x and axa = a have a unique common solution xES called the inverse of a and denoted by a-' [5; 6]. This implies that the idempotents of S commute and that to each aGS there corresponds a pair of idempotents e, f such that aa= e, a-la =f, ea = a, af = a. The idempotents e, f are called respectively the left and right units of a. For any two elements a, bES, (ab)-'=b-1a(see [3]). Throughout what follows S will denote an inverse semigroup and E will denote its set of idempotents. If eEE then Se will denote the subsemigroup eSe of S.


The different factors that cause abnormal and error measurement in measuring grounding resistance are described and analyzed in this paper. And the measures against them are presented. An idea that is to develop a new grounding resistance measuring instrument is proposed.


Abstract Across Europe, genetic diversity can be expected to decline toward the North because of stochastic and selective effects which may imply diminished phenotypic variation and less potential for future genetic adaptations to environmental change. Understanding such latitudinal patterns can aid provenance selection for breeding or assisted migration approaches. In an experiment simulating different winter temperatures, we assessed quantitative trait variation, genetic diversity, and differentiation for natural populations of the grass Arrhenatherum elatius originating from a large latitudinal gradient. In general, populations from the North grew smaller and had a lower flowering probability. Toward the North, the absolute plastic response to the different winter conditions as well as heritability for biomass production significantly declined. Genetic differentiation in plant height and probability of flowering were very strong and significantly higher than under neutral expectations derived from SNP data, suggesting adaptive differentiation. Differentiation in biomass production did not exceed but mirrored patterns for neutral genetic differentiation, suggesting that migration‐related processes caused the observed clinal trait variation. Our results demonstrate that genetic diversity and trait differentiation patterns for A. elatius along a latitudinal gradient are likely shaped by both local selection and genetic drift.


Various methods for analyses of forward scattering are mentioned. Experimental results for various metal and dielectric spheres and several numerical simulations of forward scattering using approximate estimations, physical optics and exact solutions for three-dimensional scattering are presented both for far and near fields. That allows not only accuracy analyses but also conclusions about scattering and total fields in the presence of objects, which are important for many applications such as communications, bistatic and multistatic radars and electromagnetic compatibility.


FIELD: oil and gas industry. SUBSTANCE: method involves running a downhole tool with a coiled tubing into the well. Measurement of downhole parameters, determination of water inflow zones and water-absorbing intervals. Connection of coiled tubing pipe on the surface to the pump for supplying working medium into the well, in this case, prior to running into the well, the downhole tool is placed below in wall of the coiled tubing pipe, there are technical holes cut for pumping in or pumping out the working medium to/from the well bottom, and measurement of well parameters is carried out first in repression-pumping mode, for example, formation water via the coiled tubing pipe into the well, then selection of formation water is carried out in depression mode, and according to abnormal simultaneous changes of the downhole tool, water-absorbing zones and the zones of water-absorbing intervals are set. In this case, the downhole tool readings are transmitted to the surface via the electromagnetic communication channel, then arrangement of the existing technical openings is aligned with location of specified intervals, and water-insulating composition is pumped through the existing technical openings in the coiled tubing pipe. After expiration of the set holding time of water-insulating composition consolidation in said intervals, repeated measurements of downhole parameters are performed. EFFECT: invention makes it possible to improve the technology for conducting investigations with subsequent implementation of waterproofing, repair and corrective works on coiled tubing pipe in horizontal wells. 3 cl, 1 dwg


BACKGROUND
Pectus carinatum is a congenital chest wall deformity characterized by protrusion ofthe sternum and ribs. External bracing has been the gold standard treatment for this condition for the past 20 years.

PURPOSE
The primary purpose of the study was to identify factors that contribute to treatment success of bracing for patients with pectus carinatum. The secondary aim was to identify the optimal age to recommend bracing for pectus carinatum.

METHODS
176 patients who were evaluated for a brace for pectus carinatum were contacted to participate in an online survey about their experience. A retrospective chart review was conducted on patients who participated in the survey.

RESULTS
Subjects rated themselves as more confident afterbracing(P=.002). Patients who hadfamily sup- port, and no documented complaints (P = .024) and (P = .009) respectively, were more likely to say they had made the right choice to wear the brace.

CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrated that family support and fewer complaints are predictors of success for the brace.


A 1 1 mm3 resolution, high-sensitivity PET camera dedicated to breast imaging is being constructed with 4608 8×8 arrays of 1mm3 LYSO crystals, each coupled to a Position Sensitive Avalanche Photodiode (PSAPD). A subsection of the proposed camera with 256 PSAPDs in each head of the system has been constructed. The gain, as well as leakage current, of each of the PSAPDs shows a strong dependence on both bias voltage and temperature. To monitor these parameters, circuitry to measure leakage current from each of these PSAPDs using a single +5 V supply has been developed along with a USB-based communication protocol to display these values in quasi-real time within a Qt interface. A thermal regulation technique is also presented for the densely packed PSAPDs, along with a test for the long-term performance of this regulation scheme when the APDs are reversed biased at -1700V. Through the use of water-cooled heat sinks, and thermoelectric elements for thermal regulation, the temperature within the PSAPDs, as measured by a thermistor, is held to a range of 0.67 °C (between 18.20 °C and 18.87 °C) over a time period of 7.5 h under steady state operating conditions. This temperature change is smaller than the ambient temperature range of 0.94 °C (between 22.50 °C and 23.44 °C). During the same period, the total leakage current from 256 PSAPDs exhibits only a slight change of -0.206 13±0.000 25 μA h-1 (-0.296 06 ± 0.000 01 %/h) showing the system is capable of operating at a consistent level for long durations. The propagation of thermal changes within the camera head is also studied. Modules are arranged in rows of 16. Due to the edge placement of the cooling elements, an average delay of 183±11 s is measured for modules in the center of these rows compared to those at the edge for a change in the thermal regulation to take effect.


Epilepsy is a temporary brain functional disorder which caused by cerebral neurone paradoxical discharge.Medicine source epilepsy(MSE)means epilepsy seizures induced by medicine directly or indirectly.Many kinds of medicine can induce epilepsy seizures,such as medicine acting on central nervous system and antibacterials.This article summarized the medicine causing MSE and analyzed the mechanism of action,in order to provide help for clinical practice.


A new test method based on a Computer-generate Hologram(CGH) was presented for precisely testing off-axis aspheric surfaces and aligning the optics in tests.In this method,off-axis aspheric surfaces were tilt-translated and tested as an on-axis freeform optics to minimize the wavefront compensation and to reduce the relative aperture of the test setup.A software was developed to design the CGH to implement three kinds of diffractive sections,i.e.compensating wavefront in null test,alignmenting the optical path by adjusting the relative position between CGH and interferometer,and projecting fiducial marks around the optics.As an example,a typical off-axis aspheric surface with a figure error less than λ/50 rms was tested in this method.Results indicate that the CGH design error is better than λ/10 000 rms and the total error is better than λ/100 rms.These data agree well with the test result with null lens.The experiment also verifies the feasibility of alignment and fiducial sections and demonstrates that cross-lines projected by CGHs can be used as fiduciary to guide the alignment of the optics and measure the off-axis distance.


A parking unit for a bicycle is provided to enhance convenience in use of the bicycle by preventing separation of the bicycle into a bicycle body and wheels for robbery. A parking unit for a bicycle comprises a frame(10), a tightener, a pressure spring, a locking unit, and an illegal possession preventive unit. The frame receives and supports wheels of the bicycle. The tightener has a pair of coupling arms rotatably mounted at the frame and coupling rollers(202) placed at front ends of the coupling arms. The pressure spring elastically pressurizes the coupling arms to tighten the coupling rollers. The locking unit is composed of a suspending member installed between rear front ends of the coupling arms of the tightener, a driving motor to move the suspending member, and a control device to selectively restrict rotation of the coupling arms. The illegal possession preventive unit operates the locking unit only in case of receiving the wheels of the bicycle in the frame.


Major tasks in this NRC-sponsored program include: (1) an evaluation of the acceptability of low-level solidified wastes with respect to minimizing radionuclide releases after burial; and (2) an assessment of the influence of pertinent environmental stresses on the performance of high-integrity radwaste container (HIC) materials. The waste form performance task involves studies on small-scale laboratory specimens to predict and extrapolate: (1) leachability for extended time periods; (2) leach behavior of full-size forms; (3) performance of waste forms under realistic leaching conditions; and (4) leachability of solidified reactor wastes. The results show that leach data derived from testing of small-scale specimens can be extrapolated to estimate leachability of a full-scale specimen and that radionuclide release data derived from testing of simulants can be employed to predict the release behavior of reactor wastes. Leaching under partially saturated conditions exhibits lower releases of radionuclides than those observed under the conventional IAEA-type or ANS 16.1 leach tests. The HIC assessment task includes the characterization of mechanical properties of Marlex CL-100, a candidate radwaste high density polyethylene material. Tensile strength and creep rupture tests have been carried out to determine the influence of specific waste constituents as well as gamma irradiation on material performance. Emphasismore » in ongoing tests is being placed on studying creep rupture while the specimens are in contact with a variety of chemicals including radiolytic by-products of irradiated resin wastes. 12 references 6 figures, 2 tables.« less


Abstract Tobacco-related diseases burden the entire public health system, at the three levels of governance: municipal, state and federal. The insertion of the theme of tobacco control in state and municipal Health Secretariats is historic, being present since the initial debates on the health, social, economic and environmental damage that smoking causes to the Brazilian population as a cycle of diseases, poverty and deaths precocious. This article aims to present the importance of articulating the National Tobacco Control Policy with the Councils of Municipal Health Secretariats, given the role that these instances play in the Unified Health System and the contributions that they can add to the Tobacco Control Policy in Brazil, with its constant challenges to advance in the reduction of deaths and illnesses caused by tobacco products.


The impact of financial globalization on the development of global banks is examined. The most significant of its manifestations in the world banking system are highlighted, in particular, such as the global consolidation of financial institutions and transnationalization of banking activity. Modern ratings of the largest banks in the world, implemented by reputable institutions and publications in the financial world, are analyzed. A holistic picture of the alignment of forces in the global banking system in the years of crisis and post-crisis period is presented.


Blind people or people with limited vision are not likely to be housebound all their life. With the aid of a white cane, by speaking and by training their other senses they can go everywhere that normal people go. To get that mobility their other senses must be over-developed, and they must lose their feelings of fear and uncertainty. They have to find their way, and society has a duty to make this possible. This introduction booklet shows how blind people can improve their mobility with the aid of traffic provisions especially constructed for them. (TRRL)


N-Acylethanolamines (NAEs) are fatty acid derivatives found as minor constituents of animal and plant tissues, and their levels increase 10- to 50-fold in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) leaves treated with fungal elicitors. Infiltration of tobacco leaves with submicromolar to micromolar concentrations ofN-myristoylethanolamine (NAE 14:0) resulted in an increase in relative phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) transcript abundance within 8 h after infiltration, and this PAL activation was reduced after co-infiltration with cannabinoid receptor antagonists (AM 281 and SR 144528). A saturable, high-affinity specific binding activity for [3H]NAE 14:0 was identified in suspension-cultured tobacco cells and in microsomes from tobacco leaves (apparent K d of 74 and 35 nm,respectively); cannabinoid receptor antagonists reduced or eliminated specific [3H]NAE 14:0 binding, consistent with the physiological response. N-Oleoylethanolamine activatedPAL2 expression in leaves and diminished [3H]NAE 14:0 binding in microsomes, whereasN-linoleoylethanolamine did not activatePAL2 expression in leaves, and did not affect [3H]NAE 14:0 binding in microsomes. The nonionic detergent dodecylmaltoside solubilized functional [3H]NAE 14:0-binding activity from tobacco microsomal membranes. The dodecylmaltoside-solubilized NAE-binding activity retained similar, but not identical, binding properties to the NAE-binding protein(s) in intact tobacco microsomes. Additionally, high-affinity saturable NAE-binding proteins were identified in microsomes isolated from Arabidopsis and Medicago truncatula tissues, indicating the general prevalence of these binding proteins in plant membranes. We propose that plants possess an NAE-signaling pathway with functional similarities to the "endocannabinoid" pathway of animal systems and that this pathway, in part, participates in xylanase elicitor perception in tobacco.


Summary and Implications We are at a historic moment in time, both in terms of the policy timing and in terms of the challenges that face us. This forces us to raise some fundamental questions regarding all EU policies, including the CAP, and, the subject of this paper, the direct payments in particular. Successive reforms of the CAP have been successful in reducing the market distortions caused by the CAP, from the price and market intervention system to the decoupled single farm payments. The question we are facing now is whether the SFP system, either in its current form or in a modified form is likely to address the key policy challenges in the future. The most daunting challenges ahead appear to be reducing/mitigating climate change and producing sufficient, safe and high quality food. The analysis in this report suggests that direct payments generally are not an effective way of dealing with these challenges. Food safety and quality objectives are addressed by other policies and direct payments have a very limited role to play in this. In terms of providing sufficient quantity of agricultural output, major challenges appear on the horizon. Even without government support for biofuels, demand for agricultural commodities for bio-energy purposes is likely to increase strongly in the long run – as we should expect oil prices to recover in the coming years. Similarly, the growth in food and feed demand from emerging countries, such as India and China, is likely to continue. Both fundamental developments are now affected by the current financial and economic crises in the world economy, but in the longer term one should expect them to resume their critical importance. On the production side, productivity trends in the EU and other developed countries face declining growth rates. These fundamental trends, which we have outlined in this paper, will cause an upward pressure on agricultural and food prices. Furthermore, climate change is likely to have a significant impact on EU agriculture. Although it may actually have some positive effect on output, it is likely to imply major relocations and the need to adjust production systems. Vice versa, EU agriculture continues to contribute importantly to GHG emissions. From a policy perspective all this has important implications.


We characterize a class of dynamic stochastic games that we call separable dynamic games with noisy transitions and establish that these widely used models are protocol invariant provided that periods are sufficiently short. Protocol invariance means that the set of Markov perfect equilibria is nearly the same irrespective of the order in which players are assumed to move within a period. Protocol invariance can facilitate applied work, and renders the implications and predictions of a model more robust. Our class of dynamic stochastic games includes investment games, research and development races, models of industry dynamics, dynamic public contribution games, asynchronously repeated games, and many other models from the extant literature.


This paper presents a design for bilateral haptic control of a surgical robot. The control architecture consists of a force-force two-channel configuration. Neural networks model both slave and environment dynamics. An adaptive Lyapunov backstepping method utilizing tuning functions provides robustness to unmodeled tissue properties and smooths the applied control force. Simulation results for a one-degree-of-freedom system with time delay verify the proposed method improves the overall performance of the system, especially during puncture and collision.