Cyclic AMP is one of the bioactive components in the extract of Fructus Jujubae,which is reported to be involved with the treatment of depression. To investigate the content of cAMP in the plasma and hippocampus according to the time variation after a single administration of the extract orally at the dose of 0. 35 g· kg-1 in mice,the plasma and hippocampi were collected at the time of 0. 5,1,2,4,6,8,12 and 24 h and the ELISA method is used to determine the content of cAMP. As a result,the content of cAMP in plasma reaches to the maximum at the 0. 5 h,and then decreases gradually from the 0. 5 h to the 8 h. However,the content reversely increases rapidly from the 8 h to the 12 h,while decreases again in the following 12 hours. As to the hippocampi,differences are significant. The cAMP content in hippocampi is ascending gently in the first 6 hours and increasing quickly in the following hours. It is an indication that some bioactive substances in the extract of Fructus Jujubae are likely to be the specific inhibitor of Phosphodiesterase type Ⅳ(PDE4) . Therefore,the extract treated to the mice can inhibit the activity of PDE4 and increase the content of cAMP in the plasma and hippocampi during the time of 6 to 12 h. Thus,a possible mechanism for the antidepressant like effect of the extract of Fructus Jujubae is involvedwith the inhibition of PDE4.


The present article aims to discuss the specific points of the Indian law and specific rights for the better protection of their interests. The peculiarities of the native population are known, therefore, it is necessary to identify what the legal conception thought by the legislator was to make possible the preservation, specifically, of this minority. It is like this because the effects of a legal category differ when applied to the ordinary citizens and when it is aimed to the indians. So, from an investigation of the rules addressed to the Indians, it can be proved that there was an intention of giving other effects to the classic categories. This causes a change in the diversification of the rules, both in the requirements for its verification and in its application. Such distinction will be possible from the comparison Luís de Freitas Júnior O INSTITUTO DA POSSE NO ÂMBITO INDÍGENA Revista da Direito e Liberdade – Mossoró – v. 7, n. 3, p. 299 – 318 – jul/dez 2007. 300 of the legal categories highlighting that the rules face changes when they leave the civilian sphere and start being applied to the aborigines. The protection of their lands possession is the starting point from which the Indians can implement the rest of their rights. Concepts as property and possession must be read and understood according to the constitution, always comparing with the appropriate legislation. Ideals such as to replace the spoliations suffered in the past and protection to the citizenship must support the development intended by the government and by the businessmen. The Brazilian legislation grants new paradigms that should be understood and implemented by the Public Administration and by the Judiciary. It is concluded that the preservation of the primitive inhabitants will only be possible with the use and application of the proper laws according to a specific ideology.


86 Background: Short-term antiandrogen (AA) flare protection is used to counter the testosterone surge associated with luteinising-hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist therapy. Degarelix, a gonadotrophin-releasing hormone antagonist, does not cause testosterone surge. Data from two phase III trials have been used to compare the one year efficacy of degarelix monotherapy versus combined agonist plus AA flare protection. Data has reported testosterone surge in agonist patients despite AA therapy, as well as improved prostate-specific antigen (PSA) progression-free survival (PFS) and lower mortality in degarelix patients. Here we focus on PSA PFS outcomes and serum alkaline phosphatase (S-ALP) in high risk patients (metastatic disease or PSA more than 50 ng/mL). Methods: Data were pooled from two randomised, one-year studies; CS21 compared monthly degarelix with leuprolide and CS35 compared 3 month formulations of degarelix and goserelin. AA was administered in the agonist groups at the investigator's di...


This study has three objectives: to better understand why automobile drivers who park in the Manhattan Central Business District (CBD) do not use public transportation; to measure the impact on traffic congestion from those who spend time searching for a parking space; and for commercial drivers, to determine the reason they use the curb space, the incidence of double parking, and the duration a service vehicle or pick-up and delivery vehicle stays parked. The study was carried out by interviewing drivers of automobiles and commercial vehicles.


We study the Ising model on a half-infinite cylinder at the critical temperature. On the boundary circle, we fix four intervals of constant signs. Let θ1, θ2, θ3, and θ4 be the positions where the flips occur, labeled counterclockwise in that order. From each θ starts a contour between clusters of opposite signs. The contour leaving θ1 may end only at θ2 or θ4. Using an argument based on conformal field theory, we give the probability distribution that the contour leaving θ1 ends at θ2. The behavior of this function when θ2−θ1→0 is described by a power law with an exponent (53) that belongs to the Kac table but that corresponds to a nonunitarizable highest-weight representation. We check that this prediction agrees with a Monte Carlo simulation.


Non-cytotoxic and non-antimicrobial concentrations of an artificial surfactant inhibited the adhesion of 14C-radiolabelled Klebsiella pneumoniae WG14 to embryonic lung epithelial cells L-132. The minimal antiadhesive concentration was 200 ng · ml−1. In a dynamic adhesion test model, already adhering bacteria were removed from the epithelial cell surface by the surfactant. The antiadhesive action might be based on protection of the epithelial cells.


The US Healthcare Forum's Healthier Communities Summit in San Francisco in April 1996 brought together a diverse group of people to discuss how to organise and achieve health improvements in communities.


I The starting point for my discussion is music. It is a characteristic of development in music that its innovations and specifically its avant-garde challenge its audience. In a sense this must be the case by definition, but my suggestion is that this occurs in music in a way that is more pronounced than in the other arts. At its inception, be-bop was not for the faint-hearted, while free jazz can sometimes leave its audiences bewildered. Charlie Parker's desire to exploit all twelve notes of the chromatic scale echoed the revolution that Arnold Schoenberg had more or less brought about. And Schoenberg's music and its legacy, through the middle decades of the twentieth century, continued to baffle audiences, perhaps in unprecedented ways. In some respects, the question was the one that could be heard in the galleries and museums: "Is this art? What can it mean?" Innovation in the literary arts around this time produced troubled reactions too, but given that words are, as it were, condemned to mean something, the question arose perhaps in a less ground-shaking way. Visitors could be mystified by Carl Andre's "pile of bricks," but at least they could see they were bricks. Moreover, while in the gallery one could simply take a look and then walk away, the audience in a concert hall is more or less captive for the duration of the performance. In sum, then, the challenges of music at this time proved especially testing, and audiences were often at a loss as to what they were listening to. Was this really music at all, or was it just a noise?


In this work, the flat FLRW Universe has been modeled with cosmic matter in the form of diffusive barotropic fluid. The diffusive fluid undergoes dissipation due to diffusion mechanism in the form of cosmological scalar field [Formula: see text]. From the perspective of nonequilibrium thermodynamics, the evolution equations of the universe have been formulated. By a suitable choice of the cosmological scalar field, emergent scenario of the universe has been obtained.


This paper examines the inequality and convergence of districts of West Bengal using the neo-classical convergence theory. The district domestic product (DDP) has been used to understand the regional inequality pattern and convergence among the 18 districts of West Bengal. The estimated σ-convergence and unconditional β-convergence reveal uneven growth among the districts. The σ-convergence measured in terms of log SD and CV shows rising trend during the study period. The dispersion amongst districts, measured in terms of log standard deviation of per capita income, increased from 7.54 in 1993-94 to 8.87 in 2007-08. The estimated result of unconditional β-convergence also supports the hypothesis that rich districts grow faster than the poor ones. The positive and significant correlation coefficient between gross DDP and various socioeconomic variables also support economic reasoning that districts with higher per capita income have higher level of urbanization, literacy, banking infrastructure, per capita bank advances, number of MSMEs and employment in MSMEs. For reversing the tendency of divergence, backward districts have to be developed, especially through developing social and physical infrastructure.


The predominance of subtropical climatic condition in the Southem Brazil, makes the summer legumes cultivation in this region an option for animal feeding and soil management programs. These plants can gradually improve the chemical, physical and biological soil conditions as well as being a low cost protein source due to its symbiotic nitrogem fixation ability. Due to the potential species arising, to the expansion of the legume cultivated areas and to the new genotype released, several species and even cultivars have showed defficient symbiosis, using both native and early selected rhizobia as inoculants. So, in order to meet rhizobia requirements of each legume in each place, new rhizobia strains should be selected from native populations and the available stocks should be continuousiy screened against the newly released legume cultivars.


Abstract The employment level vulnerability - a subject of interest to specialists, and also lately there is an increasing attention of European organizations in this regard by means of directives and regulations .Vulnerable groups are groups without support. The main groups with a higher risk of being affected by some form of exclusion from the labor market are young people, women, the disabled, the elderly, roma people, rural population. In our country one of the characteristics of democracy is that men and women are equal in rights. Young people are exposed to an endogenous risk that reflects their inexperience and also to exogenous risks related to the fields they're frequently working in. The purpose of this article is to show that the forms of vulnerability generate economic and social imbalances in both the individual and the country. The working hypothesis of this article is that young people and women are the groups most exposed to vulnerability, and this also influences the employment levels.


Polychlorinated biphenyls are a type of persistent organic pollutants that have been produced all over the world due to their favorable physicochemical properties. After the prohibition of their production and use, they have become a serious problem in terms of the destruction of existing quantities bearing in mind their wide and varied application. They are still capable of being released into the atmosphere today. As they are still present in the environment, an important issue of the environmental protection policy is the legal regulation of polychlorinated biphenyls management. On the international level, the Stockholm, Basel and Rotterdam Conventions are particularly important. On the national level, the Law on Chemicals, the Law on Waste Management and the Rulebook on Restrictions and Prohibitions on the Production, Placing on the Market and Use of Chemicals are of particular importance in this area.


ABSTRACT Clinical results, patient satisfaction, and financial costs of 70 laparoscopy assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH) operations were compared with 119 abdominal hysterectomies and 50 traditional vaginal hysterectomies performed in a community hospital. The clinical indications were different in the three groups, with some overlap. The rates of complications were comparable. Duration and the final cost of LAVH were greater than those of abdominal or traditional vaginal hysterectomy. Patients tended to be more satisfied with the vaginal procedures compared with the abdominal approach. (J GYNECOL SURG 12:109, 1996)


─ An imperfect coating shall cause uncertainties in the analysis of electromagnetic properties. To quantify the influence of irregularity, complexity, and uncertainty of the coatings for electronic devices, an adaptive mesh algorithm combined with the discontinuous Galerkin time domain (AM-DGTD) method is developed. The uncertain variations are incorporated into the proposed algorithm by an appropriate parameterization. The standard statistical analysis is performed to calculate the appropriate moments, i.e., mean and variance. The developed method is validated by modeling a dielectric coating with uncertain flaws in an adaptive mesh grid. The computed quantities of interest from numerical estimations are compared with the analytical values, these results agree with the physical explanation, and are in good agreement with the exact values, as demonstrated by numerical experiments. Index Terms ─ AM-DGTD method, reflection coefficient, statistical analysis, uncertainty quantification.


When exposed to sufficiently humid environments, pollen grains burst and release large quantities of small subpollen particles (SPPs) which carry ice nucleating macromolecules. In this study, for the first time we develop a physically based parameterization describing the bursting process of pollen by applying a turgor pressure parameterization and quantify the impact SPPs have on overall ice nucleation in clouds. SPPs are generated from simulated birch pollen emissions over Europe for a 10‐day case study in spring. We found SPP concentrations to surpass pollen grain concentrations by 4–6 orders of magnitude leading to an abundance of biological ice nuclei from SPPs in the range of 103−104 m−3. However, it is found that these concentrations lead to only small changes in hydrometeor number densities and precipitation. Addressing the question when SPPs become relevant for ice nucleation in clouds, we conducted a sensitivity investigation. We find that amplifying ice nucleation efficiency of biological particles by factors greater 100 increases the ice particle numbers by up to 25% (T ≈ 268 K). Strong reductions show in cloud droplet number concentration and water vapor at these temperatures while water vapor is increasing at 600 m. Overall, we found a net reduction of water in the atmosphere as liquid and particularly water vapor density is reduced, while frozen water mass density increases above 257 K. Findings indicate an alteration of mixed‐phase cloud composition and increased precipitation (up to 6.2%) when SPPs are considered as highly efficient biological ice nuclei.


The European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are both fundamental international organizations in their respective geographical regions, striving to become key players in shaping the global political landscape, reaching out far beyond their borders. In light of this, one might think it was already timely to raise the two blocs' partnership to the strategic level. Analysing official documents, and drawing upon previous researches in the field and a number of in-depth interviews with stakeholders from both sides of the EU-ASEAN ties, this article has given an outline on the development of relations between the two entities, with a particular focus on the political and economic domains. Highlighting the efforts made to pursue the elevation of ties to a Strategic Partnership, it concluded that ASEAN still primarily regards the EU as a trading partner with limited weight as a political and security actor. Protracted bilateral disputes between the EU and certain ASEAN member states also hindered the upgrade of relations for some time. The article argued that even though much has been done lately to approximate the two organisations' viewpoints, and the long-awaited official announcement of the EUASEAN Strategic Partnership that finally happened in December 2020 was beyond doubt an important milestone, there is still work to do to further streamline the ties.


A series of studies on reactions induced by 300- to 600Mev neutrons on heavy nuclei has necessitated an improvement of the discrimination of nuclear emulsions and the fabrication of sandwich emulsions. The measurements which led to the choice of hydroquinone as the detector and the Ilford E-1 emulsion for the best discrimination are indicated. The fabrication of the heterogeneous target composed of a 2 micron gold foil between emulsion layers is briefly described. The sandwich emulsion has a cross section for star production equal to sigma = 3/4 sigma /sub geom./ or for 10/sup 6/ neutrons/cm/sup 2/ is permissible. (J. S. R.)


Purpose – Management Institutions in India are being ranked by various surveys, which give importance to parameters like placements, brand value and intellectual capital. Intellectual capital of a Management Institute is the published scholarly material of its faculty consisting of of articles, journal papers published, case studies, books compiled, etc. Use of technologies like Institutional Repositories for capturing the intellectual capital and enabling knowledge sharing in academic institutions especially in developing countries like India are emerging. The purpose of this paper is to describe a survey conducted to ascertain different considerations for implementing an institutional repository and the creation of the pilot Institutional Repository at the ICFAI Business School, Ahmedabad using the Open Source DSpace Institutional Repository Software.Design/methodology/approach – The survey conducted at ICFAI Business School, Ahmedabad to ascertain the need of an institutional repository and the differe...


Ernest Hemingway is a great novelist of world renown. Through the analyses of his multiple popular works, this essay concludes that Earnest Hemingway is such a man with both strong death complex and unyieldingness. This feature resulted from Hemingway's bitter personal life experiences and the social realities of his time.


The incidence of infections caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacteria has increased over the past decade and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) infections are now on the rise, especially in non-fermenters such as Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter species. Unfortunately, our therapeutic options for these pathogens are extremely limited. Infections due to antimicrobial-resistant bacteria are associated with a greater likelihood of inappropriate antimicrobial therapy, which has adverse effects on the outcomes of patients with serious infections. Physicians who are treating immunocompromised patients should be aware of not only the current epidemiological status of antimicrobial resistance but also appropriate antimicrobial therapy for MDR pathogens. Although carbapenems are considered a mainstay for the treatment of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) or AmpC β-lactamase-producing pathogens, antimicrobial stewardship for the appropriate use of carbapenems should be implemented to preserve these important antimicrobial agents. For carbapenem-resistant XDR infections, colistin and tigecycline could be considered a therapeutic option, based on the in vitro antibacterial spectrum, although the optimum treatment has not been established. This review provides a recent update of the antimicrobial therapeutic strategies for serious infections due to MDR or XDR Gram-negative bacteria, such as ESBL-producers and carbapenem-resistant pathogens. (Korean J Med 2015;88:502-508)


This paper defines a class of evolutionary algorithms called evolutionary pattern search algorithms (EPSAs) and analyzes their convergence properties. This class of algorithms is closely related to evolutionary programming, evolutionary strategie and real-coded genetic algorithms. EPSAs are self-adapting systems that modify the step size of the mutation operator in response to the success of previous optimization steps. The rule used to adapt the step size can be used to provide a stationary point convergence theory for EPSAs on any continuous function. This convergence theory is based on an extension of the convergence theory for generalized pattern search methods. An experimental analysis of the performance of EPSAs demonstrates that these algorithms can perform a level of global search that is comparable to that of canonical EAs. We also describe a stopping rule for EPSAs, which reliably terminated near stationary points in our experiments. This is the first stopping rule for any class of EAs that can terminate at a given distance from stationary points.


In this paper, the size-dependent shear deformable conical shell formulation is derived based on the modified couple stress theory and first order shear deformation model to investigate the free vibration of functionally graded conical shell embedded in an elastic Pasternak medium and subjected to thermal environment. The material properties are considered temperature-dependent and graded in thickness direction according to power law distribution. The governing equations and boundary conditions are derived using Hamilton's principle. The size effect is taken into account using the modified couple stress theory, and, the free vibration of simply supported FG truncated conical nanoshell is investigated as a special case. The effects of different parameters such as dimensionless length scale parameter, temperature change and distribution of the nanoshell components on the natural frequency are investigated based on the modified couple stress theory and classical continuum theory.


— In the past two decades, the study of second language mental lexicon organization has become a research direction that has attracted much attention from scholars. The research on second language mental lexicon organization has achieved fruitful outcomes in both basic theoretical research and empirical research. The basic theoretical research mainly focuses on the lexical knowledge framework theory and the exploration of second language mental lexicon organization, while the empirical research explored the characteristics of second language learner's mental lexicon organization based on the word association test as the main research method. In addition, future study needs to pay attention to the optimization of word association test, the use of multiple testing methods, the learners at the basic education level, and the attempt to integrate the findings with pedagogical practice research.


Migration policies are increasingly restrictive. The European Union Return Directive shows this. Italy plays a key role in this dynamic. Analyze the causes and factors which are motivating policies in this direction as well as political, social and economic changes and their impacts are the objectives of this article. The shortcomings in diplomacy with the countries of migration origin will be the final challenge which concludes. .


CONCLUSIONS: The overall percent of patients leaving AS for treatment without risk reclassi fi cation has declined in MUSIC, likely due to an increasing acceptance and comfort with AS for favorable-risk PC. The proportion of men with FIRPC undergoing treatment without risk reclassi fi cation has remained relatively stable, which may be explained by the clinical uncertainty regarding a treatment threshold for these men on AS. While there remains uncertainty regarding when patients with FIRPC on AS should be treated, there are QI opportunities to reduce overtreatment in men with LRPC on AS, a group for which the urologic community has coalesced around the use of AS as the preferred approach.


Sphingomyelin (SM) is required for cells to proliferate, but the reason is not fully understood. In order to asses this question, we employed a cell line, ZS, which lacks both SMS1 and SMS2, isolated from mouse embryonic fibroblasts in SMS1 and 2 double knockout mouse, and SMS1 or SMS2 re‐expressing cells, ZS/SMS1 or ZS/SMS2, respectively. We investigated regulation of SM in activating the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signal induced by essential amino acids (EAA), using these cells. EAA‐stimulated mTOR signal was more activated in ZS/SMS1 and ZS/SMS2 cells than in controls. Treatment with methyl‐b‐cyclodextrin dramatically inhibited the activation. Interestingly, we found that the expression of CD98, LAT‐1 and ASCT‐2, amino acid transporters concerned with mTOR activation, was down‐regulated in ZS cells. Transporters localized in microdomains and formed a functional complex. Our results indicate that SM affect proliferation through the transport of amino acids via SM‐enriched microdomains.


This paper investigates the possibilities of improving aboveground forest biomass and basal area weighted mean height estimates from optical multispectral satellite data by adding Canopy Height Models (CHMs) obtained from matching multiple view-angle satellite data. The analysis was carried out using data collected over the Remningstorp test site in southern Sweden from 2008–2011 and used training and validation data from airborne laser scanning and field data. CHMs were produced by subtracting a Digital Elevation Model (based on airborne laser scanning data) from the Digital Surface Models created by matching multiple view-angle SPOT-5 HRS and ALOS PRISM data. By modeling biomass and height using regression analysis on multispectral data from SPOT-5 HRG in combination with height metrics from the CHMs, an improved root mean squared error (RMSE) was attained, compared with using the individual satellite data sources alone. A comparison between SPOT-5 HRS and ALOS PRISM CHMs in combination with multispectral data was made at stand level using biomass and height estimates from laser scanning data as reference data. For biomass, the relative RMSE improved from 32.9% when using only multispectral data, to 29.2% and 22.4% when adding the CHM from SPOT-5 HRS and ALOS PRISM, respectively. The corresponding improvements for height were from 16.1% to 15.3% with the SPOT-5 HRS CHM and to 12.9% with the ALOS PRISM CHM. A further analysis of combining the ALOS PRISM CHM and multispectral data was made at sub-stand level with field measurements as reference data. This combination gave a relative RMSE of 20.6% for biomass and 10.5% for height. In conclusion, the estimation accuracy for aboveground biomass and basal area weighted mean height was improved by adding CHM data to multispectral data from optical satellites.


(2). I thought that theories thatblame mothers for their children's incest had lost currency and cre-dence. It is not accidental that the author has to reach far back into thehistory of clinical sexual abuse literature to find an article to support atheory of the instrumental role of mothers in the sexual abuse of their


Echocardiography is entering a critical stage in its development. For many years the technic was considered only an interesting curiosity. However, recently the clinical usefulness of echocardiogra...


The first checklist of the ants of Iran is presented. The study is based on a comprehensive review of literature and the examination of material from our own collections and from several museums and institutions of different European countries. 110 species belonging to 26 genera of six subfamilies of the Formicidae (Formicinae, Myrmicinae, Ponerinae, Dolichoderinae, Dorylinae and Aenictinae) are recognized from Iran. Most of the reported species were sampled in the north of the country, mostly near human settlements. One subfamily (Dorylinae), two genera (Ponera LATREILLE, 1804 and Dorylus FABRICIUS, 1793), as well as seven species (Aphaenogaster gibbosa (LATREILLE, 1798), A. kurdica RUZSKY, 1905, Crematogaster bogojawlenskii RUZSKY, 1905, Messor minor (ANDRE, 1883), Tapinoma karavaievi EMERY, 1925, Temnothorax parvulus (SCHENCK, 1852) and Tetramorium inerme MAYR, 1877) were recorded for the Iranian fauna for the first time. The most speciose genera were Camponotus MAYR, 1861, Cataglyphis FOERSTER, 1850 and Messor FOREL, 1890 with 19, 14 and 13 species, respectively. Palaearctic zoogeographic elements prevail in Iran, but several Oriental and Afrotropical genera were also found. Many parts of the country are still studied insufficiently or even not studied at all and we suppose that the total species richness in Iran is essentially higher.


The alkylation reaction of benzene with long-chain alkene over solid acid catalyst was studied. It is found that the water which exists in reaction stock and physically and chemically absorbed by the catalyst has much effect on the activity of the catalyst. But the above-mentioned three kinds of water have slight effect on the selectivity of the catalyst. With the increase of the pre-processing temperature of the catalyst, the surface B acid content of the catalyst decreases, but the acid strength and activity increase. At the same time, it can be seen that the activity of the catalyst decreases when the water content in stock increases. It can be proved that water has effect on the activity of the catalyst in this reaction by the analysis of TG,DTA,TPD and chromategraph. At the same time, according to the analysis of IR, is seens that the absorbability of the catalyst to benzene and weigh alkylbenzen decreases. So, it can retard discomposition of weigh alkylbenzen. This kind of effect of the water can be considered to change the surface acid property and acid strength of the catalyst.


Terms such as system crash, collapse of chaos and complexity can help one understand change, also in biological, socio-economic and technical systems. These terms need, however, explanation for fruitful dialogue on design of sustainable systems. We start this paper on Grass Based (GB) systems, therefore, dwelling on these terms and notions as review for the insiders and to help interested 'outsiders'. We also stress the need to use additional and/or new paradigms for understanding of the nature of nature. However, we show that many such 'new' paradigms were known for long time around the globe among philosophers and common men, giving reason to include quotes and examples from other cultures and eras. In the past few centuries, those paradigms have become hidden, perhaps, under impressive but short-term successes of more linear paradigms. Therefore, we list hang-ups on paradigms of those past few centuries. We then outline what is meant by 'GB systems', which exist in multiple forms/'scapes'. Coping with such variation is perhaps the most central aspect of complexity. To help cope with this variation, the different (GB) systems can be arranged on spatial, temporal, and other scales in such a way that the arrangements form logical sequences (evolutions) of stable states and transitions of Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS). Together with other ways to handle complexity, we give examples of such arrangements to illustrate how one can (re-)imagine, (re-)cognize and manage initial chaotic behaviors and eventual 'collapse' of chaos into design and/or emergence of new systems. Then, we list known system behaviors, such as predator–prey cycles, adaptive cycles, lock-in, specialization and even tendency to higher (or lower) entropy. All this is needed to understand changes in management of evolving GB into multi-scapes. Integration of disciplines and paradigms indicates that a win-win is likely to be exception rather than rule. With the rules given in this paper, one can reset teaching, research, rural development, and policy agendas in GB-systems and other areas of life.


The temperatures at different depths in a 50 mm and a 250 mm deep bituminous concrete layer have been recorded over a period of 11 months at a test site near Canberra. The recorded data were analysed for seasonal and daily variation of temperature and, in some cases, results are compared with those obtained for the Sydney and Brisbane sites previously reported. Bituminous pavement temperatures at Canberra (lat 35 s, altitude 600 m and sited inland) are more extreme than those encountered at the other capital city sites which have been monitored. A lower level of temperature is maintained in the winter period which persists for about a quarter of the year.


This study aims to describe the efforts of Mutiara Hati Reading Park, the implementation of educational tourism programs, and the factors supporting and inhibiting the implementation of educational tourism programs in growing public literacy in Mutiara Hati Reading Park, Bukittinggi City. The sample was conducted by purposive sampling method. Collecting data was conducted by from observations, interviews, and documentation.This data analysis technique was carried out in three steps through data collection, data reduction, and drawing conclusions. The results showed that: (1) the efforts made by Mutiara Hati TBM in fostering community literacy include providing a diverse collection of reading materials, providing comfortable reading rooms, holding interesting programs, documenting all types of activities and uploading them to youtube, in collaboration with the government. and service, providing good service to visitors; (2) the implementation of the educational tourism program to foster community literacy consists of learning English with native speakers, learning to write poetry, short stories, and books, storytelling, learning about plants, visiting kindergartens and elementary schools in Bukittinggi City, watching videos and has been implemented properly discussed in 2 aspects, namely the process and objectives, which include the effects that occur on society and the level of change in society ; (3) supporting factors in implementing educational tourism programs to foster community literacy include support from the Bukittinggi city government, social donations from the Library Service and the Office for the Protection of Women and Children, the existence of reading garden volunteers, support from the local community, the existence of support from literacy activists in the city of Bukittinggi, support from the media or the press, natural conditions and the beauty of a unique reading garden. The inhibiting factors include the uneducational mindset of the community, lack of supporting facilities, the lack of a reading garden volunteer personnel, the location of the reading park on the outskirts of the city, the pandemic situation, the narrow reading park area, the timing of activities that clash with the work schedule and school.


Abstract In this note, we show that given a closed connected oriented
$3$
 -manifold M, there exists a knot K in M such that the manifold
$M'$
 obtained from M by performing an integer surgery admits an open book decomposition which embeds into the trivial open book of the
$5$
 -sphere
$S^5.$


Currently, radiography with measurement of the Cobb angle is still considered the reference standard for diagnosing scoliosis. However, the ionizing radiation hazard is drawing wide attention. Can 3‐dimensional (3D) ultrasound (US) be an alternative modality for diagnosing and monitoring patients with scoliosis? The aim of our study was to assess the reliability and validity of 3D US imaging in the evaluation of scoliosis.


ABSTRACT Francis of Assisi is well known for his devotion to all God's "creatures," from worms and fish to moon and stars. Francis's devotion also has some little known dimensions that are unprecedented in his own time but that anticipate central tenets of posthumanist animal theory and ecotheology. In the earliest Franciscan documents, Francis asserted that he obeyed non-human animals as an expression of faith. He worshiped with them, protected their lives, and conflated their material welfare with their symbolic meanings. These aberrant features of Francis's piety were suppressed soon after his death, but they merit close attention for the ways in which they anticipate contemporary theorists' efforts to de-center the human, recognize animal participation in human cultures, and envision a coherently material and spiritual theology.


The study was undertaken to assess the influence of Fe on the process of reactive flame sprayed TiC Fe cermet coatings It is revealed that more Fe contents can cause the less microhardness of the coatings, but the oxide contents in the coatings can increase with less Fe contents Fe from ferrotitanium and pure iron has different affects on the synthesis process during spraying the former is mainly used to reduce the ignition temperature, but the latter is basically used to absorb the reaction heat in order to reduce or avoid the oxide in the coatings


We study the problem of non-parametric Bayesian estimation of the intensity function of a Poisson point process. The observations are assumed to be $n$ independent realisations of a Poisson point process on the interval $[0,T]$. We propose two related approaches. In both approaches we model the intensity function as piecewise constant on $N$ bins forming a partition of the interval $[0,T]$. In the first approach the coefficients of the intensity function are assigned independent Gamma priors. This leads to a closed form posterior distribution, for which posterior inference is straightforward to perform in practice, without need to recourse to approximate inference methods. The method scales extremely well with the amount of data. On the theoretical side, we prove that the approach is consistent: as $n\to \infty$, the posterior distribution asymptotically concentrates around the "true", data-generating intensity function at the rate that is optimal for estimating $h$-H\"older regular intensity functions ($0 < h\leq 1$), provided the number of coefficients $N$ of the intensity function grows at a suitable rate depending on the sample size $n$.
In the second approach it is assumed that the prior distribution on the coefficients of the intensity function forms a Gamma Markov chain. The posterior distribution is no longer available in closed form, but inference can be performed using a straightforward version of the Gibbs sampler. We show that also this second approach scales well.
Practical performance of our methods is first demonstrated via synthetic data examples. It it shown that the second approach depends in a less sensitive way on the choice of the number of bins $N$ and outperforms the first approach in practice. Finally, we analyse three real datasets using our methodology: the UK coal mining disasters data, the US mass shootings data and Donald Trump's Twitter data.


Watershed overcoming deteriorates in its function was indicated by increasing soil erosion and land degradation. The research aims were to determine and map critical land degradation levels and to chose options of practical conservation concepts in Manna watershed. The Manna watershed lays on 102°51'38.2" - 103°10'57.8" long, and 04°0'39.6" - 4°29'38.0" alt covering 72,899.9 ha. The analysis procedures to determine land degradation levels based on Ministry of Forestry Rule (No. P.32/Menhut-11/2009), Procedures of Technical Design on Forest and Land Rehabilitation in Watershed (RTkRHL-DAS). The results showed that the Manna watershed divided in three land uses functions namely protected forest, limited timber forest, and agricultural cultivated areas/settlement. The land starting overcome degradation in covered by 35,318.6 ha or 48,77% of the watershed based on digital mapping using ArcGIS 10.1 software. The lands that categorized the critical level of degradation covered 7,989.5 ha or 11,03% of the watershed, and classified in the high critical level were 169.8 ha or 0,23% of the watershed. Options of conservation practice on the degraded lands in the Manna watershed should implement agro-forestry models because of the physiographical landscape in this area covering by waving to hilly landforms. On the protected forest and limited timber forest should develop agro-forestry with collaborative approaches through social engineering and social forestry. Re-establishing land use of the Manna watershed based on functions of land is the wise options for the sustainable environmental concepts


Fatigue life of a batch of 60Si2MnA steel spring rods didn't reach the required value.The failure spring rods were analyzed by means of macro and micro observation of fracture surface,metallographic examination,hardness testing and chemical compositions analysis.The results show that the failure mode of the spring rods was fatigue fracture resulting from the co-effect of bending and twisting.The main reason for the early fracture of the spring rods was carbon content of their raw material was lower than the standard required value to 60Si2MnA steel,which resulted in the hardness of the spring rods was lower than the technical requirement after heat treatment and reduced the fatigue properties of the spring rods heavily.Another reason for the shorter fatigue life was that there was net-shape ferrite structure at the local surface of the spring rods because of decarburization,which made fatigue cracking source generate easily.


The paper describes results of the experimental research of generation of intense pulsed electron beam in S-band RF gun with driven plasma cathode. There has been designed experimental sample of the cathode based on ferroelectric ceramics. It has been obtained at RF gun output electron beam with particle energy /spl cong/500 keV, pulsed peak current of 3 A and pulse duration of 50 ns.


Nap-core sandwich, which is lightweight and characterized by many remarkable properties, comes from an extraordinary combination of sandwich-structured composites and textile materials. However, the application of it in industries is still limited due to a lack of understanding its mechanical properties and behaviors. Several studies based on experimentation or numerical simulation have been conducted to fulfill the shortage, and this study is in the mainstream of exploring how the sandwich composite performs when geometries or materials of the nap-core vary. Namely, the comparison of double sided structure and single sided structure used for the nap-core will be presented in this article. The inquiry derives from the fact that a nap-core can take either of the two structures, but the advantages and disadvantages of each have not been identified yet while manufacturers hardly own costly molds for both. Since only the double sided nap-core is actually available, a modeling method is being deployed in Abaqus engineering software to compare it with an equivalent single sided nap-core that is simulated having the same materials and boundary dimensions. Before that, the Representative Volume Element homogenization method was employed to effectively determine engineering constants of the nap-core's knitted fabric. The final results reveal that the single sided nap-core has better strength than the double sided nap-core in typical loading cases, but it assumes less smooth stress distribution.


The objective of this work is to develop a combinedmode I and mode III characterization method and to use thistest method to study Copper (Cu) / Epoxy mold compound(EMC) interfacial delamination from near-mode I to nearmodeIII global loading. Using the developed test method, aseries of experiments are done with varying loading modeconditions from near-mode I to near-mode III and successfuldelamination of the Cu/EMC interface is observed in manycases. Three-dimensional finite-element analysis is carried outto get compliance vs crack length relationship for differentloading conditions and is used to determine the crack lengthindirectly. The experiments indicate that as the mode mixityincreases from mode I towards mode III, the critical loadincreases for a given crack length, and thus, the interfacialfracture energy increases with the increasing mode mixity.


The role of gesture in music has been widely investigated in different disciplines, from experimental psychology to aesthetics, from musicology to anthropology. What seems to drive the different researches is the question about the relationship arising between gestures and sound, and how this relationship affects the experience of music. In this article, I focus on the role of the hand in the production, listening and expression of music. After briefly referring to the influence of body development on language, I consider some typical responses to listening to music that involve the hand, suggesting that musical experience relies on the ability of the listener-performer to transform sound perceptions into motor units. In the conclusion, I delve deeper into the topic in a phenomenological direction, proposing that gestures can be configured as a bodily continuation of the musical material rather than mere motor reactions or conventional responses to sound perception.


A supposed hybrid population (Agave peacockii) betweenAgave marmorataandAgave kerchoveiin a semiarid ecosystem at Zapotitlan Salinas, in the Mexican State of Puebla, was investigated, and its hybrid status corroborated in morphometric terms. A Stepwise Discriminant Analysis of the ratios: Number of leaves/Rosette diameter, Leaf width/Leaf length, Number of spines/Leaf length, Distance between the upper spine and the tip of the leaf/Leaf length, and Distance between the upper spine and the tip of the leaf/Number of spines, supported our hypothesis of the existence of these naturally occurring hybrids, which are intermediate and distinct from the parental species. A null model was constructed to contrast the real case with a possible artifact, and the results also supported our hypothesis. The possible meaning of this kind of hybridization is discussed.


Abstract Endangered Interior Least Terns (Sterna antillarum athalassos) and threatened Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus) nest in Nebraska at gravel mines where they are vulnerable to disturbance and nest loss. Conflicts occur when their nesting and protected status delay mining activities. The possibility of shifting nesting from active to inactive mining areas by using a deterrent (mylar flagging), an attractant (gravel and driftwood spread on bare sand), and a control (untreated sand) was evaluated. Experimental plots (mean 0.36 ha) were established at 18 different gravel mines, twelve in 2000 and seven (one repeat) in 2001 along the Platte and Elkhorn rivers prior to nesting season. Of 117 tern nests, 73% were in attractant, 2% in deterrent, and 26% in control plots. Of 23 plover nests, 61% were in attractant, 9% in deterrent, and 30% in control. Colonies used plots containing less vegetation and more driftwood than unused plots. Within control plots, both tern and plover nests were surrounded by more large (>15 mm) gravel and less coarse sand than was available at random points. Within attractant plots, substrate at the nest did not differ from random points. In all plots, Least Tern nests were more likely to have driftwood by the nest than was available at random points. Hatching rates did not differ between attractant and control plots. To attract Least Terns and Piping Plovers, sand covered with 15% small gravel, 5-10% large gravel, <3% vegetation, and about ten pieces driftwood/1,000 m2 was found to be effective. As deterrents, mylar streamers 7 m long, 30 mm wide, and 0.025 mm thick, attached to 1 m poles arranged in a 7 m grid were used. The combination of attractant and deterrent treatments provided a mechanism to protect nesting birds and avoid conflicts.


The sensory properties of jellies, sweetened with saccharin or saccharin plus sorbitol, were assessed by using a modified descriptive analysis. The effects of thickening agents, i.e. carboxymethylcellulose, pectin and gelatin, on sensory properties of jellies were studied. Jellies containing pectin were less firm and tend to weep compared with CMC or gelatin which achieve acceptable jelling properties under the formulation used. A combination of sorbitol and saccharin masked the after-taste of the saccharin. Addition of citric acid to reach pH 3.8–4.15 in all jellies increased overall flavour intensity and decreased the after-taste of the saccharin.


We consider settings such as innovation-oriented R&D and entrepreneurship where agents must explore across different projects with varying but uncertain payoffs. How does providing partial data on project payoffs affect individual performance and social welfare? While data can typically reduce uncertainty and improve welfare, we present a simple theoretical framework where data provision can decrease group and individual payoffs. We predict that when data shines a light on sufficiently attractive (but not optimal) projects, it can crowd-out exploration activity, lowering individual and group payoffs as compared to when no data is provided. We test our theory in an online lab experiment and show that data provision on the true value of one project can hurt individual payoffs by 12% and reduce the group's likelihood of discovering the optimal outcome by 48%. Our results provide a theoretical and empirical examination of the streetlight effect, outlining the conditions under which data leads agents to look under the lamppost rather than engage in socially beneficial exploration


Hypothesis / aims of study Mesh erosion is one of the most common and distressing complications after female pelvic floor reconstruction. Following the extensive use of meshes, USA Food and Drug Administration warned about potential complications. The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors for mesh erosion during pelvic floor reconstructive surgery, and to describe a new Blood-supply Reservation Technique (BRT) as to prevent erosion.


Observations made by the neutral mass spectrometer on board the polar orbiting OGO-6 satellite are given. Measurements were taken of the composition, density, and cyclic variations of gases in the high altitude thermosphere. Data were taken during the quiet magnetic period of August and early September 1969.


The backfill mining method transports treated tailings to the mined-out area, which not only improves the surrounding environment of the mine but also enables the mined-out area to continue mining and production under the support of the filling body. However, with the growth in the depth and scale of mining, ground subsidence, and backfill deformation are becoming increasingly serious problems. As an example, in the Jinchuan mine, a typical multi-stage filling mining mine in China, the deformation law of surface rock mass and backfill are studied through a method combining field monitoring and numerical simulation. The major findings are as follows: (a) A settlement funnel is formed on the ground, and its radius gradually expands with continuous mining and filling. The location of the settlement center moves toward the surface above the footwall of the ore body, and the maximum subsidence reaches 739 mm in 14.5 years. (b) Three-section mining significantly affects the surface deformation, and the single subsidence center on the upper wall develops into the double subsidence center with the mining and filling. When the three-section mining is finished, the maximum value of the surface subsidence reaches about 1.35 m and the mining area is still in a relatively stable state. (c) The whole filling body presents obvious subsidence, with the development of the multi-stage mining and filling. Bed separation phenomena are found between the filling layers, and the closer to the interior, the more obvious it becomes. The backfill's subsidence characteristics are similar to the surface's; that is, both the subsidence amount and speed are higher on the hanging wall than on the footwall. (d) The backfill mainly shrinks inward in the horizontal direction, and the deformation is mainly manifested as an internal uplift and an external subsidence in the vertical direction. The mass instability of the backfill is difficult because of the insufficient deformation space, and the influence of large-scale deformation on the mining and overlying strata needs to be considered, as well as the local deformation near the rock contact zone surrounding the backfill. The results provide technical support for filling mining in the Jinchuan mine and provide a reference for other projects with similar engineering conditions.


A web-based hospital-wide automated MultidrugResistant Organisms (MDRO) surveillance system was implemented in a 2200-beds medical center in Taiwan. Raw data (text) from clinical microbiology laboratory (external data provided) were evaluated using group mapping techniques to detect specimen reports positive of 28 patterns of defined MDRO. The time trends of the numbers were monitored by the threshold limits generated based on historical data in a defined period. As per the concept of Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), we used web services techniques, which are suitable for integrating heterogeneous platforms, protocols, and applications. The sub-components include Data Collection, Data Detection (candidate detector, conflict merger), Data Analysis (germ criterion, patient criterion, patient in each day criterion) and Report Presentation (visualization, notification). The performance was evaluated by 2 direct indicators (time cost and accuracy of MDRO detection) and 2 indirect indicators (proportion and time lag of contact isolation). The performance based on 3 of the 4 indicators evaluated in the presence of MDRO system is better than those without and achieve statistically different (p value <0.05, t-test). Automatic surveillance saves up to 10% of infection control man power. In conclusion, this system facilitates medical staff for their operations in controlling MDRO, and improves patient safety. This successful experience of developing the MDRO system can be seamless applied to other medical information systems.


Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) is a frequent pathological entity in daily clinical practice. However, evidence‐based CSDH‐guidelines are lacking and level I evidence from randomized clinical trials (RCTs) is limited. In order to establish and subsequently implement a guideline, insight into current clinical practice and attitudes toward CSDH‐treatment is required. The aim is to explore current practice and attitudes toward CSDH‐management in the Netherlands.


The utility model relates to a vehicle-bone gas-supply device conveying liquified natural gas by compressed natural gas, a CNC steel bottle (1) is sequentially connected with a bottle valve (2) to an LNG steel bottle (9) by a pipeline (6), and the LNG steel bottle (9) is sequentially connected out to a vaporizer (11) by the pipeline (6). The vehicle-bone gas-supply device can realize the application of the liquified natural gas in the market of replacing fuel oil in cars, especially medium and heavy trucks, under normal pressure or low pressure of below 0.5Mpa with extremely low cost, and is a proposal which is economical and suitable for generalization in the current technical status. The technology is mature, the structure is simple, and the cost is low. Compared with like products, the vehicle-bone gas-supply device has the advantages of simple process flow, safety and reliability, simple and convenient operation, short period, small investment and the like.


In the excavation of group foundation pits,the key of the foundation pits design should change from the strength control to deformation control,due to the limited conditions of foundation pit construction. Taken the excavation of group foundation pits in a great workshop with soft soil layer as the research object,the numerical simulation of the effect of adjacent excavation and retaining structure was studied,from the analysis of effect of different excavation sequence on the deep displacement in different position,the deformation study on effect of the later excavated foundation pit on the supporting structure of the earlier pit,and the analysis of the influence of different excavation sequence on the surrounding ground settlement,respectively. The results show that the surrounding soil will move to the excavating pit under the continuous excavation process,and there is a certain cumulative effect. The excavation sequence has little effect on the final deformation in the adjacent foundation pits. Interval construction has certain advantages in the excavation process of group foundation pits excavation.


Abstract : This program involved an investigation of techniques to perform engine fuel diagnosis on the large medium-speed diesel engines used as main propulsion power plants in medium- and high-endurance Coast Guard cutters. Two engine diagnostic parameters were defined and selected as the parameters of interest. They were: (1) Instantaneous Crankshaft Angular Velocity (ICAV), which directly relates to the developed power contribution for each cylinder; and (2) Dynamic Crankcase Pressure (PKD), which relates to the amount of gas leakage past the piston rings and into the crankcase. Prototype instrumentation was designed and developed to measure relative values of these parameters, and tests were conducted with several operating engines, some of them in Coast Guard cutters. Results of the development and test work were generally encouraging, but not definitive. This effort is therefore viewed as a step toward achieving the program goals. The report contains recommendations for further work. (Author)


An inversion algorithm has been developed to simultaneously infer the concentrations of two gases with overlapping spectral signatures using limb emission measurements. The algorithm is efficient and provides a solution in two or three iterations. It has been applied in a simulation study to the inference of stratospheric NO2-H2O and HNO3-CF2Cl2. Existing satellite instrumentation was the basis for errors used in the calculations. It is estimated that concentrations of all four gases can be determined with errors of about 20 percent. This assumes an estimated 1980 CF2Cl2 level. Also, other error sources due to contaminant gas, aerosol emission, and the temperature profile must be included to obtain a better estimate of experimental accuracies.


This paper outlines aspects of the interface between law and science in the domain of treatment induced injury, using 5 examples drawn from litigation on SSRIs. In the face of claims that randomized controlled trials provide uniquely appropriate 6 evidence and that there should be a statistically significant doubling of the risks on treatment, the examples used demonstrate 7 that the methods of assessing the possibility of causal links between treatment and injuries must necessarily be tailored to both 8 the injury and the treatment. 9 keywords: Paroxetine, suicide, dependence, birth defects, controlled trials, case studies 10


The predictive model for combat readiness is constructed according to the simple probability distributing. The maintainability, testability and supportability correlated with equipment is represented with the model by adjusting those correlated parameters in the calculation formulas of readiness sufficiency ratio. In view of the time of work, intermission and maintenance for system, the predictive model is divided into two kinds of the state of non-working and consecutive working. The former, readiness sufficiency ratio is equal to the ratio of usable while not working. The latter correlates with inherent reliability, maintainability and supportability resource of weapon.


This paper revisits well-studied dynamic decisions of weakly coupled large-population (LP) systems. Specifically, three types of LP decision problems: mean-field game (MG), mean-field team (MT), and mean-field-type control (MC), are completely analyzed in a general stochastic linear-quadratic setting with controlled-diffusion in state dynamics and indefinite weight in cost functional. More importantly, interrelations among MG, MT and MC are systematically discussed; some relevant interesting findings are reported that may be applied to a structural analysis of general LP decisions.


The thermal boundary conductance between water and self-assembled monolayer was studied using nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations. Different thermal transport behaviors were observed for hydrophobic and hydrophilic self-assembled monolayers. In the temperature range between 280 and 340 K, the thermal boundary conductance was found to depend on the temperature for hydrophobic self-assembled monolayers. On the contrary, the difference in thermal boundary conductance at different temperatures was slight for hydrophilic self-assembled monolayers. The correlations in velocity and density between terminal atoms of self-assembled monolayer and water molecules within the interface region were analyzed to understand the mechanism of thermal transport across the interface. The vibrational density of states calculation indicated that the temperature dependence does not originate from the overlap of phonon spectrum. The analysis of radial density distribution revealed that the temperature dependence is main...


Purpose To assess the self-perceived psychological impact of dental aesthetics among female university students and its relationship to various sociodemographic factors. Patients and Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 2400 female students from various departments of selected private and public universities in Riyadh City. Participants completed an Arabic translated version of the Psychosocial Impact of Dental Aesthetic Questionnaire (PIDAQ) and a short demographic sheet. Descriptive statistics was used to describe the sample's sociodemographic characteristics as well as the mean PIDAQ scores. Bivariate analysis (ANOVA) and linear regression were used to investigate the impact of the sociodemographic factors on the mean PIDAQ scores. Results The pilot test revealed the instruments' conceptual equivalence, semantic equivalence and ease of comprehension. Cronbach's alpha was 0.81, indicating good internal consistency. The total sample was 1845 with a mean age of 20.74 years. The total mean score for the (PIDAQ) was 58.10 (SD=11.41). Significant differences were detected between different university affiliation in the dental self-consciousness (<0.0001), social (<0.0001) and psychological impacts (0.0256) and the total PIDAQ scores (0.0024). Significant differences were also detected between different disciplines in the dental aesthetics (0.0110) and social (0.0195) domains as well as the total PIDAQ scores (0.0144). College level was also a significant factor where middle students were significantly impacted socially (0.0026) compared to junior level students. As for the impact of income, those with the highest income displayed greater social impact (0.0039), psychological impact (0.0046) and impact on aesthetic attitude (0.0037) when compared to students with lower income levels. Conclusion Dental aesthetics was found to affect the psychological well-being of the subjects. University affiliation, faculty affiliation, college level, and level of income were all factors that significantly affected self-perceived aesthetics and psychosocial well-being.


An optical transport network is composed of optical transport systems deployed in thousands of office-buildings. As a common infrastructure to accommodate diversified communication services with drastic traffic growth, it is necessary not only to continuously convey the growing traffic but also to achieve high end-to-end communication quality and availability and provide flexible controllability in cooperation with service layer networks. To achieve high-speed and large-capacity transport systems cost-effectively, system configuration, applied devices, and the manufacturing process have recently begun to change, and the cause of failure or performance degradation has become more complex and diversified. The drastic traffic growth and pattern change of service networks increase the frequency and scale of transport-capacity increase and transport-network reconfiguration in cooperation with service networks. Therefore, drastic traffic growth affects both optical-transport-system configuration and its operational cycles. In this paper, we give an overview of the operational problems emerging in current nationwide optical transport networks, and based on trends analysis for system configuration and network-control schemes, we propose a vision of the future nationwide optical-transport-network architecture expressed using five target features. key words: optical transport network, common infrastructure, supervisory, failure recovery, deployment, network architecture


THE CONVICTION of a nurse for drugging and killing a nursing colleague has prompted calls for more robust controls over the way drugs are administered.


Nowadays the dropout of engineering courses occurs almost in every university in the world. Over the past few years, active learning has been known by the education community as the most effective learning method. In this paper it is discussed the educational experience associated to the design and development of a low cost tank level control system to motivate students of Control and Automation Engineering, who enrolled in the subject of Applied Control to Thermal and Fluid Mechanics Systems from 2012 to 2013. The main objectives of learning and the resources used to achieve them as well as the results of the students evaluation of this experience will be detailed in this paper.


Simulating societies: an introduction, Jim Doran and Nigel Gilbert simulating of complex organizational processes - a review of methods and their epistemological foundations, Ann C. Seror the evolution of technologies, Klaus G. Troitzsch simulating the emergence of social order from individual behaviour, Andrzej Nowak and Bibb Latane the architecture of society - stochastic simulation of urban movement, Alan Penn and Nick Dalton multi-agent simulation as a tool for studying emergent processes in societies, Alexis Drogoul and Jacques Ferber simulating fishermen society, F. Bousquet, C. Cambier, C. Mullon, P. Morand, J. Quensiere Simulating prehistoric hunter-gatherer societies, Steven Mithen the EOS project - modelling Upper Palaeolithic social change, Jim Doran, Mike Palmer, Nigel Gilbert, Paul Mellars learning to co-operate using cultural algorithms, Robert G. Reynolds the simulation of trade in oligopolistic markets Jose Castro Caldas and Helder Coelho mind is not enough - the precognitive bases of social interaction, Rosaria Conte and Cristiano Castelfranchi.


Using neutralized‐ion‐beam sputtering, high‐efficiency (10.94%, AM1) and large‐area (total area, 11.46 cm2) indium tin oxide/polycrystalline silicon semiconductor‐insulator‐semiconductor solar cells have been fabricated. The important steps in the fabrication are the proper surface preparation and the incorporation of hydrogen during milling and oxidation of the substrate. The photovoltaic conversion parameters were Voc =0.526 V, Jsc =27.39 mA/cm2, and FF=0.759.


Recent findings suggesting that marijuana can cause physical dependence as well as serve as a "gateway" drug have heightened interest in identifying


Take the idea of exponential technological growth, work it through to its logical conclusion, and there you have the singularity. Its bold incredibility pushes aside incredulity, as it challenges us to confront all the things we thought could never come true - the creation of super intelligent, conscious organisms, nanorobots that can swim in our bloodstreams and fix what ails us, and direct communication from mind to mind. And the piece de resistance: a posthuman existence of disembodied uploaded minds, living on indefinitely without fear, sickness, or want in a virtual paradise ingeniously designed to delight, thrill, and stimulate. This vision argues that machines will become conscious and then perfect themselves, as described elsewhere in this issue. Yet for all its show of tough- minded audacity, the argument is shot through with sloppy reasoning, wishful thinking, and irresponsibility. Infatuated with statistics and seduced by the power of extrapolation, singularitarians abduct the moral imagination into a speculative no-man's-land. To be sure, they are hardly the first to spread fanciful technological prophecies, but among enthusiasts and doomsayers alike their proposition enjoys an inexplicable popularity. Perhaps the real question is how they have gotten away with it.


When the above article was first published online, the result in the abstract was "Persistent treatment with warfarin was present among 33.7% of women and 40.0% among men. Persistent warfarin treatment, compared to no persistent treatment, was associated with a stroke preventing effect with fully adjusted HRs of 0.25 (95%CI 0. 0.26–0.45) in women, and 0.25 (95%CI 0.28–0.43) in men". This has now been corrected to "Persistent treatment with warfarin was present among 33.7% of women and 40.0% among men. Persistent warfarin treatment, compared to no persistent treatment, was associated with a stroke preventing effect with fully adjusted HRs of 0.25 (95%CI 0.18–0.36) in women, and 0.25 (95%CI 0.19–0.32) in men".


To Understand the Mechanisms of Accelerated Dynamic Recrystallization Behavior during the Warm Deformation of Martensites, the Tempered Lath Martensite of 0.4C Steel (Fe-0.399%C-1.96%Mn in Mass %) Was Deformed at 650 °C in Compression to Different Reductions, and Microstructural Evolution Was Investigated. During the Deformation, an Initial Lath Martensite Structure with a Complicated Morphology Was Gradually Changed into More Equiaxed Structure. After 50% Reduction and above, an Equiaxed, Fine Grained Structure Mainly Surrounded by High-Angle Boundaries Was Uniformly Formed with Dislocation Substructures, where the Dislocation Density in the Grains Is Relatively Low. Since there Was No Significant Boundary Migration during this Process, this Microstructural Evolution Can Be Termed as Continuous Dynamic Recrystallization.


In this paper,the position and functions of libraries in e-publishing industrial chain are discussed from 3 aspects:the development history of e-publishing;the main distribution channel of e-publishing at the present stage;the interactive relationship between libraries and e-publishing industrial.


It is often argued that the changes in discharge and velocity that accompany flow regulation for hydro-electric power generation lead to a significant increase in bank erosion and changes in the sediment transport regime. The Waikato River is one of the most regulated fluvial systems in New Zealand and approximately 3% of its banks are affected by erosion. The effect of flow regulation on near-bank velocities and sediment transport potential was therefore assessed at a number of typical sites. Detailed measurements over the range of regulated flows showed that changes in discharge affected mid-channel average and maximum velocities, but had no significant effect on velocities close to the bank. Near-bank velocities remained low relative to those considered necessary to erode, entrain, and transport the bed and bank material. Increasing discharge over the range affected by flow regulation is accommodated by increases in channel width and depth, and significant increases in velocity towards the centre of the channel. This encourages sediment movement and downcutting in the centre of the channel rather than at the banks. This increases the capacity of the river to contain flood flows, but because of the channel form it tends not to destabilise the banks. The banks do not experience the velocities needed for fluvial entrainment under the flow regulation regime. Therefore while the average velocity may increase with discharge it is overly simplistic to assume that this leads to an increase in bank erosion. While vegetation may be effective at retarding near-bank velocities, and increasing erosion resistance, a comparison of velocity profiles at vegetated and non-vegetated sites within the same reach indicates that channel morphology is also an important control on the changes in velocity with increasing discharge. Suspended sediment concentrations are highest near the bank where water depths are shallow and sediment is readily available. Although concentrations were generally higher under high flow conditions, the maximum flow velocity is not a good indicator of sediment concentration, and by inference sediment entrainment. A wide range of site-specific characteristics, including the near-shore profile, the nature of the bank material, and vegetation control suspended sediment concentration. Flows within the range regulated for hydroelectric power generation lack sufficient energy to do substantial geomorphic work: most geomorphic work is done by the largely unregulated flood flows. This finding is consistent with previous studies on the significance of extreme events in the New Zealand landscape development.


To the Editor:

We wish to respond to editorial comment "HIV immune reconstitution syndrome in sub-Saharan Africa" by Dr. Easterbrook. While our prospective study [1] suggested that the immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) may have less impact on antiretroviral treatment (ART) programmes in resource limited settings than previously suggested by retrospective studies, Dr Easterbrook questions whether our experience from Johannesburg is representative for sub-Saharan Africa and whether our study has underestimated the IRIS burden. In order to accurately draw conclusions from our study, we wish to clarify a few of our findings.

Dr. Easterbrook correctly states a number of factors may influence the incident estimate of a disease or outcome, and no single ART programme is representative of all patients across sub-Saharan Africa. We believe our estimate of IRIS is accurate for a number of reasons. First, outpatient clinics are the most representative setting for ART programmes. Few inpatients initiate ART because of eligibility screening, adherence counseling, and the urgent need for diagnosis and treatment for their inpatient condition. While such patients are theoretically at increased risk for IRIS, the overall number of such patients is few.

Second, while the patient population consisted of an urban cohort in a tertiary referral ART clinic, baseline data were comparable to other reported cohorts [2–4]. 63% had a history of one or more opportunistic infections (OI), and 92/423 (21.8%) had one or more OI within 30 days of ART initiation, most commonly tuberculosis, oral candidiasis, and pneumonia. Cotrimoxazole was prescribed in over 86% of patients. "Comorbid illnesses" referred to chronic, non-infectious conditions, such as hypertension and diabetes, and is reflective of the young and predominantly female characteristics of the cohort.

Third, while Dr Easterbrook questions the rigor of baseline screening, our data demonstrate baseline screening is relatively comprehensive. Symptom-based screening for TB at baseline included 179/423 (43%) of patients having ≥2 AFB smears and/or a BACTEC culture obtained prior to ART. Of the 16 "unmasking" TB-IRIS cases, 12 (75%) were screened with AFB sputa, BACTEC cultures, and/or chest radiographs. Of the 4 unscreened patients, 3 were asymptomatic at baseline and demonstrated abdominal or lymphadenitis manifestations, likely indicating subclinical disseminated TB at ART initiation. The remaining patient completed TB therapy 18 months prior to ART and was asymptomatic at initiation. These patients manifested abrupt onset of symptoms 22–34 days after ART initiation, supporting the IRIS diagnosis. While the systematic screening of all patients initiating ART, independent of symptoms, using sputum and chest radiographs could influence the proportion of "unmasking" versus paradoxical IRIS, the reality of employing such a strategy in an endemic TB setting would be unsustainable in a resource-limited health care system.

Fourth, we employed an active case finder to identify patients with missed visits, and loss to follow-up (12.6%) was similar to other Southern African cohorts (0–15%) [5]. Even assuming IRIS was present in these patients and associated with a significant mortality, the effect of these patients on the overall incidence rate would be modest.

Lastly, case finding was active. In addition to scheduled clinic visits, patients were also evaluated at patient-initiated unscheduled visits, whether IRIS-related symptoms or not. According to South African guidelines, patients procured their ART medications monthly in the pharmacy clinic, affording additional opportunities to identify problems related to ART.

To date, no objective measure of immune reconstitution is readily available to the practicing clinician. A ≥1 log reduction in viral load was included in our IRIS case definition in order to provide as much objective immunological evidence as possible to exclude ART noncompliance and HIV viral resistance at the time of IRIS evaluation. Our study is the first to prospectively apply some, albeit imperfect, measure of immune reconstitution. We agree that it is not likely to be predictive of IRIS events, but included it in the analysis to address findings of previous studies [6]. What is sorely needed is a practical, objective measure of immune reconstitution to support IRIS case definitions. Until such a measurement is available, IRIS definitions which rely solely on clinical signs and symptoms in developed or resource-limited settings will be plagued by the lack of immunological validation and the subjectivity of their application across heterogeneous patient populations.

We hope these data provide insight into the clinical spectrum of this difficult complication of ART therapy and will aid clinicians involved in the treatment of HIV-infected patients in sub-Saharan Africa. Future prospective studies should focus on pathogen-specific IRIS in diverse populations to characterize and measure its clinical spectrum, elucidate the underlying immunopathology, and identify methods for its prevention.


■ Efficient sample clean-up resulting in better analytical results and system robustness IN T RO DU C T IO N Mycophenolic acid is a drug that interferes with purine nucleotide synthesis required for the proliferative response of T and B cells. Measurement of drug levels in plasma can be performed by a variety of analytical methods including immunoassay, LC with UV detection, or LC/MS. LC/MS methods can provide a level of analytical sensitivity and selectivity for mycophenolic acid analysis that is difficult for other methods to achieve.


Towards the end of 1998 we decided to introduce a facility to lock the doors of the acute psychiatric wards at Bootham Park Hospital, York. At first sight this would appear to be a retrograde step for modern psychiatric care in the UK. But this was a reasoned and planned move which has resulted in


Silica-based mesostructured materials derived from a layered polysilicate kanemite were prepared by reactions with gemini-type diammonium (C 1 6 - 3 - 1 6 , C 1 6 - 5 - 1 6 , C 1 6 - 3 - 1 ) surfactants. The surfactants wereassembled in the two-dimensionally limited space between the silicate layers of kanemite, leading to the formation of lamellar, 2-d hexagonal, and disordered mesophases. Lamellar phases were formed by using C 1 6 - 3 - 1 6 and C 1 6 - 5 - 1 6 surfactants. An acid treatment of the lamellar C 1 6 - 5 - 1 6 -silicate complex induced the transformation into a 2-d hexagonal phase, whereas the C 1 6 - 3 - 1 6 -silicate complex retained its lamellar structure after the treatment. A disordered phase was obtained through the reaction of kanemite with C 1 6 - 3 - 1 surfactants whose assembly shows a larger surface curvature. The formation of layered surfactant-silicate intermediates under various conditions and the transformation to other mesophases lead to the conclusion that the formation of ordered and disordered mesostructured materials derived from kanemite simply depends on the surfactant assemblies in the two-dimensionally limited space.


EDITOR—Berger's news story on the Icelandic gene database1 gives an inaccurate and biased account of a complex issue.

The proposed database will not exclude biotechnology companies or pharmaceutical companies from access to data on Icelandic patients, nor are exclusive rights given to one company to develop new drugs or to test candidate drugs. These studies will continue to be allowed as long …


We demonstrate coherent beam combining of pulses from 3 chirally-coupled core optical fibers into a single 22mJ pulse, achieving >7mJ per channel combining and allowing for future temporal combination and compression at high energy.


This chapter gives an overview of the use of infrared thermography to investigate the impact damage of composites mainly used for aerospace applications. The chapter concentrates on low-energy/ low-velocity impact, difficult to detect since it may cause significant material degradation without perforation and so without visible damage. Infrared thermography is used with a twofold function. The first consists of monitoring the material thermal response to an impact event useful for design purposes. The second refers to the use of infrared thermography as a non-destructive evaluation (NDE) technique for detecting buried impact damage.


To investigate the occurrence and molecular features of ESBL‐producing and colistin‐resistant Escherichia coli isolates recovered from healthy food‐producing animals in Pakistan.


Abstract: Inhibition of kynurenine 3‐hydroxylase suppressesquinolinic acid synthesis and, therefore, shunts all kynurenine metabolismtoward kynurenic acid (KYNA) formation. This may be a pertinentantiexcitotoxic strategy because quinolinic acid is an agonist of NMDAreceptors, whereas kynurenic acid antagonises all ionotropic glutamatereceptors with preferential affinity for the NMDA receptor glycine site. Wehave examined whether the kynurenine 3‐hydroxylase inhibitor Ro 61‐8048increases extracellular (KYNA) sufficiently to control excessive NMDA receptorfunction. Microdialysis probes incorporating an electrode were implanted intothe striatum of anaesthetised rats, repeated NMDA stimuli were applied throughthe probe, and the resulting depolarisation was recorded. Changes inextracellular KYNA were assessed by HPLC analysis of consecutive dialysatesamples. Ro 61‐8048 (42 or 100 mg/kg) markedly increased the dialysate levelsof KYNA. The maximum increase (from 3.0 ± 1.0 to 31.0 ± 6.0nM; means ± SEM, n = 6) was observed 4 h after administrationof 100 mg/kg Ro 61‐8048, but the magnitude of the NMDA‐induced depolarisationswas not reduced. A separate study suggested that extracellular KYNA would needto be increased further by two orders of magnitude to become effective in thispreparation. These results challenge the notion that kynurenine 3‐hydroxylaseinhibition may be neuroprotective, primarily through accumulation of KYNA andsubsequent attenuation of NMDA receptor function.


Since the Cassini and Huygens Probes arrived at Saturn / Titan there has been increasing interest in robotic exploration of Titan with numerous missions proposed. This paper includes a brief description of why Titan is interesting and why balloons are ideal vehicles for in-situ exploration. But if mainly focuses on specific concepts for Titan hot air balloons, seen by the authors of this paper as the most suitable type of balloon for Titan.


The present paper is particularly exhibits about the derive results of a third-order singular multipoint boundary value problem at resonance using coindence degree arguments.


Although there is considerable agreement about the phonological characteristics of religious glossolalia, based for the most part on utterances produced by native speakers of English, opinions differ widely about the causation of glossolalia. Most of the explanations are psychological or physiological. It is demonstrated that these explanations are inadequate because they are ad hoc and because they do not comprehend enough data. One hypothesis is treated in detail, namely, that glossolalia is a product of trance. This paper claims that a causative explanation for glossolalia must account for (1) religious glossolalic behaviour that is not demonstrably pathological or dissociative and (2) other spontaneous, ephemeral, and " meaningless " utterances in non-religious contexts. It is suggested that there is a single phenomenon of linguistic " regression " whose basic component is a stream of speech produced unconsciously with early-acquired rules of phonation but more or less consciously modified according to socially meaningful values and attitudes. It would appear, therefore, that there is a broad spectrum of anomalous speech of which religious glossolalia is only one manifestation. Moreover, although physiological-psychological states are not irrelevant to glossolalic output, socio-cultural factors are also determinant.


Abstract The use of files of offprints, original materials and small publications, as packs from which students can learn and study, has increased considerably in recent years. An analysis of the costs of such provisions is outlined. The costs relate to a particular university, but it is suggested that the range of costs should cover most similar institutions. Full details of the assumptions and the basis of the cost analysis are included, based on a limited amount of literature available on the subject and additional proposals. A considerable investment in materials and staff is involved in a service such as this. Is it worth investing in these materials?


Polyethylene/clay nanocomposites (PECNC) were synthesized via in situ Ziegler-Natta catalyst polymerization. Activated catalyst for polymerization of ethylene monomer has been prepared at first by supporting of the cocatalyst on the montmorillonite (MMT) smectite type clay and then active complex for polymerization formed by reaction of TiCl4 and aluminum oxide compound on the clay. Acid wash treatment has been used for increasing hydroxyl group and porosity of the clay and subsequently activity of the catalyst. The nanostructure of composites was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Obtained results show that silica layers of the mineral clay in these polyethylene/nanocomposites were exfoliated, intercalated, and uniformly dispersed in the polyethylene matrix even at very high concentration of the clay. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) shows good thermal stability of the PECNCs. Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) results reveal considerable decrease in the crystalline phase of the PECNC samples. Results of permeability analysis show an increase in barrier properties of PECNC films. POLYM. COMPOS., 2009. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers


Abstract. We propose a way of finding a Stein type characterization of a given absolutely continuous distribution μ on R which is motivated by a regression property satisfied by an exchangeable pair (W,W ) where L(W ) is supposed or known to be close to μ. We also develop the exchangeable pairs approach within this setting. This general procedure is then specialized to the class of Beta distributions and as an application, a convergence rate for the relative number of drawn red balls among the first n drawings from a Polya urn is computed.


~ graSSing is a major project for any golf course and is one that should not be taken lightly. There are many factors that determine when a golf course should regrass and which turfgrass species is the correct choice. For The Sanctuary Golf Club on Sanibel Island, Fla., these factors included high salts, high sodium, heavy soil, low elevation, and contaminated bermudagrass playing surfaces. Any of these factors alone is tolerable to some extent, but together they made for patchy, off-color playing conditions that did not meet the members' expectations. Sanibel is near Naples, Fla., a city with many well-conditioned golf courses. Certified Golf Course Superintendent Kyle Sweet was forced into oversee ding each winter to provide acceptable playing conditions for the peak golfing season. Few courses overseed in Southwest Florida because of the added expense, disruption to play, and spring transition problems. For Mr. Sweet, the decision to regrass was simple ... seashore paspalum as soon as possible. Seashore paspalum has long been known for its salt tolerance. Although it has out-performed bermudagrass in Hawaii at golf courses with salt problems for the past decade, it had not proven itself in Florida until 2001, when clubs like The Old Collier Golf Club, Crown Colony Country Club, and Hammock Bay Golf & Country Club were successful with wall-to-wall seashore paspalum. Each golf course had relatively high salt levels and chose seashore paspalum because of its tolerance to salt. It soon became a grass


The Einstein time dilation formula was tested in several experiments. Many trials have been conducted to measure the transverse second-order Doppler shift by Mössbauer spectroscopy using a rotating absorber, to test the validity of this formula. Such experiments are also able to test if the time dilation depends only on the velocity of the absorber, as assumed by Einstein's clock hypothesis, or whether the present centripetal acceleration contributes to the time dilation. We show here that because the experiment requires γ-ray emission and detection slits of finite size, the absorption line is broadened, by geometric longitudinal first-order Doppler shifts immensely. Moreover, the absorption line is non-Lorentzian. We obtain an explicit expression for the absorption line for any angular velocity of the absorber. The analysis of the experimental results in all previous experiments which did not observe the full absorption line itself were wrong and the conclusions doubtful. The only proper experiment was done by Kündig (1963 Phys. Rev. 129 2371), who observed the broadening, but associated it with random vibrations of the absorber. We establish necessary conditions for the successful measurement of a transverse second-order Doppler shift by Mössbauer spectroscopy. We indicate how the results of such an experiment can be used to verify the existence of a Doppler shift due to acceleration and to test the validity of Einstein's clock hypothesis.


Mobile Phones and Internet services are key aspects to the economic growth of a country. To leverage the full potential of information dissemination enabled by mobile telephony along with support infrastructure and capacity building amongst farmers, it is essential to ensure the quality of information, its timeliness and trustworthiness. ICAR-NDRI Karnal, launched a messaging portal in October 2014 for advisory services exclusively for dairying. To assess the adoption of scientific dairy farming practices disseminated through NDRI messaging portal the present study was conducted in six states namely Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Gujarat. One district from each state selected and 50 dairy farmers who are enrolled in NDRI-MS were selected randomly. In this way a total of 300 farmers were selected randomly for the present investigation. Majority (90.00%) of the respondents using mobile phones for calling paravets for A.I and pregnancy diagnosis. About 69.82 per cent of the respondents needed information related to animal healthcare practices while 69.33 per cent of the respondents needed information related to animal breeding practices. It was observed that Paravets were the most important source utilized by the respondents (13.29%) followed by SMS from mobile phones (12.57%) and input dealers (12.43%) to utilize information related to different livestock practices. As perceived by the respondents, direct information from the institute was the major potential of mobile advisory services while unavailability of two way verbal communication as a major pitfall of NDRI SMS service. When hypothetically bidding processing was performed to estimate the willingness to pay for mobile advisory services, it was found that 40.66 per cent of the farmers were willing to pay one rupee per day for mobile based advisory services.


A description is given of a high-strength metal-matrix microcomposite Cu/Nb conductor used in a multilayer wire-wound pulsed field magnet. The 0.5-in inner diameter magnet was precompressed in a hardened-steel structure and cooled to 77 K. A maximum field of 68.4 T was generated for a 5.6-ms half-period at the maximum energy available with the available capacitor bank (100 kJ at 4 kV). The Cu/Nb microcomposite has an ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 180 ksi at 77 K. The tradeoffs of UTS, temperature, conductor resistance, pulse time, and field volume versus energy are discussed. The manufacturing process of the Cu/Nb metal-matrix microcomposite is outlined. Examples of some recent experiments using this magnet are presented. >


GRASP is a robust software engineering tool that has been enhanced and improved to production quality through several earlier prototypes. The primary emphasis of the tool is on providing automatic visualization of software control structure and complexity to support development, maintenance, reverse engineering, and reengineering. GRASP has the potential to be a valuable point tool in any environment where source code is expected to be either written or read. GRASP has been extended to multiple languages such as C, C++, Java, Ada 95, and VHDL.. This paper describes the unique features of GRASP, its intended uses, and discusses promising avenues


Raman microspectrometry becomes nowadays a method of choice to characterize carbon materials. It is indeed one of the few techniques the most sensitive to the full range of the structural states present in this class of materials, from perfectly crystalline to amorphous. The first order region (1000-1900 cm) of the single crystal of graphite exhibits only one vibrational band (called G band) located at approximately 1581 cm. Additional bands appear whenever structural defects are created, crystallites size is reduced or graphene planes are bent. These bands are called "defect" bands: D 1 (∼1350 cm) and D2 (∼1620 cm) [2-3]. Tuinstra & Koenig have proposed in 1970 an empirical law, usually used, which shows a linear relationship between the intensity ratio of D 1 band relative to G band and the coherent domain diameter ('crystallites size') La, determined by X ray diffraction [1] . However, one of the main problems of this calibration (established for non altered surface of graphitised carbon) is the sensitivity of D bands intensity to the state of the analysed surface. Several authors have raised this problem to the sample/preparation such as polishing, crushing or etching, insuring that this kind of the sample making greatly reduces the size of graphite crystals as a consequence of the growth of high D1 band [4-6]. This could induce prohibitory errors in the structural characterization with an important consequence on the determination of the intrinsic degree of disorder as well as the properties governed by such ratio. However, to be able to detect different carbon components among others (carboncarbon composites for aeronautic, electrodes or nuclear applications) or among silicates and metallic phases in natural and extraterrestrial carbons as meteorites [7], the polishing process is necessarily required (e.g. for an optical microscopy examination).


k-Nearest Neighbor Trajectory (k-NNT) Query is a basic and important spatial query operation widely used in many fields, such as intelligent transportation and urban planning. However, with the rapid increase of trajectory data volume, traditional k-NNT query algorithms for centralized environment are not effective and scalable enough, because the computational complexity increases dramatically when the spatial continuity of trajectories is considered. To address this problem, we propose a distributed grid index for trajectory data which partitions the trajectory into grids under MapReduce framework. Furthermore, a parallel query approach MR-GB-KNNT is proposed based on the proposed grid index to improve the efficiency and scalability of the k-NNT query. The experiment demonstrates that MR-GB-KNNT could perform well in cloud computing environment and improve the querying performance of the k-NNT.


A World of Words offers a new look at the degree to which language itself is a topic of Poe's texts. Stressing the ways his fiction reflects on the nature of its own signifying practices, Williams sheds new light on such issues as Poe's characterization of the relationship between author and reader as a struggle for authority, on his awareness of the displacement of an "authorial writing self" by a "self as it is written," and on his debunking of the redemptive properties of the romantic symbol.


Objective: To count the musculoskeletal complaints index among artisanal fishermen in the city of Santarem-Para, affiliated to the Z-20 Fishermen's Colony (CP Z-20). Methods: This was a field research, descriptive, cross-sectional and quantitative approach. This study had a sample of 111 individuals, both sexes, aged 18 to 70 years. Participants were asked about their musculoskeletal complaints in the last 12 months and the last 7 days. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (percentages, mean and standard deviation). The study was approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee. Results: The sample consisted of (n = 111) artisanal fishermen associated with CP Z-20. Of these, 73.2% were men and 26.8% were women. The most common musculoskeletal complaints they reported were in the regions: neck, upper back, and lower back, in the last 12 months. The latter being also the most reported by them in the last 7 days. Conclusion: It was possible to count the index of musculoskeletal complaints among the studied population and thus analyze the current scenario of orthopedic health of this population. However, the sample could have been larger, which is recommended for future research.


Reply to the "Comment on Possible induced enhancement of dispersion forces by cellular phones" by R.K. Adair, Phys.Chem. Chem.Phys., 6