The red soil upland region located at the tropic and sub-tropic zones in Southeast China consists of 10 provinces (Hainan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Jiangxi, Hunan, Fujian, Zhejiang, Hubei, Jiangsu, Anhui) or 619 counties (cities). Its total area is about 1.13 million km including much of the Yangtze reaches and the areas at the south. The region is the important production base for commercial crops and medical herbs of tropic and sub-tropic zones. Its population accounted for 30% of the total population of China in 1996 and its area for 11.8% of the total area. Due to improper utilization and exploitation of land resource the degeneration of land has long hindered the development of agriculture. Region is a complicated huge system which contains all kinds of factors of human society and those concerning it. These factors could be summarized into the category of populatioruP), category of resources(R), category of environment(E) and category of society and economy(S). But none of the four categories has the ability of sustainable development. Only the interaction relationships between the four categories and their development cover all the material flows, energy flows and information flows and thus could be used to describe and reveal comprehensively regional sustainable development. Regional PRESD compound system consisting of basic factors and their development is the research object of regional sustainable development. The main content of the research on sustainable development is to reveal the function, structure and dynamic changes of the four sub-systems of population, resources, environment and society and economy and the interactions between them. Based on the researches counter-measures and strategies could then be proposed. According to the agricultural development in the red soil upland region in Southeast China, sub-systems such as population. resources, environment and social economy were analyzed separately. An assessing index system was promoted to assess agricultural sustainability during the period from 1988 to 1996 and thus the results were compared with those obtained by other researchers with other methods. The coincidence proved the applicability of the index system and confirmed again that water and soil loss is the major obstacle faced in the sustainable development of the agriculture. Based on the evaluation results counter-measures were proposed.


The present invention discloses a system for sorting electronic components used in the test, the sorting system comprising: a rotating turntable; pickup head is mounted on the rotating turntable, each pickup is configured to supply held by individual electronic components provided therein; vector system, positioned adjacent to the rotating turntable, the support system is configured to carry a plurality of electronic components; and a test platform, which is configured to receive a vector system, which is operable to simultaneously test bench test vector systems have been provided on a plurality of electronic components; wherein the pickup or other transport mechanism may be operable to transmit the electronic component in the test platform to test the electronic components on the carrier before the system, as well as after the electronic component from the test platform to test vector system at removing electronic components.


Article history: Received June 25, 2012 Received in Revised form August, 25, 2012 Accepted 28 August 2012 Available online 5 September 2012 Mobile Ad hoc Network (MANET) consists of some nodes, which are randomly placed in operational environment. This type of network does not have any infrastructure and nodes are completely dynamic and moveable. Each node can contact with the other in-range nodes. One of the disadvantages of MANET is the low lifetime of nodes power in which the energy consumption of the network goes up due to connectivity overheads. In this paper, by presenting a Fuzzy clustering algorithm, we endeavor for a more optimized energy consumption of this network by reducing the number of re-election of clusterheads (CHs) and reducing the reaffiliation of nodes and also by selecting the best node as CH amongst current members of each cluster. The result of simulation shows that our algorithm performs better than other existing algorithm. © 2012 Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved.


In response to some problems in recruiting Party members among college student,such as lack of comprehensive knowledge of the candidates,inadequate poll and so on,it is proposed that a "five-level recommendation" system be established,namely,recommendations from Party member candidates,student Party members,headteachers,counselors and self-recommendation.Hence the recruitment will be more democratic and the quality of the student Party members will be guaranteed.


This thesis gives us a dairy cow precision feeding system based on PC and SCM,discusses the design of its hardware and software.The main manage software runs on the PC platform,the embedded system based on the ETR100 and the RF identification system are controlled by the single chip.By precise information collection,this system can realize auto-identification of cows and automatically calculation of the amount for concentrate supply and feeding frequency,then automatically supply concentrate to each cow at different times and intervals.The system can monitor the real-time supply of cows and output different reports and analyze the information of cows.It is proved by examinations that this system has high reliability,good stability and powerful function,and has wide development and application foreground.


130nm design rule and 100nm design rule device fabrication bring a whole new challenge to the mask makers. The critically small k1 value and correspondingly large MEEF (Mask Error Enhancement Factor) value impose an ever-higher quality requirement on the reticles. The higher emphasis on time-to-market of the semiconductor business environment only complicates the matter further. Mask makers are not only required to supply higher quality reticles, but also in a shorter period of time. Since its introduction, the concept of simulating the stepper/scanner by software has steadily gained popularity as the potential solution to meet the challenge. The experimental result of the previous version of PASS (Printability Analysis Stepper Simulator) with the binary mask had shown promising results. However, people are expecting Attenuated Phase Shifting Mask (AttPSM) simulation capability, since AttPSM is currently the most commonly used reticles for the critical layers-the place where PASS is needed the most. PASS V2.X extends its stepper simulation capability to AttPSM. We have prepared AttPSM test masks having programmed for 180nm and 130nm design rules. Each defect area was inspected with KLA-Tencor's 365UV-HR inspection system to acquire defect coordinates and images, simulated with PASS using the images, simulated with AIMS and finally printed on wafer. In this study we discuss the results and see how these simulations and images correlate with each other.


Space charge is accumulated in the DC voltage transmission line when corona discharge happening. The generation of space charge can make the air gap insulation degrade and lead to breakdown. In order to accurately obtain the charge distribution, this paper presents a set of test systems using coaxial cylinder measurement model based on acoustic pulse method to gauge one-dimensional charge distribution, including acoustic emission system, space charge generation system and signal reception system. This paper focuses on the parameters of the structure and the main com-opponents of each part. It can simulate DC negative voltage transmission line corona discharge and obtain the information of space charge, so the one-dimensional space charge distribution and the influencing factors would be studied. Preliminary experimental studies have shown that: Charge density has a maximum value near the wire and a minimum value near the cylinder. This distribution is consistent with the effectiveness of the actual circumstances of charge, verifying the effectiveness of the system. This research finally provides a comprehensive means to measure distribution of space charge in two-dimensional and three-dimensional perspectives and study the mechanism of corona discharge.


The origin place of anthurium is America Continent that has tropical climate, then it spread out to many countries in the world. This plant has bright color of spatha, heart-shaped leaves, oval-shaped spatha, and spandic (knob wick) like tail. Knob is the place of flower. Anthurium can be classified to two groups: leaf-anthurium and flower-anthurium. The attractiveness of the leaf-flower is from it's leaf and those of flower-anthurium is from it's spatha and knob. The anthurium observed is those from collection of "Loka Penelitian Tanaman Jeruk dan Hortikultura Sub Tropis Tlekung – Batu". The research was done from January to February 2005, it was descriptive-observative to exploration for the purpose observing morphological nature of the pollen without any treatment. The observation found that pollen when was released from pollen box is single (monad) and has the same form: "subspheroidal". The pollen size was 0.015-0.032 m m, it was very small category (PI < 10 m m). Anthurium's pollen has aperture of kolpit and porit form (kolporit). Number of kolpit 1-2; those of porit 1-5. At this study however, the ornament of eksin wall could not be identified.


Internet and allied technologies have changed the nature and scope of commerce. Electronic commerce (e-commerce) has exposed consumers to many opportunities and challenges. Internet is growing faster than any other medium in history (It took radio 38 years to acquire 50 million listeners. Television took 13 years to get 50 million viewers. The Internet achieved 50 million users in just 5 years). As a result the opportunities and challenges to consumers are also growing rapidly with Internet based e-commerce. In this scenario, it is necessary to evolve strategies to overcome challenges and reap the opportunities.


《Woyzeck》 was written by Georg Buchner in 1836. 《Woyzeck》 is one of the classic repertories and has performed in different languages and with different directing in the world. The aim of this study is to research the performance history of 《Woyzeck》 in Korea in the view point of the change of plot and applying theatrical languages of each performance. I analyzed the 《Woyzeck》as original text before considering performance texts. 《Woyzeck》 was performed in 1975 for the first time in Korea. I selected Dongrang Repertory Theater Group`s performance(1975), Hyundai Theater Group`s performance(1989), Expression and Imagination Theater Group`s performance(1998), Sadari Movement Laboratory`s performance(2001) and Seoul Arts Center`s performance(2003) since 1975. In Dongrang Repertory Theater Group`s performance, the first Korean performance 《Woyzeck》, the director kept original plot`s characteristics except some scenes like the last scene. Acting and Lighting were the most significant elements in the performance. In Hyundai Theater Group`s performance, the director focused on the relation of cause and effect among the scenes. However a reviewer mentioned that such a plot was not proper for 《Woyzeck》. The original plot was changed as a whole in the performance of Expression and Imagination Theater Group, so space, time and character of theater were also changed. The director focused on visual text rather than verbal text in the work. This performance was the most experimental among five ones. In the Sadari Movement Laboratory`s performance, original scenes were rearranged by the director. This group is based on actor`s movement, mime, mask, and object. 《Woyzeck》 also showed the group`s idea. In other words, actor`s movement and chairs were the most important theatrical languages in the work. Seoul Arts Center`s 《Woyzeck》 was performed by a Russian director and Korean actors. In the work, the plot was rearranged like Sadari Movement Laboratory`s performance. The director devoted to express visual and auditory theatrical languages. The performance was evaluated the successful visual text.


In this work, the degradation of methyl orange ( MO ) was analyzed by direct light with visible radiation (λ > 450 nm) of a dye solution in the presence of silicon nanowires (Si_NWs) or silicon nanowires with copper nanoparticles (Si_NWs-Cu_NPs). The Si_NWs were synthesized by metal assisted etching from monocrystalline silicon wafers in aqueous HF / AgNO_3 solution, and the Cu_NPs were deposited on the Si_NWs via electroless. Discoloration with visible irradiation of aqueous methyl orange solution (C_14H_14N_3NaOS) in the presence of Si_NWs showed an efficiency of 71% after 120 min of illumination. The deposition of copper nanoparticles on the nanowires improves the efficiency of the photocatalytic reaction achieving 89% discoloration after 120 min exposure to visible light. The MO photocatalytic degradation with visible r adiation in aqueous solution shows to be efficient in discoloration reaching up to 92% in a time of 150 min in the presence of Si_NWs-Cu_NPs


Ab s t r Ac t Introduction: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea implies an abnormal communication between the subarachnoid space and the nasal cavity leading to drainage of CSF to the exterior. Aims and objectives: To study the clinical profile and factors associated with CSF rhinorrhea with outcomes of various treatment modalities at a tertiary healthcare center. Materials and methods: This study was conducted in the Department of ENT and Head-Neck Surgery, SSG Hospital and Government Medical College, Vadodara, Gujarat, from April 2014 to November 2016. Patients were selected from those attending the outpatient department (ENT/ neurosurgery OPD), indoor patients (admitted at ENT ward 19/general surgery/neurosurgery wards), and emergency department of the hospital during the study period. Results: The age of patients ranged from 18 to 70 years with a mean age of 38.6 years; 12 (60%) were males and 8 (40%) were females. A total of 20 patients of CSF rhinorrhea were included in our study. Majority of rhinorrhea patients presented with watery nasal discharge as their primary complaint, which increased on straining or bending forward. The most common etiology was posttraumatic in 55% followed by iatrogenic in 25% and spontaneous in 20%. Treatment modalities used were: (A) conservative measures done in 50%, (B) endoscopic endonasal CSF leak repair in 35%; (C) repair by the craniotomy approach done in 15%. The CSF leak was successfully repaired by the endoscopic endonasal approach in six (86%) patients. About 71% of patients who were put on conservative measures responded favorably in the 1st week only and the rest 29% needed 2 weeks for stoppage of CSF rhinorrhea. Conclusion: Cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea has varied etiology. Mostly they are posttraumatic following road traffic accidents. Early identification of CSF rhinorrhea is important and can be safely managed conservatively in majority of cases.


Alcoholic beverages were properly made from various polished cereal grains and their bran. Wild rice bran shows black color, however, resulting alcoholic beverages have pale yellow color. Alcoholic beverage made from uncooked black rice bran shows brilliant red color just like grape wine. The ethanol concentration of various alcoholic beverages made from polished rice and bran was approximately 11.3 to 15.1% (v/v). The DPPH radical scavenging activities of the alcoholic beverages made from polished wild rice and polished black rice were relatively higher than that of alcoholic beverage made from polished white rice. The compounds related with DPPH radical scavenging activity of black rice were mostly located in the bran layer; however, in the case of wild rice, the compounds might be distributed over whole grain. The compounds related with DPPH radical scavenging activity and the compound related to inhibitory activity of lipid peroxidation are thought to be different.


Objective To have acknowledgement of characteristics of normal volunteers′ visual evoked fields about full field,vertical half field and quadrant field and their dipole location by magnetoencephalography.Methods The visual evoked fields of full field,vertical half field and quadrant field were detected with 13 subjects.The latency,dipole strength and dipoles′ location on x,y and z axis were analyzed.The exact locations of the dipoles were detected by overlapping on MR images.Results The isocontour map of M100 of full field stimulation demonstrated two separate sources.The two M100 dipoles had same peak latency and different strength.And for vertical half field and quadrant field stimulation,evoked magnetic fields of M100 distributed contralateral to the stimulated side.The M100 dipoles on the(z-axis) to the lower quadrant field stimulation were located significantly higher than those to the upper quadrant field stimulation.The Z value median of left upper quadrant was 49.6(35.1-72.8)mm.The Z value median of left lower quadrant was 53.5(44.8-76.3)mm.The different of two left quadrant medians,3.9 mm,was significant(P0.05).The Z value median of right upper quadrant was 40.0(34.8-44.6)mm.The Z value median of right lower quadrant was 53.8(40.6-61.3)mm.The different of two right quadrant medians,13.8 mm,was also significant(P0.05).Although each of the visual evoked fields waveforms and dipole locations demonstrated large intra-and inter-individual variations,the dipole of M100 was mainly located at area Brodmann 17,which includes superior lingual gyrus,posterior cuneus-lingual gyrus and inferior cuneus gyrus.Conclusion The M100 of visual evoked fields of pattern reversal stimulation is mainly generated by the neurons of striate cortex of contralateral to the stimulated side,which is at the lateral bottom of the calcarine fissure.


The attachment energy (AE) model is adopted to research the influence of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and temperature on the crystal morphology of 1,1-diamino-2,2-dinitroethylene (FOX-7). FOX-7 crystal habits in DMSO at different temperatures simulated by the AE model have apparently changed compared with the vacuum morphology, indicating that the solvent and temperature can affect FOX-7 morphology. Moreover, the influence of model dimension on the attachment energy has been studied, and a reasonable model size is obtained based on the model dimension study results. Besides, the radial distribution function analysis shows that the solvent molecules adsorb on the FOX-7 surfaces mainly via the solvent–crystal interface interactions of van der Waals forces (vdW) and Coulomb interactions. The analysis of diffusion coefficient of DMSO molecules on the crystal growth surfaces shows that the growth habit is also influenced by the diffusion capacity of DMSO molecules. These simulation results of this study can provide some guidance for the crystallization process of FOX-7.


The present document draws upon findings from reviews and national reports carried out by 25 countries of the Asia-Pacific regiona in order to present progress in the context of all 11 priority actions identified by the Ministerial Declaration as well as related aspects of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It further presents a series of concluding comments aligned with the 11 priority actions. In this regard, the document provides background information in support of deliberations of the Midterm Review of the Asian and Pacific Ministerial Declaration on Population and Development.


In this report, we aim at presenting the Xtext generated parsers named the Pattern Specification Language (PSL) and the Pattern Language Specification Language (PLSL) parsers to facilitate the tedious and error-prone process of writing and validating the specification of design patterns and PLs in our presented pattern specification scheme and PL formalism in UI-SE-MDSERG-201501. Utilizing the generated tools, we revised our earlier presented specification of the patterns of the Broker PL in UI-SE-MDSERG2015-01 as a case study. The good news is that several typing and logical errors have been found and corrected by using the produced PSL parser. In this report, we present the Broker PL specification as a case-study to show the applicability of the generated PSL and PLSL parsers. Finally, the Xtext source code representing the PSL and PLSL parsers are presented. The Xtext generated parsers to specify patterns and pattern languages: PSL and PLSL Alireza Rouhi and Bahman Zamani Department of Software Engineering University of Isfahan Isfahan, Iran. {rouhi, firstname.lastname@example.com Abstract: In this report, we aim at presenting the Xtext generated parsers named the Pattern Specification Language (PSL) and the Pattern Language Specification Language (PLSL) parsers to facilitate the tedious and error-prone process of writing and validating the specification of design patterns and PLs in our presented pattern specification scheme and PL formalism in UI-SE-MDSERG-201501. Utilizing the generated tools, we revised our earlier presented specification of the patterns of the Broker PL in UI-SE-MDSERG2015-01 as a case study. The good news is that several typing and logical errors have been found and corrected by using the produced PSL parser. In this report, we present the Broker PL specification as a case-study to show the applicability of the generated PSL and PLSL parsers. Finally, the Xtext source code representing the PSL and PLSL parsers are presented. In this report, we aim at presenting the Xtext generated parsers named the Pattern Specification Language (PSL) and the Pattern Language Specification Language (PLSL) parsers to facilitate the tedious and error-prone process of writing and validating the specification of design patterns and PLs in our presented pattern specification scheme and PL formalism in UI-SE-MDSERG-201501. Utilizing the generated tools, we revised our earlier presented specification of the patterns of the Broker PL in UI-SE-MDSERG2015-01 as a case study. The good news is that several typing and logical errors have been found and corrected by using the produced PSL parser. In this report, we present the Broker PL specification as a case-study to show the applicability of the generated PSL and PLSL parsers. Finally, the Xtext source code representing the PSL and PLSL parsers are presented.


High-temperature protective clothing is one kind of the most widely used protective clothing. This research regarded the thermal protective clothes for labors work in high-temperature metallurgical steel iron workshop as the study object. In the form of questionnaires, according to the actual high temperature working environment, we extracted the necessary wear performances for thermal protective clothing as factors on the questionnaire survey. Then we issued survey questionnaires to labors work in different workshop in a major metallurgical steel iron industry. By analyzing the statistical information with SPSS, we discussed the subjective performances of the overalls mainly from the protective performance and comfortable performance. The results indicated that the pure cotton overalls, which were used for the investigated metallurgical steel iron enterprise, fall short of the satisfaction requirements in all aspects, for example, thermal insulation, flame retardant, moisture vapor transmission, abrasion resistance and strength. As a result, the study could point out the drawbacks of the high-temperature overalls for ironworkers used in present. This research could have a certain guiding significance in the development and improvement on performances of high-temperature protective overalls. To sum up, this paper could provide scientific basis for future researches to improve the functionalities and wearabilities of the high-temperature protective overall for the ironworkers.


This article aims to reflect on the use of nursing models in critical patient units in Chile, in order to provide advanced care in these units. The advanced nursing care is based on the use of nursing models in clinical practice to enable delivery of quality care with nursing theoretical support. Critical patient units are units that are related to nursing care focused on the task, in the management of technology and routine activities. In this scenario it is necessary to identify nursing models that can be implemented in these units and thus be a step toward advanced nursing care in critical patient units.


This document provides an overview of historical range of variation concepts and explores their application to wetland and riparian ecosystems in the US Forest Service Rocky Mountain Region (Region 2), which includes National Forests and National Grasslands occurring in the states of Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, and South Dakota. For each of five ecosystem types—riparian areas, fens, wet meadows, salt flats, and marshes—we review key structural and functional characteristics including geomorphic setting, principal ecological drivers, classification, and dominant vegetation. In addition, we discuss anthropogenic factors known to influence the abundance or condition of each main wetland type.


We have used Acoustic Ink Printing (AIP) to produce photographic quality prints at speeds that compare favorably against the state-of-the-art. In AIP an ultrasonic beam is focused on the free surface of the ink to eject discreet droplets of controlled diameter. Since the lateral dimensions of the acoustic beam determine the drop size, this "nozzleless" process enables generation of extremely small drops without sensitivity to small defects in nozzle geometry. We have used 1.5 pl drops and produced images at a quality level approaching standard silver halide processes. The printing is done at a spatial addressability of 600 spots per inch and the printed spot size can be varied by firing from 0 to 10 drops per pixel to achieve multiple gray levels at high resolution. The printheads were fabricated using conventional thin-film processes of the type used for liquid crystal display manufacturing. We have developed low-stress, high-efficiency thin-film ZnO transducers and 4-phase Fresnel lenses coated with Parylene matching layers for efficient generation and focusing of ultrasound in the 100-150 MHz frequency range. Printheads with 1024 ejectors were built at a nozzle density of 600 per inch to enable printing of a 1.7-inch-wide swath, operating at drop ejection rates up to 25 kHz. Printing has been done using aqueous based inks near room temperature on special coated papers, as well as using wax-based inks at 150 C for high quality printing on "plain" paper.


Voltage collapse event is identified as complex and localized in nature but its effect is extensive once occurred. The vital effect of voltage collapse would be the total system collapse or blackouts which would cost a large loss to utility companies. Eventually, on- line monitoring of power system stability has become an important factor for electric power utilities. The last utmost option to avert voltage collapse incident from occurring is by the implementation of under voltage load shedding scheme. The identification of location for load shedding is the main motivation of the study. The weakest bus in a power system is identified as the location for load shedding. This location is obtained using voltage stability index Ld. The performance and effectiveness of Ld index is compared with Fast Voltage Stability Index (FVSI) and Le Index. The results obtained indicate that Ld Index can be used to identify the weak bus in a power system and consequently for the placement of UVLS relays in a power system network.


Achiral, inexpensive b-alanine was converted into the title chiral amide 1 in 53% overall yield. C-Alkylation of (R,R)-1 required formation of its dianion derivative, (R,R)-1-Li2, which was best achieved by direct metallation with two equivalents of n-BuLi in THF solution and at -78°C. Treatment of (R,R)-1-Li2 with various alkyl halides afforded the monoalkylated products 3-6 in 24-85% yield and 65-86% diastereoselectivity. The effect of LiCl additive or HMPA co-solvent on the diastereoselectivity of the alkylation reaction was essentially negligible, although reaction yields generally improved. Chemical correlation of the major diastereomer from the methylation reaction with (S)-a-methyl-b-alanine shows that addition of the electrophile takes place preferentially on the enolate's Si face. This conclusion is also supported by molecular modelling studies (ab initio HF/3-21G), which indicate that the conformation of lowest energy for (R,R)-1-Li2 presents a more sterically hindered Re face of the enolate. The theoretical studies also provided useful insight into the importance of hydrogen bonding and attractive p-p interactions in (R,R)-1. Furthermore, the calculations predict a determining role for N-Li-O chelation in (R,R)-1-Li, as well as an interesting ion triplet configuration for dilithium dianion (R,R)-1-Li2.


Agriculture 4.0, conceived as a kind of industry, is built by integrating a set of digital technologies such as the Internet of things, Artificial Intelligence, and the management of large databases (or Big Data). This industry implies a transformation of the production infrastructure that allows increasing the agricultural productivity and the quality of the products efficiently and sustainably. These changes require the implementation of digital technologies for the collection, analysis and communication of information, allowing timely decision making. This article deals with the implementation of a platform that includes both desktop, Web and mobile applications and Internet of things tools for the control of production and marketing in avocado orchards. The development of a prototype of the platform is described under agile methodologies and following an iterative and incremental strategy. Finally, the tests that determine the integral functionality of the platform prototype and experimental results are presented.


This paper shows some theoretical and practical results of the use of computer media as pedagogical support to the process of literacy in the classroom of a class of students from the 1st year of Primary Education of the municipality Sapucaia do Sul in Rio Grande do Sul. In this opportunity, we sought theoretical framework on the pedagogical use of this media. The research investigates how to build your stories and illustration through computer media can reframe learning duringthe literacy process. The objective of this study was to use the tools made available through this media for creating stories published through a virtual class book, working in this way the process of literacy in context, creating opportunity for the exercise of creativity and authorship of the students. The methodology went through a literature review and a case study, being called qualitative exploratory. The main conclusion drawn with respect to autonomy and creativity demonstrated by the students to create their virtual book and his growing interest in writing, in an attempt to create their stories, through linguistic analysis. 1 Artigo apresentado ao Curso de Mídias na Educação da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, como requisito parcial à obtenção do título de Especialista em Mídias na Educação. 2 Aluna do Curso de Mídias na Educação da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria. 3 Professora Orientadora, Pedagoga com habilitação em Educação Infantil, Especialista em Informática na Educação e Mestre em Educação pela Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul.


Inferential control system has some abilities such as anti-disturbance and stable response but the error of the reference model must be limited.Variable structure control has the characteristics of robustness. A design mehod of inferential control system combined with variable structure control is proposed in this paper.By means of this, the performance of the inferential control system is improved, while the error of the model can be allowed.The result of simulation is satisfactory.


M he anatomy of the distal biceps tendon and bicipial tuberosity (BT) is important in the pathophysiolgy of tendon rupture, as well as surgical repair. nderstanding the dimensions of the BT and its anular relationship to the radial head and radial tyloid will facilitate surgical procedures such as reonstruction of the distal biceps tendon, radial head rosthesis implantation, and reconstruction of proxial radius trauma. We examined 178 dried cadavric radii, and the following measurements were colected: radial length, length and width of the BT, iameter of the radius just distal to the BT, distance rom the radial head to the BT, radial head diameer, width of the radius at the BT, radial neck-shaft ngle, and styloid angle. Furthermore, the morpholgy of the BT ridge was defined as smooth (absent), mall, medium, large, or bifid. Of the specimens, 48 ere further analyzed with a computed tomography canner at the level of the BT to determine the disance to traverse both the anterior and posterior corex and the anterior cortex alone. Eighteen freshrozen cadaveric elbows were dissected, and the nsertion footprint of the distal biceps tendon was efined. The BT has a mean length of 22 3 mm nd a mean width of 15 2 mm. The tendon inserion footprint is a ribbon-shaped configuration on the ost ulnar aspect of the BT, and it occupies 63% of he length and 13% of the width of the BT. The BT idge is absent in 6% of specimens and bifid in 6%, nd the remaining 88% of specimens have a single idge that may be classified as small, medium, or arge. The mean diameter of the radial head is 22 mm. The mean radial neck-shaft angle is 7° 3°,


We propose an approach to understanding incomplete penetrance of disease susceptibility genes as a method of studying the underlying mechanisms of polygenic diseases. Incomplete penetrance is the failure of genetically susceptible individuals to exhibit a trait. We define as baseline penetrance that which occurs in genetically identical (monozygotic) twins of an index subject with a major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-associated disease or trait. We consider two mechanisms for incomplete baseline penetrance: an extrinsic (environmental) trigger and an intrinsic stochastic, gene-associated process. The latter can be detected for dominant expression because susceptibility genes in homozygotes (with their two intrinsic triggers) will be up to twice as frequently penetrant as those in heterozygotes. The extent of MHC and non-MHC gene contribution determines differences between baseline penetrance and apparent penetrance in MHC-identical sib pairs, sib pairs in general and MHC-identical unrelated individuals. Inheritance patterns in families do not reveal modes of inheritance of incompletely penetrant polygenic MHC-determined traits. A method is proposed to study such traits prospectively in persons presumed to be homozygous, heterozygous or non-carrying for susceptibility genes by determining trait expression in homozygotes, heterozygotes or non-carriers of trait-associated conserved extended MHC haplotypes. The method provides direct estimates of apparent penetrance rates, modes of genetic determination, and, if the trait is dominant, the origin of penetrance. When applied to dominant MHC susceptibility gene-determined immunoglobulin deficiencies in two populations, the ratios of affected haplotype homozygotes to heterozygotes near 2.0 were consistent with an intrinsic mechanism for baseline penetrance acting on the MHC susceptibility genes. The burgeoning of molecular biological techniques over the past several decades has produced incredible advances in our understanding of human genetics. Despite this, progress in unraveling many complex (polygenic) diseases, particularly those with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) involvement, has been slow. There have been enormous efforts to identify and to understand the role of MHC and non-MHC susceptibility genes in autoimmune Authors' affiliations: C.A. Alper1,2, Z. Awdeh1 1The Center for Blood Research, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, 2Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA Correspondence to: Dr. Chester A. Alper The Center for Blood Research 800 Huntington Avenue Boston MA 02115–6303 USA Tel: π1 617 278 3333 Fax: π1 617 278 3493 e-mail: alper/cbr.med.harvard.edu Alper & Awdeh : Incomplete penetrance of MHC genes diseases such as type 1 diabetes. Nevertheless, for most, we have yet to even identify unequivocally the responsible genes, let alone understand how they cause disease. At least part of the problem is incomplete penetrance of susceptibility genes. Incomplete penetrance in its historic and broadest sense is the failure of some individuals who carry a susceptibility gene marker to express the trait (disease, phenotype, function) in question. For example, among Caucasian patients with type 1 diabetes, a classic HLA-associated disease, there is an increase in the frequency of HLA-DR3 and DR4 and particularly of HLA-DR3/DR4 heterozygotes. Nevertheless, most Caucasians with these HLA types do not have diabetes. Incomplete penetrance is one of the elements of the ''geneticist's nightmare'' (1) that characterizes many MHC-determined autoimmune diseases and phenomena. It confounds any direct segregation or linkage analysis because over 90% of affected persons have no affected family members (2). We believe that new methods of theoretic genetic analysis to complement the rapid accumulation of molecular findings are necessary for understanding the mechanisms of polygenic diseases. In this paper, we shall analyze the elements of penetrance in MHCassociated disorders, separating the contributions of non-MHC susceptibility genes from the baseline penetrance observed in monozygotic twin pairs. We will then explore possible mechanisms of baseline penetrance, including an external environmental trigger and an intrinsic random process affecting the susceptibility gene rather than the whole subject. From these considerations, we will develop a prospective approach to determine the mode of inheritance and apparent penetrance in unrelated subjects homozygous, heterozygous and non-carrying for conserved extended MHC haplotypes known or suspected to carry susceptibility genes. Finally, data for immunoglobulin deficiencies studied in this way will be analyzed to show that, for dominant traits, the ratio of affected homozygotes to heterozygotes supports an intrinsic, MHC gene-based mechanism for baseline penetrance. Baseline and apparent penetrance It is important to distinguish two aspects of penetrance. The first is penetrance that is ''baseline'' as manifested by trait (disease) concordance rate in monozygotic (genetically identical) twins. The other is ''apparent'' penetrance that is observed in some defined group of subjects such as persons in the general population with genetic markers for the trait or defined first-degree relatives of a person with the trait. This distinction is easily illustrated by MHC-marker family studies of type 1 diabetes (2). In that disorder, baseline pen200 Tissue Antigens 2000: 56: 199–206 etrance, as measured by disease concordance in monozygotic twins, is 30 to 50% (3). This rate would presumably apply to all fully susceptible persons in the population in general. Apparent penetrance in MHC-identical sibs of patients is on the order of 15%, in sibs in general is 5 to 6%, in parents or children is 3%, and in persons homozygous or doubly heterozygous for the diabetes-associated genetic markers HLA-DR3 and/or DR4 is about 3 to 5% (2). These descending rates of apparent penetrance are characteristic of polygenic disease and reflect the descending frequencies of MHC and non-MHC susceptibility genes in these groups. A monozygotic twin of a patient has the same complete set of susceptibility genes as the patient, no matter how many susceptibility loci there are. An MHC-identical sib of a patient has the necessary MHC susceptibility genes but may or may not have the necessary non-MHC susceptibility genes. All family members have a higher frequency of MHC and non-MHC susceptibility genes than the general population because the family was ascertained through a patient who has all of them. A patient's sibs in general have a lower rate than MHC-identical sibs because MHC susceptibility is not assured. Similarly, in a child or parent of a patient, one allele at each susceptibility locus has a frequency equivalent to the background population frequency. In summary, baseline penetrance is the frequency with which a monozygotic twin of an affected individual has the trait. Apparent penetrance varies according to the group of individuals specified and reflects both baseline penetrance and the frequencies of all susceptibility genes in that group. Penetrance and concordance Although it is usual to equate penetrance with concordance rates for an MHC-determined trait in monozygotic twin pairs, this is true only if one identifies the pairs through one affected member (4). In essence, one uses the affected twin to determine that the other twin is genetically completely susceptible. One then determines the prevalence of trait expression in the second twins as a group. This is the same as the rate of concordance for trait expression in the pairs ascertained through an affected twin. One can extend this approach to MHC-susceptible persons. For example, if one wishes to know the concordance rate in sibs MHC-identical (by descent) to the patient, one uses the patient to define MHC susceptibility. Apparent penetrance in this sib group is the same as concordance for pairs of patients and their MHC-identical sibs. In similar fashion, one can use the fixity of DNA on MHC susceptibility gene-bearing conserved extended haplotypes among random unrelated people to study trait expression, as we shall see below. Alper & Awdeh : Incomplete penetrance of MHC genes Mode of genetic determination To explore methods of study of incompletely penetrant polygenic MHC-determined phenomena, we need first to consider some basic genetic aspects of such situations. For traits determined recessively by an MHC susceptibility gene, only homozygotes for these genes or closely linked marker genes will express the trait. If there is one such MHC allele (or marker), only homozygotes for the allele or marker are susceptible. If there is more than one, homozygotes for each such allele or marker as well as heterozygotes for any pair of susceptibility alleles or markers will be MHC-susceptible. To be fully susceptible for the trait in question, all other (non-MHC) susceptibility gene requirements must also be met in an aggregate susceptibility genotype with at least one susceptibility allele at each locus for a dominant trait and two for a recessive trait. Population penetrance is determined by the ratio of affected individuals (in general or with a specified MHC genotype) to all persons or to those with this genotype in a population. For a trait determined by a dominantly expressed MHC susceptibility gene, both homozygotes and heterozygotes for MHC susceptibility genes are susceptible but, again, non-MHC susceptibility genes must also be present in correct dose for the individual to be genetically susceptible. The inadequacy of family studies The high population frequency of susceptibility genes in polygenic MHC-associated phenomena and diseases is at least as important as incomplete baseline penetrance in obscuring the genetic expression of MHC-determined traits in family studies. For fully penetrant susceptibility genes that alone determine the trait, the patterns


Enantiomerically pure planar chiral complexes are of interest for both asymmetric synthesis and catalysis. In this thesis, we report on an easy access to highly enantioenriched neutral [Cr(CO)3(naphthalene)], [RuCp(indenyl)], [FeCp*(indenyl)] and cationic [RuCp*(naphthalene)] complexes via desymmetrization of prochiral dihalide complexes using a bulky chiral palladium catalyst. Ligand optimization and mechanistic analyses result in a clear picture of the reaction and the asymmetric induction. The potential utility of this reaction is illustrated in the synthesis of a ide range of highly enantioenriched planar chiral complexes. Particularly, the access to peri-palladacycles is of high interest in view of their evaluation in asymmetric catalysis.


In this paper, we posed a random iterative algorithm for generalized multivalued random variational like inclusions. We define the random relaxed Lipschitz and relaxed monotone mappings and prove the existence and convergence of solutions of the random iterative sequences generated by a random iterative algorithm.


Amid 2020 challenging business environments due to COVID-19 pandemic and strong global push towards transition to cleaner energy, PETRONAS has declared its' aspiration to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. PETRONAS sustainability journey has begun for more than two decades and with strong management support towards renewable and as part of PETRONAS's technology agenda, its' research arm, PETRONAS Research Sdn. Bhd. (PRSB) has been working on ways to use renewable energy sources for offshore oil and gas platforms in Malaysia.
 Oil and Gas industry has long relied on turbine generators for offshore power generation. These turbo-fired machineries are operating as microgrid with existing power management system (PMS) as microgrid controllers. They normally use either gas or diesel as fuel gas to ensure reliable power generation where high maintence cost is expected to operate these generators. Also, they have low energy efficiency and hence, usually oversized to ensure meeting the demand reliably. Typically, the power generation load is being taken by two units of turbine generators with another unit as spare. This has resulted in high operational expenditure (OPEX) and contributes to high levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for offshore power generation for such conventional system. LCOE is the yardstick for power generation technology, and it measures discounted lifecycle cost consisting of both capital expenditure (CAPEX) and OPEX, divided by discounted lifecycle of annual energy production [2], [4], [5]. Also, these turbine generators operating at platforms that have gas evacuation pipelines will use up precious fuel gas which can otherwise be sold. This will have impact on the total sales gas revenue. Not withstanding, the burning of the fuel gas will result in the emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and hence is exposed to carbon tax.
 To mitigate this issue, PRSB has developed an offshore hybrid power generation concept to leverage and optimize wind turbine system for offshore power generation in weak wind area such as Malaysia. In this concept, one gas turbine generator is replaced by an offshore wind turbine adapted to low wind speed region. This will lower the maintenance cost and carbon exposure. Also, the fuel gas will be diverted to sales gas. This in turn will improve the economics of the renewable solution thereby making offshore renewable power generation feasible for oil and gas platforms. Forward thinking efforts include pushing the limits of harnessing wind energy in weak wind area such as Malaysia. In here, considerations of a total solution include not only the type of wind turbine generator that can be adapted to weak wind area and having the lowest maintenance requirements as possible, but also looking into cutting edge foundation technologies. The LCOE is expected to be lower than conventional power generation. To ensure optimized hybrid concept, careful selection and adaptations of wind turbine system and its' substructure are required to achieve a cost-effective solution [3], [2].
 Conceptual engineering and front-end engineering design were conducted which resulted in the development of the hybrid offshore power generation system. In this paper, the hybrid concept will be shown, the considerations for selection of a suitable wind turbine will be shared and the decisions leading the to the selection and optimization of the foundation type, either fixed bottom or floating are elaborated.


A device based on AT89S52 microcontroller is designed,which is suitable for the measurement of similar model of the temperature and humidity to get an exact removal time in laboratory,including the designs of hardware and software.AT89S52 microcontroller is taken as the controller.By hooking up single or multiple SHT15 sensor,the temperature and humidity data are collected,which are displayed on LCD.The device can give an alarm if the humidity value higher than the set detected value.


Carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) levels were determined in stored blood samples from 91 infants diagnosed to have died from the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) (0.59+/-0.41%, excluding one outlying value of 10.83%); 48 age-matched controls (0.53+/-0.38%); and three individuals who died from fire related causes (41+/-20%). No statistical differences in COHb levels were detected between blood from SIDS and control infants (p = 0.43).


Roberts (1989) described subordination phenomena in discourse, where covert restrictors of various quantifiers are somehow copied from prior representations. Now in connection with plural pronouns, Kamp & Reyle (1993) have proposed a construction rule that can provide the key to a more principled account of discourse subordination on the basis of a formal analysis of discourse linking as suggested by Enç (1991). The result is a partial answer to the question asked by Partee (1993): How do implicit (parts of or all of) restrictive clauses get introduced into the semantic interpretation? This answer is: Frequently not by way of accommodation but through set anaphora and a general set description and reduction rule.


Smart cities are widely recognized as the most pleasing and liveable ones, thus drawing the attention of both scholars and policy-makers. Specifically, urban "smartness" has been identified by plenty of characteristics that can be grouped into six dimensions (Giffinger et al. 2007): smart economy (competitiveness); smart people (social and human capital); smart governance (participation); smart mobility (both ICTs and transport); smart environment (natural resources) and smart living (quality of life). According to this analytical framework, in this paper the relation between urban performance and smartness characteristics has been investigated in the 103 Italian NUTS3 province capitals in the year 2011. To this aim, a descriptive statistics has been followed by a regression analysis (OLS), where the dependent variable urban performance has been proxied by housing market prices. Besides, a Cluster Analysis (CA) has been developed in order to find differences and commonalities among the province capitals. The OLS results indicate that living, people and economy are the key drivers for achieving a better urban performance. Environment, instead, keeps on playing a minor role. Besides, the AC groups the province capitals according to the smart features. 1 DAStU-Politecnico di Milano, piazza L. da Vinci, 32, 20133 Milano, email@example.com 2 DAStU-Politecnico di Milano, piazza L. da Vinci, 32, 20133 Milano, email@example.com 3 DAStU-Politecnico di Milano, piazza L. da Vinci, 32, 20133 Milano, firstname.lastname@example.com.


A method of making a dry defibered fluff pulp suitable for absorption products is described. In the making of fluff pulp bentonite (montmorillonite), and optionally an additional inorganic particle compound, such as a synthetic silicate compound, is added to the pulp in an amount that in the final fluff pulp yields an amount of bentonite of 0.2 to 7 kg per ton fluff pulp and optionally an amount of the additional inorganic particle compound of 0.2 to 7 kg per ton fluff pulp, the total amount of retained particle additives amounting to no more than 8 kg per ton fluff pulp. Moreover, a thus made fluff pulp for absorption products, an absorption core for absorption products comprising such dry defibered fluff pulp and optionally a superabsorbent, and an absorption product comprising such a dry defibered fluff pulp and/or an absorption core are described. Moreover the use of such a dry defibered fluff pulp and/or absorption product for production of hygiene products, such as diapers, incontinent pads, sanitary napkins and wiper cloths are described.


Cannibalism is an intriguing life history trait, that has been considered primarily in the predator, in predator–prey population models. Recent experimental evidence shows that prey cannibalism can...


The standard track reconstruction in the ATLAS detector at the LHC is optimized for tracks which point back towards the primary interaction point and thus have small impact parameters. Many different models beyond the Standard Model include particles with long lifetimes which may decay far from the interaction point, leaving tracks which may have large impact parameters. To reconstruct these tracks with large impact parameters, or large radius tracks, an extra tracking pass is enabled. These proceedings discuss the parameters and performance of this large radius tracking pass, as they are described in ATL-PHYS-PUB-2017-014, and were presented in a poster at EPS-HEP in Venice, Italy.


ABSTRACT In this work, graphene was used as a filler for banyan aerial root fibers reinforced epoxy composites at various compositions. The synergetic effect of graphene and banyan fibers, on the physical and mechanical characteristics of the epoxy thermoset, was studied. The mechanical tests, hardness, water absorption behavior and morphology of the composites were studied. Significant improvement in tensile strength, flexural strength, shore D hardness and substantial reduction in the percentage of water absorption was observed. This paper also discusses the ideal proportion of banyan fibers with graphene powder for the development of the improved epoxy composites. The optimum concentration of the composites was observed at 4% of graphene powder in the 40% banyan fiber-reinforced hybrid epoxy composites. From the results, it is proved that graphene combined with 40% banyan fiber-reinforced epoxy hybrid composites will efficiently improve the strength of the composites.


This article sets out some of the results of research we have carried out in various social services residential centres in the Valencian Community specifically for women. The objectives were to analyse the institutional context of these centres and to establish the characteristics and problems of the institutionalized women. To do this we carried out participant observation, a review of documents,


The main objective of this article is to propose a rational methodology for designing multi-phase step-down DC-DC converters, which can find applications both in engineering practice and in power electronics education. This study discusses the main types of losses in the multi-phase synchronous buck converter circuit (transistors' conduction losses, high-side MOSFET's switching losses, reverse recovery losses in the body diode, dead time losses, output capacitance losses in the MOSFETs, gate charge losses in MOSFETs, conduction losses in the inductor, and losses in the input and output capacitors) and provides analytical dependencies for their calculation. Based on the control examples for applications characterized by low voltage and high output current, the multi-phase buck converter's output and input current ripples are analyzed and compared analytically and graphically (3D plots). Furthermore, graphical results of the converter efficiency at different numbers of phases (N = 2, 4, 6, 8, and 12) are presented. An analysis of the impact of various parameters on power losses is conducted. Thus, a discussion on assessing the factors influencing the selection of the number of phases in the multi-phase synchronous buck converter is presented. The proposed systematized approach, which offers a fast and accurate method for calculating power losses and overall converter efficiency, reduces the need for extensive preliminary computational procedures and achieves optimized solutions. Simulation results for investigating power losses in 8-phase multi-phase synchronous buck converters are also presented. The relative error between analytical and simulation results does not exceed 4%.


FIELD: decalcomania techniques. SUBSTANCE: main component of the past is a soap-free copolymerization product. When thermally loaded, It not only manifests excellent color stability but, what is most important, produces separation effect corresponding to values of soap-containing montan waxes. EFFECT: improved quality.


Caring for Children in Hospital contains information that should be of interest to all paediatric nurses. It argues that parents may take over the responsibility for care of their children in hospital. If this view is accepted, it has great implications for paediatric practice.


[Objective]To observe the clinical effect and the recurrence rate after treatment of Changjitai combined with percutaneous accupoint stimulation method in the treatment of diarrhea type irritable bowel syndrome.[Methods]To follow the parallel randomized,double blind,placebo controlled design principle,two hundred and forty-two cases of diarrhea type irritable bowel syndrome patients were divided into Changjitai combined with percutaneous accupoint stimulation and placebo group.According to the patients' condition,each group was sub-divided into mild,medium and heavy layering.Effects were judged according to the bowel symptom scale scores.After the treatment,all cases cured or significantly improved were randomly divided into percutaneous accupoint stimulation group,stimulus control group and blank controlgroup,and the telephone follow-up study was made to record the recurrence time.[Results]Two positive interventional groups have got significantly better effects than placebo group.Changjitai combined with percutaneous accupoint stimulation group was even better than Changjitai group.After the treatment,recurrence rate of percutaneous accupoint stimulation group was significantly lower than that of other 2 groups.[Conclusion]Changjitai combined with percutaneous accupoint stimulation group has obvious superiority in improving bowel symptom scale scores,and percutaneous accupoint stimulation can effectively prevent the recurrences of irritable bowel syndrome.


Three disease management modules, viz biological, chemical and integrated disease management (IDM), were tested during 2002-04 for their efficacy against leaf spot [Alternaria brassicicola (Schw) Wiltshire], downy mildew [Perenospora parasitica (Pers.ex Fr.) Fr.] and stalk rot [Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary] of cauliflower [Brassica oleracea L.var botrytis subvar cauliflora DC] at 2 different locations, viz New Delhi and Sikar (Rajasthan).That maximum disease control was achieved by IDM(69.7%), followed by chemical (75.5%) and biological module (86.4%). However, the maximum increase in yield (163.32%) was observed with the application of IDM module, followed by biological (130.36%) and chemical (103.29%), whereas it was 167.85, 135.59 and 107% at Sikar (Rajasthan) in IDM, biological and chemical modules respectively.


The emergence and consequences of antibiotic resistance are discussed. The challenge posed by vancomycin-resistant enterococci highlights the need for rational formulary control, especially in the hospital environment. (non-author abstract)


SIGNIFICANCE
Inflammation and the immune response are associated with many pathological disorders including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), lupus, cancer, heart failure and cancer(s). In recent times, important roles of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) have been evidenced by researchers in inflammatory responses, as well as immunomodulatory effects in several disease models. Recent Advances: Numerous biological targets including cytochrome c oxidase, various kinases, enzymes involved in epigenetic changes, transcription factors viz. nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf-2), and several membrane ion channels, are shown to be sensitive to H2S and have been widely investigated in various pre-clinical models.

CRITICAL ISSUES
A complete understanding of the effects of H2S in inflammatory and immune response is vital in the development of novel H2S generating therapeutics. In this review, the biological effects, and pharmacological properties of H2S in inflammation and immune response will be addressed. The review will also cover some of the novel H2S releasing pro-drugs developed in recent years as tools to study this fascinating molecule.

FUTURE DIRECTIONS
H2S plays important roles in inflammation and immunity related processes. Future researches are needed to further assess the immunomodulatory effects of H2S and to assist in the design of more efficient H2S carrier systems, or drug formulations for the management of immune related conditions in humans.


Abstract. This paper describes a real-world implementation of the solutions developed within the SESAR DTT Solution 97.1-EXE-002 project, which tested in a simulated scenario the use of Augmented Reality (AR) to assist the airport control tower operators (TWR). Following a user-centred design methodology, the requirements of a real-world live AR platform join with design concepts validated in previous projects, namely the Tracking Labels, the weather interface, and a low-visibility overlay, all used to increase the TWR situational awareness, performance and reactivity while reducing the workload. The designed AR platform performs the live tracking and visualization of real aircraft and surveillance information in the airport traffic zone. It bases on three key processes: the transmission of an ADS-B data flow to a Microsoft™ HoloLens2, the registration process of the AR platform, and the rendering of a real-time tracking system and other surveillance overlays. The concept has been first validated with the help of a TWR, preceding a technical validation to ensure the repeatability and reproducibility of the results. The results allow for defining new guidelines for the deployment in a control tower environment.


This paper presents a system-level, physic-based compact model of a novel out-of-plane capacitive MEMS transducer based on a combination of plate- and comb-capacitor drives. Unlike conventional plate-capacitor-like transducers both electrodes of this novel device are movable. This feature results in a device dynamics analogous to a weakly coupled two-degree-of-freedom oscillator system. An analysis of the governing electro-mechanical and fluid-mechanical coupling effects is presented together with an analytical description of the dynamics of the coupled electrodes. The proposed model can be simulated with the help of standard circuit simulation software enabling both transient and small signal analysis. Dynamic measurements performed on prototype devices in a low-pressure environment are used to calibrate and validate the model. Sensitivity enhancement and resonance frequency shift due to electrostatic spring softening are self-consistently included in the model since the interaction among mechanical, electrical, and fluidic domain is implemented on a physical basis. The presented study provides accurate physical understanding of the device, which can be employed to analyze and improve the transducer characteristics. The energy-coupled and modular modeling approach enables the extension of the model to investigate the performance of the device under the impact of the surrounding atmosphere and the effects of device packaging.


We study the properties of a regularization method for inverse problems corrupted by Poisson noise with Kullback-Leibler divergence as data term. The regularization parameter is chosen according to a Morozov type principle. We show that this method of choice of the parameter is well-defined. This a posteriori choice leads to a convergent regularization method. Convergences rates are obtained for this a posteriori choice of the regularization parameter when some source condition is satisfied.


The high temperature of water guide bearing on No.2 unit of Liuxihe Hydropower Plant is not be properly solved as expected after several treatments.In order to solve the problem,it is decided to have the units thoroughly overhauled in advance of plan.The structure of water guide bearing and the basic operation of No.2 unit are introduced.All previous treatments for the high temperature of water guide bearing are described.Referring to previous treatment situation,the overhaul emphasizes the check on the thrust head,snap ring and guide bearing restricting the force of rotating shaft,which can lead to shaft alignment changes of the units.At last,it's found that water guide bearing temperature rise is caused by the loose snap ring and thrust head as well as low hardness of compressive gasket of the lower guide bearing.Aiming at the problem found,the high temperature of water guide bearing is throughout solved.


INTRODUCTION
Recently, law No. 10 of February 10, 2020, entitled "Rules regarding the disposition of one's body and post-mortem tissues for study, training, and scientific research purposes" was introduced in Italy. Although its provisions respond to a constructive subject, some practical issues are evident in the approved text.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A systematic review of the literature was performed by searching online medical and juridical databases to identify publications and Italian law provisions related to body donation programs.

RESULTS
The updated regulatory framework was outlined and compared to that in force previously, and the following features are discussed: (1) matter of law; (2) donors' information and consent; (3) reference centers and funding, and (4) procedural regulatory details. Several critical issues were detected in the approved wording with respect to teaching/training recipients, the role of university anatomy institutes, family members' exclusion from participating in the donation process in any capacity, the duration of donation, the management of corpses, partial donations, and the compatibility with organ donation. Suggestions are provided to overcome certain operational limitations in implementing the regulation, which is still being drafted to date.

CONCLUSIONS
This paper shares with the international scientific community the principles and controversies underlying a regulatory innovation introduced in Italy to allow legislative amendments to inadequate provisions of body donation, as well as draw the attention of the entire anatomic community to critical issues if other countries undertake the same legislative reform. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


SiD3H has been prepared by the action of lithium aluminum deuteride on SiCl3H. A parallel type absorption band has been studied with a high‐resolution infrared spectrometer. Analysis of the rotational fine structure of the band gave B0 = 1.7755±0.0008 cm—1. If the assumption is made that the structural parameters of the ground state of SiH4 are unaltered by the substitution of D for H, the Si–H internuclear distance is found to be 1.4798±0.0004 A. This is appreciably greater than 1.456 A which is accepted at present.


Purpose This study aimed to develop a screening tool based on a risk scoring approach that could identify individuals at high risk for hypertension in Shanghai, China. Methods A total of 3147 respondents from the 2013 Shanghai Chronic Disease and Risk Factor Surveillance were randomly divided into the derivation group and validation group. The coefficients obtained from multivariable logistic regression were used to assign a score to each variable category. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to find the optimal cut-off point and to evaluate the screening performance. Results Age, family history of hypertension, having diabetes, having dyslipidemia, body mass index, and having abdominal obesity contributed to the risk score. The area under the ROC curve was 0.817 (95% CI: 0.797–0.836). The optimal cut-off value of 20 had a sensitivity of 83.4%, and a specificity of 64.3%, demonstrating good performance. Conclusion We developed a simple and valid screening tool to identify individuals at risk for hypertension. Early detection could be beneficial for high-risk groups to better manage their conditions and delay the progression of hypertension and related complications.


This paper examines the determinants of borrowing decisions of social enterprises. Following the streams of research dealing with for-profit firms and non-profit organisations, we apply a panel data analysis of 2228 Belgian social purpose companies over the period of 2004–2013. We find that, in their capital structures, Belgian social purpose companies show a high dependence on financial determinants such as profitability, nature of assets, growth opportunities, size, the probability of agency problem and the previous year's leverage. They also demonstrate a high susceptibility to activity domain, legal form, region and evolution over time. Our results are in line with the mainstream literature on both for-profit organisations and non-profit organisations. We conclude that the capital structure of social enterprises mixes features of both research streams.


The aim of this study is to compare the conventional and modern public transport systems for urban areas. Conventional public transport systems have been implemented in many metropolises and the cities with substantially large population but there are remarkable complications and disadvantages related to such systems which lead to lower level of efficiency and eventually lower capability to attract the citizens. Modern world can offer an advanced technology based public transport system which can be competitive with conventional systems. Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) is a public transport system which could be among the several systems proposed for a particular urban area in planning and decision making process. An analytical tool is required to compare the characteristics of the conventional systems and the modern system in order to make the most suitable decision in selection of a public transport system for the area under consideration. A model considering social, technical and economical aspects of public transport based on Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method is given that describes the necessary factors which must be checked and considered in planning process of public transport in highly populated cities.


This article draws from the current literature to examine problem-based learning (PBL) as a management education tool, and provides an example of how to incorporate PBL into an undergraduate international management course. Also included are an explanation of, and specific guidelines for, a PBL exercise focused on the analysis of "country risk" (political/economic risks) for potential foreign direct investment. Additionally, the benefits and unique challenges of successfully implementing this type of exercise are discussed.


absolutelynecessary. If, as so often happenseven in the cities of the Commonwealth, pathological investigationsfor clinicians in hospitals are to be doneat governmentor privately ownedlaboratories, the laboratory workers should be given access to the bedsideof the patientand shouldnot be treated as specimen-in-the-slot machines. Further,everyone will agree with the principle involved in Dr. Scholes'srecommendationthat at Fairfield research should be concentratedon one or two main subjects, that inquiry should be thorough and that all the clinical material available should be used.


Numerous factors that influence students' academic performance involve issues beyond the individuals' control, such as national policies, government initiatives and university resources among many others. Even if students are aware of these factors, addressing them may be unfeasible. Identifying causes within students' control could both improve students' understanding of these factors as well as enabling students to independently deal with related issues. This paper proposes a student-controllable learning factor model that combines the perspectives of Psychology, Self-responsibility, Sociology, Communication, Learning and Health & wellbeing (PS2CLH). The proposed model used qualitative methods to identify underlying aspects affecting academic achievement and selected controllable factors. This research reports on the outcomes of the employment of the PS2CLH model to predict student performance. Initially, data is collected through a self-evaluative web-based questionnaire. Each student's past performance and factors affecting this are then quantified. This study reveals the impact of students' controllable factors on student achievement. The model test results indicated 94% accuracy of successful prediction of the student performance based on the proposed PS2CLH model. The importance of "establishing and achieving personal goals" was higher than "stress", "learning room" and "grammar and vocabulary" among other factors. This research raised participant students' awareness of PS2CLH perspectives, which helped them manage factors affecting academic performance more effectively. Consequently, most of the students have enhanced their academic performance by addressing these critical factors. However, due to the limitations of the current sample data, the PS2CLH model will be further monitored for various applications.


Abstract In Experiment 1, fatty acid distribution of bratwurst (n = 14 different brands) were investigated from products purchased from various retail stores. In Experiment 2, sows were fed a control diet (n = 5) or a diet enriched with FertiliumTM. (United Feeds, Sheridan, IN) (n = 5), a fertility supplement with high levels of Omega n3 fat, to investigate the fatty acid profile in the middle and outer fat layers. Results of Experiment 1 suggest that major fatty acids [C16:0, C18:0, C18:2, as well as the n6:n3 ratio and iodine value (IV)] varied significantly (P


Nanosuspensions have characteristics of increasing solubility,improving bioavailability,reducing toxicity of drugs,and have become a hotspot in the research area of nanodrugs recently.A few related drugs of nanosuspensions were ap-proved by the FDA of USA up to date.Physical stability is a key issue that limits the research and development of naosuspen-sions.This article reviews the physical stability of nanosuspensions,including their mechanisms and corresponding strategies to overcome the stability problems.


The purpose of this study is to find out the structural relationship between e-service quality of sports goods, satisfaction, and purchasing behaviour. To test this 311 students from Universities located in Suwon and Yongin province. Survey data were collected through survey questionnaires and were analyzed with SPSS 18.0, and Amos 18.0 programs. The results of this study based on above methods and procedures were as followings. First, internet shopping mall e-service quality had significant effect on satisfaction. Second, internet shopping mall e-service quality had significant effect on purchasing behaviour. Third, satisfaction had significant effect on purchasing.


This study aims to analyze the effect of service quality, competence, and promotion on the image of the Magister of Management Study program in Malang. The method used is quantitive research using a questionnaire research instrument that is distributed to master student in management. The Analysis used is multiple linear regression using SPSS. The results of this study indicate students' perceptions of service quality, competence, and promotion effect the image of the master's management study program and promotion becomes the dominant variable affecting the image of the master's management study program.
Keywords : Image, Service Quality, Competence and Promotion


Grammar constitutes not only part of one's knowledge but also a central component of verbal communication for people who are using language. When speakers use language without using grammar (i.e. the rules regarding how words alter their form and combine with other words to create sentences), it can cause a muddle and also possibly, problems in communication such as grammatical deviation. This present study examines a speech at the APEC CEO Summit in 2014 by President Joko Widodo, from the perspective of grammatical deviation with two foci, via: to find out the types of grammatical deviation spoken by the speaker by employing Leech's views ( 1969 )and to identify the speaker's social status by employing the theory of  Trudgill (2004) . The result from this study shows that some of President Joko Widodo's speech deviated from the rules, although based on  Fromkin et al. (2011) when a person knows a language; he knows the sounds, words and the rules of their combination.


In the absence of solar radiation, the most common photoexcitation process in the terrestrial planets results from atom recombination. Thus, in the Mars and Venus atmospheres recombination of O( 3 P) + O( 3 P) and O( 3 P) + N( 4 S) leads to emissions of excited states of O2 and NO, respectively. However, in the Earth's atmosphere there are ionospheric emissions that depend on interactions of charged species, for example, the oxygen red and green lines arising from dissociative recombination (DR) of O C. In the case of the CO2 planets, the predominant ionospheric ion is also O C , so that in principle DR is important in that environment, where the markers would also be the red and green lines. Whether these can be detected depends on DR rates and the radiating efficiencies of these species. In this report we discuss the history of green line detection in the Venus nightglow as well as the observations of excited O2 molecules, and the lack of appearance of the O2(b-X) Atmospheric 0-0 band.


Microbial degradation of chlorinated ethenes (CE) in rhizosphere soils was investigated at seepline areas impacted by CE plumes. Successful bioremediation of CE in rhizosphere soils is dependent on microbial activity, soil types, plant species, and groundwater CE concentrations. Seepline soils were exposed to trichloroethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE) in the 10-50 ppb range. Greenhouse soils were exposed to 2-10 ppm TCE. Plants at the seepline were poplar and pine while the greenhouse contained sweet gum, willow, pine, and poplar. Phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analyses were performed to assess the microbial activity in rhizosphere soils. Biomass content was lowest in the nonvegetated control soil and highest in the Sweet Gum soil. Bacterial rhizhosphere densities, as measured by PLFA, were similar in different vegetated soils while fungi biomass was highly variable. The PLFA soil profiles showed diverse microbial communities primarily composed of Gram-negative bacteria. Adaptation of the microbial community to CE was determined by the ratio of {omega}7t/{omega}7c fatty acids. Ratios (16:1{omega}7v16:1{omega}7c and 18:l{omega}7t/18:1{omega}7c) greater than 0.1 were demonstrated in soils exposed to higher CE concentrations (10-50 ppm), indicating an adaptation to CE resulting in decreased membrane permeability. Ratios of cyclopropyl fatty acids showed that the vegetated control soil sample contained the more » fastest microbial turnover rate and least amount of environmental stress. PLFA results provide evidence that sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) are active in these soils. Microcosm studies with these soils showed CE dechlorinating activity was occurring. This study demonstrates microbial adaptation to environmental contamination and supports the application of natural soil rhizosphere activity as a remedial strategy. « less


Wave propagation in a vocal tract incurring losses with yielding walls is studied. The simulation method of this vocal tract is described. The adopted method allowed us to calculate the transfer function, the formant frequencies, and the formant bandwidths of the vocal tract. The results obtained permit the determination of the differential contribution of the different loss sources for formant frequencies and formant bandwidths.


The theory of repeated games asserts that, when past conduct is unobservable, patient individuals can attain the efficient outcome if cooperators suffer large losses to defectors, and react by forever defecting. This extreme "grim" punishment is, in fact, counterproductive when losses are small, as it prevents cooperation among patient players. Here we show how to resolve this non-existence problem. A class of moderate punishments exists, which support full cooperation independent of the size of losses to defectors. Our theory provides a rationale for the empirical observation that grim punishment is uncommon in laboratory studies of cooperation.


Virioplankton are major players within oceanic ecosystems, impacting biogeochemical cycling of nutrients and energy. Virioplankton can only reproduce themselves through host infection, mostly bacterioplankton, and thus influence marine ecosystems through interactions with bacterioplankton. Observations of temporal and spatial variations in bacterial and viral communities are important for understanding the patterns of aquatic microbial diversity and how these changes may affect ocean biogeochemical processes. This study focuses on characterizing the patterns of marine bacterial and viral diversity in the pelagic ocean. Seawater down to 75 meters was collected from a fixed station off Faial Island (station SCFP) during late spring and summer of 2016. Bacterioplankton communities and virioplankton communities were characterized using 16S rDNA and Ribonucleotide triphosphate reductase (RTPR) amplicon sequences, respectively. RTPR is one of the most abundant ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) genes, carried mostly by lytic viruses. We studied the dynamics of this group in conjunction with the co-occurring bacterial community at one location in order to (a) contextualize observations of virioplankton community composition and diversity in environmental changes and microbial abundances, (b) investigate beta and alpha diversity of bacterioplankton and virioplankton communities across the sampling days and sampling depths, (c) investigate seasonal and spatial dynamics of distinct bacteria and RTPRcarrying virus operational taxonomic units (OTUs), (d) detect statistical associations between distinct bacteria and viruses to understand how viruses may influence the bacterial community composition and determine potential phage-host relationships, (e) investigate the relationship between RTPR sequences amplified from the bacterioplankton and virioplankton fractions using our RTPR primers. The key findings are


H. 264 context adaptive binary arithmetic coding with respect to moving picture decoding apparatus that uses a technique for optimizing (CABAC) is provided. The apparatus for decoding a plurality of bins at the same time, and, after the plurality of bins are decoded, for re-normalize an offset register and a range register, in order to execute a set of various commands functions, including the processing circuit. The range register and the offset register can be a 32-bit or 64-bit. Use of a larger range register, if sufficient bits are still in the range register allows the re-normalization is omitted.


In the present work, austenitic stainless steel 316L (SS316L) samples were implanted with Ni and Ni-Cr. A nickel-rich layer about 100 nm in thickness and a Ni-Cr enriched layer about 60 nm thick are formed on the surface of SS316L. The effects of ion implantation on the corrosion performance of SS316L are investigated in a 0.5 M H2SO4 with 2 ppm HF solution at 80°C by open circuit potential (OCP), potentiodynamic and potentiostatic tests. The samples after the potentiostatic test are analyzed by XPS . The results indicate that the composition of the passive film change from a mixture of Fe oxides and Cr oxide to a Cr oxide dominated passive film after the potentiostatic test. The solutions after the potentiostatic test are analyzed by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). The results reveal that Fe is selectively dissolved in all cases and a proper Ni and Ni-Cr implant fluence can greatly improve the corrosion resistance of SS316L in the simulated polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCS) environment. They are in agreement with the electrochemical test results that the bare SS316L has the highest dissolution rate in both cathode and anode environments and the Ni and Ni-Cr implantation reduce markedly the dissolution rate. When nickel implanted with a dose of 3 h, the corrosion potential (Ecorr) moved from -0.293V vs SCE to -0.05 V vs SCE in the accelerate anode environment and the passivation current density in the cathode operation potential (0.6 V vs SCE) reduced to 7 μAcm. For Ni-Cr co-implanted with a dose of 2h, the corrosion potential (Ecorr) is shifted from -0.293 V vs SCE to -0.06-0.09 V vs SCE and more positive than the PEMFC anode operation potential, and the passivation current density diminishes to 6.7 μAcm after ion implantation (Fig. 3). It reveals that Ni and Ni-Cr implantation could greatly improve the corrosion resistance of SS316L in both anode and cathode environment. After the potentiostatic test the interfacial contact resistance (ICR) values are also measured. Ni and Ni-Cr are enriched in the passive film formed in the simulated PEMFC cathode environment after ion implantation thereby providing better conductivity than that formed in the anode one. It shows that the ICR values after ion implantation having a reduction of by more than 11 folds (Fig. 6). A significant improvement of ICR is achieved for the SS316L implanted with Ni and Ni-Cr as compared to the bare SS316L, which is attributed to the reduction in passive layer thickness caused by Ni and Ni-Cr implantation. The ICR values for implanted


To the Editor: Blepharoptosis is a disease commonly seen in the Asian population, defined as an abnormal lower upper eyelid margin that is <2.0 mm above the midpoint of the pupil when a person looks straightforward. Surgical corrections are often needed because severe blepharoptosis may cause visual problems such as visual field compromise, hindered vision, or even amblyopia. For mild‐to‐moderate ptosis with levator function over 5 mm, various surgical procedures can be applied, such as the Müller muscle conjunctival resection, shortening of the levator palpebrae, or levator muscle advancement. However, most of these procedures may cause common complications such as overcorrection or undercorrection. Hence, we came up with a modified surgical procedure to fix the mild‐to‐moderate ptosis, while overcorrection and other complications were rarely observed.


The paper introduces the water resources situation in China, analyses the relation between the bearing capacity of water resources and the sustaining development, explains the character and the method of study on bearing capacity of water resources.


Abstract The general health services have a major role to play in detecting and treating STDs cases. Diagnoses of STDs in women entail efficient general health services. Effective medical services, which evoke confidence and trust, are essential pre-requisites for this. No health services can gain credibility among its clients if it provides RH care but does not treat other common conditions such as fevers and diarrheas. Adopting a public health approach to reproductive health care and STIS, within the context of Primary Health Care. Reproductive health needs are a subset of women's broader health needs, and needs to be approached as such. There is no other way one can improve upon women's reproductive health and alleviation of STIs in isolation from her overall welfare. It would be better to rely on holistic and integrated rather than on technical solutions


One of the major differences between fibrinogen degradation products (FgDP) and fibrin degradation products (FDP) exists in the fact that D-dimer can be proouced in the process of late FDP as a results of crosslinkage of r-r chains of fibrin and only D-monomer is in late FgDP. Therefore, a new method for detection of D-monomer representing FgDP and D-dimer indicating FDP was described in this paper, and the two dimensional immunoelectrophoresis using SDS-agarose gel in the first dimension step and agarose gel containing anti-D or E serum in the second dimension step was applied for this new method. D-monomer of late FgDP and D-dimer of late FDP were prepared and studied on our method with anti-D serum, showing characteristic electrophoretic-movilities of those two human materials. Also, from the plasma containing D-monomer or D-dimer the derivatives of FgDP and FDP could be differentiated by our method with anti-D serum. On the other hand, the fibrinolytic lysates of a clot from a patient with factor XIII deficiency did not demonstrate D-dimer by the use of our method, but presented D-monomer. After the factor XIII concentrates were added into the patient plasma in the 10 final concentration of factor XIII, D-dimer was detectable in the fibrinolytic lysates. Furthermore, when this method was applied for a patient suffering from APL with DIC, no D-dimer was detected in the patient serum. Therefore, it might be suggested that the impairment on the formation of stabilized fibrin in a case of APL with DIC might play an important role as a cause of bleeding tendencies.


Starting with the current situation malpractice of the malpractice of the judicial system of China's law court, as well as the development of "Ruling by Law System, "this essay draws A tendency of the blueprint of the judicial system reform of China's law courts, The author thinks that the judicial system should be transformed from"Local Authority"into"National Authority"to ensure the "Independence of Trial and Decision,,the"Collective Responsibility System"or "the leading cadre responsibility system"should be transformed into"Judge Responsibility System to"solve the problemws of the judicial administration, the "secret box operation"should be abolished to strengthen the "Public Trall"and the" Questioning Trail System"should be changed into"Arguing Trail System"to realize the judicial justice. The constructionof the judge ranks taste"Judge Election and Appointment System"as guarantee to construct a contingent of judge troops will expert and compound abilities.


Conductive thin films formation by copper and silver magnetron sputtering is one of high technological areas for industrial production of solar energy converters, energy–saving coatings, flat panel displays and touch control panels because of their high electrical and optical properties. Surface roughness and porosity, average grain size, internal stresses, orientation and crystal lattice type, the crystallinity degree are the main physical properties of metal films affecting their electrical resistivity and conductivity. Depending on the film thickness, the dominant conduction mechanism can affect bulk conductivity due to the flow of electron gas, and grain boundary conductivity. The present investigation assesses the effect of microstructure and surface topography on the electrical conductivity of magnetron sputtered Cu and Ag thin films using X–ray diffraction analysis, scanning electron and laser interference microscopy. The highest specific conductivity (78.3 MS m–1 and 84.2 MS m–1, respectively, for copper and silver films at the thickness of 350 nm) were obtained with the minimum values of roughness and grain size as well as a high degree of lattice structuredness.


The purpose of the paper is to discuss the problems of single method in mixed waste disposal and the superiority of synthetical treatment method.The two concepts of synthetical treatment system and synthetical treatment technics are also definitely differentiaed.The author considers synthetical treatment represents the development trend of domestic waste disposal.


Vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser elements are resonantly tuned with independent current injection to achieve multiple coherent output modes. A study of coherent supermodes in a linear 3×1 VCSEL array is presented, matching experimental results with 1-dimensional modal simulation.


Water is of great significance in the industrial development and structural adjustment of economy in China. Urban water affairs have become one of the most important urban infrastructure existing to support the entire economic and social development. Urban water industry is under reforming in our country the past two decades and it has achieved great results. Government supports privatization of water industry greatly and the rapid growth of urban water affairs accelerate enterprise size and income. In recent years as China's water problem is getting worse, the public pay close attention to the environment and the performance issues of water companies cause more and more general concern of the government, the public and investors. Therefore, to assess performance of water companies has become increasingly necessary. This paper intends to select the larger water companies in the Shenzhen Stock Exchange and the Shanghai Stock Exchange, the 25 water companies, in period of 2011-2014. Based on the research status at home and abroad, the paper evaluates the performance of water listed companies based on DEA and BP neural network method. At last, we test the predictive ability of the network, and the network is conducted accurately.


It was found after observation and measurement that the moisture content in the root, stem and leaf of chestnut dynamically changed with the change of moisture content in the orchard soil. The 30cm soil layer is the main water-absorbing zone. In spring, irrigation is needed every 15-20 days in chestnut orchards in north mountains for growth and development of chestnut trees.


The European Union (EU) had a number of very major concerns throughout the year 1996. The Intergovernmental Conference, designed to propose the third revision of the European Treaties, was launched with three burdensome objectives: bringing Europe closer to people; correcting imperfections in the Maastricht Treaty, notably by strengthening EU action on foreign and security policy and by increasing cooperation on justice and home affairs; and preparing EU institutions for the future shock of enlargement to East European countries (which implies, in particular, negotiations on the decision-making process of the EU). The year 1996 was also devoted to preparations for the third stage of the Economic and Monetary Union and the changeover to the single currency. It was explicitly confirmed, at the end of the year 1995, that the third stage of the EMU will be an irreversible process that will begin on January 1, 1999. Finally, the scenario for the introduction of the single currency, called the Euro, was adopted. There were also significant developments in the field of the EU's external relations. As far as EU-U.S. relations are concerned, there were, during the first half of 1995, calls from a number of European sources for a new initiative in transatlantic relations.' A number of proposals were made, including high profile negotiations on a Transatlantic Free Trade Area and more detailed and pragmatic cooperation. In October and December of 1995, officials drew up an agenda for EU-U.S. cooperation that was adopted by the presidents at the Madrid EU-U.S. summit in December 1995. Two documents came out of Madrid: the new Transatlantic Agenda and a joint EU-U.S. Action Plan. Both documents deal with four broad subjects: political issues, global challenges, building transatlantic bridges, and creating a New Transatlantic Market Place by removing business barriers while working to expand world trade. At the same time, "Transatlantic Business Dialogue" (TABD) was.set up in Seville by a group of U.S. and European corporate leaders anxious to lower the costs of doing business in international markets.


The development of chemically recyclable polymers with cheap price and high-performance properties serves as a promising strategy to solve the plastic pollution issues. In this contribution, we prepared a series...


Aims/hypothesis: Increased fibrotic matrix expression in glomerular mesangial and tubular epithelial cells by generating intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) contributes to diabetic nephropathy. This study investigated whether antioxidant intervention by NAC could successfully alleviate indices of oxidative stress, nitrosative stress, fibrosis and apoptosis in diabetic animal kidney. Methods: Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were randomly assigned to two groups: diabetes treated by NAC (50 mg/kg body weight, day 1-5 per week for consecutive weeks) and diabetes treated by vehicle. Levels of superoxide, nitrate oxide, and TGF-β1 were measured. Kidneys were harvested for immunohistochemical analysis. Results: Urinary albumin excretion and systemic serum superoxide and TGF-β1 production increased significant/v in diabetic animal kidney. Histomorphometric analyses showed that mesangial cells in the diabetes groups displayed strong fibronectin, and TGF-β1 expression immunoreactivity. The same is also true for MAPK activation (phospho-ERK and phospho-p38 activation), oxidative stress (8-hydroxvguanidine expression) and nitrostative stress (ONOO-expression) in diabetic kidney. Importantly, exogenous NAC treatment attenuated diabetes-induced promotion of serum superoxide and TGF-β1 abundance and urinary protein excretion. Furthermore, NAC treatment also attenuated effectively oxidative stress and nitrostative stress of diabetic renal injury. Blockade of redox signaling via NAC treatment attenuated renal-deleterious factor (TGF-β1), which accelerates renal cell apoptosis (TUNEL staining) and fibrosis (fibronectin expression) coincided with decreased phospho-ERK and phospho-p38 expression levels in diabetic renal glomeruli. Conclusion: By manipulating oxidative stress levels, NAC may provide an alternative for the treatment of renal apoptosis and fibrosis associated with nitrosative and oxidative damage in the early diabetic kidney.


Abstract This presentations deals with designing of Lyapunov functions for the analysis of a finite-time stabilization of the class of nonlinear systems containing the, so-called, second order type sliding-mode controllers. The design of the corresponding Lyapunov functions is based on the solution of a specic Partial Differential Equation (PDE) which can be resolved by the application of "Method of Characteristics" transforming the considered PDE into a system of Ordinary Didderential Equations (ODE). The collection of the first integrals of this ODE-system permits to find an analytical expression for the desired Lyapunov Function, in particular, for "twisting", "super-twisting" and "nested" (imbedded) controllers. This paper presents the survey of the works fulfilled in CINVESTAV-IPN during three last years.