COVID-19 quickly spread worldwide, with over 113,000 deaths in the United States by June 2020. Governments at all levels in this nation responded. This analysis starts with a basic question: How did prior planning for pandemics shape responses? A second question emerges: why were data systems inadequate? Expectations, policies, and procedures focused on addressing influenza pandemics shaped responses to COVID-19. Crippled by inadequate data, federal experts did not fully understand likely impacts of COVID-19 until early March. Planned public health processes were overwhelmed by a surge in infections and deaths. Decision making planned to be responses by experts moved to elected officials. Needed data were provided by sources outside government. Governors in 42 states issued stay-at-home orders, causing severe dislocations in the economy and society at a scale never experienced before as the result of deliberate public policy choices. Possible improvements for the future are discussed.


issues of primary importance to the host country, issues that might be addressed in the many sessions scheduled during the IFLA Conference. Carme Mayol and Angels Massismo's &dquo;Libraries and Librarianship in Spain&dquo; begins with the historical background of the country itself, a product of the confluence of cultural, political and legal traditions which have resulted in a highly diverse group of peoples, languages and cultures. This has led to the country's current organization into autonomous communities. Against this backdrop of diversity, the authors al types of libraries, as well as professional education and training, and professional associations.


Mercury traces and synthetic air were introduced into a
nitrogen dc glow discharge under the pressure of 700 Pa. The
influence of added oxygen and mercury traces is substantially
different. It also depends on time elapsed from the decay
beginning. The decay processes are predominantly governed by
mercury up to about 25 ms while the later period is apparently
influenced by oxygen. Molecular oxygen is fully dissociated in
an active discharge (residence time of about 8 ms) and due to
its low concentration the NO species are formed, only. These
species significantly depopulate the highly vibrationally
excited nitrogen electronic ground state molecules, and thus
the kinetics is significantly changed. The influence of mercury
atoms on the kinetics is under the study up to now. Other
metals will follow.


Abstract Let $R$ be a ring and $Z(R)$ be the set of all zero-divisors of $R$. The total graph of $R$, denoted by $T(\Gamma (R))$ is a graph with all elements of $R$ as vertices, and two distinct vertices $x, y\in R$ are adjacent if and only if $x+ y\in Z(R)$. Let the regular graph of $R$, $\mathrm{Reg} (\Gamma (R))$, be the induced subgraph of $T(\Gamma (R))$ on the regular elements of $R$. In 2008, Anderson and Badawi proved that the girth of the total graph and the regular graph of a commutative ring are contained in the set $\{ 3, 4, \infty \} $. In this paper, we extend this result to an arbitrary ring (not necessarily commutative). We also prove that if $R$ is a reduced left Noetherian ring and $2\not\in Z(R)$, then the chromatic number and the clique number of $\mathrm{Reg} (\Gamma (R))$ are the same and they are ${2}^{r} $, where $r$ is the number of minimal prime ideals of $R$. Among other results, we show that if $R$ is a semiprime left Noetherian ring and $\mathrm{Reg} (R)$ is finite, then $R$ is finite.


Medical and dietary consumption histories obtained at two times from cases or controls and their next-of-kin as part of a study of colon cancer in the five Pennsylvania counties of the Philadelphia metropolitan area were compared. The case population was confined to whites aged 45-69 years who had resided in the region for at least two years prior to diagnosis and were diagnosed with colon cancer after July 1, 1976. Controls were selected using an area probability sampling scheme and were frequency-matched to the case group. Questionnaires for randomly selected subsamples of cases and controls were administered by interviewers; questionnaires for next-of-kin were randomly allocated to be self- or interviewer-administered. Agreement when respondents received the interviewer-administered questionnaire at both interviews was greater than when the self-administered questionnaire was used. Medical variables exhibited high agreement, the percentage agreement exceeded 80 for over 80% of the comparisons, the kappa statistic exceeded 0.6 for half of the comparisons. Diet histories were more variable (average agreement ranging from 56% to 67% and average kappa values from 0.16 to 0.40 for the different comparisons).


Leptin,a product of the obese gene,is a multifunctional hormone secreted predominantly by adipocytes.It plays an important role in regulating energy balance and feeding behavior.Partial cDNA of leptin was isolated from genetically improved farmed tilapia(GIFT)(Oreochromis niloticus) through RT-PCR.The cDNA was 364 bp in length which encoded 96 amino acid residues.Homology analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence of fish leptin was carried out.Fish leptin showed a lower degree of homology.The deduced amino acid sequence of GIFT and Epinephelus coioides leptin was 80.6% identical,however the amino acids homology was below 40% when comparing GIFT with Rainbow Trout(Oncorhynchus mykiss),Medaka(Oryzias latipes),Zebrafish(Danio rerio) and so on.Leptin expression in different tissues was detected by real time PCR.The highest relative expression level was found in liver,which was 3 000 times as high as in muscle;high expression was also found in gonad and brain,which were 1 250 times and 450 times as high as in muscle,respectively.However,the relative expression level was very low in kidney,intestine and muscle.


The ability to take advantage of plasminogen and its activated form plasmin is a common mechanism used by commensal as well as pathogenic bacteria in interaction with their respective host. Hence, a huge variety of plasminogen binding proteins and activation mechanisms exist. This review solely focuses on the genus Streptococcus and, in particular, on the so-called non-activating plasminogen binding proteins. Based on structural and functional differences, as well as on their mode of surface linkaging, three groups can be assigned: M-(like) proteins, surface displayed cytoplasmatic proteins with enzymatic activities ("moonlighting proteins") and other surface proteins. Here, the plasminogen binding sites and the interaction mechanisms are compared. Recent findings on the functional consequences of these interactions on tissue degradation and immune evasion are summarized.


SUMMARY Two separate performance trials were conducted to determine the effects of postpelleting feed or drinking water application of a Lactobacillus-based probiotic, alone or in combination with a phytogenic product, on growth parameters of broilers fed medicated or nonmedicated diets. Trial 1 consisted of 1,000 straight-run broilers that were randomized, placed in floor rearing pens, and fed medicated diets. At the conclusion of the experiment, BW of broilers receiving the probiotic were not different (P > 0.05) when compared with control broilers. In trial 2, stocking densities were increased to simulate local industry rearing practices, resulting in a total placement of 1,880 chicks in the same rearing facility. Broilers in trial 2 were fed nonmedicated diets. Broilers administered the probiotic by intermittent drinking water application had increased (P < 0.05) BW and improved FCR (P < 0.05) through d 40 compared with control birds. Similarly, broilers receiving the phytogenic product had reduced (P < 0.05) FCR at d 40 compared with control broilers. We conclude that probiotic administration, alone or in combination with a phytogenic product, has the potential to influence broiler performance during commercial grow-out.


Zearalenone (ZEA), a non-steroidal estrogenic mycotoxin produced by multiple Fusarium species, contaminates cereals and threatens the health of both humans and animals by inducing hepatotoxicity, immunotoxicity, and genotoxicity. A new alkali tolerant enzyme named Ase, capable of degrading ZEA without H2O2, was derived from Acinetobacter sp. SM04 in this study. The Ase gene shares 97% sequence identity with hypothetical proteins from Acinetobacter pittii strain WCHAP 100004 and YMC 2010/8/T346 and Acinetobacter calcoaceticus PHEA-2, respectively. Based on the Acinetobacter genus database, the gene encoding Ase was cloned and extracellularly expressed in E. coli BL21. After degrading 88.4% of ZEA (20 μg/mL), it was confirmed through MCF-7 cell proliferation assays that Ase can transform ZEA into a non-estrogenic toxic metabolite. Recombinant Ase (molecular weight: 28 kDa), produced by E. coli BL21/pET32a(+)-His-Ase, was identified as an oxygen-utilizing and cytochrome-related enzyme with optimal activity at 60 °C and pH 9.0.


Research aim — to study the quality of life of patients with Cushing's syndrome (CS) depending on the disease duration and applied methods of treatment. Materials and methods. The features of quality of life were studied in 60 patients with CS applied for infertility. The average age of patients was 33.9 ± 12.5 years. The duration of disease was from 3 months to 5 years. The spectrum of researches included clinical, biochemical studies, radioimmune hormonal methods of analysis of the blood, ultrasonic densitometry, which were used in all patients. In all patients, we performed magnetic resonance imaging of the pituitary gland and computed tomography of adrenals. An oral glucose tolerance test was used, if necessary. To evaluate the quality of life of patients, the short version of health questionnaire was used (MOS 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey — MOS SF-36). 36 points of questionnaire were grouped in eight scales. Indexes of every scale vary between 0 and 100, where 100 presents the complete health. Results. Before the treatment, women with СS in the subgroup with complications reported the reliable increase of basal values of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), cortisol, prolactin on the background of hyperandrogenemia and ovarian insufficiency. In patients with СS from the second subgroup (without complications), against the background of significant increase of basal values of cortisol, prolactin, hyperandrogenemia, there was marked unreliable decline of estradiol and progesterone levels. In patients with СS with surgical treatment in the subgroup with complications, 1 month after the surgery the normalization of levels of ACTH and cortisol was marked, and through 6 months this state was saved. In patients with СS with surgical treatment in subgroup 2 (without complications) 1 month after the operation, the normalization of levels of ACTH and cortisol was marked, and through 6 months the state remained former. Conclusions. Six months after the conducted conservative therapy for patients with CS, in 21 (81 %) of them hypercorticoidism was saved, and the parameters of quality of life remained lower than in the group of patients with surgical treatment and healthy people.


The CLIMEX model for matching climates in ecology is used to forecast the favourableness of the Australian environment for Diuraphis noxia (Mordvilko). Parameters used in CLIMEX for D. noxia were derived from the literature and tuned by iterative matching with the known distribution of the aphid in North America. These fitted values were then validated using the known distribution of D. noxia in southern Africa, and with the country-by-country occurrence of the aphid around the world. The results suggest that the drier inland parts of the Australian wheat belt would be very favourable for D. noxia growth and survival. A computer model of the interactions between climate, wheat growth and the biology of D. noxia was then used to simulate the likely infestation rates and potential yield reductions at selected sites in both the summer and winter rainfall regions of the Australian wheat belt. The results indicate that D. noxia has potential to cause severe losses to the wheat crop should it arrive in Australia.


Single-mode operation in a rectangular waveguide is very important, since the existence of multimodes may arouse distortions of carried signals due to the modal dispersion. High-order mode means multiple periods of field in the transverse cross section, with distinct electromagnetic properties from the dominant mode. Although numerous methods are proposed to achieve mode selection within the waveguide, they only permit specific high-order modes to survive in a frequency range. However, it still remains a great challenge to control the bandwidth freely for single-mode operation. Here, we propose an approach for high-order mode generation, in which the desired mode operates in the band gap of other modes, and the working bandwidth can be engineered independently by reducing the symmetry of the loaded periodic metallic ridges in the waveguide. Two examples are demonstrated, where only ${\mathrm{TE}}_{20}$ and ${\mathrm{TE}}_{30}$ modes are supported. The proposed method can also be applied to generate other high-order TE modes in the future.


The paper describes the construction, operation and performance of a three-phase cathode-ray oscillograph designed to give records covering several fiftieths of a second on a time scale such that oscillations of all frequencies up to 100,000 cycles can be accurately measured. This demands a record several yards long. A photographic film is revolved at high speed and three beams of electrons are projected on to it. The apparatus is particularly designed for circuit breaker testing, but other applications of its use are given.


We study quenching in seven green valley galaxies on kpc scales by resolving their molecular gas content using 12CO(1–0) observations obtained with NOrthern Extended Millimeter Array and Atacama Large Millimeter Array, and their star formation rate using spatially resolved optical spectroscopy from the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory survey. We perform radial stacking of both data sets to increase the sensitivity to molecular gas and star formation, thereby avoiding biases against strongly quenched regions. We find that both spatially resolved gas fraction (fgas) and star formation efficiency ($\rm {SFE}$) are responsible for quenching green valley galaxies at all radii: both quantities are suppressed with respect to typical star-forming regions. fgas and $\rm {SFE}$ have roughly equal influence in quenching the outer disc. We are, however, unable to identify the dominant mechanism in the strongly quenched central regions. We find that fgas is reduced by $\rm \sim\! 1~dex$ in the central regions, but the star formation rate is too low to be measured, leading to upper limits for the $\rm {SFE}$. Moving from the outer disc to central regions, the reduction in fgas is driven by an increasing $\rm \Sigma _{\star }$ profile rather than a decreasing $\rm \Sigma _{H_{2}}$ profile. The reduced fgas may therefore be caused by a decrease in the gas supply rather than molecular gas ejection mechanisms, such as winds driven by active galactic nuclei. We warn more generally that studies investigating fgas may be deceiving in inferring the cause of quenching, particularly in the central (bulge-dominated) regions of galaxies.


This paper presents the development of W-band folded waveguide pulsed TWT. We have obtained experimentally over 100W output power with 5GHz instantaneous bandwidth and 33dB gain at 20% duty cycle.


This issue is the first in Longitudinal and Life Course Studies ' tenth volume. It is also the first to be produced under the new partnership of the Society for Longitudinal and Lifecourse Studies with Bristol University Press, a new not-for-profit, international publisher of world-class scholarship. The agreement offers the journal a range of benefits and opportunities to be expected from a professional publisher, including an improved author submission system and editorial and production service, a more functional hosting platform for the content and greater visibility through increased marketing and discoverability initiatives. The objectives and scope of the journal as an interdisciplinary international forum for the use of longitudinal evidence to understand the interrelated domains of the human life course remain. The partners aspire to increase the journal's global outreach in terms of readers, contributors and subject matter, and to consolidate its scientific impact. This issue well illustrates the range of the Society's interests, from conceptual methodology to the business of collecting and disseminating longitudinal data, with authors from social and health sciences, as noted below, and evidence from several countries: UK, the US, Australia and Russia.


Trawling, though one of the most efficient methods of fish capture, is also found to be the most important human caused physical disturbance on the world's continental shelves and hence the physical destruction of
ecosystems (Jennings and Kaiser, 1998), Trawl fishery is generally a mixed fishery targeting a number of species and sizes simultaneously. Discarding is the practice of returning an unwanted section of the catch back to the sea during fishing operations (Alverson, 1994; Van Beek, 1998;
Hall,2000)


At the first meeting of the Path Aware Networking Research Group, the
research group agreed to catalog and analyze past efforts to develop
and deploy Path Aware technologies, most of which were unsuccessful,
in order to extract insights and lessons for path-aware networking
researchers. This document contains that catalog and analysis.


Resumen en: Rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) represents a potential species for reforestation and commercial exploitation programmes in tropical countries such as Colomb...


This paper focuses on a practical application of handling contact sensitive objects such as silicon wafers or hard disk media without any contact using electrostatic levitation. Stable electrostatic levitation can be realized by controlling an electrostatic force on the basis of measured suspension air gaps. Two control approaches, namely centralized and decentralized control and the influence of an integrator in the controller, are discussed with regard to the specific tasks of Pick Up and Place. The final goal is to realize a handling tool that allows human operators to perform these object handling tasks. In this paper a linear motor is used to perform the pick up and place task to allow a controllable and reproducible motion. The experimental results show a stable pick up and place motion, where placing is realized without any external control commands.


This paper reports the results of a survey of a sample of 99 Arab business faculty members. It attempted to examine questions pertaining to their perceptions on consulting, teaching and research. The study reached the conclusion that consulting tends to help teaching and research, as well as providing an extra income to faculty members. Implications of the results for establishing university policies towards faculty consulting and future research were analysed.


The second edition of "Veterinary Toxicology — Basic and Clinical Principles" is an excellent reference for veterinarians, students, and veterinary toxicologists. The book has 104 chapters and contributions from 117 different authors with a variety of expertise. This reference book has been thoroughly updated with new chapters that are essential to veterinarians and toxicologists. Key new areas that have been included are melamine and cyanuric acid, toxogenomics, veterinary medical geology, toxic gasses, and toxicity and safety evaluation of veterinary pharmaceuticals.

This book covers the wide breadth of veterinary toxicology with exceptional depth in both large and small animal species. Agents encountered as a result of natural and man-made disasters are a key focus for the reference. Topics range from the history of veterinary toxicology to nanoparticles, pesticides, metals, laws, regulatory considerations, diagnostic testing, and plant and environmental toxicology. The authors do an excellent job of toxicokinetics and mechanism of action of each toxicant. The text does not contain in-depth information on human pharmaceuticals, which is a common source of exposure for pets. The book is an excellent reference text for scientists and students, covering the complex topic of veterinary toxicology in a much better format. Overall the text is a good addition to any veterinarian's library and is well worth the price.


We investigate the interaction of the gravitational field with a quantum particle. We derive the wave equation in the curved galilean spacetime from the very broad Quantum mechanical assumptions and from covariance under the Milne group. The inertial and gravitational masses are equal in that equation. So, we give the proof of the equality for the non-relativistic quantum particle, without applying the equivalence principle to the Schr\"odinger equation and witout imposing any relation to the classical equations of motion. This result constitutes a substantial strengthening of the previous result obtained by Herdegen and the author.


Abstract These Explorations, by eight authors from Canada, China, the US, and the UK, examine the current status of women in economics (with an eye mainly toward their status in the academic branch of the profession). The four sections of the work analyze results of surveys that show the distribution of academic positions among women economists in universities in Canada, the UK, the US, and China. The work also provides a short history of the development of committees and groups interested in furthering the status of women in the economics profession and suggests ways to improve the efforts of such groups and the status of women economists.


generalization in the minds of the Framers: it was woven into the document that they drafted in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787."). "' Cohens v. Virginia, 19 U.S. (6 Wheat.) 264, 418 (1821). 19 THE FEDERALIST No. 37, supra note 5, at 229 (James Madison). 20 See, e.g., THE FEDERALIST No. 40, supra note 5, at 255 (James Madison) ("[T]he great principles of the Constitution ... may be considered less as absolutely new, than as the expansion of principles which are found in the articles of Confederation."); id. No. 45, at 303 (James Madison) ("If the new Constitution be examined with accuracy and candor, it, will be found that the change which it proposes consists much less in the addition of NEW POWERS to the Union, than in the invigoration of its ORIGINAL POWERS."). 21 The Steel Seizure Case, 343 U.S. 579, 593 (1952) (Frankfurter, J., concurring). [Vol. 57: 1083


Many of the current ecommerce undertakings, by both the research and commercial communities, have focused on the automation of components of a purchase such as price comparisons, transaction negotiation or order placement. Automation in these works have been achieved through the use of agent technologies and where research initiatives in this field have had a wider view of agent capabilities, the approach to the problem has been from the supplier or manufacturers perspective. This paper suggests that a more holistic framework is needed and reports on the development of a unifying model which describes the entities and interactions involved in making an Internet purchase – from the consumers perspective.


DOI: 10.21276/sb.2018.4.10.3 Abstract: This study sought to establish the influence of economic factors on female students' career choice in TVET science programmes in Siaya County, Kenya. The study was based on social Cognitive Theory. It adopted descriptive survey design. It is based on the conceptual framework whereby choice of careers in TVET by female students is assumed to depend on economic factors. Testretest method was used to test reliability of the instruments. The research instruments were questionnaires. The sample size was 316 female students sampled using census method. Census, proportionate and simple random sampling techniques was used to sample respondents in different strata and TTIs. Tools in the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22 was used to analyze data. Frequencies, percentages and means were computed. Inferential statistics such as regression coefficients, T-statistics, F-statistics, correlation of coefficients shall were derived. Charts, graphs and tables were used to present the findings. Results indicated that there exists a negative and non-significant relationship between Economic Factors and Female Students' Career Choice in Science TVET Programmes (r=-0.34; p>0.05). The significance of this study is that the findings could be used to come up with policies on how to increase the number of female students choosing careers in TVET. This could guarantee employment opportunities for women in the country which in turn could raise their standard of living.


lnv(16)(p13q22) is one of the most frequent chromosomal rearrangements found in acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), representing approximately 16% of documented karyotypic abnormalities. The inv(l6) breakpoints have been cloned and shown to involve the non-DNA binding compo-nent of the AML-1 transcription factor complex termed core binding factor p gene (CBF,) on 16q and the smooth muscle myosin heavy chain gene (MYH11) on 16p. In this study, we analyzed 37 cases of inv(l6)-containing AML and 4 cases with t(16;16)(~13;q22) for expression of the CBFp/MYH11 chimeric message by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. CBFp/MYHll chimeric messages were detected in 33 of 37 cases with the inv(l6) and in the 4 t(16;16)-containing cases. Sequence analysis of PCR products showed extensive breakpoint heterogeneity in both CB@ and MYHl1. In addition to the previously de- scribed breakpoint in CBFp at nucleotide (nt) 495 (amino acid 165). we have identified a second novel fusion which


Article is devoted to the analysis of bases of the thesis about possibility of use the practician of multiculturalism in the modern globalizing world as factor of prevention of the socio-political conflicts.


Summary.

The reaction of several cultivated potato varieties (Solarium tuberosum L.) to three strains of tobacco etch potyvirus (TEV-F, TEV-Mex21 and TEV-ATCC) and the reaction of several pepper lines (Capsicum annuum L. and C. chinense L.) to two strains of potato Y potyvirus (PVYO and PVYN) and one strain of potato A potyvirus (PVA-M) was tested. The potato varieties included in this study carried resistance genes against PVY, PVA and potato V potyvirus, but all were susceptible to TEV and developed mottle and mosaic symptoms. TEV was readily transmitted by mechanical inoculation from tobacco and potato to potato, whereas transmission from pepper to potato occurred infrequently. TEV was transmitted through potato tubers, and from pepper to potato plants by aphids. Lack of detectable systemic infection following graft-inoculation indicated extreme resistance to PVYO and PVA in several pepper lines. No pepper line was systemically infected with PVYN following mechanical inoculation (graft-inoculation was not carried out with PVYN). The development of necrotic lesions following mechanical and graft-inoculation indicated hypersensitive response to PVYO in several pepper lines which resembled the resistance responses to these potyvirus strains in potato. Results of this study together with previous work indicate that C. annuum cv. Avelar is resistant to four potyviruses [PVY, PVA, pepper mottle potyvirus (PepMoV) and some isolates of TEV]; C. annuum cv. Criollo de Morelos and C. chinense PI 152225 and PI 159236 are resistant to three potyviruses (PVY, PepMoV and PVA; and PVY, PepMoV and TEV, respectively); C. annuum 9093–1 and 92016–1 are resistant to PVY and PepMoV; and C. annuum cv. Jupiter and C. annuum cv. RNaky are resistant to PVYN and PVA.


Abstract: Today parking management is a big issue in our society because of rapid growth in a number of vehicles day by day so in order to manage this problem, there has to be a solution, which helps getting rid of problems arising due to the lack of a proper parking management system. Hence finding a parking space has become an unpleasant experience in many metropolitan cities. There are many parking management systems like PGIS (Parking Guidance Information Systems), GIS (Geographic Information System), etc. These systems provide the driver with a view of the near real-time parking situation of his destination and allow the driver to reserve a space for a vehicle. In this present paper, we have represented an alternate solution based on Smart QR Technology for Parking Management using Android Application. This system will collectively alleviate traffic congestion, reduce fuel consumption and provide a user-friendly interface to access parking. Keywords: Android application, internet of things, parking management, protocols, QR code technology, web map server Cite this Article: Siddahant Jain, Shivam Kumar Mishra, Madhur Bihani, Palash Goyal. Smart QR Based Parking System. Journal of Computer Technology & Applications. 2019; 10(3): 12–18p.


Introduction T his paper is a summary of the paper by Skeie et al. in which the correlation between near infrared (NIR) spectra of grated cheese and the development of selected free amino acids during ripening of rindless Norvegia and Präst cheese was evaluated. Traditionally, cheese ripening has been studied by regularly sampling cheeses at a cheese store and then performing sensory and/or chemical analysis on these samples. However, by this method, the cheeses will be punctured, followed by a modifi cation of the micro climate which again infl uences further ripening, so there is a need for non-destructive prediction methods. Near infrared spectroscopy has previously shown good prediction abilities with regard to fat, moisture and protein in natural and processed cheese, correlating well with chemical measurements. However, quantitative measurements of these components are not good indicators of how cheese ripening will proceed since they are more or less constant throughout the ripening process. On the other hand, changes in peptides and free amino acids provide very good indices of the ripening process. The types and amounts of free amino acids in cheese will infl uence fl avour and describe how far the ripening has proceeded; the composition of free amino acids will vary according to cheese variety and age. The objective of this work was to evaluate the ability of NIR spectra to predict the development of selected free amino acids during ripening of rindless Norvegia and Präst cheese. Rindless Norvegia is a Norwegian Dutch-type cheese produced in rindless blocks, while Präst is a Swedish open texture semi-hard circular cheese with rind. The earliest Norvegia is often sold after 45 days of ripening, while the earliest Präst is sold after 90 days of ripening; both are considered well-ripened after 270 days. The cheeses used for this experiment were part of an extensive study on similarities between cheeses from various dairy plants in Scandinavia producing the same cheese varieties. Cheeses were sampled monthly during part of 1999 from three Norwegian dairies producing Norvegia and three Swedish dairies producing Präst. The cheeses were analysed after 30, 90, 180 and 270 days of ripening.


Conradi-Hünermann-Happle syndrome (CHH, also called chondrodysplasia punctata type 2, MIM #302960) is a rare X-linked dominant disease characterized by congenital ichthyosis, stippled calcifications of enchondral bone formation, chondrodysplasia punctata, short stature, asymmetric shortening of the legs, kyphoscoliosis, and dysplasia of the hip joints.1 CHH is usually limited to the female and is presumed to be mostly lethal in males.2 CHH is caused by an enzyme defect due to mutations in the EBP, encoding emopamil-binding protein (EBP).1 EBP converts Δ8 -sterol to Δ7 -sterol, and an EBP deficiency leads to the inhibition of three major steps (Fig. 1h Steps I-III) in cholesterol biosynthesis, resulting in abnormal increases in 8-lathosterol and 8-dehydrocholesterol in patients' tissues and body fluids (Fig. 1h). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


Research on design scheme of CWR on large-span bridge in alpine region when expansion joint of rail is not need with the Qinghai-Tibet railway as the research background. The deformation of beam under temperature change was analyzed through Newton iteration method and Finite-Element Method with the seamless track calculation model of line-bridge-pier integration. Design program of setting buffer was adopted after comparison and selection. Continuously welded rail on bridge satisfied the design requirements when design stress-free temperature of rail take 18±3°C and 18±4°C. This research put forward a new design in order to solve laid seamless line on large-span bridge in large temperature difference.


The zi end, one of the formbuilding methods widely existed in Chinese dialects, often reveals the features of dialectic syntax. Studying the zi end can reveal syntax differences among dialects themselves and between dialects and common speech of the Chinese language. This paper has described, analyzed and summed up the phonetic forms and practical pronunciations of zi end in Tianshui dialect and the formbuilding function and syntactic effect of zi end and compared the similarities and differences between words of zi end of Tianshui dialect and the common speech of the Chinese language.


Interferometric experiments are often limited in sensitivity by the thermal noise of the mirrors. In particular, interferometric gravitational wave detectors and laser stabilization resonators can benefit from reduced mirror noise. We present results of experimental investigations on micro-structured mirrors (meta-mirrors) and hybrid etalon mirrors (meta-etalons) promising particularly low thermal noise. We show the first characterization of meta-etalons scattering and absorption losses, demonstrating optical losses below 500 ppm. This level of optical losses is sufficient for planning direct thermal noise measurement in dedicated optical cavity experiments. These measurements would be very important for validating the thermal noise predictions. We present our development toward the integration of meta-etalons in ultra-stable optical cavities.


The readiness and usefulness of Automated Machine Learning (AutoML) methods in classification of railway track defects is explored. Safety of railway networks is the top priority in the railroad industry, and track defects are a common cause of train accidents and service disruptions around the world. Effective classification and prediction of these defects based on historical inspection data can help in planning maintenance activities before critical defects occur. This increases safety of the network and lowers costs of the maintenance. The experimental analysis carried out on data from an international predictive modelling competition has shown that the proposed AutoML approaches resulted in an improved performance in comparison to the competition winning solutions and have an excellent potential for building robust predictive models in railway industry.


The globally distributed colonial cyanobacterium Trichodesmium and unicellular diazotrophs including Crocosphaera together carry out the majority of marine biological nitrogen (N2) fixation. Future sea surface warming is predicted to influence their abundance and distribution, but temperature reaction norms have been determined for very few representatives of each genus. We compared thermal responses within and between the 2 genera Trichodesmium and Crocosphaera by measuring reaction norms for growth, N2 fixation, carbon fixation, and elemental ratios in 7 strains from a global culture collection. Temperature reaction norms of Trichodesmium and Crocosphaera were remarkably similar for all isolates within each genus, regardless of their geographic origin. Thermal limits of Trichodesmium and Crocosphaera ranged from 18 to 32°C and 24 to 32°C, and optimum growth temperatures were ~26 and ~30°C, respectively. The highest cellular ratios of nitrogen to phosphorus and carbon to nitrogen were found at optimum growth temperatures, and the lowest ratios near their thermal limits. In a mixed competition experiment, Trichodesmium growth rates were ~25% higher than those of Crocosphaera at 24°C, while those of Crocosphaera were ~50% higher at 28°C. Comparison of these results to current and projected seasonal temperature regimes in the subtropical Atlantic and Pacific Oceans suggests that predicted warmer temperatures may favor Crocosphaera over Trichodesmium, but that both genera may be excluded where future temperatures consistently exceed 32°C. Sea surface warming could profoundly alter the community structure and stoichiometry of marine N2-fixing cyanobacteria, thus fundamentally changing the biogeochemical cycling of this globally significant source of new nitrogen.


The structure determination of the tripeptide N-acelyl-L-prolyi-D-alanyl-methylamide by the method of packing analysis is described. The molecular geometry deduced from conformational analysis as used to orient and position the molecules in the Unit cell and various trial crystal structures were generated and refined against the X-ray data in a systematic way. Out of the eight reasonable packing arrangements, one refined to an R-value of 0-30 by me rigid body refinement procedure, when 50 low-angle reflections were used. This model was further refined by a series of conventional leastsquare procedures gradually increasing the number of reflections at each stage to a final R value of 0·062.


Forest roads can be a source of accelerated erosion, which can be detrimental to aquatic habitat, fish, and other aquatic biota. Erosion models are increasingly used to quantify sediment production from forest roads. This project evaluated the efficacy of these models to predict erosion from forest roads. Sediment production was measured from 44 road segments in the humid, temperate rain forests of Oregon and California. Sediment production from these road segments was estimated with four contemporary erosion models: the Washington Road Surface Erosion Model (WARSEM); Sediment Model 2 (SEDMODL2); WEPP:Road, an interface for the Water Erosion Prediction Project Model; and the revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE). The erosion models consistently overestimated the amount of sediment produced by the road segments by 2 to 8 times. The results were highly variable, and there were considerable differences in erosion estimated by the four models, even for the same road segment. Further, the erosion models could not consistently identify the road segments that were the top sediment producers. It is hypothesized that the regionalized parameters used as inputs for the models do not adequately characterize the hydrology of the individual road segments. In the humid, temperate rain forests of the Pacific Northwest, surface erosion from forest roads is best predicted by the amount of runoff from the road during storms. Thus, research that will better quantify the hydrology of forest roads will provide better information to predict surface erosion from forest roads.


1. Health Protection Scotland. HPS eWeekly report. http://www.hps.scot.nhs .uk. Accessed November 21, 2006. 2. Roponen M, Seuri M, Nevalainen A, Randell J, Hirvonen MR. Nasal lavage method in the monitoring of upper airway inflammation: seasonal and individual variation. Inhal Toxicol. 2003;15:649-661. 3. Panagiotakos DB, Pitsavos C, Chrysohoou C, et al; ATTICA Study. Effect of exposure to secondhand smoke on markers of inflammation: the ATTICA study. Am J Med. 2004;116:145-150.


We give explicit formulas for the asymptotic Betti numbers of the unordered configuration spaces of an arbitrary finite graph over an arbitrary field.


Legal scholarship and discourse analysis have much in common. They both concern reading and interpreting texts, both are preoccupied with the meaning of texts, and both seem to assume that texts have a life of their own that is independent of their authors. Law is, after all, an inherently societal discourse, albeit quite a specific one. Therefore, within sociology of law it seems appropriate to look at those sociological methods that analyse how language is used by, and in relation to, law and its institutions. Nevertheless, it has taken sociology of law a long time to become interested in discourse analysis as a method of research. This lack of interest has been partly caused by the general orientation of research within sociology of law, which privileges the more traditional forms of empirical research, and mainstream sociological theorising about law, which remains under the influence of various forms of structural functionalism.1 We would like to argue that another reason for this reluctance has been that discourse analysis approaches texts in a fundamentally different way than legal science. The aim of this chapter is to discuss the application of the methods of discourse analysis to legal texts. By using examples from our own work we wish to show that this approach is fruitful for the analysis of legal discourse, for an understanding of the relationship between what is normative and what is factual and for grasping the relationship between social and legal theory. Our interest in discourse analytic reading of legal texts arises out of our research on legal issues related to violence against women.2 It is common knowledge in the social sciences that violence against women is a widespread and persistent problem and that it often is either neglected or ignored by the criminal justice system.3 For example, the


Abstract This work was concerned with evaluating the properties of injection molded composites consisting of polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) reinforced with various loadings of a melt processable phosphate glass. During injection molding, both the PPS and melt processable glass were deformable, facilitating the processing of higher glass loadings than are possible in conventional solid glass fiber reinforced materials. The stiffness of the composite blends was found to increase with glass concentration with a composite containing 60 wt% (44 vol%) phosphate glass showing moduli over 4 times greater than that of the neat PPS. Composites possessing stiffness comparable to a conventional E-glass reinforced material (40 wt% fiber) could be produced utilizing higher phosphate glass loadings on the order of 60 wt%. While the addition of the phosphate glass led to significant enhancements in the stiffness of the composites, the strength of the blends of ten fell to values below that of the neat resin. Although the use of phosphate glass typically resulted in strengths 2–3 times lower than those found for the E-glass filled material, these composites offered several advantages including lower anisotropy in mechanical properties, lower viscosities, and smoother surfaces.


Abstract The thermal stability of Al-RE (rare earth) intermetallic phases with individual RE for heat-resistant high-pressure die-casting Mg–Al–RE alloys is investigated. The results of this study show that the main strengthening phase of Mg-4Al-4Ce alloy is Al11Ce3, whose content is about 5 wt.% according to quantitative X-ray diffraction phase analysis. The Al11Ce3 phase appears to have high thermal stability at 200 °C and 300 °C, while phase morphology change with no phase structure transition could occur for Al11Ce3 when the temperature reaches 400 °C. Furthermore, besides the kinds of rare earths and temperature, stress is also an influencing factor in the microstructural stability of Mg-4Al-4Ce alloy.


A presentation of the model of teacher CPD being developed by the Open University's Vital programme. This model is based on teachers as co-enquirers, with CPD conceptualised as a extension of the practitioner research cycle. Findings and outcomes of any CPD activity are seen as adding to the teacher's own personal knowledge base and that of their professional community. Thus CPD moves from the individual to the institutional and system level.


In addition to stipulating economic rights, the copyright laws of most nations grant authors a series of "moral rights." The development of digital information and the new possibilities for information processing and transmission have given added significance to moral rights. This article briefly explains the content and characteristics of moral rights, and assesses the most important aspects of legislation in this area. The basic problems of the digital environment with respect to moral rights are discussed, and some suggestions are made for the international harmonization of rules controlling these rights.


THE natural resources of Ireland have furnished a favourite topic to Irish writers *for the indulgence of national vanity; and the language of exaggeration has been too often applied in describing their extent and value. The stern realities of widespread distress have led others to contrast the misery with the alleged abundance, and thence to deduce unfavourable conclusions as to the character of the population. It would be quite foreign to my present purpose to examine how far the common estimate of these resources is founded on an accurate calculation of their market value. But amid this boasting and crimination, it is overlooked that natural resources, however lavishly bestowed, are valueless as instruments for the production of wealth, unless the arrrangements respecting their use are based on sound economic principles. To the mind of an economist the contrast between a destitute peasantry and prolific resources suggests an investigation into the social arrangements of the country, where such an anomaly prevails. The result of this inquiry, wherever it has been pursued, hs|s been to vindicate the character of our common nature from the charge of general indolence, by showing that such anomalies arise from the social arrangements transmitted from less enlightened ages, being at variance with the teachings of science. This general result affords the most hopeful anticipations of the rapid elevation of Ireland from its present distressed state ; for every past neglect of economic science—every arrangement at variance with sound principle, while it increases the difficulties of the present, suggests in its alteration for the future an economic resource by which the country may be improved. The consideration of these economic resources—or, in other words, sound arrangements, by which the natural resources may be developed—leads us at once to the subject of this paper; for a want of reliance on private enterprise is the most prolific source of unsound arrangements. There are few principles of economic science concerning which greater misapprehensions prevail than the doctrine of laissezfaire, or, as it may be otherwise expressed, " Rely on private enterprise." These misapprehensions have led to a want of confidence in the


Mobile digital assistants such as Microsoft Cortana and Google Now currently offer appealing proactive experiences to users, which aim to deliver the right information at the right time. To achieve this goal, it is crucial to precisely predict users' real-time intent. Intent is closely related to context, which includes not only the spatial-temporal information but also users' current activities that can be sensed by mobile devices. The relationship between intent and context is highly dynamic and exhibits chaotic sequential correlation. The context itself is often sparse and heterogeneous. The dynamics and co-movement among contextual signals are also elusive and complicated. Traditional recommendation models cannot directly apply to proactive experiences because they fail to tackle the above challenges. Inspired by the nowcasting practice in meteorology and macroeconomics, we propose an innovative collaborative nowcasting model to effectively resolve these challenges. The proposed model successfully addresses sparsity and heterogeneity of contextual signals. It also effectively models the convoluted correlation within contextual signals and between context and intent. Specifically, the model first extracts collaborative latent factors, which summarize shared temporal structural patterns in contextual signals, and then exploits the collaborative Kalman Filter to generate serially correlated personalized latent factors, which are utilized to monitor each user's real-time intent. Extensive experiments with real-world data sets from a commercial digital assistant demonstrate the effectiveness of the collaborative nowcasting model. The studied problem and model provide inspiring implications for new paradigms of recommendations on mobile intelligent devices.


A guide to information sources for an IGCSE Chemistry report on the electrolysis of aluminium - compiled by your librarians Useful books which include information on aluminium


The research on The Laws of Alfred is still blank in our country.The period of The Laws of Alfred forms an important phase in British society from a primitive one to a civilized one,and from non-class society to class society.The Laws of Alfred reflects social situation before the British Kingdom was united.Through the research of The Laws of Alfred,we may get a glimpse of the feudalism of the Anglo-Saxon people,and better understand the scientific exposition of Marx and Engles on feudal social state.


Within a certain small passage is generally blood, an apparatus and method for determining clotting time in a fluid, in this case, the start of the clotting are arranged on both sides of the microchannel It is determined by measuring the two change rate or value of the capacitance or impedance between the electrodes. Certain top and bottom of each support (101) and (103) can be discarded and a test piece (100) is provided. Constant microchannel (102) is formed on the upper surface of the lower portion of the support member (103). By the second supporting layer (101) is bonded to the upper portion of the support member (103), small passage 102 in the open state are closed. It is formed on the same surface shape relative to the passageway a plurality of electrodes (104) on the outer surface of the respective support layer.


Many researchers and others interested in the field of leadership have written about the characteristics and styles of leadership; however, few have written about what followers want from their leaders. This paper addresses the issue of what followers desire in those they follow, it will assert that the basic characteristics followers want from their leaders are Honesty, Forward-Looking, Inspiring, and Competency. Also, followers want to trust in their leaders and they want leaders who care about them, which is shown in the leaders seeing the followers as partners. This paper also compares what international studies found about this leader-follower dynamic with a study made by Colegio de Estudios Superiores de Administracion - CESA where leaders were asked about the main characteristics of an organizational leader. The analysis shows that followers want to commit to their leaders. They want to know that there is a relationship between them. As mentioned by Winston (2002), the relationship between leader and follower has to have the same commitment that exists between husband and wife. In addition, this paper presents the conceptual framework of the analysis and the leadership models that fit more with what followers want from their leaders which are Transformational and Charismatic leadership.


The comprehension of the evolutionary history of the order Sacoglossa is fundamental to understand the adaptive radiation of Heterobranchia, the most morphologically heterogeneous group in Gastropoda. Sacoglossans form a well-supported monophyletic group, but the relationship of its internal clades is still confused. Plakobranchidae is the most diverse family and the main systematic problem of Sacoglossa since the lack of detailed descriptions provided many synonyms and invalid taxa from genus to species level. The family Plakobranchidae resulted in a monophyletic group only in few phylogenetic hypotheses of Sacoglossa. However, either molecular or morphological data were usually analyzed to reconstruct Sacoglossa phylogeny, while an integrative approach has never been applied for such purpose. A total 42 species, including 30 species of Plakobranchidae, 10 related species in Sacoglossa and other two heterobranchs, was analyzed to test the monophyly of Plakobanchidae and the relationship of its internal clades. A parsimonious phylogenetic analysis was performed in TNT considering 109 characters of external morphology, internal anatomy and ecology data. Molecular partial sequences of two mitochondrial (COI, 16S) and three nuclear (H3, 18S and 28S) genes were used to build a phylogenetic hypothesis under Bayesian Inference and Maximum Likelihood criteria. One final BI analysis was performed with a combined matrix with molecular, morphological and ecological data of all analyzed taxa. Plakobranchidae resulted as monophyletic only in morphological and combined data, but the monophyletic status of the genera Plakobranchus van Hasselt, Thuridilla Bergh and Elysia Risso, 1818 was fully supported by all analyses. Species within the multi-diverse Elysia form similar clades in all different analysis matching with prior synonymized names, meaning that old names might be resurrected for a better explanation of the natural history of this genus.


This study reviewed the negative impact of extreme temperature elevations on plant growth, development and crop yield using some mathematical equations that relates temperature either directly or indirectly with some agricultural parameters. The agricultural parameters employed are Temperature, Vapor Pressure Deficit (VPD), Transpiration, Leaf Water Potential, Stomatal Conductance, Photosynthesis, Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Concentration, Substrate, Rubisco Activase/Activity, Electron Transportation and Cuticle Resistance. Ideally increasing temperature enhances transpiration and photosynthesis, but transpiration enhancement leads to leaf water loss and consequently to impaired Leaf Water Potential due to leaf water stress as transpiration increases with temperature. The decreased Leaf Water Potential results in a reduced stomata opening and Stomatal Conductance. Increasing VPD as temperature increases also reduce Stomatal Conductance. This stomatal closure or reduced Stomatal Conductance enhances CO2 concentration on the leaf surface and intercellular system of the leaf which further causes reduction in Stomatal Conductance. The enhancement of CO2 concentration on/in the leaf promotes greenhouse gases effect leading to leaf temperature enhancement. The increase in the CO2 concentration accumulated on the leaf leads to impairment of Rubisco activity due to decrease in CO2 assimilation, because the transpiration rate is not matching with the incoming CO2 or the photosynthetic rate due to the leaf water stress, as transpiration increases with temperature. The excess CO2 found accumulating on and inside the leaf further reduce Stomatal Conductance, enhance leaf temperature and lowdown the electron transportation to reduce the Rubisco activase/activity that determine photosynthetic rate as temperature increases. It was discovered that increasing VPD as well as increasing CO2 decreased Stomatal Conductance, having direct negative effect on Stomatal Conductance than temperature elevations. Increasing CO2 concentration accumulated on the leaf with decrease in electron transportation decreases Rubisco activity that is meant to enhance photosynthesis as temperature increases. Increase in VPD and increase in CO2 concentration on and inside the leaf, with the decrease in Leaf Water Potential can be seen as the direct and best factors that majorly influence Stomatal Conductance rather than increasing temperature that has indirect influence. The increase in Stomatal Resistance, decrease in Stomatal Conductance, decrease in electron transportation and increased CO2 will in turn impair transpiration and photosynthetic rate (or Rubisco activity) which consequently leads to poor plant growth, development and most especially crop yield.


An ultrasonic motor driving method, which divides the piezoelectric elements into two-two or three-three groups; within two-two group, one of the output terminals of the first and second piezoelectric elements are connected to the first and third nodes respectively, and the other terminals of the first and second piezoelectric elements are both connected to the second node which is the common ground terminal, the adjacent piezoelectric elements in one two-two group are polarized in sequence of "++--". Within the three-three group, one of the output terminals of the first to third piezoelectric elements are connected to the first to third nodes respectively, and the other terminals of the first to third piezoelectric elements are all connected to the fourth node which is the common ground terminal, all the piezoelectric elements are polarized in forward direction. Alternating voltage of two-phase in quadrature or three-phase in symmetry is obtained by controlling the three-phase bridge converting circuit to power each piezoelectric element. Therefore the voltage amplitude of the power supply and the number of transistors could be decreased effectively, and as a result the efficiency of driving circuit could be improved.


An investigation was made to determine the effectiveness of prestraining and polygonization treatments in improving the creep strength of Ni. At 700 deg F, for the prestrained specimens without polygonization treatment, the strength increased as the level of prior cold work increased. For the polygonized specimens, however, strength improvement was not obvious. At 1300 deg F, with up to 2% prestrain, no strengthening was observed. However, beyond a prestrain level of 4%, it appeared that a strength gain was achieved by the prestrain- polygonization treatment. A study of the creep of Al and Al--Mg alloys is being conducted in which resistivity measurements are made during elongation, in an effort to understand the various modes of deformation which are occurring. Graphs are shown of the nature of the change in restivity with strain. (M.C.G.)


The demand for increased transmission capacities in Germany will be covered in part by high voltage direct current (HVDC) lines. In order to reduce the need for new corridors, hybrid systems with AC and DC circuits together on the same tower are planned. Therefore, the characteristics of such arrangements need to be studied. In the first part of this paper, electromagnetic coupling mechanisms between overhead lines are summarized. Next, the method of image charges as a way to calculate the electric field around overhead lines is presented. The method is then used to analyze the electric field on ground level below three different hybrid line configurations. KeywordsHVDC; hybrid line; electric field I. HYBRID LINES FOR THE GERMAN "ENERGIEWENDE" The remaining nuclear power plants in Germany are scheduled to be shut down in a few years according to the agreements of the Energiewende. As they constitute the largest generating units in southern Germany today, a considerable amount of power plant capacity will have to be substituted. Furthermore, continuing expansion of volatile renewable power generation with large regional differences and often far from load centers will lead to increased load flows over large distances. In order to retain network stability and reliability in spite of these challenges, the transmission capacities of the electrical grid have to be increased. For the first time in Germany, four high voltage direct current (HVDC) lines are among the projected measures [1]. Finding new line corridors is often extremely difficult, therefore the possibility of operating hybrid AC/DC power lines on existing towers is currently investigated by transmission grid operators (TSOs). The TSOs Amprion and TransnetBW plan to put into operation a 340 km hybrid line from Osterath to Philippsburg in 2019, when the Philippsburg nuclear plant will be decommissioned [2]. While the mechanical design of hybrid overhead lines is not very different to that of conventional ones, the close proximity of AC and DC conductors causes electrical coupling effects that have to be studied precisely. Also, it must be ensured that electromagnetic fields around hybrid lines do not exceed the permissible values [3]. In the first part of this paper, coupling mechanisms and their consequences are discussed in a general way. Next, the method of image charges as an approach to calculate the electrostatic field around overhead lines is explained in detail. Finally, this method is used to calculate the electric field below hybrid overhead lines. Three different tower types and the influence of different placement of the DC poles are considered regarding the maximum field values on ground level. For one configuration, the instantaneous field distribution along an AC cycle is discussed. II. COUPLING MECHANISMS BETWEEN OVERHEAD LINE CIRCUITS In general, three different coupling mechanisms can be distinguished: inductive, (quasi-) ohmic and capacitive coupling. A. Inductive Coupling Magnetic fields resulting from time-dependent current flows in one conductor produce longitudinal voltages in adjacent conductors according to Maxwell's laws. Thus, high transients in one system will induce large overvoltages in systems nearby. In closed circuits, these voltages will also cause currents. On a hybrid line, stationary load flow in the AC conductors results in an alternating current component in the DC system because the DC sources appear as a short circuit to alternating currents. In addition to an increased voltage drop across a DC reactor, these currents can be harmful especially to any equipment with iron cores. Line commutated HVDC converters will turn the induced fundamental frequency current mainly into a second harmonic and a DC component on the AC side. In the worst case, this offset can lead to core saturation and endanger a safe transformer operation [4]. B. Ohmic Coupling High electric field strength on the surface of conductors leads to ionization of surrounding air molecules, the so called corona discharge. While ionized field charges from AC conductors stay close to the wires, field charges originating from DC conductors can move over large distances and thus reach neighboring systems. AC conductors collect the free charges, resulting in a small DC current being injected. The problems from such undesired current components have been discussed in the previous chapter.


Beach water is often monitored for microbiological quality to detect the presence of indicators of human sewage contamination so as to prevent public health outbreaks associated with water contact. However, despite popular belief that sun light sterilizes surfaces, beach sand harbors microbes harmful to human health, often in concentrations greater than the beach water. Currently, there are no standards for monitoring, sampling, analyzing, or managing beach sand quality. Growing evidence has identified pathogenic bacteria, viruses, and fungi in a variety of beach sands worldwide. Regulatory agencies need to address this problem: Quality needs to be monitored, contaminations need to be controlled and the public should be made aware of where to rest and what children play with on a day spent at the beach.


The work was supported by Hong Kong Research Grants
Council-Competitive Earmarked Research Grants under
Contract No. HKU-7036/03P and the Research Grants of the
University of Hong Kong HKU under Contract No.
10205780, as well as partially by the University Development
Funding of HKU under Contract No. 00600009.


"We cannot charge [Daniel Webster] with even having had in mind the bartering off or giving up of very much if any of that part of the Oregon country lying north and west of the Columbia river… which would include a very valuable part of the present State of Washington."


The utility model relates to a preparation 3D prints device of superfine microspheroidal titanium valve of usefulness, including the auto -feed system, insulating move that sealing device, annular gas atomizing nozzle, atomizer chamber, arc cathode smelt the well, ionic reaction wares such as the heat exchanger that looses, protection casing, receipts powder jar, the gaseous pulverising mill of supersonic speed and radio frequency, the utility model discloses a gas atomizing device carries out elementary powder process to former titanium valve, and then utilize and smash, with further the reducing of titanium valve granularity, and then using plasma device processing titanium valve, utilize radio frequency plasma's high energy characteristic, with the titanium valve granule of out -of -shape with carrying gas injection plasma torch, anomalous titanium valve is heated rapidly and is melted, fused granule forms the liquid drop that the sphericity is very high under surface tension's effect, and solidify rapidly under high temperature gradient, the formation sphericity is good, high purity, the superfine microspheroidal titanium valve that the oxygen content is low.


Let (Xi, Yi), i = 1, 2,…, n, be n independent observations from a bivariate population and let X(n) = max Xi and Y(n) = max Yi. This article gives a necessary and sufficient condition for the weak convergence of the distribution function of (X(n), Y(n)) to a nondegenerate distribution.


Mass emails are frequently used by advocacy groups to mobilise supporters to lobby legislators. But how effective are they at inducing constituent-to-legislator lobbying when the stakes are high? We test the efficacy of a large-scale email campaign conducted by the UK's main anti-Brexit organisation. In 2019, the group prominently displayed a "Write to your MP" tool on their website, and assigned 119,362 supporters represented by legislators with incongruent views to one of four email messages encouraging them to write to their MP or a control condition (no email). Messages varied across two factors: whether the MP's incongruent position was highlighted, and if urgency was emphasised. We find that 3.4% of treatment subjects contacted their representative, compared to 0.1% of those in the control, representing an additional 3,344 emails sent to MPs. We show that there was no substitution away from the most frequently used online legislator contact platform in the UK. While, on average, position and urgency cues had no marginal effects above the standard email, the most engaged supporters were more mobilised when informed that their MP held incongruent views. This study shows that advocacy groups can use low-cost communication techniques to mobilise supporters to lobby representatives when the stakes are high. ∗A previous iteration of this paper was presented at the virtual Early Career Conference hosted by the University of Southampton (2020) and the Quantitative Political Economy seminar series at King's College London (2020). We also appreciate the detailed and critical feedback received from Donald Green, Peter John, JeanFrançois Daoust, Katharina Lawall and Miriam Sorace. Finaly, we are indebted to the data team at My Society, in particular Alex Parsons and Rebecca Rumbul, for facilitating the MP contact data from WriteToThem.com. †Universiy of Southampton. Corresponding author: firstname.lastname@example.com ‡London School of Economics §London School of Economics ¶London School of Economics


The vertical temperature and moisture distribution affect the layering of the atmospheric boundary layer and the existence of inversions within this layer or on the top of it. These layers have a strong influence on the development of episodes of high concentrations of air pollutants which might be harmful to people and ecosystems. The height of the mixing layer is defined as the height up to which due to the thermal structure of the boundary layer vertical dispersion by turbulent mixing of air pollutants takes place. Most of the aerosol particles in an atmospheric column are usually confined to atmospheric layers below this height, the knowledge on the mixing layer height can thus be employed to convert column-mean optical depths measured from satellites into near-surface air quality information. Since several years, eye-safe lidar ceilometers are used for boundary layer monitoring. Emeis (2008) summarizes the methods used to derive aerosol layer heights from backscatter profiles and gives references to related publications. Comparison to temperature, humidity, and wind profiles reported by RASS, sodar, radio soundings, and weather mast in-situ sensors has confirmed their ability to detect convective or residual layers reaching up to heights exceeding 2500 m (Emeis (2009), Haman (2010), Münkel (2007), Münkel (2008)). Even more important for air quality applications is their near-range performance and the precise assessment of inversion layers and nocturnal stable layers below 200 m (Münkel, 2009). This was one of the reasons to apply a single lens optical design for the Vaisala Ceilometer CL31 (Münkel, 2008). This instrument has been chosen as standard cloud height indicator for the Automated Surface Observing System of the National Weather Service (Poyer, 2008).


—We develop a hierarchical controller for multi- agent autonomous racing. A high-level planner approximates the race as a discrete game with simplified dynamics that encodes the complex safety and fairness rules seen in real-life racing and calculates a series of target waypoints. The low-level controller takes the resulting waypoints as a refer-ence trajectory and computes high-resolution control inputs by solving a simplified formulation of a multi-agent racing game. We consider two approaches for the low-level planner to construct two hierarchical controllers. One approach uses multi-agent reinforcement learning (MARL), and the other solves a linear-quadratic Nash game (LQNG) to produce control inputs. We test the controllers against three baselines: an end- to-end MARL controller, a MARL controller tracking a fixed racing line, and an LQNG controller tracking a fixed racing line. Quantitative results show that the proposed hierarchical methods outperform their respective baseline methods in terms of head-to-head race wins and abiding by the rules. The hierarchical controller using MARL for low-level control consistently outperformed all other methods by winning over 88% of head-to-head races and more consistently adhered to the complex racing rules. Qualitatively, we observe the proposed controllers mimicking actions performed by expert human drivers such as shielding/blocking, overtaking, and long-term planning for delayed advantages. We show that hierarchical planning for game-theoretic reasoning produces competitive behavior even when challenged with complex rules and constraints.


With the continuous progress of UAV technology and 5G technology, the safety and reliability of UAV are gradually improved. In addition, UAV has many advantages, such as light weight, small size, low cost, and fast response in view of the low economy, high labor intensity, low efficiency, and other problems of the traditional inspection of UHV intensive transmission channels. This paper proposes a multi machine collaborative autonomous inspection scheme for UHV dense transmission channels based on 5G technology. This method is to realize the intelligent detection service for UHV dense transmission channels by building a self-service inspection model under the joint cooperation of 5G technology and UAV collaborative operation technology. The research of this paper shows that the multi machine coordinated autonomous inspection scheme of UHV dense transmission channel based on 5G technology constructed in this paper is not only more efficient but also safer than the traditional inspection scheme and single UAV inspection scheme. The related technologies can not only improve the maintenance efficiency of power grid dense transmission channel but also provide theoretical and technical reference for the improvement of multi machine coordinated technology.


In this paper, we introduce and study strongly $$n$$n-homogeneous, $$n$$n-homogeneous and locally homogeneous generalized topological spaces. We give many properties, examples and counterexamples concerning these concepts. In particular, we give several results of finite $$n$$n-homogeneous generalized topological spaces.


The radiation aspect of reactor equipment qualification depends on a knowledge of the appropriate source term. An attempt has been made to define a realistic radiation source corresponding to the loss-of-coolant accident. This best-estimate source is based on available fission product release data from damaged fuel during an unterminated LOCA as described in the Reactor Safety Study (WASH-1400). Energy release rates as a function of time have been calculated for both betas and gamma rays. The results are significantly different from the sources specified in Regulatory Guide 1.89. Spectra corresponding to the best-estimate source have also been computed at selected cooling times.


The environment of human for the development of the public welfare should be operated the life of human coordinately. therefore, this study, at this point of town block office which handicapped person makes use of the facility friendly, is being indicated a reform measure with investigating and resolving the present state of convenience.


The invention relates to a data processing system for management of in at least one database (user database) (27) organized data held by a user, including, in particular address and / or personal data with a computing device (22) for processing data, a first memory means (26) which is assigned to the computing device (22) and adapted to store the user database (27), a second memory means (32) which is adapted to store a reference database (34), and an access means (30) for controlling the access to the reference database (34) based on a requested date and to control the reading out of data consisting of individual data objects from the reference database. The data processing system is characterized in that the access means (30) is designed such that it only reads a data object from the reference database (34) when a match between the requested date and a corresponding date of the data object is determined, and the access apparatus (30) and said second memory means (34) in the local area (12) of the user are.


Utilization and application of the latest technologies can save lives and improve patient treatments and well-being. For this it is important to have accurate, near real-time data acquisition and evaluation. The delivery of patient's medical data needs to be as fast and as secure as possible. Accurate almost real-time data acquisition and analysis of patient data and the ability to update such a data is a way to reduce cost and improve patient care. One possible solution to achieve this task is to use a wireless framework based on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). This framework can integrate wireless networks for fast data acquisition and transmission, while maintaining the privacy issue. This chapter discusses the development of an intelligent multi-agent system in a framework in which RFID can be used


Young ___________________________________________________________________________ Abstract: Every ethnic group in this world have their own uniqueness and one of the key component that contributed in shaping each ethnic group's unique identity is their traditional foods which have been sustained and practiced for generations. Hence, traditional foods are viewed as a symbol of heritage to an ethnic group's culture (Sharif, Zahari, Nor, and Muhammad, 2016b). This is true especially for Malaysia as this country is known for its diversified cultures. Nevertheless, the young generations nowadays do not seem to care about the importance of preserving their traditional foods. They are more likely to choose fast foods and convenience foods over traditional foods. Not only that, most of the young generations today do not know how to cook their own traditional foods anymore. This situation is very alarming as the ethnic groups in Malaysia might face the possibility of losing their heritage and unique identity. This article explores the factors that contributed to the changes of traditional foods consumptions and practices among the young generations in Malaysia within the Malay ethnic and Malay traditional food context. This article also discusses the role of family in preserving the Malay traditional food. The results are expected to highlight the significance of young generations role in continuing and sustaining Malay traditional food in Malaysia.


Objective
To investigate the effect of microRNA-486 (miR-486) on alcoholic fatty liver disease in mice.

Methods
The progenies of miR-486 knockout mice were obtained by mating of heterozygotes. The 8-week-old progenies were divided into miR-486 knockout control group (KO-PAIR group), miR-486 knockout experimental group (KO-ETOH group), wild type control group (WT-PAIR group) and wild type experimental group (WT-ETOH group), 8 mice in each group. Th mice in experimental group were fed on 5% TP4030D alcohol feed, and those in TP4030C control group were fed on control feed for 4 weeks, 15 ml/mouse per day. On the last day of the experiment, the alcohol group was given alcohol (31.5%) intragastrically, and the control group was administered with dextrin, 100 μl each mouse. After 9 h, the mice were sacrificed and their liver tissues and serum were collected. Liver tissue sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and saturated oil red O. Serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were determined. The mRNA and protein expression levels of lipid metabolism related molecules adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and acetyl-coA carboxylase-ser 79 (ACC) were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerization chain reaction and Western blotting, respectively. The severity of alcoholic fatty liver disease was evaluated and the mechanism was explored.

Results
HE staining and saturated oil red O staining showed that liver fatification was significantly aggravated in the WT-ETOH group as compared with the KO-ETOH group. As compared with the WT-ETOH group, serum levels of ALT, AST and TNF-α in the KO-ETOH group were significantly reduced [(124.875±38.591) U/L vs. (45.500±20.333) U/L, (190.750±23.789) U/L vs. (140.625±31.794) U/L, and (73.407±17.121) μg/L vs. (50.056±12.717) μg/L, F=32.503, 5.876 and 30.865, P<0.05]. The mRNA level of AMPK in the KO-ETOH group was significantly higher (0.61±0.09 vs. 1.06±0.11, F=21.249, P<0.01), and that of ACC was significantly lower (1.98±0.23 vs. 1.23±0.12, F=68.584, P<0.01) than in the WT-ETOH group, which was further confirmed by Western blotting (0.77±0.09 vs. 1.20±0.08, and 1.16±0.13 vs. 0.38±0.08, P<0.01).

Conclusion
Deficiency of miR-486 can alleviate alcoholic fatty liver disease in mice probably by regulating lipid metabolism.

Key words:
MicroRNA-486; Alcoholic fatty liver disease; Lipid metabolism


P asteurella multocida (P. multocida), a Gram-negative pathogen, is mainly associated with animal infections. Human P. multocida infections are occasionally encountered and most human cases are due to the animal exposure or contact, especially due to cat bites. 1 In China, P. multocida infections are rarely described. CASE REPORT A 50-year old woman was sent to the Emergency Department of West China Hospital on June 25, 2004, due to the complain of an onset of pain, erythema, bleeding, and swelling at a wound on the right leg, caused by a pet cat bite 11 hours ago. She was diagnosed as having a wound infection and received intravenous penicillin G 4 million U/day. One day later, though the bleeding was ceased, she felt worse. Then, she was admitted to the Department of Infectious Diseases. She has no fever nor other systemic symptoms when she was admitted. On examination, three close, small and deep holes were found on the right leg near the ankle. Around the holes, the skin and soft tissue were red swelling and tenderness with a high skin temperature. Little pus was presented when the wound was crushed. Regional lymphadenopathy in right groin was found. No dyskinesia and tenderness of the ankle joint was found. Examination of her respiratory, cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal systems was unremarkable. Initial blood routine examination for her revealed: haemoglobin 12.5 g/dl; white blood cell count 7×10 9/L (neutrophils 4.48, lymphocytes 2.45); platelet, 184×10 9/L. But the white cell count increased to 11.2×10 9/L (neutrophils 8.52, lymphocytes 2.58) on the next day. Routine biochemical examination for her revealed normality.


ABSTRACT In a greenhouse study, boron (B) application significantly increased dry-matter yield of sweet pepper (Capsicum annum L.) cultivars ('California Wonder,' 'Anahein,' 'Narwala,' and '2573') grown in a B-deficient (hot-water extractable, 0.28 B mg kg−1), calcareous soil of the Shujabad series (Typic Ustochrepts). Five rates of B, ranging from 0 to 8 mg B kg−1 soil, were applied as H3BO3 along with adequate basal fertilization of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and zinc (Zn). Four plants of sweet pepper were transplanted in each pot, two of which were harvested after three weeks of transplanting and the other two after six weeks. Maximum crop biomass was produced with ∼1 mg B kg−1, but application of higher rates proved toxic, resulting in dry-matter yield reductions. The four cultivars significantly differed in relative growth rate (RGR) and relative accumulation rate of B (RARB). Cultivar '2573' showed the highest RGR while 'Anahein' showed the highest RARB. Relative accumulation rate was positively correlated (R2 = 0.83) with dry-matter yield of four cultivars. Critical B concentration in sweet pepper whole shoots was 69 mg B kg−1 for three-week-old plants and 49 mg B kg−1 for six-week-old plants.


Background Strained intensive care unit (ICU) capacity represents a supply-demand mismatch in ICU care. Limited data have explored health care worker (HCW) perceptions of strain. Methods Cross-sectional survey of HCW across 16 Alberta ICUs. A web-based questionnaire captured data on demographics, strain definition, and sources, impact and strategies for management. Results 658 HCW responded (33%; 95%CI, 32–36%), of which 452 were nurses (69%), 128 allied health (19%), 45 physicians (7%) and 33 administrators (5%). Participants (agreed/strongly agreed: 94%) reported that strain was best defined as "a time-varying imbalance between the supply of available beds, staff and/or resources and the demand to provide high-quality care for patients who may become or who are critically ill"; while some recommended defining "high-quality care", integrating "safety", and families in the definition. Participants reported significant contributors to strain were: "inability to discharge ICU patients due to lack of available ward beds" (97%); "increases in the volume" (89%); and "acuity and complexity of patients requiring ICU support" (88%). Strain was perceived to "increase stress levels in health care providers" (98%); and "burnout in health care providers" (96%). The highest ranked strategies were: "have more consistent and better goals-of-care conversations with patients/families outside of ICU" (95%); and "increase non-acute care beds" (92%). Interpretation Strain is perceived as common. HCW believe precipitants represent a mix of patient-related and operational factors. Strain is thought to have negative implications for quality of care, HCW well-being and workplace environment. Most indicated strategies "outside" of ICU settings were priorities for managing strain.


Non-invasive ventilation represents one of the milestones in respiratory and sleep medicine. In this article is presented brief history of non-invasive ventilation and overview of different regimes of non-invasive ventilation used in the treatment of patients with obstructive sleep apnoea and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.


Accumulating data from patients with progressive, castration-resistant prostate cancer enrolled in a phase I-II study of MDV3100 show this novel antiandrogen has durable antitumor activity in both pre- and post-chemotherapy populations.


This is a long overdue analysis of the methods by which individuals accused of crime are tried in different states in the European Union, and the process employed by the member states in the investigation and trial of crime. The EU is of course primarily an economic grouping, but as the trade barriers have been swept away, there has been a greater examination of the non-economic institutions of the member states. The method used is to examine the criminal justice system of each state under the same broad headings: sources; structure of the criminal justice system; parties to criminal proceedings; general principles concerning criminal procedure; coercive measures; the ordinary course of criminal proceedings; evidence; special forms of procedure; remedies etc. It is thus comparatively easy to ascertain the differences of approach between, say, the procedures in Eire and Greece or even between England and Wales, and Scotland! The accession to the Union of certain Scandinavian countries will mean that this book will soon have to be expanded, but in the meantime, it constitutes a first-rate collection of materials, presented in a readable and interesting format. It will be of interest to both academics and practitioners.


Sick building is the high-speed development of the poison carbuncle.Sick building syndrome is the deep pain that people enjoy the city life.The building is to provide a comfortable,healthy,full of energy and sustainable development of the city culture environment,is to improve the quality of people's well-off life,is essential point of city culture construction.Sick building syndrome sounds the alarm in the selection of green architecture green material.


The protection of rural drinking water sources is the core issue of the rural drinking water healthy and security issue.Through monitoring and evaluation of rural drinking water,we found the problems in water source selection,treatment technology and healthy management of rural drinking water.We proposed the objectives and requirements of rural water supply project.[Methods]We established 25 monitoring center of rural drinking water sources.Each monitoring center were collected the water samples of dry and rainy period from water source point and water ending point,and a total of 100 samples were collected.[Results]The quality compliance rate of rural drinking water samples reach 100% in the regional water supply of the urban-rural integration,while small-scale centralized water supply qualification rate was only 59.02%.[Conclusion]It suggests that the regional water supply is an effective measure to improve the quality of rural drinking water supply and the direction of development for the rural water supply project.


Background and Aims:  We previously reported that steatohepatitis develops in obese, hypercholesterolemic, diabetic foz/foz mice fed a high‐fat (HF) diet for 12 months. We now report earlier onset of steatohepatitis in relation to metabolic abnormalities, and clarify the roles of dietary fat and bodily lipid partitioning on steatosis severity, liver injury and inflammatory recruitment in this novel non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) model.


A growing struggle over resources, the unsolved Kashmir issue, India's engagement in Afghanistan and the probable resurgence of extremist elements in Kabul cast clouds over the future of further regional integration and cooperation.


Objectives: M-mode and 2D modalities are both used for measuring fetal myocardial wall thicknesses. However, studies comparing the performance of both modalities are lacking. We aimed to compare the reproducibility of 2D vs M-mode for measuring myocardial wall thicknesses. Methods: A prospective study including 45 healthy fetuses from low-risk pregnancies evaluated between 18 and 41 weeks of gestation. Left and right ventricular free-wall and septal myocardial thicknesses were measured at end-diastole (d) and end-systole (s) in a transverse 4-chamber view using 2D and M-mode. All measurements were performed twice, below the level of the atrioventricular valves for three times by an experienced observer, and the mean was considered as a representative final value in each case. Intraobserver repeatability was evaluated by the concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) and both techniques were compared by t-test of the CCC. Results: Both 2D and M-mode showed a good intraobserver reproducibility for assessing myocardial wall thicknesses (table 1). Both techniques were highly correlated, with a significant better performance of M-mode in the assessment of the interventricular septum. Conclusions: Both 2D and M-mode can be used in a reproducible manner, with a slightly better performance of M-mode for assessing septal thickness.


Based on the [SUSF(6)⊗O(3)]sym⊗SUc(3) quark model, we study transverse transition form factors from the nucleon to nucleonic excitation states Δ(1232), N*(1535), and N*(1680). The transition form factors GT(Q2) are calculated with a realistic and relativistic electromagnetic interaction. Therefore, a fit to experimental data examines to what extent the constituent quark model is workable. The comparison between theoretical results and experimental data shows that the constituent quark model cannot provide a successful description of the transitions.


In this paper the propagation of explosion waves, in a conducting gas, produced on account of a point explosion into inhomogeneous self-gravitating gas sphere is considered. Radiation effects have been taken into account and the density of the gas is assumed to vary as r/sup -alpha/, r being the distance from the point of explosion. In order that the mass and pressure be positive in the equilibrium state, the choice of alpha is restricted between 1 and 3. The variation of Mach number of the shock and energy of the wave with time have been taken into consideration.


Publishing in the digital era, to an overwhelming degree, still means publishing in print. More often than not what is published electronically today first started as print. While much of the energy in digital publishing has shifted to the electronic conveyance and display of information, the bulk of the economic activity still centers on print-based publishing. Electronic publishing is the future of the industry, but print publishing pays today's bills. Today's digital tools, technologies, and techniques are as often used in print as in electronic publishing. Mastering print publishing demands knowledge of a broad range of processes and technologies surrounding composition, design, and graphics. Print publishing has reached the intersection of 500 years of analog craft and a new era in digital computer graphics. Publishing practitioners require an appreciation of both. This chapter is a broad overview of the processes and technologies that comprise the practice of print publishing in the era of digital publishing. We focus on the digital technologies that are moving the process forward into the future, and the traditional craft-based skills still important in the digital era that optimize quality in everyday work.


High frequency surface wave radar (HFSWR) can continuously detect and track vessel targets over the horizon in real time. Compact HFSWR with a small aperture has the advantage of occupying smaller radar site, lower power consumption, easy deployment and maintenance. The detection technology of compact HFSWR is one of the development directions for HFSWR target monitoring. In this paper, we investigate the performance of target detection with compact HFSWR. The detection accuracies of azimuth, range and radial velocity with 3-channel compact HFSWR are analyzed and compared with those of the 8-channel radar system. Then the new idea of target tracking with compact HFSWR based on the integration of detection and tracking is presented, and the preliminary result of target tracking with compact HFSWR is given, and verified with the synchronous AIS data.


Lake Uluabat (Apolyont G61ii), an important bird conservation area, was sampled in summer, autumn, winter and spring, and ostracod species' seasonal and spatial distributions were investigated; many of the taxa collected are useful indicator species for monitoring within-basin conditions. The findings suggest that the Lake Uluabat ecosystem is already substantially degraded. Pollution, coupled with extensive water abstraction for irrigation, have the potential to damage the value of the lake, both commercially (as an inland waters fishery), and as an important site for wetland birds. We suggest that ostracod faunal analysis has value in the ecological study of such sites, particularly where more formal physicochemical monitoring methods are inappropriate or unavailable.


In April of this year the Department of Transport and Communications issued the Report of the 'Departmental Investigation into the Loss of the Bow Section of the Greek Registered Motor Tanker KIRKI, the Subsequent Fire, Evacuation of the Crew and the Salvage Operation.' The Report is some 130 pages long. What follows, translated into narrative form, is a condensed version of the Report concentrating mainly on the loss of the bow section, the fires and the tow north.


Structural analysis about failure mechanism of diode and IGBT is provided in this paper. Lifetime estimation methods taking advantage of leakage current increasing of power devices over time have been proposed. IGBT thermally assisted carrier multiplication due to p-n typed semiconductor is a primary reason of devices failure happened in lifetime period. By measuring IGBT leakage current, the characteristic changes over time are observed. Our research has identified a relation with lifetime.


The utility model relates to a novel pen container which comprises a container wall (1), a container bottom (2) and a container cavity (3). A pen seat (4) which is a flat cylinder made of rubber is arranged on the container bottom (2) at the inner part of the container cavity (3), a plurality of vertical pen inserting holes (5) with different diameter are arranged on the pen seat (4), the pen inserting holes (5) are used for fixing various pens, and each pen inserting hole (5) can be used for inserting one pen. The pen seat is arranged in the pen container, and the pen inserting holes are arranged on the pen seat; when the pen container is used for storing the pens, various pens can be inserted into different pen inserting holes; on one hand, various pens in the pen container are more beautiful in order; on the other hand, various pens can also be fixed on the pen seat in the pen container; therefore, the pens cannot be scattered everywhere even if the pen container is toppled over.


High levels of night-flight activity of the Australian plague locust, Chortoicetes terminifera Walker, occurred on at least five separate occasions during the 1973-74 plague in south-east Australia and resulted in episodic, large-scale invasions at night of parts of southern New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia from more northerly breeding areas. The plague did not, however, reach the severe and damaging levels expected in the areas invaded, since on at least three out of five occasions nocturnal migration continued offshore and resulted in extensive mortality. The relationship between migration patterns and synoptic circulation is shown for each of the five situations, with special reference to the use and limitations of wind trajectories for estimating high-altitude displacement of locusts at night.


The aggregate impact of an exotic species introduction, such as the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha), may involve a large number of biotic and abiotic interactions within the recipient ecosystem. We used laboratory experiments and field data to assess effects of zebra mussels on both foraging success of yellow perch (Perca flavescens) and activity of the amphipod Gammarus fasciatus. In two laboratory experiments zebra mussel clusters reduced the rate at which yellow perch captured amphipods. Yellow perch captured fewer amphipods when zebra mussels were present at two light levels ( 214 lx) and across a range of prey densities (76–1500 amphipods·m–2). The effect of zebra mussels on amphipod activity depended on light level. Yellow perch captured fewer amphipods in the presence of mussel clusters than when plants were present. The frequency of amphipods in the diets of adult yellow perch in Oneida Lake increased after zebra mussel introduction, but the increase was greater in low mussel density ...


Virgil's historical experience of Rome's civil wars shapes episodes and larger frames of chiastic reversal in the Aeneid. He plots out the twin aristeiai of Aeneas and Turnus in Book 12.500-53 as one long, intricate chiasmus to insist upon the interchangeability of the two heroes and of their two contending sides. Chiasmus similarly enters into the application of the opening simile of the epic, 1.148-153, to the action it describes, destabilizing the relationship of the Aeneid to the simile's content: the quelling by words of the violence of civil strife. Virgil's framing of the second half of the poem by the visitations of Allecto and the Dira doubly inverts their Homeric equivalents, the descents of a peacekeeping Athena at the beginning of the Iliad and the end of the Odyssey. Through chiasmus, Virgil simultaneously posits, undoes, and creates critical distance upon his epic's aspirations to aesthetic totality.


Summary Pasteurella species are commensal bacteria of the respiratory airways and oronasal cavity of animals. In this study, we report an unusual case of Pasteurella dagmatis isolation from dog urine with uroliths. An 11- year-old female dog was admitted to the Veterinary Hospital of Ahvaz University complaining of abdominal pain, hematuria, dysuria and stranguria. In clinical and radiological examinations, it was found that abdomen was distended due to urinary bladder obstruction with uroliths. Pasteurella dagmatis was isolated from urine specimen collected by cystocentesis. Finally, uroliths were removed by surgery. Appropriate antibiotic treatment with cephalexin caused improvement. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of P. dagmatis presence in dog urine.