An accurate mathematical model for vibrating wire sensors is introduced.The model can be used in the condition that the original frequency varies with temperature drifting and needs no any correction to compensate this drifting.Meanwhile,it is indicated that the model is similar to the linear one,and the variable difference will be estimated precisely just by setting the initial value to zero.Based on the two basic characters mentioned above,intelligent instruments adopting this model can show the measured parameters in digital forms,and help to process the measured data quickly and precisely.As a conclusion,a difficult problem which has been pensented for a long time in vibrating wire instruments field is then solved.In the end,some practical applications of this model are provided with initial frequency either measurable or immeasurable.


A diurnal rhythm of Xyleborus ferrugineus (F.) adult emergence from trunk sections of the host tree, Theobroma cacao L., was studied under controlled conditions of light and temperature to determine the type of periodism involved and the controlling factors. An endogenous circadian rhythm with a 22.5-hour free-running period was observed in constant darkness at 24.5°C. A periodicity fade-out progressed to complete asynchronization after 9 days in constant darkness. Phase shifting and synchronization were strongly influenced by both light and temperature.


ideal and belief education is the most important content about thoughts and politics? work of colleges and universities. Be sure to recognize fully its important status and strengthen ideal and belief education to university students by various ways, leading them in erecting long-rang ideal about Chinese specialty socialism, do believe socialism and communism to be realized


We present strongly improved electroweak precision constraints on the split-UED model. We find that the dominating effect arises from contributions to the muon decay rate by the exchange of even-numbered W-boson Kaluza-Klein modes at tree-level, which so far have not been discussed in the context of UED models. The constraints on the split-UED parameter space are translated into bounds on the mass difference of the first Kaluza-Klein mode of fermions and the lightest Kaluza-Klein mode, which will be tested is the LHC.


The Excursus examines Gregory's attempts to articulate the distinction of the three hypostases, addressing current debates over Gregory's position on the divine nature as a universal. It argues that Gregory articulates three conditions as necessary for an orthodox conception of how the three hypostases are differentiated: the hypostases must be unconfused, ordered in accordance with the baptismal formula, and conceived of as individuals within the common nature. Gregory never offers an account of how the three diverse and potentially contradictory conditions correlate. Still, the varied models he uses to explain the distinction of hypostases are not so much incompatible as mutually correcting. The works addressed are To Peter and the final section of To Ablabius. The Excursus argues that To the Greeks is inauthentic.


Abstract : The optimization of computer usage from both the users and the computer point of view is discussed. A system wherein several users simultaneously operate separate consoles is explained and specific requirements are laid down for a monitor and display system for a time sharing computer patterned to fit operations at the U. S. Naval Postgraduate School Computer Center and particularly the CDC 1604 computer and the DD 65 display unit. A more stringent and less flexible system working on the same principle is described and programmed with explanations and instructions for expansion.


Summary: This paper describes the preparation as well as evaluation of biocompatible membranes and coatings, for an amperometric glucose sensor in order to extend the linear range of the sensor characteristics. For this purpose, both Nafion and polyurethanes are highly suitable, as they increase the upper limit of linearity up to a factor of five. Nafion membranes underwent optimization of their diffusion behavior by temperature-controlled pressing. Sensors with coatings showed much smaller response times (one minute) than with membranes. In both cases, we achieved detection limits of 0.3 mmol/l glucose with a linear sensor characteristic of up to 10 mmol/l compared to 1.4 mmol/l for the unmodified electrodes. Furthermore, polymer coatings and membranes prevent clogging of the sensors by the bioanalytes.


Livestock ownership is more equitable than landholdings, 80 percent of livestock population are owned by landless, marginal and small landholders, providing about 40 percent of their annual income. However, with increasing the cost of commercial feed, unavailability of land for growing green fodder and stagnateof milk prices, farmers in Odisha have few incentives to intensify the livestock production. Nevertheless, opportunities have been identified which enable farmers to make more efficient use of their existing resources leading to considerable productivity increase. The study presents the experimental results on the impact of feeding chopped paddy straw or maize stoverin combination with mineral mixture on productivity of dairy animals. The experiment period was divided into four phases pre-deworming(I), deworming period(II), period with feeding chopped straw/stover without mineral mixture(III), and feeding chopped straw with mineral mixture(IV). The results indicated that deworming the animal has nosignificant impact on milk yield; howeverincrease in milk yield was observedin chopped period compared to un-chopped.Similar results also observed while we compared the milk yield between the period of feeding chopped straw maize stover with and without mineral mixture. Along with milk yield, serum calcium, Zinc andCopper status has improved after feeding chopped straw with mineral mixture supplementation. Farmers are not only benefited from increasing milk yield but by saving paddy straw (farmers managed to save 4-6 bundles straw per day/cattle). The cost 1 -This paper is part of the CSISA project funded by Melinda Bill gates and USAID a -InternationalLivestock Research Insitutte (ILRI), Nairobi, Kenya b -Associate Professor, Department of Animal Nutrition, College of CVSc& AH, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT)


At present society,the required numbers of pediatric dentists are increasing.The less professional pediatric dentists graduated from different official stomatology universities.The aim of this study was to explore the clinical effective model of undergraduate students in paediatric dentistry.To ensure the quality of the undergraduate clinical training program and to prepare for their vocational training in the future.by the way of the questionnaires of their clinical activity,Practicing dentists who graduated between 1998,2000 and 2001 at Xi'an Jiaotong Stomatology College consider generally that the fearful,disruptive child to be among the most troublesome of problems in their clinical work in pediatric dentistry.Through changing the methods of clinical training,focus on solving the problems about communication and cooperation between practicer and child by improving verbal conversational skills,emphasizing certain strategies,and improving linguistic abilities will contribute to better communication between child and pediatric dentist and to better cooperation and success in treatment.The satisfaction effect is aquirred among the undergraduate students by the new model.


Dr. G. A. L. Johnson said that the author had mentioned the occurrence of members of the Cawdor ostracod fauna in Yoredale strata of the North of England. Was it known whether the full Cawdor ostracod fauna was recognizable in the Yoredale rocks, and at what horizon in the succession did it occur? The Author replied that examination of the shale facies of the Yoredalian succession of Northumberland had shown that certain elements of the ostracod fauna of the Cawdor Limestones might occur within the upper part of the Lower Limestone Group (as denned on the Geological Survey Sheet 8 [N.S.]), and extend as high as the Five-Yard Limestone of South Northumberland. Within this succession, the greatest similarity to the total fauna of Cawdor Quarry was to be found in the shales of the Jew (= "E" of Geological Survey one-inch map [O.S.], Sheet 106, and = Oxford of North Northumberland [G. A. L. Johnson 1957, Geol. Mag3, 233]) and Tynebottom Limestones of South Northumberland.


Abstract : Fairchild AFB uses the Fairchild AFB General Plan; Long-Range Development Plan (LRDP) Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) School Master Plan, and resource management plans including the Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan and Integrated Cultural Resources Management Plan to project installation development requirements. These plans propose demolition construction, infrastructure improvement, natural infrastructure management, and strategic sustainability performance projects intended to ensure that the installation can sustain its current and future national security operations and mission-readiness status. Fairchild AFB seeks to improve the continuing installation development process by evaluating in a single EA selected projects from those proposed in the General Plan, LRDP, SERE School Master Plan, and resource management plans for installation development, called the Installation Development EA (IDEA). The Proposed Action is to implement a range of selected projects, such as demolition of aging facilities, new facility construction, facility upgrades, repair and renovation, utilities upgrades, infrastructure improvements, natural infrastructure management and other environmental projects, and strategic sustainability performance projects that would be completed or implemented during the next 5 fiscal years (FYs) (i.e., FY 2013 to FY 2018). The IDEA uses the fenceline-to-fenceline approach, capturing and addressing selected projects within the installation boundary that have been proposed by host and tenant agencies in accordance with Interservice Support Agreements. The intent of the IDEA is to address the Proposed Action of implementing installation development actions for continuing development on Fairchild AFB to ensure that future mission and facility requirements are met. The scope of the IDEA includes a detailed analysis of the selected projects, an evaluation of alternatives applicable to the selected projects and various categories


A still open issue in many-body theory is the asymptotic behavior of the exchange-correlation energy and potential in the vacuum region of a metal surface. Here we report a numerical study of the position-dependent exchange-correlation energy for jellium slabs, as obtained by combining the formally exact adiabatic-connection-fluctuation-dissipation theorem with either time-dependent density-functional theory or an inhomogeneous Singwi-Tosi-Land-Sj\"olander approach. We find that the inclusion of correlation allows to obtain well-converged semi-infinite-jellium results (independent of the slab thickness) that exhibit an image-like asymptotic behavior close to the classical image potential $V_{im}(z)=-e^2/4z$.


Voluntary boards of feminist organizations inevitably embody questions about the distribution of power and influence. The pressures of globalization which have resulted in the federal government's slow withdrawal from universal funding provide the conditioning framework for women's work as voluntary board members. This article explores the dynamics of women's work as voluntary board members on the board of a feminist service organization in Eastern Canada. Les conseils d'administration volontaires des organismes feministes incarnent inevitablement la problematique de la distribution du pouvoir et de l'influence exercee. La pression exercee par la globalization et dont le resultat a ete le retrait du soutien financier universel de la part du gouvernement encadrent le travail des femmes au sein de conseils d'administration volontaires. Cet article examine cette dynamique dans le contexte du conseil d'administration d'un organisme feministe a l'est du Canada. Introduction Voluntary organizations can be important in supporting social welfare activities and making the state more democratic and responsive to the rights and needs of all its citizens. As the federal government continues to reallocate its spending dollars and provincial governments and local organizations attempt to adjust to cuts and realignment in government spending (Roeher Institute, 1993; Yalnizian, 1993; Kerans, 1994; Cohen et al. 1998), the ideology of the market provides the "conditioning framework" (Cohen, 1997) for thinking about social welfare. While some argue that the community provision of services is always preferable to professional government services in the field of social welfare (McKnight, 1995), Canadian feminists have worked toward democratic community control of state supported feminist organizations. Voluntary action among women and government funding are not substitutes for one another but rather, in Canada, have become interdependent activities. This situation of government funding for women's services has been the result of a feminist struggle over women's rights as citizens to state funding. Feminist voluntary organizations have pioneered services and expanded the range of programs available to women beyond what government services or established charities were previously able to provide. Many women have contributed voluntary labour to initiate and steer such community organizations through complex social and economic terrain, having learned to navigate the maze of government departments and funding sources. They have also learned to negotiate social tensions inherent in civil society. Globalization and the mobility of capital are forces that push the reorganization of capital on human services. Women who have different types of work patterns from men are almost always among the first to experience the negative consequences of the redesign of social programs (Cohen, 1997). The structure of Canada's income support programs (family allowance, unemployment insurance, child support and social assistance) that creates this disparity; Canadian children (especially children living in single parent families) are poorer than those living in Europe (Phipps, 1993). The renewed reliance on the marketplace as the economic mechanism to meet basic social needs can never fully replace the necessity for government funding of public services which in Canada have long supported voluntary action (Brown, 1996). Neither the marketplace nor government services have initiated programs to respond to the needs identified by the feminist movement, originally identified and developed by the efforts of feminists in voluntary community organizations. The organizations and community groups on whose boards feminists have worked have become significant contributors to the movement for change that is beneficial to women. The pressure of the federal government's withdrawal from universal funding notwithstanding, feminists have also had to opportunity to test out strategies for survival under conditions which are less than favourable because of their early identification of private troubles as public issues. …


We conducted a fundamental study for modeling intra-household activity time allocation for elderly couples, with the prospect that it might contribute to analyzing travel behavior of increasing "active seniors". We formulated a household activity time allocation model that considers both time and budget constraints. The data drawn from the nationwide survey on time use and leisure activities is used for the identification of the model. Finally, the sensitivity analysis of utility level and time use patterns are conducted.


We glue two families of Bernstein-Szegö polynomials to construct the eigenbasis of an associated finite-dimensional Jacobi matrix. This gives rise to finite orthogonality relations for this composite eigenbasis of Bernstein-Szegö polynomials. As an application, a number of Gauss-like quadrature rules are derived for the exact integration of rational functions with prescribed poles against the Chebyshev weight functions.


This study dealt with the reaction kinetics of rapeseed oil transesterification with methyl alcohol, temperature, reactants molar ratio and catalyst amount influences upon triglycerides conversion. It was found out that increasing temperature and decreasing alcohol: oil ratio lowered triglycerides final conversion. Reaction rate is increasing with increasing temperature and catalyst amount. On the other hand increasing catalyst amount in reactants mixture also leads to a greater quantity of soap formation, detrimental to biodiesel yield. Kinetic experiments performed at 6:1 methanol : oil molar ratio, 50 and 60 0C reaction temperatures, 0.3% and 0.6% (by weight of reactants) catalyst loading, showed that during the first part, reaction evolved far from chemical equilibrium and on that time frame (0÷30 min) it is proved a second – order kinetics .Also in the same time, reaction rate constant doubles its value at a 10 0C temperature increase and is 21/2 times higher when catalyst load doubles.


It is important that the career of accounting and auditing count on an assessment tool to find flaws and help you make corrections in the lifetime of the curriculum adapting it to changes that take place at the level of higher education in order to take timely decisions.
Our research serves to support the redesign of the curriculum which must be consistent as to be in a competitive world it is necessary to have a mesh or curricular aspects and characteristics of the environment where the student develops, to have the materials and teachers with learning skills needed to obtain more appropriate academic quality professionals that you look for the accounting and auditing career.
The guide is raised is based on indicators established by oversight and monitoring a comprehensive assessment to determine the curriculum for further redesign if that were the case.
The research contains three chapters; the first comprises the research, justification background, the methodology used to help the collection of information through the use of surveys and interviews attributed to students, teachers and authorities respectively; the second relates to processing analysis and interpretation of results of surveys of students and teachers and a report on the interview applied to race officials in a sample of 190 students and 33 teachers are expressed using statistical tables and graphics, and finally the third chapter contains a proposed curriculum evaluation guide to help plan the improvement of professional skills of graduates framed in the Organic Law on Higher Education in the Master Plan of the Faculty and the methodological guide for the evaluation and improvement of the races (Model CEAACES, 2013)


In this two-part paper, time-accurate solutions of the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations are presented, which address through model problems, the response of turbulent propeller-blade boundary layers, and wakes to external-flow traveling waves. In Part I, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology flapping foil experiment is simulated and the results validated through comparisons with data. The physics of unsteady blade flows are shown to be complex with analogy to Stokes layers and are explicated through visualization and Fourier analysis. It is shown that convection induced steady/unsteady interaction causes deformation of the external-flow waves and is responsible for the upstream- and downstream-traveling pressure-gradient waves over the foil and in the wake, respectively. The nature of the unsteady displacement thickness suggests viscous-inviscid interaction as the mechanism for the response. In Part 2, a parametric study is undertaken to quantify the effects of frequency, foil geometry, and waveform.


The invention relates to a method for operating a discharge lamp (12) a projection arrangement (10), wherein the projection device (10) comprises a color wheel (14) and a ballast (16) for the discharge lamp (12) which (in the operation of the projection assembly 10 ) of the discharge lamp (12) provides an air stream with at least a first waveform (WF_B) having a first predeterminable commutation (KS_B), and a second predetermined waveform (WF_A) having a second predeterminable commutation (KS_A), comprising the steps of : a) depositing the first Kommutierungsschemas (KS_B) in the ballast (16) such that the first commutation (KS_B) satisfies a requirement related to a first criterion, said first criterion is an electrode burn, b) placing the second Kommutierungsschemas (KS_A) in the ballast (16) such that the second commutation (KS_A) a default with respect to a meets the second criterion, and c) operating the discharge lamp (12) under a change of the first (KS_B) and the second Kommutierungsschemas (KS_A), wherein a periodic variation in brightness of the discharge lamp (12) is used as the second criterion. The invention further relates to a corresponding projection arrangement (10).


How to realize the displacement measurement and display was discussed.Single-chip microcomputer was used to deal with the collected data and control the acts of the system.A random type and a semicircle type reflective optical fiber displacement sensor was used to compensate the linearity of optical fiber displacement sensor.The range of measurement was enlarged meanwhile.Basing on the principle of reflective fiber-optic sensor,a method of online non-contact testing for roller abradability was proposed.The measurement of the reflective light intensity was utilized in the method.Also a practical circuit for reflective fiber displacement sensor in testing roller abradability was introduced emphatically.


The research reported below is part of a new global urban analysis that focusses upon the relations between cities. A world-city network is specified as an "interlocking" structure in which global service firms link cities together through their office networks. A basic data matrix has been created describing the importance of 316 cities to the operations of 100 firms. Twenty-nine of these cities are from the West Asian/North African (WA/NA) region. The global network connectivities of all cities are defined and it is found that cities from the region rank relatively low: only one is in the world top 50, Istanbul at 35th. In analyses of the top 123 cities, which include 12 from the region, it is found that the WA/NA cities are generally unimportant in service sector articulations in the world economy and are largely represented only among the "outer" cluster of unimportant cities, but that some cities, notably Istanbul, Beirut, Dubai, and Cairo, do possess potential "network power" as gateway cities. Amon...


How groups maintain and revise their beliefs and attitudes in the face of new information is a basic research question in human social behavior and communications, as well as having a range of applications in crafting effective communications in such areas as health interventions, political campaigns and advertising. In this paper, we argue for a coherence based approach for modeling group belief revision processes and as a framework for studying belief and attitude change. Coherence models have a rich history of applicability in the psychological sciences where they have been used to explain a range of belief maintenance processes in the individual. Given that processes of social comparison and pressure can homogenize a cohesive group's beliefs, we argue in this paper to extend the application of coherence models to modeling group belief systems. Additionally, we address challenges in constructing and using such belief models. Typically, creating accurate models of either an individual or group's beliefs requires the painstaking engagement of domain experts. We present and demonstrate a method for producing them from data and exploring potential vectors of attitude change in their subpopulations.


The present article deals with the wear of the balls used for the grinding of the clinker in the processes of obtaining cement. Three specimens of different steel were made: one of steel AISI 4140, with which balls are forged for the milling process; another 70XL steel (70 XL) with normalized, tempered and tempered thermal treatments; and the third, of equal material that the second but without treatment. For the metallographic observation the samples were made with dimensions of 10 mm in diameter and 8 mm in thickness, revealing for AISI 4140 steel a structure of martensitic type with some presence of acicular ferrite. For the 70XL steel without heat treatment the presence of ferrite and cementite was observed, while the steel 70XL with heat treatment showed in the limits of free cementite grain in a pearly matrix, which resulted in a higher hardness (up to HRC 59 , 8) and lower gravimetric wear compared to other materials. Therefore it is recommended as the most suitable for the manufacture of balls for grinding minerals 70XL steel with heat treatment.


A glue coating method comprises arranging a glass substrate to be glue-coated on a preset glass substrate platform; arranging a screen printing plate on the glass substrate, forming an effective area on the screen printing plate and enabling the effective area of the screen printing plate to be matched with the glass substrate; coating glue at the edge of the effective area of the screen printing plate; enabling the glue to penetrate the screen printing plate and scrapping the glue on the glass substrate through a preset scraper. According to the glue coating method and a glue laminating machine, the glue is dispensed on the screen printing plate and scrapped on the glass substrate through the scraper and accordingly the working efficiency is improved, meanwhile the glue coating uniformity is improved, and the accuracy is guaranteed in comparison with the method of dispensing point-by-point.


It is shown that the developed methods of carrying out of inter-laboratory verifying tests enable to estimate accuracy of applied test methods and results of measurements.


This article proposes to tease out the complexities in the relationship between photographs of Proust and the author's metaphor of literary creation as a photographic process. To do so, the article begins by studying how the publishers blurred the boundaries between fiction and autobiography by illustrating the covers of Proust's works with a photograph of the author. The article then examines how Proust himself transgressed that boundary by including a reference to a real photograph of himself in his narrative. The last section of the article analyses the portraits of Proust on his death bed done by artists and photographers who penetrated into his dark room in order to immortalize him in a last image. These images mark the turning point between the author's final word and the reader's first step into the text.


Believing that infrastructure should move to the cloud to save money for the business is admitting that IT is a non-strategic cost center. Infrastructure should


This article examines the global impact of China's post-Mao transformation as reflected in Sino-Cuban relations. China and Cuba resumed their comradeship after Castro endorsed China's crackdown of the 1989 pro-democracy movement, and since then Beijing has promoted its approach towards legitimizing the one-party regime through engaging in economic reforms and opening to the world to Havana. "China's lesson for Cuba" has been discussed by many Cubanists worldwide. However, the Chinese approach has posed a dilemma to Fidel Castro: he admires China's power but has doubts about the future of socialism in China. The article argues that Castro has so far adopted his old strategy for dealing with Soviet influence in the 1960s in his engagement with China: praising his political ally's power as the evidence of socialism's vitality for his domestic consumption, while significantly limiting the application of China's economic policies. But his more pragmatic successors, Raul Castro in particular, may adopt the Chinese approach.


We analyze the bit error rate (BER) performance of optical coherent communication systems employing multi-section monolithic tunable lasers with large excess phase noise. The BER of the coherent system utilizing a second-order decision-directed digital phase-locked loop (DD-PLL) for phase tracking was computed numerically. Experimental results have also been demonstrated with a 16-quadratic-amplitude modulation coherent system deploying a sampled-grating distributed Bragg reflector laser at 16 Gbaud that confirms the performance of the second-order DD-PLL in tracking the excess phase noise.


This article presents the design of a new closed loop technique that reduces the common mode conducted emission. It can be applied to any kind of switching circuit in which couples of outputs are modulated by a bipolar PWM signal. It is based on the compensation of the delay between complementary output switching edges, using a simple sensing circuit and a low computational effort software algorithm, which is implemented in a microcontroller driving the switching circuit. One of the main advantages of the proposed solution is the reduction of the disturbance energy, without affecting the system efficiency. The technique is practical to implement, and the measurements performed on a power inverter prototype confirm the theoretical analysis outcomes about the reduction of the conducted emission in the lower-to-medium frequency range.


Early in this decade, Sr. Marie-Suzanne and associates, in Lyon, reported (7, 8) that she had cultivated, from a leproma, an acid-fast bacillus which was called-in the name of the person from whom the specimen had come--the "Chauvin~ strain" (souche Chauvire ). After having been studied in Rome by Penso, it was formally named Mycobacterium ma1'ianum, in honor of the Marist order to which Sr. Marie-Suzanne belonged (9). From this culture a vaccine was prepared for the treatment of leprosy patients, and it has been widely distributed for therapeutic trials. Favorable results were reported in an early period by Blanc and associates (1, 2) who were among those to whom the "antigen" was first given for large-scale trials. It was injected intradermally in doses of 0.1 cc. once a month for three months, followed by two months rest, then a new course of three monthly injections. Severe local reactions occurred in 8.4 per cent, and there were' very severe reactions accompanied by constitutional symptoms in an additional 1.4 per cent. The percentages of cases classified as improved after two to three years of treatment were! for lepromatous, 76.0; for tuberculoid, 84.7; and for indeterminate, 70.5. Only 4.2 per cent of the lepromatous cases became worse, 5.6 per cent of the indeterminate, and none of the tuberculoid. About 50 per cent of the cases had received sulfones during treatment with the antigen; the other half were given antigen therapy alone. There was no control series. Favorable results following 9 months treatment with this antigen were also reported in the same period by Gate and Rousset (6). Vaccinations were made in tradermally at intervals of 3 to 15 days. Lepromatous cases showed subsidence of nodules, but there was less marked improvement of leprides in nonlep romatous cases. In another publication, Blanc et al. (3) reported that three intradermal injections of 0.1 cc. each of the Chauvire vaccine were given at monthly intervals to 73 patients with lepromatous leprosy. Of 63 who were originally negative to lepromin, 32 became reactive, while of 10 who were positive, 8 remained positive but 2 became negative. The first Mitsuda test was performed one month before the first Chauvire vaccination, the second one two months after the third vaccination.


Global dryland areas are vulnerable to climate change and anthropogenic activities, making it essential to understand the primary drivers and quantify their effects on vegetation growth. In this study, we used the Time Series Segmented Residual Trends (TSS-RESTREND) method to attribute changes in vegetation to CO2, land use, climate change, and climate variability in Chinese and American dryland areas. Our analysis showed that both Chinese and American drylands have undergone a greening trend over the past four decades, with Chinese greening likely linked to climatic warming and humidification of Northwest China. Climate change was the dominant factor driving vegetation change in China, accounting for 48.3%, while CO2 fertilization was the dominant factor in American drylands, accounting for 47.9%. However, land use was the primary factor resulting in desertification in both regions. Regional analysis revealed the importance of understanding the drivers of vegetation change and land degradation in Chinese and American drylands to prevent desertification. These findings highlight the need for sustainable management practices that consider the complex interplay of climate change, land use, and vegetation growth in dryland areas.


Rotational spectra of several isotopomers of Ar3–H2O and Ar3–H2S tetramers were obtained with a Balle–Flygare Fourier transform microwave spectrometer. Both were found to be symmetric tops, the former being an oblate and the latter a prolate one. The rotational constants B, Dj, and DJK were determined to be 1172.1323(1) MHz, 7.199(1) kHz, and –5.545(2) kHz for the H2O and 819.0385(1) MHz, 3.346(1) kHz, and +3.145(2) kHz for the H2S containing tetramer. Substitution analysis with the rotational constants of various isotopomers led to an Ar–Ar distance of 3.848 (3.865) A and an Ar-c.m.(H2X) distance of 3.675 (4.112) A for H2O (H2S) complexes. The angle between the C2 axis of the H2X and the C3 axis of the tetramer is estimated to be 74° for H2O and 13° for the H2S complex. No evidence for any excited tunneling/internal rotor states was found for either of the tetramer. MMC calculations show that the equilibrium geometry has the H2X positioned above the plane of the Ar3 with both the protons pointing towards one Ar each. The barrier for the "pseudorotation" in which the protons hop between the argons is determined to be about 6 (8) cm–1 only for H2O (H2S) making the H2X moiety very mobile and effectively making both the tetramers symmetric tops. Rigid body diffusion quantum Monte Carlo (RBDQMC) calculations with the MMC potential have been carried out for vibrational analysis.


Employee benefits were paid much attention in recent years.How to improve the welfare system of the corporate employees has become an important problem enterprises facing.The United States have a high degree of sound Employee Benefit Plans and an effective flexible benefits mechanism.This paper analyses American flexible benefit plan of formation,basic type and advantages,which will open and enlighten how to design and improve the welfare system.And then the paper puts forward corresponding countermeasures.


Black pepper has been used in traditional medicine as an analgesic. In this investigation, the effects of piperine, an alkaloid derived from black pepper seeds on the jumping induced by naloxone were studied on morphine dependent mice. This experimental study was conducted on case (piperine) and control (saline) groups of mice. Mice were made dependent to morphine using Marshall method. For evaluation of dependency, the number of jumps after naloxone injection was counted in a period of 30 minutes. There was a significant difference between number of jumps of mice in saline (10 ml/kg, IP) and drug groups (piperine 25, 50, 75 mg/kg, IP), as well as significant differences in latency period for jumping behavior in two groups. Based on these results, piperine may affect the intensity of morphine dependency.


A genogram refers to a family tree used for medical purposes. It is a useful diagnosis tool for physicians to understand patients' family information. There are many programs that attempt to support genogram creation, but each has its own limitation. For examples, some programs require users to pay usage fee and to install them in computers in order to view and edit genograms. While free Web-based genogram tools offer more economical alternatives to the formers, their users usually cannot save genograms for later edition. Moreover, it is not possible to integrate and reuse functionalities from these existing programs in users' own systems. Therefore, we propose a JavaScript library, called "enGeno", to address the above issues. From our performance evaluation, the enGeno library can efficiently provide physicians capabilities to store and retrieve information about their patients.


The magnetization was used to treat the high concentration of chlorophyll-a wastewater. The main factors on the magnetization were examined,including velocity,circulation time and the initial concentration of chlorophyll-a respectively. The experimental results showed that high-strength magnetization had a remarkable effect dealing with algae. It also showed that the optimal conditions was v=3.78m/s,t=360 min.


Crouzon syndrome, an autosomal dominant disorder, has characteristic features of craniosynostosis, hypertelorism, exophthalmos, maxillary hypoplasia and relative mandibular prognathism. Mutations of fibroblast growth factor receptor 2(FGFR2) gene are associated with craniosynostotic conditions, such as Crouzon syndrome, Jackson-Weiss syndrome, Pfeiffer syndrome, Apert syndrome and Beare-Stevenson cutis gyrata. We found one child with common morphological features of Crouzon syndrome. Interestingly, she was found to have Cys342Ser mutation in FGFR2 exon Ⅲc which has been previously observed in Jackson-Weiss syndrome. This finding supports the variable expression of FGFR2 in human and allelic heterogeneity in these apparently clinically distinct craniosynostotic conditions. (J Korean Pediatr Soc 1998;41:1717-1721)


AbstractDivorce is a decision that is very contrary to God's will. But it is often the final decision in solving heavy and complicated problems in a marriage. This has also often been experienced by Christian families. That is why it is very important to understand the Word of God in Matthew 19:6 saying: "So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate." This is very important to discuss because of the high rate of divorce in Christian families. Where the divorce does not only affect the person concerned (husband and wife), but also involves children. Children's reactions to their parents' divorce are greatly influenced by the way parents behave before, during and after the divorce.Keywords: Review, Theological, Impact, Divorce


iii that the work contained in this di33eFtati61"1/a33iSI'U'I'lel"lt1thesis my lot previously in its entirety or in part submitted it at any university ~has been undertaken solely by the candidate, except where due lht @ 2007 Stellenbosch University All rights reserved The uranium leaching behaviour of ore from three different mines in the Vaal River region, namely Kopanang, Great Noligwa and Moab Khotsong, was investigated. The aim of the work was to characterise the uranium leaching behaviour of the different ores. It involved a full mineralogical evaluation of the ore as well as determining optimum operating conditions for maximum extraction of uranium, relating the extractions to mineralogical features of the ores. The major bulk minerals in the three Vaal River ores have been identified and consist primarily of quartz (70 80 %), with lesser amount~ of muscovite (8 11 %). Moab Khotsong and Noligwa ore samples were found to be very similar, and Kopanang is different from the two ores. Kopanang ore has less pyrite, quartz, and chlorite than the other two ores, but contains more pyrophyllite. Chlorite is an acid consumer and a Fe2+/Fe3+ producer in uranium leaching. The difference in mineralogy of the three ores definitely reflected in the reagent profiles during acid leaching of uranium, specifically acid consumption. With regards to uranium occurrence, bulk uranium analysis showed that 80 90 % of the uranium in the ores is contained as uraninite, 8 19 % as brannerite, and the balance as traces of coffinite and uranium phosphates. Uranium grain sizes were found to be very small, with 50 % of the particles passing 19.4, 21.3 and 23.2 IJm for Kopanang, Noligwa and Moab Khotsong respectively. The degree of liberation of the uranium-bearing minerals was low, between 11 and 45 %, and expectedly increased as particle size decreased. However, between 87 and 93 % of the uraninite particles and 71 to 86 % of the brannerite particles have more than 10 % of their surfaces exposed, and even higher proportions have more than 5 % of their surfaces exposed. The primary experiments were designed within practically attainable boundaries, although special experiments were performed outside the boundaries during subsequent mechanistic studies. H2S04 addition varied between 10 and 25 kg/t, temperature varied between 40 and 60°C, and Mn02 addition varied between 2 and 4 kg/t (100 percent Mn02). Mn02 was added as pyrolusite, 1.5 hours after addition of acid. A relative pulp density of 1.55 was used. Leaching times of 24 and 48 hours were investigated. The ore was milled to 80 % -75 IJm, even though coarser grinding was also investigated. It was found that 60 90 % dissolution could be achieved as leaching conditions were varied within the operating window. Acid addition had the greatest influence on final uranium extractions. Practically useful results, within the operating window attainable in a plant, can be summarised as follows: Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za


Ambulatory monitoring of blood pressure (BP) and heart rate in a multicentric Italian study is used to investigate effects of smoking and of a family history of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease in clinically healthy adults of both genders between 40 and 59 years of age. A higher 24-h rhythm-adjusted mean of systolic blood pressure is found in smokers having a positive family history of high blood pressure. The results of this chronobiologic investigation are reviewed in the context of relations between smoking and cardiovascular morbidity. It appears that the effect of smoking depends in part on interacting factors. The major factor in this context may well be the family history of BP insofar as the results of the study based on a considerable number of observations are considered.<<ETX>>


Water monomer adsorption and dissociation on clean and Pd-doped ZnO(11 (2) over bar0) surface were investigated by using density functional theory calculations. It was found that water monomer on clean ZnO(11 (2) over bar0) prefers the molecular adsorption rather than dissociation. However, its dissociation on Pd-doped ZnO became exothermic with reaction energy of -0.21 eV and kinetically facile with barrier of 0.36 eV, due to enhanced bonding strength of the product OH and H.


NOTE: This is a Summary Report of an investigation on Research Project No. 2, "Determination of Permissible Chloride Levels in Prestressed Concrete," sponsored by the Prestressed Concrete Institute. The study was carried out in the Construction Technology Laboratories, a Division of the Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Illinois. The full report (84 pp.) is available from PCI Headquarters upon request at a cost of $30 per copy; $15 to PCI members. was found that the threshold water soluble chloride limit above which corrosion of prestressed tendons occurred during and immediately after curing was between 0.11 and 0.17 percent by weight of cement. However, it was also found that under prolonged uniformly moist or dry conditions, active corrosion could not be sustained even in the presence of water soluble chloride contents as high as 0.9 to 1.0 percent by weight of cement. This study further demonstrated that, with chloride ion present, changes in exposure conditions, such as alternate drying and wetting, and differential or localized drying, can rapidly initiate corrosion. These changes had greater impact on corrosion processes than cement composition, curing method, or


The conclusion that plant can retard water and soil erosion is drawn according to analysis upon the correlative studies in the world as well as the mechanism in which plant effects water and soil erosion.As one of the impacting factors,plant factor plays such an essential role that can not be neglected during the anticipation and evaluation of water and soil erosion,both in fine-scale experiments and coarse-scale studies that based on the "3S" techniques.Among many kinds of models that are related to coarse scale,USLE model and its various revisory forms are accepted and applied diffusely.


The Thermal Kinetic Parametersof Vegetable Canned Food Preservation Processes
Food canning preservation makes extensive use of food thermal preservation to eliminate microbial agents, thereby ensuring that products remain microbiologically safe. The aim of the present study is to assess the sterilization treatment of canned foods-beans, chickpeas and lentils-and to determine the D, z and C parameters of their thermal process kinetics. The food samples underwent several sterilization (autoclave) treatments at working temperatures(Tai) for different time periods. The D and z values of the beans were higher than those of the chickpeas and the lentils. When applied to bean and chickpea samples, the Bigelow model performed better assays at lower temperatures.


Markov chains are awesome and can solve some important computational problems. A classic example is computing the volume of a convex body, where Markov chains and random sampling provide the only known polynomial time algorithm. Arguably the most important question about a Markov chain is how long to run it until it converges to its stationary distribution. Generally, a chain is run for some fixed number of steps, until the current point is provably within some threshold distance from the target distribution. However, this ignores the information we gain as the chain takes its steps, which could potentially be beneficial for determining convergence. For instance, we might converge much faster than the mixing time suggests, or perhaps the mixing time is unknown, in which case we have no a priori way to know how long to run the Markov chain. So instead, perhaps we observe some quantities of the walk, and then announce convergence once some condition is met. Such algorithms which, at a high level, use the walk to determine convergence are referred to as stopping rules. Also note that we can use stopping rules to create distributions other than the stationary distribution of the Markov chain. A trivial example of such a stopping rule is to stop the walk when we reach a current state x. We will see other more interesting stopping rules that can generate complex distributions over the state space.


The reaction of methane with nitrogen dioxide has been studied in a flow system at temperatures from 600°—900°C with contact times of about 10—2 sec and in a static system from 350°—400°C and a total pressure of 250 mm. Initial rates have been related empirically and a discussion of the possible reactions occurring is presented.


The paper gives a general review of the theoretical and empirical study on economic value added (EVA). EVA is a managerial performance measure based upon the residual income concept and has been widely used in corporate managerial practice. In this paper, the definition of EVA was introduced, and the goal congruence that EVA aims to achieve as a performance measure was discussed theoretically. Then we commented on the validity of EVA derived from the results of the empirical researches, and finally gave a prospect on the further study in this field.


I. INTRODUCTION The Bureau of Justice Statistics has compiled statistical analyses showing that the average amount of time an inmate spends on death row has steadily increased over the past thirty years. (1) In fact, the shortest average amount of time an inmate spent on death row during that time period was seventy-one months in 1985, or roughly six years, with the longest amount of time being 198 months, or sixteen and one half years, in 2012. (2) This means that the amount of time an inmate spends on death row has almost tripled over the past few decades. (3) Missouri has increased its rate of executions in recent years and tied with Texas for administering the most executions in 2014. (4) Between 1989 and 2014, the average stay on death row in Missouri was a little over twelve years, with the average stay for Missouri prisoners between 2013 and 2014 being roughly twenty years. (5) With the rapid rate of executions, a Missouri post-conviction attorney reports that her clients are now becoming "more stressed," as inmates that her clients have been living with for ten to fifteen years are just now being executed. (6) Arizona, Georgia, Florida, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Texas are the only states to have executed any of their death row inmates in the past year. (7) Many states have only executed three or fewer inmates since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976; yet, they continue to retain the death penalty as a potential punishment for first-degree murder. (8) Although many states rarely, if ever, execute their inmates, all states that currently have the death penalty have inmates on their death row. (9) How long is too long for these inmates to wait for a punishment they may never receive? If states are unwilling or unable to execute in a timely fashion, then are these inmates effectively experiencing life without parole with only the remote possibility of death at the hands of the state? Why inmates spend so long on death row and the accompanying mental ramifications are discussed in Part II. Part III discusses the response of American courts to the lengthy stays of inmates on death row. Next, Part IV discusses the international opinion on America's lengthy stay on death row, international tribunal holdings on the matter, the philosophical implications of a lengthy stay on death row, and possible solutions. Finally, Part V concludes this Note, finding that abolition of the death penalty is the best solution. II. BACKGROUND: THE CONSEQUENCES OF A LONG STAY ON DEATH ROW This Part discusses the appeals process for death row inmates and additionally exposes some of the factors giving rise to the lengthy stay on death row. Following that, Part II.B. describes the mental suffering that an inmate endures while on death row, and Part II.C. defines "Death Row Phenomenon." A. Why the Long Wait? The reason there is so much time between sentencing and execution is the appellate process. If a defendant is sentenced to death after the guilt and sentencing phases of trial, his sentence is automatically appealed to the state's highest court. (10) Then, if the conviction is not overturned, the defendant can petition the Supreme Court of the United States on federal constitutional grounds. (11) If the Supreme Court denies certiorari, the defendant can then make a state post-conviction appeal to the original trial court judge. (12) It is on this post-conviction appeal to the original trial court judge that the defendant can raise issues outside of the record, such as incompetent counsel, new evidence, Brady violations, etc. (13) After appealing to the trial court judge, the defendant can subsequently appeal to the state's intermediate appellate court and then to the state's highest court. (14) If the state's highest court upholds the conviction, the defendant can petition the Supreme Court of the United States again on issues outside of the record. …


Buckling and postbuckling behaviors of sandwich plates reinforced by single-walled carbon nanotube (CNT), rested on elastic foundations and subjected to uniform temperature rise, are investigated in this article. CNT is embedded into matrix phase through uniform or functionally graded distributions. The properties of constituent materials are assumed to be temperature-dependent, and effective properties of nanocomposite are determined by extended rule of mixture. Two models of sandwich plates with face sheets and core layer reinforced by CNTs are presented. Formulations are based on the first-order shear deformation theory taking geometrical nonlinearity, initial geometrical imperfection, plate-foundation interaction, and elasticity of tangential edge constraints into consideration. Analytical solutions of deflection and stress function are assumed, and Galerkin method is applied to derive nonlinear temperature–deflection relation from which buckling temperatures and thermal postbuckling paths are obtained through an iteration algorithm. Numerical examples show the effects of CNT volume fraction, distribution patterns, in-plane edge constraint, elastic foundations, geometrical ratios, initial imperfection, and temperature dependence of properties on thermal postbuckling behavior of nanocomposite sandwich plates. The most important finding is that sandwich plate constructed from CNT-poor nanocomposite core layer and thin homogeneous face sheets with partially movable edges bring the best capacities of thermal buckling resistance and postbuckling load carrying.


Viruses are very small organisms that incorporate their DNA into host cells and cause several diseases. They evolve extremely faster when compared to other organisms. Viruses can develop into new strains easily due to their shorter generation times and due to rapid changes in their genome sequences (in the form of mutations) during the course of evolution. In view of the recent pandemics of viruses such as HIV, SARS, Swine flu, Huntavirus, etc., studying the evolution of viruses at genomic level would be very informative. A special type of DNA repeats named compound microsatellites are often studied to understand the genomic evolution of organisms. This paper presents the details of the study performed to analyze the distribution of compound microsatellites and their motif preferences in all sequenced viral genomes using the classical data mining algorithm called Apriori Algorithm. It is interesting to note that the dynamics of compound microsatellites in viruses differ from that of higher organisms. We observed that viral compound microsatellites are not composed of similar or identical motifs unlike humans and other higher organisms where more than 90% of them are composed of similar motifs.


The Republic of Indonesia is characterized by ethnic and religious diversity. Islam is the most widespread religion in Indonesia and most of the Indonesian population is Muslim. Indonesian society is based on the principles of religious tolerance. The equality of people is the most important socio-political value of the Indonesian society, which guarantees an equality for allpeople, regardless of their ethnicity, religion or social class. Religion can be the foundation that can strengthen the country and become the foundation for development. At the same time, religion may not be the official state ideology. We study the relationship between religion and state in Indonesia. What problems arise in the relationship between religion and the state? This study aims to find out how Islam and politics in Indonesia are in harmony with the ideology of the Indonesian nation and how religious values can support moral foundations of Indonesian politics. We used analyze secondary sociological data and studied researches of the largest Indonesian academics on the problems of the relationship between religion and politics. We used the method of library research with abstracting and collecting data. A new set of scientific sources in the Indonesian language is being introduced into scientific circulation. The results of the study showed that Indonesia is not a democracy based on the principles of democratic processes of Western Europe. The peculiarity of Indonesia lies in the interaction of religious values and the politics. Indonesian politics is characterized by religious tolerance. At the same time, religious and cultural values are incorporated into the political practices of Indonesia in the form of moral and ethical guidelines. Thus, Indonesia is not a religious or secular country, but a country where religious values are the moral and ethical main ideology of state development.


Xiaoshan Hydro-junction is a key works of the East Zhejiang Water Transfer Project;of which the layout of the water intake affect the water resources regulation of the Eastern Zhejiang Province directly.Furthermore,the water intake is located on a tidal river reach with a more complicated hydrological condition.The reasonability of the layout for the approach channel of the water intake is then necessary to be demonstrated.The numerical simulation on the layout of the water intake is made with a 2-D hydrodynamic numerical model,and then the project layout is optimized,the large area back-flow zone of the original layout is eliminated and the impact from the implementation of the project on the navigation of the ship lock of an new upstream dam is analyzed as well.On the whole,the calculation made herein provides a technical basis for the project layout.


We present a high-resolution (∼5 ") image of the nucleus of M 82 showing the presence of widespread emission of the formyl radical (HCO). The HCO map, the first obtained in an external galaxy, reveals the existence of a structured disk of ∼650 pc full diameter. The HCO distribution in the plane mimics the ring morphology displayed by other molecular/ionized gas tracers in M 82. More precisely, rings traced by HCO, CO and HII regions are nested, with the HCO ring lying in the outer edge of the molecular torus. Observations of HCO in galactic clouds indicate that the abundance of HCO is strongly enhanced in the interfaces between the ionized and molecular gas. The surprisingly high overall abundance of HCO measured in M 82 (X(HCO)∼4 10 −10) indicates that its nuclear disk can be viewed as a giant Photon Dominated Region (PDR) of ∼650 pc size. The existence of various nested gas rings, with the highest HCO abundance occurring at the outer ring (X(HCO)∼0.8 10 −9), suggests that PDR chemistry is propagating in the disk. We discuss the inferred large abundances of HCO in M 82 in the context of a starburst evolutionary scenario, picturing the M 82 nucleus as an evolved starburst. – 2 – Subject headings: galaxies: individual(M82)–galaxies: starburst– galaxies: nuclei– ISM: molecules–molecular processes–radio lines: galaxies


Recent research utilizing a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model of the U.S. economy called United States Applied General Equilibrium–International Trade Commission (USAGE-ITC) to evaluate the national effects of maritime infrastructure investment in Texas is described. After a brief description of the model, which was developed for the U.S. International Trade Commission, the present application to an analysis of federal investments in channel deepening along Texas' shallow draft waterways is discussed and future transportation applications are suggested. The estimates of national economic benefits from the analyzed investments are significant and illustrate the potential contribution of CGE models to the evaluation of infrastructure investment programs of federal agencies, such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The objective of this paper is to increase awareness among transportation researchers and planners of the role for CGE models in evaluations of transportation infrastructure projects and programs.


In cellular mobile communication system the existing dynamic channel allocation scheme suffer from high blocking probability and forced termination probability. To mitigate this problem, in this paper we evaluated the performance of dynamic channel allocation scheme based on carrier-to-noise interference ratio. In our system model, uplink power strength from a call-initiating user to the base station is examined. This power is provided by the carrier-to-noise ratio (C/N). The channel search is conducted in the repeated channel numbers of that cell based on the carrier-to-noise ratio so that this system provides the low blocking probability and initiates large number of calls in dynamic channel allocation environment. We have presented the momentous performance in blocking probability and forced termination probability through this research.


An experiment was carried out to evaluate the effects of fasting and early diet composition on broiler chicken's development. A totally of 540 one-day old male broiler chicken were used in this study. The treatments were Control (C), fasted for 24 h (24F), fasted for 48 h (48F), feeding a diet containing 15% egg powder for 24 h (24E) or 48 h (48E), feeding a diet containing 20% glucose syrup for 24 h (24G) or 48 h (48G), and feeding a diet containing 15% egg powder and 20% glucose syrup for 24 h (24EG) or 48 h (48EG). At 21 days of age, feeding G diet for 48 h resulted in longer duodenum and ileum than other treatments. In addition, longer (P<0.05) jejunum length was found in chicks who received the GE diet in the first 48 h. feeding E diet for 48 h did increase ileum weight significantly. At day 42, the 24G diet fed chick was found to have the highest duodenum and ileum weight. The results for morphological parameters show that feeding a diet containing egg powder and glucose syrup for 48 hours resulted in higher duodenum crypt depth (CD) in comparison to chicks fed with diet containing egg powder for 48 hours. No access to feed for 48 hours decreased duodenum villous height (VH) and increased (P<0.05) duodenum CD and subsequently decreased VH: CD ratio on day 7. Feeding a diet containing egg powder and glucose syrup for 24 hours resulted in longer VH and lower CD and subsequently higher VH: CD ratio in duodenum on day 7. On day 21, none of experimental treatments could affect the morphometric parameters of duodenum and ileum. Feeding EG diet for 48 h resulted in longer (P<0.05) ileum VH and higher VH: CD than chicks fasted for 24h on day 7. In conclusion, the present study showed that the diet composition affects chick development post-hatch and feeding a semi-moist diet with high protein and suitable energy levels containing egg powder and glucose syrup for 48 hours post-hatch is beneficial for post-hatch growth and considerable performance benefits than control.


dehydrogenase 3-phosphoglycerate (PGD) having compared to a wild-type PGD of Escherichia coli, a reduced sensitivity to inhibition by serine, with an amino acid sequence which corresponds to that of wild-type PGD Escherichia coli (SEQ ID NO: 2) except for position 349, wherein in the amino acid position 349 is D.


Abstract: A new matrix method based on polynomial approximation, usin g complex Fourier polynomial basis is presented for the solution of Riccati differential equations (RDE). The prop osed method converts the governing differential equation o f the system into a matrix equation, which corresponds to a system of nonlinear algebraic equations with unknown coefficients. The solutio n is calculated in the form of a series with easily computable components. So me numerical examples are included to demonstrate the valid ity and applicability of the technique.


Objective . The main aim was to investigate the safety and effectiveness of prenatal valacyclovir therapy in pregnancies with maternal or congenital CMV infection. Materials and Methods . The inclusion criteria were pregnancies with confirmed maternal CMV infection. The primary outcome was the incidence of congenital CMV infection. The secondary outcomes were symptomatic and asymptomatic infection, perinatal death, termination of pregnancy, anomalies detected at follow-up ultrasound, fetal MRI imaging or at birth, severe and mild to moderate symptoms due to congenital CMV infection, neurologic, visual, hearing symptoms and adverse events related to valacyclovir. Results . When stratifying the analysis according to the gestational age at maternal infection, the risk of vertical transmission was significantly lower in pregnancies receiving va-laciclovir following first trimester infection (pooled OR 0.30, 95%CI 0.16-0.59, I2 = 0%, p = 0.001). Pregnancies treated with valaciclovir therapy had an increased likelihood of asymptomatic congenital CMV infection, when compared to those not receiving valacyclovir (pooled OR 2.98, 95%CI 1.18-7.55, I2 = 0%, p = 0.021), while there was no significant difference between the two groups in the risk of perinatal death (p = 0.923), termination of pregnancy (p = 0.089), anomalies detected at follow-up imaging assessment during pregnancy or at birth (p = 0


Cognitive radio is being investigated widely as a mean to increase the efficiency of spectrum usage.Spectrum sensing is of significant importance in cognitive radio network.There are two factors associated with spectrum sensing: determine which portions of the spectrum are available rapidly and vacate the spectrum when a licensed user is appeared.A multilayer hierarchy technique in implementing the multiuser cooperative spectrum sensing is proposed,and this technique is proved mathematically.Computer simulation shows an improvement of the network throughput by using the proposed cooperative spectrum sensing in cognitive radio networks.


One of this techniques is a high-speed video stroboscopy providing the real-time slow-motion display of fast periodic events without a strobe light. The principle of this system will be described and some results of different application will be presented in form of short video clips.
Moreover the principle a novel Image Pattern Correlation Technique (IPCT) known also as Digital Image Correlation (DIC) and its practical application for the in-flight 3D deformation measurement of the aircraft wings and propellers will be demonstrated. In the case of the propeller investigation a special camera system rotating together with the propeller has been designed, manufactured and tested. This experiment and the achieved results will be discussed.
Later, the instrumentation for the synchronization of the PIV setup will be described.
Finally a high-power pulsed LED-light source designed and manufactured for the CW or strobe illumination of various imaged objects and its application for PIV in liquids will be shown.


This paper uses two museum exhibitions to raise questions about how Hiroshima and Auschwitz are coped with in the present. The stake of the paper is to examine how it has been possible for different polities to come to terms with criminal pasts that should cause shame and guilt. The criminality of Auschwitz is established, but not that of Hiroshima. In the first instance, then, the paper establishes the extent to which the justifications for the bombing of Hiroshima were and remain controversial. The second part of the paper compares debates around two exhibitions: the Hiroshima exhibition at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC and the exhibition 'Extermination War: Crimes of the Wehrmacht 1941–44' which travelled through Germany and Austria in the late 1990s.


Background There is a lack of good data about patient satisfaction with teledermatology and about its potential interaction with quality‐of‐life factors.


This paper illustrates the design of an intelligent cruise control system involving the automatic control of throttle position and braking systems. Fuzzy logic is employed with the system.


Collisional relaxation of OH(A 2Σ+, υ′, K′) in high rotational levels of υ′ = 0 and 1 has been investigated with respect to transitions from rotational levels in υ′ = 0 to levels in υ′ = 1. Initial nonequilibrium rotational distributions of OH(A 2Σ+) in υ′ = 0 and 1 were produced by monochromatic photodissociation of H2O with the radiation of a krypton resonance lamp at 1236 and 1165 A. The effect of added foreign gases (Ar and N2) on the population of individual levels in υ′ = 0 and 1 has been studied under steady‐state conditions by observing the emission intensities of individual lines in the (0, 0) and (1, 1) bands of the OH(A 2Σ+→X 2Π) transition. The essential observation was made on the population of the rotational level K′ = 15 in υ′ = 1. The population of this level increased significantly in the presence of Ar and N2 beyond the initial population produced from H2O alone. In comparison, the population of adjacent levels remained relatively unchanged or decreased when foreign gas was added. The ef...


Calix[4]pyrrole based anion receptors 1 and 2 have been synthesized. The recognition and sensing process has been studied by UV-vis absorption and partial 1H NMR titration experiments. Receptor 1 could act as a colorimetric sensor for fluoride anions, and receptor 2 could recognize F− and AcO− anions in DMSO solvent. Moreover, this type of sensing behaviour could successfully mimic a molecular level keypad lock stimulated by the two sequential chemical inputs (AcO− and F−), which has the potential for application in security devices.


Marine heavy metal pollution has been an important global environmental issue in recent years. Concentrations of nine heavy metals (Pb, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Co, Cd, As, and Hg) from marine sediments (2015, n = 38) in the Changjiang River Estuary and contiguous East China Sea were determined. The total contents of nine heavy metals ranged from 134.0 μg/g to 357.8 μg/g, with Cr as the most abundant component. Pearson correlation coefficient matrix of the heavy metals, granularity, and total organic carbon (TOC) in the samples were determined, and a preliminary ecological risk assessment was conducted in three aspects. According to the investigation, heavy metals were commonly found in samples and affected by terrestrial inputs to a large extent. Their concentration distributions were significantly affected by granularity as well as TOC. Preliminary ecological risk assessment showed that Cd and Hg were identified as the dominant heavy metals in the sediment samples from the study areas and showed a strong ecological risk. Overall, the situation of heavy metal pollution in the sediments of the Changjiang River Estuary and contiguous East China Sea was not optimistic in 2015, and it is worthy of further investigation into whether the environmental condition has improved with the strengthening of governmental environmental protection.


The heritage of social housing of the early twentieth century in Turin characterizes entire portions of the city and it is very diverse in terms of design solutions - which are innovative and in some cases of considerable value - and building consistency. It differs not only for the typological-functional choices adopted, but especially for the compositions of the facades, played on the close relation between the colors and the materials of the outer surfaces. In most cases this relation is the main element of architectural characterization of these complexes, from the urban scale to the detail scale. The paper aims to emphasize the value of the color-material combination, which is expressed in this built heritage in different ways, ranging from examples in which the decoration is left to the only color or to graffiti, to solutions richly played on the chromatic characteristics and the texture of the materials themselves. This combination, in its various facets, gives the building a unique aesthetic, historical, cultural and technical value, which unfortunately is often not sufficiently appreciated, especially in the redevelopment of these complexes. In this context the two settlements built at the beginning of the twentieth century by the Societa Torinese per Abitazioni Popolari and designed by Pietro Fenoglio in Crocetta and Borgo San Paolo districts, represent two exemplary cases. Through a careful analysis of the rhythm of the pattern of the building envelope, the study aims to highlight as the calibrated relation between colors and materials characterizes unequivocally the image of these buildings in the urban scene and as this relation has a well-defined design dignity, because is the result of specific choices of the designer. Recognizing this value - still fragile in its assertion - it is the basic assumption for conscious interventions of restoration, able to preserve the distinctive characters of this widespread heritage, as a legacy of architectural and technical culture of a precise constructive season in Turin.


Introduction Inflammation is a key pathogenic feature of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) is a pro-inflammatory enzyme that converts cytochrome P450-derived epoxides of fatty acids to the corresponding diols, and pharmacological inhibition of sEH prevented AAA formation. Both cytochrome P450 enzymes and sEH are highly expressed in the liver. Here, we investigated the role of hepatic sEH in AAA using a selective pharmacological inhibitor of sEH and hepatocyte-specific Ephx2 (which encodes sEH gene) knockout (KO) mice in two models of AAA [angiotensin II (AngII) infusion and calcium chloride (CaCl2) application]. Methods and results sEH expression and activity were strikingly higher in mouse liver compared with aorta and further increased the context of AAA, in conjunction with elevated expression of the transcription factor Sp1 and the epigenetic regulator Jarid1b, which have been reported to positively regulate sEH expression. Pharmacological sEH inhibition, or liver-specific sEH disruption, achieved by crossing sEH floxed mice with albumin-cre mice, prevented AAA formation in both models, concomitant with reduced expression of hepatic sEH as well as complement factor 3 (C3) and serum amyloid A (SAA), liver-derived factors linked to AAA formation. Moreover, sEH antagonism markedly reduced C3 and SAA protein accumulation in the aortic wall. Co-incubation of liver ex vivo with aneurysm-prone aorta resulted in induction of sEH in the liver, concomitant with upregulation of Sp1, Jarid1b, C3 and SAA gene expression, suggesting that the aneurysm-prone aorta secretes factors that activate sEH and downstream inflammatory signaling in the liver. Using an unbiased proteomic approach, we identified a number of dysregulated proteins [e.g., plastin-2, galectin-3 (gal-3), cathepsin S] released by aneurysm-prone aorta as potential candidate mediators of hepatic sEH induction. Conclusion We provide the first direct evidence of the liver's role in orchestrating AAA via the enzyme sEH. These findings not only provide novel insight into AAA pathogenesis, but they have potentially important implications with regard to developing effective medical therapies for AAA.


In this paper we propose a novel adaptive pinning control strategy for synchronization of complex networks. The novelty of this strategy is the fully decentralized adaptive selection of the coupling and control gains. After giving a sketch of the stability proof, we validate the analysis with numerical simulations on a testbed example.


This study aimed to assess the perceived effectiveness of the educational games and the overall performance of the students after it was introduced to them. A descriptive-comparative method of research was utilized. Respondents of this study were twenty-six (26) Grade-12 STEM students. Researcher-made validated questionnaire based on a 5-point Likert scale was used for data collection. The findings of this study revealed that the contents used for educational games were about the cell cycle and cell membrane. Most Essential Learning Competencies were focused on describing, identifying, relating, and explaining biology contents. All of the educational games were rated strongly agree by the respondents. Students enjoyed the games and increased their motivation, interest, cooperation, and participation which transcribed better performance in class. Individual mean scores per lesson indicate that students fully understood the cell cycle concept: mitosis and meiosis. However, further interventions are needed to fully comprehend the function of the cell membrane components and transport mechanisms in the cell. Data analysis also shows a significant difference in the respondent's responses on the perceived effectiveness of educational games and their mean scores when grouped according to gender. On the other hand, there was no significant relationship between the perceived effectiveness of educational games and the performance of students. A proposed action plan was designed to further improve the effectiveness of educational games in enhancing students learning in General Biology 1. Also, the researcher recommends that teachers may try to develop their games using Lumi Education software.


The Federal Crop Insurance Program (FCIP) is designed to provide agricultural producers with insurance coverage against crop damage caused by natural disasters. This article provides some historical background on the FCIP; analyzes the financial performance of the FCIP; describes recent changes in the FCIP; and considers what the recent changes may mean for the future of the FCIP.


This study investigated the extent to which racial/ethnic majority and minority new hires differ in how they experience uncertainty, information seeking, and learning during organizational encounter. Hawaiian Asian (n=31), White (n=76), mainland U.S. Asian (n=33), Black (n=53), and Hispanic (n=42) new hires were invited to participate in this research. Analyses of narrative and scale data revealed anticipated differences between majority and minority groups in all of the aforementioned areas. For example, most minority newcomers appear to experience relational uncertainty more than their majority counterparts. On the other hand, White newcomers seem to engage in overt information - seeking at work more than do Hispanic neophytes. Further, they appear to engage in testing behavior less than African American or continental Asian new hires. Finally, minority neophytes seem more likely than majority newcomers to learn about who not to turn to for information. The discussion explains these and other results in...


This study sought to determine the predicted Cp50 of propofol required for laryngeal mask airway insertion (Cp50LMA) and to investigate whether nitrous oxide reduces these required concentrations. Using target‐controlled infusion and incorporating the standard Diprifusor™ pharmacokinetic model, 46 unpremedicated patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups. The patients received either 40% oxygen in air (control group: n = 23), or 60% nitrous oxide in oxygen (nitrous oxide group: n = 23). The target concentration for each patient was determined using the up and down method. Following equilibration between the predetermined blood and effect site concentrations, had been established for > 10 min, laryngeal mask airway insertion was attempted without neuromuscular relaxants. The data were analysed using a probit analysis to obtain Cp50LMA levels. The values for Cp50LMA were 3.24 µg.ml−1 in the control group and 1.93 µg.ml−1 in the nitrous oxide group.


ABSTRACT The following nomenclatural adjustments are proposed for Draba to make the names available for the forthcoming account of the Brassicaceae in the Flora of North America. Three new species of Draba (D. abajoensis, D. malpighiacea, and D. santaquinensis) are described, and two new combinations (D. bifurcata and D. serpentina) are validated. Notes on the delimitation, distribution, or typification of D. corrugata, D. cyclomorpha, D. demareei, D. helleriana, D. lemmonii, D. longisquamosa, D. novolympica, D. oreibata, D. paysonii, D. petrophila, D. saxosa, D. spectabilis, and D. viridis are presented. Draba helleriana var. blumeri, D. paysonii var. treleasii, and D. spectabilis var. glabrescens are reduced to synonymy under D. petrophila, D. novolympica, and D. abajoensis, respectively.


We extend research related to alternative forms of employment by examining the phenomenon of dual jobholding. Approximately 7.2 million Americans are classified as a dual jobholder. Although understudied, dual jobholding is a prevalent and important work arrangement. Drawing from partial inclusion theory, we examine the popular press sentiment that organizations should prevent employees from holding two jobs as these "moonlighters" are likely to be tired and devoid of energy. In study 1, we compared the level of work engagement dual jobholders exhibit at their primary job to the level of work engagement they exhibit at their second job. In a second study, across a sample of teachers and bartenders, we compared those who hold only one job (i.e., single jobholders) to those who hold two jobs (i.e., dual jobholders) on important work behaviors and attitudes. Results suggest dual jobholders do not hurt their organizations in the form of lower work engagement, OCB, and job performance. However, dual jobholders may be hurting themselves due to high levels of work-family conflict. In general, it appears that dual jobholders are able to perform as adequately as their single jobholding counterparts. However, dual jobholders may face obstacles that single jobholders do not, in the form of high levels of work-family conflict. Because previous research typically assumes that individuals hold only one job, and because dual jobholding is a prevalent employment arrangement, the present study sheds light on a novel and important topic for research and practice.


James Salles, Esq. discusses the background and reasoning behind a recent revenue procedure covering inventories and the cash method of accounting for small businesses and concludes that the IRS is to be commended for clarifying this particular area.


25-29 of September 2012, Belgorod Research Scientific State University hosted All-Russian Conference – XXXII Plenary meeting of Geomorphological Commission RAS on geomorphological-anthropogenic problems. This was the second Plenary meeting prepared and organized by Geomorphological Commission with active participation of A.N. Petin – Head of Department of Geology and Geography in Belgorod University, and lecturers P.V. Goleusov and S.N. Kolmykov. Here in 2000 XXV Plenary meeting of Commission was organized on problems of environmental geomorphology.


The increasing awareness of environmental impacts from construction wastes has led to the development of waste manage- ment as an important function of construction project management. Various approaches for managing construction wastes have been developed in the existing research works and practices, and these works can be grouped largely into three areas: waste classification, waste management strategies ~avoiding waste, reducing waste, reusing waste, and recycling waste!, and waste disposal technologies. Neverthe- less, these approaches give less attention to the management of the waste handling process on construction sites. In fact, construction wastes pass through a number of processes from generation to final disposal, and proper flow of these processes can improve waste management effectiveness. This paper examines the waste handling process during construction through mapping six cases selected in Hong Kong construction, with the assistance of the free-flow mapping presentation technique. The examination leads to developing a waste management mapping model ~WMMM!, which incorporates the good operations embodied in the existing practices. The WMMM provides an alterative tool assisting in planning waste management procedures on construction sites. It can serve as a vehicle for comparing the waste management practices between construction sites, thus both good practices and weak areas can be identified.


where Vγ is the forward voltage of the diodes—approximately 0.7V. If VIN(t) decreases beyond this value, VOUT(t) will increase, more current is injected into diode D2, and VB remains at approximately –Vγ. Thus, the current through R5 remains constant, and the additional diode current flows through R6. Therefore, R6 appears, in effect, in parallel with feedback resistor R2, and the incremental gain, AV, ignoring the diode's resistance, in the positive-limiting region is:


Responses of union reps and managers to accounts about unjust acts were compared, including both in-group and out-group victims. Among union subjects, accounts failed to reduce feelings of injustice for in-group victims. More research is needed to examine differences in justice evaluations among people from different groups.


Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an acquired thrombocytopenia due to autoantibody-mediated destruction of platelets. Multiple therapies targeting antibody production, the reticuloendothelial system and platelet production are used to treat ITP, including glucocorticoids, intravenous immune globulin (IVIG), Rituximab, splenectomy and thrombopoietin-receptor agonists. The response to therapy is heterogeneous, supporting the concept that multiple mechanisms are ultimately responsible for thrombocytopenia. In vitro complement fixation assays have shown that serum obtained from 50% of patients with ITP is able to fix complement to the platelet surface. Autoantibodies to platelet surface antigens GPIIb/IIIa and/or GPIb/IX have also been shown to activate complement via the classical pathway. We suspect that complement fixation/activation plays an important role in platelet destruction in ITP. Proposed mechanisms include C3b deposition on the platelet surface leading to opsonization, direct damage to platelets by C5b-9, and a role for complement in the imbalance in T-cell regulator/effector activity. T-cell activity has been proposed to stimulate B-cell production of autoantibodies against platelet surface antigens. C1 esterase inhibitor (C1INH) is a member of the serine protease inhibitor family and interacts with C1 esterase to block activation of the classical pathway of complement activation. Case reports have demonstrated that C1INH can prevent C3-mediated lysis of PNH erythrocytes (DeZern 2014) and attenuate hemolysis in a patient with DAT C3d positive autoimmune hemolytic anemia (Wouters 2013). Based on these data, we hypothesized 1) complement activation/deposition may play an important role in persistent thrombocytopenia in refractory ITP, and 2) blockade of the classical pathway with C1INH may lead to prolonged platelet survival. Two female patients with a history of autoimmune disease (systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and Sjogren9s) and primary refractory ITP [steroids, IVIG, Rituximab, and Romiplostim (23-38 days)] were treated with C1INH, Berinert 20 units/kg. Within 8 hours of first C1INH dose, platelet count improved significantly in both patients. Given the rapid increase in platelet count, each patient received two additional doses of C1INH. Both patients demonstrated a continued increase in platelet count with no further C1NH therapy. In patient 1, platelet count normalized on day 63 and remains normal without additional therapy 194 days post C1INH treatment. In patient 2, platelet count has risen to 568K 14 days after C1INH administration. These cases clinically illustrate a thought provoking relationship between antigen/antibody complexes, complement activation, and platelet destruction in ITP. We suspect a potential biphasic response to C1INH therapy. We hypothesize immediate inhibition of the classical pathway and subsequent decrease of C3b deposition on platelet surface may be responsible for the acute rise in platelet count, while a reset of T-cell regulatory/effector function via complement blockade may be accountable for the longevity of platelet count increase and normalization seen in our patients. Refractory ITP may involve antibody-mediated complement activation via the classical pathway. The destruction of platelets may be driven by C3b-mediated phagocytosis and/or by C5b-9-mediated membrane damage, as well as by modulation of the immune system and T regulator cell function. In our patients, the commercially available C1INH, Berinert, was well-tolerated and platelet count improvement was noted almost immediately after administration and has appeared to be sustained. Future studies evaluating treatments that target inhibition of the complement pathway may be an effective alternative or adjunctive therapy for refractory immune thrombocytopenia. Disclosures Off Label Use: Berinert and its use in ITP.. Broome:Alexion Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding.


This paper probes into the training model of cross cultural competence of tourism major with two failing cases. It points out that to further improve the ability of students, reforms must be carried out in curriculum, teaching methods. More attention should be given to culture teaching in the classroom.


The environmental conditions of the classrooms have influence on student performance student. Engineering courses in most offer classes full time, and lasting 5 years on average, leading students to spend much of their day in classrooms, which justifies the analysis of classrooms environmental conditions, such as: cleanliness, organization, storage, lighting, temperature, noise and school furniture. Thermal comfort is of great importance in student performance, as a school environment with excessive heat leads to fatigue and drowsiness. But an environment with little heat decreases the concentration and attention of the student, because the body needs heat and increases the body activity to get warm. This article aimed to analyze the thermal conditions of the classrooms Federal University of Technology, Campus Ponta Grossa - Brazil, where there are students in the areas of Production Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Chemical Engineering. First, a preliminary study was conducted to determine the significant point of each class, ie, a point of measurement that represents the entire environment, this being the place where the final measurements were performed subsequently. Still in the preliminary study, it was calculated the sample size of classrooms that would be necessary to make environmental measurements in the definitive study. The final environmental measurements were performed during the course of the classes and, along with the measurement of environmental variables were collected personal information from students about the sensation and thermal preference, to evaluate thermal comfort in accordance with ISO 7730 - Ergonomics of the thermal environment - Analytical determination and interpretation of thermal comfort using calculation of the PMV and PPD indices and local thermal comfort criteria. It was concluded that 81.82% of the rooms assessed meet the conditions for thermal comfort according to existing standards, while 18.18% of them do not meet. Of the two classrooms that did not meet the thermal specifications, one has presented conditions of heat, while the other presented cold conditions.


In order to form the deep PN junction demanded for the next generation IGBTs, the double-pulsed laser annealing technique as the low-thermal budget heat treatment has been introduced to activate a B-implant layer and a P-implant layer within the wafer surface to the depth 2μm. The double-pulsed laser annealing is characterized by the deep penetration depth due to a green wavelength of DPSS lasers and precisely and widely controlling of the annealing temperature and time. In the IGBT's structure the deep PN junction at a collector (the rear face) should be formed without damaging thermally circuit elements made of low melting point materials at a gate and an emitter (the front face). Ion-implant samples using eight-inch (100) Si wafers were prepared as follows: Boron (B) implant was performed at a dose of 1E+15/cm 2 at an energy of 40keV and/or phosphorus (P) implant at 1E+13/cm 2 at an energy of 400keV. The double-pulsed laser irradiation was carried out at the constant first and second pulse energy density E1=E2=1.8J/cm 2 at the delay time td= 0-500ns and the overlap ratio OR=67-90%. The melt depth was up to about 0.3μm. The electrical activation ratio of the B-implant layer within the depth of about 0.6μm was improved from 91% to about 100% with the delay time increase of 0ns to 500ns. The activation ratio of the P-implant layer within the depth of about 2μm was drastically improved from 48% to 82% with the same delay time increase and the carriers in the P-implant layer were distributed deeply from the depth 1.1μm to 1.8μm. Furthermore, with the overlap ratio increase of 67% to 90% the carriers in the P-implant layer were distributed deeply from the depth 1.8μm to 1.9μm and the high activation ratio of 82% was maintained. The high ratio of electrical activation is supported by the defect-free epitaxial regrowth where the majority of the B dopants was diffused in the liquid phase and that of the P dopants in the solid phase.


The invention discloses a polishing device and a polishing method of an aspheric optical element, and relates to a polishing device of machining. The polishing device is provided with a base, a work bench rotating drive motor, a work bench reversing drive motor, a work bench rotating shaft, a tri-axial linear motor, a tri-axial lead rail, a work bench reversing shaft, a work bench base, a work bench, an upright post, a beam, a Z-axis base, an air bag tool and a control system. The polishing method comprises the following steps: finishing the polishing of a point on the aspheric optical element and other points on a girdle band by the air bag tool by matching with rotation of the work bench in a two-axis linkage manner; stopping rotating the work bench, controlling the Z-axis linear motor and the work bench reversing drive motor, thus rotating the normal directions of upper and lower polishing points of the element to a vertical direction, calculating the length of the air bag tool needing to be fed on an X-axis direction, and calculating through an X-axis linear motor, and controlling the Z-axis linear motor to downwards drive the air bag tool to match with rotation of the work bench so as to polish the upper and lower polishing points of the element and other points on the girdle band in the two-axis linkage manner.


In SERS-active systems, when a free base porphyrin is adsorbed at a roughened metal surface, the metal ion may be incorporated into the porphyrin core. We have investigated the metalation kinetics of 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(1-methyl-4-pyridyl)porphyrin (TMPyP), reflected in the time evolution of its SERRS spectra. To establish proper metalation Raman markers, resonance Raman spectra of the free base and chemically Ag metalated TMPyP forms were measured under different conditions. The increase in intensity of the 395 cm-1 line, the decrease in intensity of the 329 cm-1 line, the reduction of the 1337+1360 cm-1 doublet to one strong line at 1340 cm-1 and the vanishing of the 1140 cm-1 medium line (the last exceptionally for 514.5 nm excitation) were found to be suitable markers for quantitative analysis. All other spectral changes related to metalation may coincide with effects caused by other variations of the porphyrin state. Time evolution of the porphyrin metalation was studied in various Ag colloid systems, with or without phosphate anions, citrate and/or Triton X-100. Time-dependent SERRS spectra of TMPyP were recorded within periods from minutes to several hours. Factor analysis of the SERRS spectra proved that the spectral changes were induced by only one phenomenon (metalation). The SERRS spectra were decomposed into the spectrum of the free base TMPyP and that of its Ag metalated form, and the metalation kinetics were determined by means of the time dependence of the metalated form portion in the SERRS spectrum. The results show a remarkable reliance on the state of the metal surface. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The invention relates to a method for driver assistance, in which a vehicle (1) carries out a driving maneuver automatically. In the method, a service brake (21) of the vehicle (1) is first operated. Then, a parking brake (20) of the vehicle (1) is driven such that it does not exert any braking action and that for actuation of the parking brake (20) is minimized to be overcome idle travel. In subsequent steps, the service brake is released (21) of the vehicle and runs an automatic driving maneuvers, wherein the parking brake (20) is actuated upon occurrence of a fault or a predetermined event, so that the vehicle (1) braked to a standstill and held stationary becomes. Another aspect of the invention relates to a driver assistance system which is arranged to perform the method.


While the UN was still a fledgling organization in the early 1950s, it took on the question of what an appropriate minimum age for marriage should be across all its member countries. Two UN conventions—the 1956 Supplementary Convention on Slavery and the 1962 Convention on Consent to Marriage, Minimum Age for Marriage and Registration of Marriages—involved tense deliberations over a marriage age standard. Drawing on records of UN preparatory meetings, I show that delegates representing Britain and Portugal spearheaded an effort to frame early and forced marriage as forms of slavery, and thereby focused abolitionist attention on formerly colonized countries. The moral worth of newly independent countries came to be signaled by specifying a high chronological age for marriage rather than treating puberty as a threshold. Although there was no tidy polarization between colonizers and colonized in the deliberations, several delegates from former British colonies—especially Nigeria and India, large regional powers with aspirations to lead the budding Non-Aligned Movement—strenuously rejected the tutelary stance of the British delegates. These debates about a common marriage age reveal how, in this foundational moment of liberal internationalism, relationships of equivalence between countries were undercut by efforts to mark differences between imperial powers and newly independent countries.


In this work, the mechanism of the palladium-catalysed acetoxylation of benzene C-H has been studied theoretically in detail. Based on experimental studies, a four-step mechanism for this reaction had been proposed, that is, C−H activation of benzene is the rate-determining step which forms an intermediate (k1 pathway) which is subsequently oxidized to produce a high-valent Pd intermediate (k2 pathway). Using quantum chemical calculations, all pathways were investigated, and the activation energy, activation enthalpy and activation Gibbs free energy for all steps were calculated and compared with each other. It was determined that the RDS proceeds through a square complex instead of a T-shaped complex. The activation energy related to the k2 pathway is higher than that of the RDS, and therefore, a new mechanism is proposed.