Abstract : The archaeological site 16 CM 61 is located in the potential impact area of the Mermentau River, Gulf of Mexico Navigation Channel Project. The objective of this study was archaeological testing, analysis, and assessment, in order to determine the integrity and research potential of archaeologial deposits. The research effort focused on mapping of the site area, controlled surface collection, and auger, shovel, and limited test unit excavations. Subsequent analyses of remains were designed to determine the ability of the site to contribute to understanding of local and regional prehistory. Fieldwork at 16 CM 61 revealed the presence of intact cultural deposits, and the analysis of ceramic artifacts indicated that the site has internal microstratigraphy suggestive of multiple episodes of activity and refuse disposal. Ceramic classification indicated a Coles Creek period occupation and a single C14 date of A.D. 990 + or - 100 years was obtained. Analysis of shells of Rangia cuneata and of fish otoliths indicated a spring or summer occupation for the site. Because of the presence of extensive in situ deposits, and due to the demonstrable research potential of the site, the site is believed to be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.


This paper deals with the construction of l-stable implicit one-block methods for the solution of stiff initial value problems. The constructions are done using three different multi-block methods. The first multi-block method is composed using Generalized Backward Differentiation Formula (GBDF) and Backward Differentiation Formula (BDF), the second is composed using Reversed Generalized Adams Moulton (RGAM) and Generalized Adams Moulton (GAM) while the third is composed using Reversed Adams Moulton (RAM) and Adams Moulton (AM). Shift operator is then applied to the combination of the three multi-block methods in such a manner that the resultant block is a one-block method and self-starting. These one-block methods are up to order six and  with at order ten. Numerical experiments show that they are good for solving stiff initial problems.


With the advent of time an increased exhort to make environment sustainable has been a driving force for many researchers. There has been a lot of pragmatic work captured under various initiatives and schemes where the thrust has always been upon securing a cleaner emission. In order to strive for cleaner emissions with higher efficiency, experimentation has delivered positive results. Transcending from petrol and diesel, the inclination is more on leading to fuels which are not only efficient like the conventional ones but at the same time will yield lesser harmful elements post combustion in engines. Application of alternate fuels like Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) are gaining in prominence now since they are not only less harmful but also deliver equivalent efficiency. This paper would go on to showcase an experiment that achieved a prominent result of LPG usage over petrol in a Spark Ignition (SI) engine. The application of alternate fuels would gradually increase and is expected to comprehend the usage of alternate fuels, both used in pure as well as in blend .A lot of scope lies in experimenting out various fuels with workable caloric value, which would supplement the usage of automobile in the upcoming generation.


In this paper, we present a graphical tool and a parallel simulation method for M5. Designers can configure the target architecture efficiently using this visualized tool, which automatically generate the Python scripts according to the interconnection between components. It also supports multiple benchmarks configuration and simulation. In view of this, it improves the efficiency of system simulation when using M5.


Eccentric gear is the critical part of komatsu Press. In this article, the technical difficulty in machining eccentric gear are analyzed, the gear cutting process for small hollow reamer groove bevel gear is set down, theoretic analyze and calculation to guarantee measures of eccentricity same-phase are done, correct working method and detection method are offered. Appropriate processing parameters are established through cutting test.


Abstract Santessoniella rugosa Henssen & Kantvilas is described from south-west Tasmania. The granulose to subfruticose thallus is strongly gelatinous, composed of terete, wrinkled lobes, and bears numerous small, orange apothecia. The species differs from other members of the genus in details of external and internal thallus morphology.


This paper describes the cooperation of four European Universities aiming at attracting more students to European master studies in Language and Communication Technologies. The cooperation has been formally approved within the framework of the new European program "Erasmus Mundus" as a Specific Support Action in 2004. The consortium also aims at creating a sound basis for a joint master program in the field of language technology and computer science.


Nursing care of the 1830s−40s required significant financial stewardship, material resources, spiritual fortitude and political support alongside the everyday routines of cleaning, cooking and home visiting. The minutiae of Catholic, Protestant and other Prussian institutional donations, budgets and schedules, government records and occasionally women's own writings reveal how German nursing was not a singular and timeless profession. Rather, the feminisation of nursing emerged out of a myriad of gendered ways elite, bourgeois, religious and working women collectively cared for the poor and the sick even before bacteriology and maternalist women's movements transformed nursing in the late nineteenth century.


Nanoparticles Gd2O3: Tb3+ are synthesized by a polyol method.The size of nanoparticles obtained could be increased from 1-2 nm to 4nm in diameter by controlling the accelerating rate of NaOH.Nanoparticles Gd2O3: Tb3+ are characterized by transmission electron microscope and spectrophotometer.The result shows that the size of Nanoparticles Gd2O3: Tb3+ are bigger when NaOH is added progressively.


The authors claim that assessing spelling in Grades 3—12 has utility. They base their claim on data from 875,040 students in Grades 3—12 in 52,923 classes in 840 Florida schools who took the Reading Comprehension, Maze, and Word Analysis spelling portions of the Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading during the 2009—2010 school year. The importance of instruction to spelling ability was evident in (a) the large intraclass correlations at the class relative to the school level, (b) the greater variability in spelling at the class level rather than at the student level, (c) the greater role of demographics at the class level compared to the student level, and (d) the role of high ability spelling classrooms compared to low ability spelling classrooms in differentiating Reading Comprehension and Maze performance. Growth in spelling was evident in the elementary grades but stagnant above Grade 7. The authors conclude with the hope that secondary teachers will include spelling instruction as part of their goal to engage students in reading for understanding.


Conspicuous consumption (purchase of expensive goods and services in order to
 visibly demonstrate buying power) is a frequent and widely spread type of
 consumer behavior. Besides its economic dimension, conspicuous consumption
 certainly also has its - for now under studied - psychological dimension. So
 far, it has been reported that positive attitude towards conspicuous
 consumption is associated with conformity, high esteem of authority, social
 anxiety, Machiavellism, and ruthless self-advancement. In this study, using a
 sample of 272 high school students (aged 16-18) we studied predictive
 relationship between narcissism and materialism, and the attitude towards
 conspicuous consumption. The data indicated that materialism was a
 significant predictor of the attitude towards conspicuous consumption, quite
 in line with some previous research. In spite of a significant correlation
 between narcissism and materialism, narcissism was not a significant
 predictor of the attitude towards conspicuous consumption. Thus, this study
 has widened nomological network of the attitude towards conspicuous
 consumption and clearly delineated two seemingly similar psychological
 constructs: materialism and the attitude towards conspicuous consumption.


C alls now abound in a range of literatures—philosophy, education, sociology, anthropology, media studies—to reimagine citizenship and identity in ways befitting a global age. A concept predominant in many such calls is the ancient idea of "cosmopolitanism." Refashioned now to serve as a compass in a world that is at once radically interconnected and increasingly divided, a cosmopolitan point of view remains resiliently hopeful, asserting that people can both uphold local commitments and take into consideration larger arenas of concern. They can, more particularly, "respond creatively to shifts in patterns of human interaction generated by migration, rapid economic and political change, and new communication technologies" (Hansen, 2010, p. 1). Most accounts of cosmopolitanism are theoretical, outlining possible conceptual models or promising types of skills and dispositions. In contrast, this article animates theorizing about cultural citizenship, identity formation, and communication with an examination of what might be considered sites for cosmopolitan practice—an online international social network and offline local programs designed to engage youth in representing themselves and interacting with the representations of others. Specifically, we report our initial research with a group of teenage girls in India, tracing their participation online and offline and their cosmopolitan imaginings of self and other. We hope that this work with young people worlds away geographically, culturally, and ideologically will speak to English educators in the United States who feel likewise compelled to support their students in developing twenty-first-century literacies—both the technological competencies and the values, knowledge, and dispositions—needed to participate confidently and critically as citizens of local and global worlds.


In the manufacturing of hypotubes for coronary applications, austenitic steels of types 304, 304, or 316 L are being used. The manufacturing process involves bending steel strips into tubes and the continuous longitudinal welding of the tubes. Manufacturing also includes heat treatments and stretching operations to achieve an external/internal diameter of 0.35/0.23 mm, with a tolerance of +/− 0.01 mm. Austenitic steels are sensitive to localized corrosion (pitting, crevice, and intergranular) that results from the welding process and various heat treatments. An extremely important step is the cleaning and the internal and external passivation of the hypotube surface. During patient interventions, there is a high risk of metal cations being released in contact with human blood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the state of passivation and corrosion resistance by using electrochemical methods and specific intergranular corrosion tests (the Strauss test). There were difficulties in passivating the hypotubes and assessing the corrosion phenomena in the interior of the tubes. Assessments were made by plotting the open circuit potential curves and exploring the polarization curves in the Tafel domain range of −50 mV vs. Ecorr (redox potential) and +150 mV vs. saturated calomel electrode (SCE, reference micro-electrode) for both the external and the internal surfaces of the hypotubes. The tested hypotubes did not exhibit intergranular corrosion, as mass losses were low and, in general, close to the limit of the analytical balance. Electrochemical techniques made the differentiation of the passivation state of the tested hypotubes possible. The measured currents were of the order of nano–pico amperes, and the quantities of electrical charges consumed for corrosion were of the order of micro–nano coulombs.


Electrical conductivity and total dissolved solids are considered important parameters in determining quality of drinking and agricultural water because they directly represent total salt concentration in the water. Increases in these parameter values indicate a reduction in water quality. In this study, estimation of the two parameters in the Lighvan Chay River located in Eastern Azerbaijan, Iran, is studied using the k‐nearest neighbors algorithm and support vector regression. Different sets of chemical parameters (i.e., phosphorus, chlorine, calcium, magnesium, sodium, sodium adsorption ratio, sulfate, bicarbonate) were considered as inputs while the total dissolved solids and electrical conductivity were the outputs. Three statistics—coefficient of determination (R2), root mean square error, and mean absolute error—were used to verify accuracy of these models. Comparison of the results showed that both algorithms accurately estimated the total dissolved solids and electrical conductivity, but the support vector regression model is recommended because of better performance.


* Correspondence: email@example.com Seather reclassified the following genera from the tribe Chironomini: Cladopelma Kieffer, Cryptotendipes Lenz, Microchironomus Kieffer, Parachironomus Lenz, Acalcarella Shilova, Paracladopelma Harnischia, Harnischia Kieffer, Cryptochironomus Kieffer, Demicryptochironomus Lenz, Gillotia Kieffer, Cyphomella Seather, Beckidia Seather, Chernovskiia Seather, Robachia Seather, and Seatheria Jakson. These remained in the same tribe, and in the "Harnischia complex" (Şahin, 1984). Schadinia Lipina 1939 is being accepted as a junior synonym of Demicryptochironomus and it was entirely ignored in original descriptions (Yan et al., 2005). It resembles the species of the genera Cryptochironomus and Gillotia, owing to the double coloration in the dentalium of the labium plate, and the concave structure of the mentum originating from the protruding position of the lateral teeth in comparison with the median teeth. The numbers of the teeth on the labium plate for Cryptochironomus, Gillotia, and Demicryptochironomus are 5, 6, and 7, respectively. The antennae have 5, 6, and 7 articulations in parallel. It is a transitional form between the genera Gillotia, Cryptochironomus, and Demicryptochironomus (Şahin, 1984). Thirty-five species belonging to the genus Demicryptochironomus were described in the world, and among them, Demicryptochironomus vulneratus is a widely distributed taxon (http://gni.globalnames.org/data_ sources/30?page=17&search_term=ns%3ADEM%2A). The species was recorded from Slovakia (Bitušík et al., 2007), France and Corsica (Serra-Tosio and Laville, 1991), the Pyrenees Mountains in the western Mediterranean, Italy, the Alps (on the slopes, the uppermost parts, and the surroundings of the western Alps), the Carpathian Mountains, the countries with low altitudes around the Baltic Sea (the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, England), the countries with high altitudes of the pole (northern Sweden, the cold and dry forests in Siberia, Russia), Caucasia, the surroundings of the Caspian Sea, Asian countries (Moller Pillot, 1978–1979), India (the Himalayas) (Dutta et al., 1996), the Far East (Makarchenko et al., 1997), and China (Yan et al., 2005). Şahin (1991) reported that Demicryptochironomus sp. had a distribution in the Gediz River, Turkey. According to Şahin (1991), representatives of the genus Demicryptochironomus were not found in the Tigris River. So far no species in this genus has been reported by researchers from Turkey. With this study, Demicryptochironomus vulneratus is presented as the first representative of the genus in the Turkish fauna. Specimens were collected as a total of 4 individuals from the Garzan Brook (37°54′57.74′′N, 41°20′45.27′′E) (n = 1) and Tigris River (Hasankeyf; 37°43′41.19′′N, Abstract: Demicryptochironomus (Demicryptochironomus) vulneratus (Zetterstedt, 1838) was collected as a total of 4 individuals from the Garzan Brook, Batman Brook (Beşeri), and Tigris River (Hasankeyf) and recorded as a new chironomid larva species for the Turkish potamofauna. The species was identified morphologically under light microscope and photographed with a photomicroscope. In addition, the taxonomic features of the species were illustrated schematically with a scale.


The invention provides a mounting structure of a photovoltaic module, which can solve the problem of mounting reliability of an existing pressure block mounting structure. The mounting structure comprises the photovoltaic module, wherein symmetrical pin shafts are fixedly arranged on the mounting surfaces at two sides of the photovoltaic module; the pin shafts are buckled into a clamping groove of a support plate; and the support plate is arranged on a bottom support structure.


Morphometric comparisons were made of seven populations and electrophoretic comparisons of nine populations of the Aedes communis complex in North America. Of 27 loci surveyed, 3-10 diagnostic loci were found to separate three species of this complex: A. communis sens, str., Aedes churchillensis , and Aedes nevadensis . A Lake Tahoe, Calif., collection showed unusually low genetic variability (<5%) and was significantly different from the other three species at 6 of 19 loci. Mean measurements of six larval and five adult morphological characters of the Lake Tahoe population also differed significantly from A. communis s.s. Originally this population was described by Dyar (1916) as Aedes tahoensis , but he later synonymized it under A. communis DeGeer. We resurrect A. tahoensis Dyar as a valid species based on genetic and morphological differences with A. communis s.s. Colorado populations of A. communis were electrophoretically indistinguishable from A. communis s.s.—although with reduced genetic variability—whereas morphological analyses placed the Colorado A. communis intermediate between A. tahoensis and A. communis s.s. Morphological and electrophoretic keys were constructed to separate the four species of the A. communis complex.


The larval development of Petrolisthes -racae Haig, 1968, an eastern Pacific species of porcellanid crab that inhabits mangrove forests, is completely described and illustrated. Development consists of a prezoeal stage, two zoeal stages, and a megalopal stage. The xoeae and inegalopae of P. %acae are quite similar to those of P. armatus but can be distinguished from the latter by several morphological features. The larvae of P. %acae are compared to those of both Atlantic and Pacific P. armatus, wherein the close relationship exhibited by the larvae of all three forms reaffirms that already noted for adults of the two species. Petrolisthes <%acae is a small, intertidal, eastern Pacific species of porcellanid crab commonly collected along muddy fringes of mangrove swamps in Costa Rica and Panama. The species was originally described from three specimens collected in 1938 from Ballenas Bay, Gulf of Nicoya, Costa Rica. Additional collections of the species were made by Dr. Lawrence G. Abelc during visits and tenure at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Canal Zone, from 1970 through 1973. The abundance of Petrolisthes \acae throughout the deep muddy regions of the mangrove forests in this area (see Abele 1972) and the close relationship of adults of the species to Petrolisthes armatus (Gibbes 1850), another extremely common intertidal species, suggested that examination of the larvae of P. ^acae might prove interesting when compared to larvae of P. armatus. Consequently, a collecting trip to the Pacific side of Panama was made during the week of 8-13 August 1973, wherein several ovigerous female specimens were procured. The complete larval development, from hatching to megalopal stage, was followed in the laboratory and is the subject of this report. MATERIALS AND METHODS Ovigerous females, and the males occurring with them, were collected on 10 August 1973 in 1 Manuscript received 29 March 1974. Smithsonian Institution, Fort Pierce Bureau, RFD l.Box 194-C, Fort Pierce, Florida 33450. the vicinity of the Diablo Boat Ramp, Balboa, Canal Zone. The crabs usually occurred in small niches or eroded cavities in hip-deep mud along a mangrove strand (Rh\ophora mangle L.) fringing the mouth of the Panama Canal, east of the Bridge of the Americas. The specimens were returned to the laboratory at Fort Pierce where six females yielded larvae. The description that follows is based on a series of 72 larvae which hatched from two isolated females on 17 August 1973 ( = series I). Additional larvae produced 3 and 4 days later by other females (including series II and III, see below) were examined periodically to determine whether morphological variation was occurring. None was found. Larvae obtained from all of the females were reared in 24-compartmented plastic trays by methods previously described for other porcellanid crabs (see, e.g., Gore 1970). Sea waterstored in 13-gallon containers and used throughout the study varied from 31-33%0. Controlled temperature units were unavailable and, because the room temperature could not be adjusted to a constant value due to the type of air-conditioning present, room temperatures recorded at time of water change ranged from a low of 18° C in two instances, to a high of 26° C in a single instance. Temperatures almost never fluctuated faster than 4° C over any given 24hour period, however, and the mean value for the 46-day rearing experiment was 22.5° C. Seawater was changed and A.rtemia nauplii were provided as food every day in scries I, and every other day in series II and III. All trays were exposed to diurnal illumination. Mcasurc-


The invention discloses a PLC waveform data generating and storing method of an accurate timer shaft. The PLC waveform data generating and storing method of the accurate timer shaft can be used for storing of PLC waveform data. The PLC waveform data generating and storing method of the accurate timer shaft is constructed in a waveform data obtaining method with a generating process and a storing process separated. The waveform data obtaining method with the generating process and the storing process separated means that data are generated in a PLC and stored in an upper computer. The accurate timer shaft means that time corresponds to the amplitude accurately. The PLC waveform data generating and storing method of the accurate timer shaft relates to the PLC 1, a waveform data generation ladder diagram program 2, the upper computer 3, man-machine interaction software 4 based on a virtual instrument, and OPC C/S 5. The PLC waveform data generating and storing method of the accurate timer shaft has the advantages that the waveform timer shaft can correspond to data on a longitudinal shaft accurately, time deviation is within the range of 1ms, and an ideal data storing method is provided for an experiment with high requirement for correspondence between the time and the amplitude.


The authors report a new technique of uni or bilateral transversoarthropediculotomy. It allows, according to the need, a conservative removal of a part or the whole posterior arch. This technique seems most suitable to avoid removal of posterior columns when a posterolateral approach is decided.


Monkeys aligned a cursor bar with high-contrast square-wave gratings presented in a variety of orientations. Alignment time increased with increasing spatial frequency from 6 to 24 cycles deg−1 regardless of the orientation of the grating. At higher spatial frequencies, alignment tasks took longer for obliquely oriented gratings than for horizontal and vertical ones. Reducing grating contrast by blurring the image of the 24 cycle deg−1 grating also produced longer alignment times for the obliques. These data indicate that monkeys have an oblique effect similar to that found in humans, implying that the monkey is a useful animal model for investigating the development of meridional anisotropies.


We appreciate William P. Minervini's response to our paper, in which he has raised several important points. His first comments are regarding design details of the NW 110th Street Cascade in Seattle (''the Cascade,'' the bioretention system that was the subject of our study). While noting the lack of a single, agreed-upon definition of 'bioretention' in the literature, he asserts that vegetation is a necessary component, and wonders about the vegetative state of the Cascade during data acquisition. He also asks for specifics regarding the soils used in the bioretention cells, and questions whether organic soils are necessary (or sufficient) for the definition of 'bioretention.' We agree that it is difficult to settle on a precise definition of the word 'bioretention.' We chose the term we thought best described the Cascade, and feel that this term must connote something regarding both soils and vegetation in the system. Some of the cells in the Cascade system included wetland plants during our study. In the majority of the cells, however, there was high mortality (or difficulty in establishment) of the originallyplanted sedges and rushes due to crowding and shading by the shrubs located along the cells' borders. Vegetation in several cells was therefore absent during our study; in others the coverage was patchy at best. During the study period, the City of Seattle began to manage the shrubs to allow the wetland plants to flourish. Still, in our opinion, these plants were not abundant enough to significantly contribute to pollutant removal. Had we waited to conduct our study, these plants might have aided more in the removal of pollutants; they might also have affected the hydraulic performance of the system. These are dynamic systems, not static, so performance from year to year is bound to change. In response to his question about the soils and source of the organic materials used in the system, the soil mix was 30 percent compost, 70 percent clean, gravelly sand (by volume). In construction of all its stormwater treatment systems, the City specifies compost from Type I feedstock produced in compliance with State of Washington standards. Type I feedstock consists of source-separated yard and garden wastes, wood wastes, agricultural crop residues, wax-coated cardboard, and preconsumer vegetative food wastes (Washington Administrative Code 173350-100). In the remainder of his response, he posits that, ''For total zinc and, to a lesser extent, total copper, much of the mass removal in Table 4 of the Chapman and Horner paper is due not to sediment capture, but to possible sequestration of some dissolved zinc and/ or copper by bioretention media or vegetation, and infiltration of remaining dissolved zinc and copper.'' We agree that 'much' of the pollutant mass removal is attributable to infiltration, but how much is due specifically to vegetation or contact with organic soils? This is nearly impossible to say. We highlighted sedimentation because levels of nearly all pollutants are highly correlated with TSS, and particulate forms of all pollutants are disproportionally removed. Minervini makes a good point regarding zinc as a possible exception to the rule. But let us study the ''exceptional'' case of zinc, with reference to the results of the largest sampled storm producing runoff from the system, in which measured inflow and outflow volumes differed little. The concentration of total zinc decreased from 0.068 mg/L at the inlet to 0.043 mg/L at the outlet; the concentration of dissolved zinc went from 0.017 mg/L to 0.018 mg/L, a very slight increase. So, while there is a reduction in mass of dissolved metal corresponding to the infiltration of some stormwater, it appears that more of the mass reduction is due to sequestration of the particulate form. (It should be stated here, as we did in our paper, that comparisons of concentrations at the inlet and outlet are confounded by unmonitored inflows to the system.) In the case of copper, since 77 percent of all copper entering the system during the study was in the particulate form, it seems clear that capture of sediments (via infiltration of stormwater or outright sedimentation, as we cannot discern between the two mechanisms with the available data) will be of paramount importance. Minervini


Two interacting imperatives -- technology and internationalization -- have caused fundamental structural shifts in the American economy. These changes, in turn, have had dramatic effects on the wages and working conditions of American workers. Their main impact has been to improve the incomes of more highly educated and skilled workers and to worsen the conditions and prospects for those without education beyond high school. The fundamental structural shifts created by the synergistic relationships between technological change and internationalization have eroded the effectiveness of the economic and social policies that contributed to the long period of equitably shared prosperity in the United States and other developed countries between the early 1940s and the early 1970s.(1) The reduced effectiveness of these policies has caused considerable disagreement over the policies needed for the 1990s and beyond. Policy disagreements occur because macroeconomic, microeconomic and industrial relations policies have become less effective and no consensus has developed on new paradigms. A major objective of this paper is to contribute to the development of a new paradigm based on high-wage, high-productivity economic strategies that include safety nets to prevent low-income people from bearing a disproportionate share of the costs of change. This paper examines these changes and their implications for workers. The nature of the processes created by internationalization and technological change will be explored first. The impact of these processes will be illustrated by an examination of their role in eroding the effectiveness of international economic policies, national macroeconomic and microeconomic policies and institutions and industrial relations systems. The paper then explores the impact of these changes for workers as illustrated by the conflict over the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and concludes with an outline of the economic policies needed to restore equitably shared economic growth. Technology and internationalization form highly interactive relationships. Technological change has reduced the importance of physical and geographic constraints and therefore has contributed greatly to the globalization of economic activity. However, internationalization has not increased the importance of international trade in final products and services alone.(2) As I use the term, internationalization means that information and transportation technologies have increased competition in what were formerly more isolated national domestic markets. Internationalization increases the options for buyers and sellers and therefore makes it more difficult for domestic monopolies and oligopolies to continue to fix prices and restrict output. It also becomes more difficult to take wages and working conditions out of competition through traditional domestic regulations and collective bargaining procedures. Similarly, individual workers with limited levels of formal education no longer can earn high incomes doing the same work on the same machines used by equally qualified workers in the developing countries. In other words, individuals and companies now must pay more attention to competitiveness, though competitiveness is not an issue only in international or foreign trade; it applies to domestic as well as international transactions. It also has intensified competition in domestic markets, making it much more difficult to maintain labor and product market regulatory and governance mechanisms created to support the mass-production and natural resource-oriented economy that developed in the United States during the first half of this century. Globalization of economic activity has combined with technology to change the nature of international transactions. Increasingly, these transactions are in financial markets, technologies, services and whole businesses, not just final products. These changes in the nature of international transactions alter the conceptual underpinnings for economic policy, requiring the development of more relevant concepts. …


Abstract Patients with acute encephalopathy who are thoroughly examined for an underlying diagnosis and in whom infectious, metabolic, and malignant causes are excluded can form a true diagnostic dilemma. If antithyroperoxidase antibodies (anti-TPO abs) are present, the diagnosis "steroid responsive encephalopathy, associated with autoimmune thyroiditis" (SREAT), better known as Hashimoto encephalitis, will often be considered. The precise pathophysiology of SREAT, including the possible role of the anti-TPO abs and the possible relationship between the encephalopathy and thyroid function, remains to be elucidated. Here we present three young patients with SREAT. Our patients illustrate that in unexplained encephalopathy, after exclusion of other causes (diagnosis of exclusion), determination of the anti-TPO abs may contribute to the diagnosis of SREAT. They also illustrate that thyroid function or the concentration of the anti-TPO abs does not seem to be associated with the severity of the clinical presentation of SREAT. We hypothesize that SREAT has an immunologic etiology. The presence of anti-TPO abs, however, should be considered to be a marker for autoimmunity and not a causative. It probably reflects the presence of predisposition of autoimmunity in these patients. Therefore, this condition should not be called Hashimoto encephalitis any longer.


Purpose
In the ongoing Industry 4.0 era, the internet of things (IoT) has become a global race in the current information technology climate. However, little is understood about the pattern of the global competitive arena or its players' set up strategy. This paper aims to attempt to compare the cross-country development of the IoT industry. In particular, from the lens of industrial policies, this paper highlights how China, as a latecomer, gains momentum to emerge victorious as a leader in this global race.

Design/methodology/approach
Based on five dimensions, namely, foundation, trajectory, characteristic, application and social impacts, this paper presents the evolution of the IoT industry in the USA, European Union, Japan, South Korea and China. From the lens of windows of opportunities, this paper analyzes how China seized the opportunity with the emerging technology, thereby, enabling it to create a competitive advantage.

Findings
This paper finds that China's IoT industry takes a distinct trajectory, where scientific institutions, enterprises and governmental policies collaborate in unison, during which the first phase was when scientific research institutions introduced the conceptual new technology from developed countries. This technological foresight allowed for the identification and realization of critical technologies, strategic fields and technological trends. The second phase was the continuous dissatisfaction of capabilities of critical technologies, which creates disruptions that significantly altered the environment of technological competition.

Originality/value
This paper provides a comprehensive and comparative review of IoT industries in a global context, with the critical and influential role of the windows of opportunities on those enterprises lagging behind the technological wave.


Background: The aim of this study was to retrospectively investigate the 18-year experience of prenatal diagnosis of fetal karyotype analysis by amniocentesis. Methods: In this study, the authors reviewed the cytogenetic results of 40,208 fetuses with indications for amniocentesis enrolled from December 1998 to December 2015. Cytogenetic analysis of amniotic fluid was performed in all these pregnancies. Eight indications for amniocentesis were included. The detection rate and distribution of abnormal karyotypes were observed in each indication. Results: Among all these samples, abnormal maternal serum screening test was the most common indication for amniocentesis (17,536, 43.67%), followed by advanced maternal age (11,734, 29.18%), abnormal ultrasound findings (5,328, 13.25%), and required by pregnant women (2,557, 6.36%). Chromosomal abnormality was detected in 1,349 (3.36%) samples, 63.01% of the abnormalities were numerical, and 36.99% were structural. The detection rates of abnormal karyotype were 55.60% in one of the couple with chromosomal abnormality, 4.43% in the pregnant women with pathological ultrasound finding, 2.83% in the pregnant women with advanced age, and 2.73% in women with abnormal maternal serum screening tests. Of the fetuses with chromosome aberrations, 680 (50.41%) had trisomy 13, trisomy 18, or trisomy 21, and 138 (10.23%) had sex chromosome disorder. The other 531 abnormal samples included translocation, mosaicism, inversion, deletion, addition, and marker chromosome. Conclusions: Cytogenetic analysis, therefore, remained an effective approach to decrease the birth defects of fetuses with indications for amniocentesis. These results could provide meaningful suggestions for clinical genetic consulting and prenatal diagnosis.


In nonlinear optics, a major challenge is to maximize the interaction between the light from laser sources and low-density media such as gases. An ultrafast laser beam can be focused to form a highly intense spot over a small concentrated area. The ultrafast laser beam has a short pulse width of less than one picosecond and high peak power in the beam profile (Fig. 1). The beam profile of the laser source describes the energy density and distribution of light, and the beam profile of a laser source is usually affected during the propagation and collimation of the beam. An efficient nonlinear optical sensor also requires high peak power at low energy (low average power) over short duration of laser pulse, a high beam profile and long interaction length. These requirements of a nonlinear optical sensor with low attenuation constant can be achieved in hollow-core photonic crystal fiber (HC-PCF). Gas-filled HC-PCF exhibits optical nonlinearity for an ultrashort temporal and spectral broadening of NIR pulses [1], [2]. The nonlinearity in HC-PCF can be achieved by tuning the gas pressure. Gas-filled HC-PCF nonlinear media are low-cost, replenishable, reconfigurable and exhibit sharp spectral lines [3]. Linear and nonlinear responses are also found in other types of optical fibers.


To promote recovery in larger numbers of persons with schizophrenia, considerable research will be required in generating and validating a variety of operational definitions of the construct of 'recovery'. Definitions will vary both in terms of the inclusiveness of their dimensions and their use of dimensional or categorical criteria.When categorical criteria are used, differences in quantitative thresholds for meeting the criteria for recovery will require long-term follow-up studies to choose from. A multi-modal approach to validation of criteria for recovery will likely be most desirable.There will be the need for research and development on instruments for measuring psychosocial functioning, including surveys and focus groups that can clarify the range of normative behavior in the general population using these instruments and their psychometric properties. Studies for identifying those who recover from schizophrenia will need to be longitudinal and prospective, including controlled clinical trials, effectiveness and field studies that view recovery as unfolding over many years in dynamic ways. One benefit of research on the construct of recovery will be to improve the differentiation of schizophrenia as a heterogeneous set of disorders rather than a unitary disease.The role of various malleable factors related to recovery, including treatment and rehabilitation, should lead to advances in services for persons with schizophrenia as well as in training of mental health professionals.


The dialectal differences of comparative sentences of Tujia language are revealed in their different comparative marker,word order and auxiliary words of Tujia dialects.Comparatively speaking,the Chinese impression on the northern Tujia language is less than on the southern Tujia language,especially the distinct comparative sentences of northern Tujia language possess its inherent forms,while the comparative sentences of southern Tujia language are basically inclined to Chinese,which not only reflects the differences of grammatical patterns in Tujia dialects,but also reflects the imbalance of Chinese impression on Tujia dialects.


The COST Programme The Cooperation in Science and Technology Programme (COST) is an inter-governmental framework for European Co-operation in the field of Scientific and Technical Research. COST is managed by the European Science Foundation, and in May 2005 supported almost 200 Actions involving nearly 30000 scientists from 32 European member countries and more than 50 participating institutions from 11 non-member countries. These Actions are networks of coordinated national research project in fields which are of interest to a minimum number of participants (at least 5) from different member states. COST Actions cover basic and pre-competitive research as well as activities of public utility. The members of each Action are drawn from member countries which have ratified the Action, and their activities are informed by a programme accepted by the ESF management at time of application and reviewed on an annual basis throughout the Action. Each Action comprises three principal activities: the workshops where the science or technology matters of the Action are presented and discussed; the Action's short-term scientific missions, which allow contacts made during workshop networking to be developed; and, thirdly, the dissemination of the Action's science through publication or electronic communication.


The aim of this paper is to evaluate the flexibility in flexible manufacturing system (FMS). Two distinct modelling approaches have been employed. Flexibility and factors are identified through literature review, and a relationship is established in the opinion of experts from industries and academia. In this study, a hybrid model which employs interpretive structural modelling (ISM) and modified technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) together, are proposed. ISM has been used to develop a hierarchical structure of flexibility. Modified TOPSIS has been used to evaluate the flexibility based on some factors. ISM model concluded that production flexibility has the more driving power than other flexibilities. Modified TOPSIS also evaluated that production flexibility is the most important flexibility in the FMS. The criteria weights are calculated by using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP).


Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) hinterland involving many countries and regions in Southeast Asia and South Asia, is one of the most dynamic regions in the world today .The mission of GMS economic cooperation is to expand and strengthen the cooperation among each subregion country, and realize common economic development, achieve a balance of construction interests. However, the unbalanced economic development of six countries leads to quite different levels of economic development of countries. From collaborative planning perspective, each plan would bring each country the same benefits, and it is the key point about whether the GMS economic cooperation goes on smoothly, and enable countries to obtain their corresponding share and interests, achieve mutual benefit and common development. Based on which, the balance of interest mechanism were analyzed by four aspects of economic, energy, environmental protection and transportation. Keywords—GMS; subregion economic cooperation; benefit


The utility model discloses an inner/outer split and heat insulating hook sectional material provided with a hook component of a shutter push-pull window inside, and relates to the field of building materials. The inner/outer split and heat insulating hook sectional material comprises a hook inner split sectional material, a hook outer split sectional material, a hook outer cover plate sectional material and a heat insulating hook sectional material, wherein the hook inner split sectional material and the hook outer split sectional material are assembled through a connecting piece; a limiting plate is arranged between the hook inner split sectional material and the hook outer split sectional material; the hook outer cover plate sectional material is assembled at the left ends of the hook inner split sectional material and the hook outer split sectional material; heat insulating glass is mounted at the right ends of the hook inner split sectional material and the hook outer split sectional material; and the heat insulating hook sectional material is assembled between the hook inner split sectional material and the hook outer cover plate sectional material. The inner/outer split and heat insulating hook sectional material has the advantages of simple structure, reasonable design, convenience for construction and installation, safe and environment-friendly use, high production efficiency, low cost, good tightness, low noise and difficult component deformation, and can be widely applied to aluminum alloy window leaves.


Magnetic activity contributes to solar irradiance variations, both on short and long time scales. While sunspots and active region faculae are the dominant contributors to irradiance changes on time scales of days to weeks, the origin of the long term increase of the irradiance between activity minimum and maximum (≈0.1%) is still debated. It has been proposed that the small-scale magnetic elements composing the enhanced and quiet network take part substantially in this increase. To contribute to this debate, we present the results obtained measuring changes in the radiative properties of the quiet network pattern along the current solar cycle. We use daily near simultaneous full-disk images provided by the Rome PSPT in three pass bands centered on CaII K line, blue and red Continua. The period analyzed ranges from July 1996 to September 2002, during the whole ascending phase of the current solar cycle. We measured a network contrast change of about 0.05% in the two continuum PSPT bands and a network disk coverage change of the order of 6%. Under the simple hypothesis that network and quiet sun radiate as black bodies with the network at a slightly elevated temperature, the network contribution to TSI cycle variation, estimated over the period analyzed, is ≈3−4 × 10 −4 .


Cell-cell communication is required for maintaining physiological functions of the vasculature, and is also involved in the development of vascular disorders. Yet, how heterologous intercellular cr...


The purpose of this research is to describe the type and function of speech acts in the film of Asalamualaikum Calon Imamku.. The method of data collection in this study is the observation method, continued by the note taking technique. Then, the data was analyzed by using the theory of speech acts. Based on the result of the research was found five kinds of speech acts used in the film of Asalamualaikum Calon Imamku, namely representative speech acts, directive speech acts, expressive speech acts, commissive speech acts, and declarative speech acts. Representative speech acts found function to report, expect, acknowledge, and show. Directive speech acts found function to force, advise, prohibit, ask, order, beg, invite, and suggest. Expressive speech acts found function to criticize, judge, blame, warn, and praise. The commissive speech act found function to promise and state the capability. The declarative speech act found function to authorize.


ethnobotany has been an excellent research tool in understanding the various ways that relate physics, culture and spirituality to plants in traditional quilombol communities. Studies on medicinal plants, which demonstrate their diversity and use by quilombola communities, demonstrate their relevance, given factors such as cultural influence, ancient knowledge passed on to each generation bringing them to scientific knowledge. In this context, the present study aimed to conduct a survey on the diversity and use of medicinal plants by quilombola communities, through the review of articles from 2014 to 2019 obtained by the SciELO platform, LILACS and CAPES Magazine Portal. With the study, it is clear what is the importance or fundamental knowledge about the diversity and use of these medicinal plants, and the lack of knowledge of an important risk factor for poisoning for the residents of these communities, thus alerting the need for education and preventive activities, as well as the publication and dissemination of research with similar objectives, are those that best use above as their basic and nutritional needs. Keywords— Quilombol community; Traditional knowledge; Phytotherapic species.


Water dispersible nanostructured multifunctional polyaniline-laponite-keggin iron cation composites (PPIL) were prepared by the oxidative polymerization of aniline in the presence of an aqueous dispersion of keggin iron-laponite (PIL) at room temperature. Negatively charged ions on the surface and residual positive charges on the edges of the laponite disc adsorb both keggin iron and aniline through ion-dipole and ionic interactions and can act as a micellar template during polymerisation. We suggest that keggin cages act as linkages between disorganized laponite sheets and during polymerisation, the disorganised PIL discs are co-structured and self-assembled with the formed PANI and engulfed layers and rolled sheets of nanotubes. These multifunctional composites exhibited electrical conductivity ∼ 5.7 × 10−1 S cm−1, saturation magnetization ∼ 9.0 × 10−1 emu g−1 with coercivity 8.2 Oe and thermal stability ∼ 300 °C, revealing their utility as a novel precursor for many high technological applications.


Abstract The age at menarche varies across the populations of the world and depends on various socio-economic, biological and genetic factors. In the present paper an attempt is made to present the distribution of age at menarche of girls belonging to four different endogamous populations of Andhra Pradesh namely, Kapu (peasant caste), Settibalija (toddy-drawing caste), Paki (scavenging caste), and Yerukula (plain area scheduled tribe). Data were collected from women living in rural area of Narasapuram mandal of West Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh, through personal interviewing. A majority of girls of former three populations attained puberty during 13th year of their age, while among Yerukula tribe, a majority reported the attaining of menarche at the age of 12th year.


The present invention, the housing, the gas generating in the housing composition and that accessories for a carrier comprising an agent comprising at least one extruded igniter element for igniting the gas generating composition of the system, the gas-generating device-control will be. Wherein the extruded igniter element, the water-soluble polymeric binder is formed from at least one oxidizing agent, at least one fuel and optionally igniter composition available a novel and improved extrusion being formulated from components comprising, including the fiber. Extrudable igniter composition, the binder, the oxidizing agent, the gas generating device, an auxiliary safety control system, a carrier.


A regulating system (1) is disclosed for regulating the speed of rotation of an electric current-generating turbine. The system has a first regulating structure (1) that may be connected to a regulating member (3) for regulating the speed of rotation of the turbine during idle or insulated running of the turbine. A deviation signal (X) dependent on the difference between set value (W2) and real value (W2) of the speed of rotation may be supplied to the first regulating structure (2). During release, the first regulating structure (2) transmits a closure signal to the regulating member (3) depending on the deviation signal (X). The first regulating structure (2) thus combines a function of regulation of the speed of rotation during idle and/or insulated running of the turbine with a function of prevention of a fast turbine shut-down during release. Also disclosed is a process for regulating the speed of rotation of a turbine during release.


Mutations in Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk) result in X‐linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) in humans and X‐linked immunodeficiency (xid) in mice. While targeted disruption of the protein kinase C‐β (PKCβ) gene in mice results in an immunodeficiency similar to xid, the overall tyrosine phosphorylation of Btk is significantly enhanced in PKCβ‐deficient B cells. We provide direct evidence that PKCβ acts as a feedback loop inhibitor of Btk activation. Inhibition of PKCβ results in a dramatic increase in B‐cell receptor (BCR)‐mediated Ca2+ signaling. We identified a highly conserved PKCβ serine phosphorylation site in a short linker within the Tec homology domain of Btk. Mutation of this phosphorylation site led to enhanced tyrosine phosphorylation and membrane association of Btk, and augmented BCR and FcϵRI‐mediated signaling in B and mast cells, respectively. These findings provide a novel mechanism whereby reversible translocation of Btk/Tec kinases regulates the threshold for immunoreceptor signaling and thereby modulates lymphocyte activation.


Two digital seismograph systems in current operation are described. Together they provide high quality data for experimental studies of earth tides, free oscillations, surface waves, and teleseismic body waves. A broad-band system sampling three components 10 times per sec covers the frequency range between 0.003 and 3.0 cps, and a long-period system sampling each of ten channels every 15 sec covers the range between 0.0 and 0.01 cps. The broad-band system can be used to simulate any desired standard seismograph and provides greater dynamic range and more flexibility than most existing seismographs. The long-period system is currently being used for a free oscillation experiment in which strain and pendulum seismographs record together.


Phyto-phenology is defined as the relationships between recurring vegetation cycle and environment. In the beginning, it mainly contributed to and adhered to agriculture, and in last century, several dozens of phenological models have been developed. These models could be classified into two groups, i.e., static model and dynamic model. The latter attempts to describe the physiological processes which preceded phenophase occurrence, and thus, could be used to somewhat accurately speculate the commencement dates of phenophases. In this paper, the dynamic phenological models including temperature model, chilling model and others were outlined, among which, temperature model is drawn more concentration than the other models. The underlying principles and hypotheses of the models were described, and several cases of their application in global change were demonstrated. The study of dynamic phenological models was just at its inspiring beginning, and there were more work to be done.


Hundreds of students are required to take introductory physics each year at our mid‐size Canadian university. These students enter the course with diverse educational histories and demographic characteristics that reflect the diversity of the large, metropolitan city that the university is located in. In this project, we investigate how students' demographic and educational diversity is related to their conceptual learning in introductory university physics. Students' learning outcomes in introductory sciences courses often impact their later learning in undergraduate science degree programs. As expected, we found that the completion of a senior high school physics course is positively related to students' conceptual understanding of physics. The unexpected result was that gender remained a predictor of the students' conceptual understanding, even when the completion of high school physics was accounted for. Interestingly, other demographic characteristics, such as students' mother tongue and country of b...


The paper deals with the avant-garde in music and its relationship to nineteenth-century thought regarding musical progress and the end of art. It offers an analysis of the musical avant-garde that focuses on its underlying assumptions and convictions, highlighting its long-term continuity with the nineteenth-century philosophy of history and its counterpart in the theory of the Neudeutsche Schule, as reflected in the writings of (Karl) Franz Brendel (1811-1868). My main concern is the historical development of twentieth-century radical art music, from Arnold Schoenberg to Pierre Boulez, and its overlap with G.W.F. Hegel"s notion of the "death of art". In exploring this musical-philosophical nexus, I try to illuminate the socio-philosophical meaning of the literary activity of twentieth-century musicians. The article proposes to understand the connection between ideas and compositional praxis in the work of avant-garde composers as analogous to the critical-philosophical turn envisioned by Brendel. The twentieth century is unique in the history of Western music. When viewed from a broad perspective, one can easily recognize the qualities that set it apart from earlier musical eras. No prior period offered such a wide range of stylistic possibilities, compositional systems and aesthetic ideologies. With the possible exception of the seventeenth century, in no other era were the most basic principles of composition so fundamentally questioned and threatened by alternative ways of writing music. For the most part, new musical styles and compositional techniques did not endure for more than a limited period of time, and even then they were by no means accepted by all major composers. Newly invented musical languages did not replace one another, as was usually the case in earlier periods, but coexisted in an uneasy tension, joining past styles that retained their imposing presence in popular genres such as film music. From the outset, and despite claims to the contrary, the twentieth century was a "Babel" of musical languages, with none fully functioning as the composers" lingua franca. The diversity of twentieth-century music was partially the outcome of internal developments within the field of composition. The expansion of orchestral and especially harmonic possibilities during the nineteenth century, and the search for new expressive means and musical forms by early modernist composers, engendered a widespread and well-documented feeling that tonality as a system of formal organization was exhausted and had to be replaced by a new, and less strict, method of composition. This, in turn, motivated composers to work out new compositional systems and musical languages. The proliferation of compositional practices was further sustained by a broader (if somewhat less easily detectable) socio-cultural process that began well before the twentieth century. At the heart of this process is the emergence of a new perspective on the history of music, a perspective that had far-reaching implications for the work of contemporary composers. As noted by several recent scholars, twentieth-century composers approached their work in a highly self-conscious manner, aware of the historically relative nature of their preconceived musical traditions. ii In an attempt to explain this development, J. Peter Burkholder proposed that modern composers were affected by the establishment of the modern bourgeois concert hall. As he rightly points out, present-day concertgoers are exposed to a very different musical experience than that typical of earlier times. Crucially, modern concert programs are mainly based on the music of the past, thus turning the


Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) is a biodegradable and biocompatible polymer with many potential biomedical applications including medical implants and drug delivery systems. In this study, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) production by Bacillus subtilis MTCC 9763 was optimized for different physical and chemical parameters. A 90% poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) accumulation was achieved with 2% fructose and 0.5% ammonium sulfate as carbon and nitrogen sources. The effective accumulation occurred at pH 7. The poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) content of dry cell weight increased to 87% at 36 h of incubation. The synthesized poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) was characterized by Fourier transform infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies. The oil-in-water solvent evaporation technique was used to fabricate the poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) microspheres. The surface morphology appeared smooth in the range of 1–2 µm with specific surface area ranging 19 to 20 m2/g. The synthesized poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) microspheres were nontoxic and exhibited good cytocompatibility toward NIH 3T3 fibroblasts.


Abstract von Braun Cyanogen Bromide Reaction Some extensions of von Braun cyanogen bromide reaction have been undertaken on conessine, isoconessine and two simpler bases, dimethyl a-naphthyl amine and diethyl amine. The monocyanamides of conessine and isoconessine yielded acid amides, amino-derivatives (diamines) and guanido derivatives on careful hydrolysis, reduction and treat-ment with ammonia, respectively. The simpler bases also formed the acid amides and dia-mines but failed to give the guanido derivatives under the conditions employed for conessine series. Diamines of all these bases yielded carbinol amines on reaction with nitrous acid.


Oligodeoxyribonucleotides (ODNs) with conjugated reactive groups are potential sequence-specific gene inactivating agents. The antitumor antibiotic CC-1065 binds preferably in the minor groove of A-T-rich sites of double-stranded DNA, and the cyclopropapyrroloindole (CPI) subunit of the drug alkylates adenines at their N3 position. Pure enantiomeric (+)- and (−)-CPI and its N5-methyl homologue (MCPI) were synthesized and conjugated to an ODN. These conjugates were evaluated for their ability to alkylate a target containing a duplex region immediately adjacent to a single-stranded complementary binding region for the ODN conjugate. The conjugates demonstrated excellent stability in physiologic conditions and stereospecific, hybridization-triggered alkylation of the synthetic ODN targets. The dependence of the reaction rates on sequence of the duplex target region was in accord with the predicted minor groove binding of the conjugated CPI. The reactivity was highly dependent on the structure of the cross-li...


Introduction: Chronic Periodontitis is an infectious condition that can result in the inflammatory destruction of periodontal ligament and alveolar bone. The aim of the study was to critically evaluate hand scaling and ultrasonic scaling in the local population. Method: 35 patients were selected for this Split mouth randomized single blind study. Group I received scaling and root planing (SRP) with Ultrasonic Device and Group II received SRP with hand instruments. Plaque Index (PI), Gingival Index (GI), Pocket Probing Depth (PPD) and Clinical Attachment Level (CAL) were assessed at baseline before scaling and root planing, and after 1 month, and 3 months interval. Result :showed that there was a significant difference in all clinical parameters at baseline to 1 month, 3 months and 1 month to 3 month in group I and group II (p value ≤0.001). No statistical significant difference was seen in all clinical parameters between the two groups. The mean difference of time taken for the treatment procedure is approximately two times more in SRP with hand instruments as compared to ultrasonic scaling. (p value ≤0.001). Conclusion: There was a comparable results in reduction in all clinical parameter with both the treatment modalities except the time required for ultrasonic scaling .


A novel, optical dispersion tolerant millimetre-wave radio-over-fibre system using optical frequency tripling technique with enhanced and selectable sideband suppression is demonstrated. 3 dB RCE penalties for multichannel WiMax transport was recorded after 40 km of fibre.


Background: Tropospheric ozone and black carbon (BC), a component of fine particulate matter (PM ≤ 2.5 µm in aerodynamic diameter; PM2.5), are associated with premature mortality and they disrupt global and regional climate. Objectives: We examined the air quality and health benefits of 14 specific emission control measures targeting BC and methane, an ozone precursor, that were selected because of their potential to reduce the rate of climate change over the next 20–40 years. Methods: We simulated the impacts of mitigation measures on outdoor concentrations of PM2.5 and ozone using two composition-climate models, and calculated associated changes in premature PM2.5- and ozone-related deaths using epidemiologically derived concentration–response functions. Results: We estimated that, for PM2.5 and ozone, respectively, fully implementing these measures could reduce global population-weighted average surface concentrations by 23–34% and 7–17% and avoid 0.6–4.4 and 0.04–0.52 million annual premature deaths globally in 2030. More than 80% of the health benefits are estimated to occur in Asia. We estimated that BC mitigation measures would achieve approximately 98% of the deaths that would be avoided if all BC and methane mitigation measures were implemented, due to reduced BC and associated reductions of nonmethane ozone precursor and organic carbon emissions as well as stronger mortality relationships for PM2.5 relative to ozone. Although subject to large uncertainty, these estimates and conclusions are not strongly dependent on assumptions for the concentration–response function. Conclusions: In addition to climate benefits, our findings indicate that the methane and BC emission control measures would have substantial co-benefits for air quality and public health worldwide, potentially reversing trends of increasing air pollution concentrations and mortality in Africa and South, West, and Central Asia. These projected benefits are independent of carbon dioxide mitigation measures. Benefits of BC measures are underestimated because we did not account for benefits from reduced indoor exposures and because outdoor exposure estimates were limited by model spatial resolution.


A carbon nanotube manufacturing device is provided to prevent metal catalyst particle from adhering to a side wall of the reactor and reacting to a side wall of the reactor, to improve productivity and to cut down manufacturing cost. A carbon nanotube manufacturing device includes: a reactor(130) providing reaction space in which the carbon nanotube is generated by reacting metallic catalyst and source gas; and a curtain unit equipped in reaction space and preventing metal catalyst particle from adhering to a side wall(112) of the reactor by forming a shield changing pathway of the metal catalyst particle facing a side wall of the reactor.


The present study was aimed at verifying whether serum L-fucose, total sialic acid (TSA) and ceruloplasmin can be used as prognostic indicators for type II diabetes mellitus, which will help in detecting complications of diabetes at an earlier stage. Thirty confirmed type II diabetic patients and 30 non-diabetic subjects were considered for the study. Serum L-fucose, total sialic acid and ceruloplasmin were estimated by Winzler's methods and diamine oxidase methods respectively. Serum L-fucose and TSA were significantly increased in diabetes when compared to the non diabetic control, where as ceruloplasmin was apparently increased in diabetes. Serum L-fucose, total sialic acid and ceruloplasmin can be used as prognostic indicators for type II diabetes mellitus.


In this paper, a multi-port fourth-harmonic Push-Push oscillator and a coupling circuit suitable for oscillator arrays are presented. In Push-Push oscillator arrays, oscillators are synchronized and output phase differences between adjacent oscillators are controlled by the coupling circuits at 1/4 of the desired output frequency. Therefore, wide-range phase control of the output signal can be achieved. It is confirmed that the fundamental signal and the fourth-harmonic are obtained from the oscillator. The phase difference shift of 130 degrees was obtained.


The present invention discloses a method applied to ten gigabit passive optical network optical line terminal of the optical module, the optical module comprising: a first laser emitter, an input device for receiving an electrical signal and converts it into a first the output optical signal wavelength; a first laser detector for receiving an optical signal having a second wavelength, which is converted to an electric signal outputted to the device; a second laser emitter, a third wavelength of the emitted light signal; and a second laser beam detector for receiving the reflected optical signal having a third wavelength, and converts the received optical signal to an output electrical signal; breakpoint detection module, an electrical signal output from the second laser detector sampling, analysis to determine the position of the fiber break. Since the first laser emitter and a laser detector during a first optical signal communication, the second laser and the second laser emitter detector breakpoint detection operation may be performed, eliminating the need to disconnect the fiber optic network system, and can ensure other transmission signal is not normally break at the network.


The uncertainty in the separation of the asymmetric profile of the hydroxyl band of normal alcohols has been overcome by the use of a Fourier deconvolution technique which determined component-band parameters to carry out the band separation unambiguously. The nearly similar rotamer population of trans : gauche of 1.6 : 1 in the n-alcohols showed that the n-alkyl chain does not hinder the rotation around the C—O bond. The enthalpy change of gauche–trans conversion in solution (ca. 7 kJ mol–1) was much larger than the torsional barrier in the gaseous state.


Abstract Brahma Rasayana is a polyherbal avaleha indicated as a general tonic and is used to reduce ageing symptoms. An HPTLC-densitometric method was developed for the standardization of Brahma Rasayana by quantitative estimation of polyphenolic compounds namely gallic acid, ellagic acid, chebulinic acid and chebulagic acid. Three different marketed brands of the formulation were compared with respect to the amounts of the markers present in the formulation.


In the course of an ear l ie r attempt to prove the existence of "solar wind" Rhenium in lunar surface material and to search for a possibly "deficient" Re-187, which made have suffered a faster "bound state" f-decay(l), we observed in contrast a slight enhancement in Re-187 (2 ) . T: prove this and by reason of the extremely low Rhenium concentrations (igneous rocks < 0.1 ppb) neutron activation and counting techniques had to be improved. Suitable samples were subjected to an intense neutron bombardement, the Re was chemically separated and analyzed by )r -spectroscopy by a 25 c c Ge(Li)-detector, The ~ e 1 8 7 / ~ e 1 8 5 ratio was checked by the 137 keV 7 l i n e of Re-186 and the 155 keV line of Re-188. Lunar basaltic rocks gave the lowest Re-contents, ranging from 0. 02 to 0 .09 ppb, which roughly corresponds to achondrites. Whereas the soils were found to be r icher in Re, 0.6 ppb for Apollo-12 and 0. 95 1.4 ppb fo r 14-regolith, indicating a la rger meteoritic contribution. The 14breccias proved to range between rocks and soils. The determination of the isotopic composition of Re showed, that Re-187 is remarkably enriched. An excess of 1.4 to 1.87'0 was measured in the 14regoliths and was even higher in breccias up to 297'0. The observed anomaly is explained by the reaction W l 8 6 ( n , ~ )W-187 -@~e-187. Consequently the W content were determined (table 1). The W/Re ratios a r e between 1100 (14-soils) and 41000 (breccia 14.321). However, because the neutron capture of W-186 does not only occur a t the lunar surface, but a lso during pile activation, the measured excess of Re-187 had to be corrected for the reactor irradiation. This was done by calculation and by comparison of respective standards. The lunar share was found to be between 20 and 60% of the brutto excess of Re-187(table 2) . It is concluded that the lunar neutron capture of W-186 is mainly due to epithermal neutrons. The cross section has a pronounced maximum at 18.8eV and is relatively large up to -100 eV. A contribution of W-184 (n, 8 ) to Re-185 is in the first approximation negligible, The possibility of deriving time integrated neutron fluxes and neutron spectra is discussed.


Not all sites in protein sequences evolve at the same rate during the course of evolution. The working hypothesis assumes that evolutionary conserved sites in a protein sequence point to functionally important regions. Thus, identifying conserved regions in a protein impacts such areas as functional annotation studies, drug design, quaternary structure prediction, and protein biochemistry [1]. Conservation levels are typically inferred from multiple sequence alignment (MSA) of homologous proteins. Recently, 'Rate4Site' [2] was developed as a tool for the identification of functional regions in proteins using the maximum likelihood (ML) criteria. However, Bayesian rate inference techniques are also plausible. When considering a Bayesian rate inference a few alternatives exist: (1) the inferred rate is the expectation of the rate over the posterior rate distribution (BAYES-EXP), and (2) the rate yielding the highest posterior probability is chosen (BAYES-MAP). When considering a Bayesian rate inference one must assume a prior distribution of rates. The most commonly used distribution for modeling rate variation across sites is the gamma distribution [3]. This distribution is used here as the prior for both the BAYES-EXP and BAYES-MAP methods. The purpose of this study is to compare three different likelihood-based inference methods: ML, BAYES-MAP and BAYES-EXP by using simulations. We studied the effect of the number of discrete gamma categories on the performance of the BAYES-EXP method. We also studied the effect of various evolutionary parameters, such as the number of taxonomic units, branch lengths and rate distributions on the quality of predictions. Finally, we discuss confidence intervals for inferred rates. We conclude with a biological example.


With an ever-blooming population, there have always been demands for public housing in Hong Kong. To meet with the huge demand for public housing, construction quality has often been sacrificed at the expense of quantity in the 1970s and 1980s. The maintenance problem of these poor quality buildings and the higher expectation on housing quality from the public, have prompted the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HKHA) to focus on its construction quality. To achieve the goal of providing quality housing, a good quality management system is crucial. A number of construction quality tools, like Quality Assurance Systems, Quality Indicators and the related systems, have been developed and implemented by the HKHA since the early 90's. This paper describes the implementation of these quality tools and their effectiveness in monitoring the performance of construction organizations in Hong Kong. Two of the trends in producing high quality building, partnering and off-site production are described.


Abstrcat Many important traits in plant breeding are quantitative traits, and controlled by a series of genes, known as quantitative trait loci (QTLs). However, as far as these QTLs identification and application are concerned, there are still some unsolved problems presented to us, which include: ① Different QTLs controlling the same trait should be distinguished based on their breeding value;② A well, exact and high throughput method should be developped in acquiring phenotypic value; ③ Mapping results of these QTLs should be verified in further tests which are more effective and efficient; ④ A definitude result, whether the target QTL was being among high breeding value varieties (QTL distribution), should be known, which is prerequisite for marker-assisted breeding for QTLs. Some approaches for these problems for the discussion with researchers in interrelated fields were presented in this study.


This paper describes laboratory work investigating the applicability of solar-powered photocatalysis for the treatment of water contaminated with heavy metals and organics. It was found that Ag(I), Au (HI), Cr(VI), Hg(H), Pd(H), and PT(IV) are easily treated while Cd(U), Cu(II), and NI(II) are not. The importance of the entire photocatalytic redox cycle is demonstrated by showing that the rates of oxidation (of organics) and reduction (of metals) are intrinsically interrelated. Data are presented showing that photoefficiency decreases as light intensity increases in the range of 0 to 17 suns UV. This result suggests that one-sun systems are more efficient than those using concentrated solar radiation. Preliminary data for three samples of actual waste: (1) gold mining leachate, (2) precious metals mining extract, and (3) photographic waste, are described. In general, actual applications are less effective than predicted using laboratory data for clean systems.


28 Lake sediments contain valuable information about past volcanic and seismic events 29 that have affected the lake catchment, and provide unique records of the recurrence interval 30 and magnitude of such events. This study uses a multi-lake and multi-proxy analytical 31 approach to obtain reliable and high-resolution records of past natural catastrophes from c. 32 600 year old annually-laminated (varved) lake sediment sequences extracted from two lakes, 33 Villarrica and Calafquén, in the volcanically and seismically active Chilean Lake District. 34 Using a combination of μXRF scanning, microfacies analysis, grain-size analysis, color 35 analysis and magnetic-susceptibility measurements, we detect and characterize four different 36 types of event deposits (EDs) (lacustrine turbidites; tephra-fall layers; runoff cryptotephras; 37 lahar deposits) and produce a revised eruption record for Villarrica Volcano, which is 38 unprecedented in its continuity and temporal resolution. Glass geochemistry and mineralogy 39 also reveal deposits of eruptions from the more remote Carrán-Los Venados Volcanic 40 Complex, Quetrupillán Volcano and the Huanquihue Group in the studied lake sediments. 41 Time series analysis shows 112 eruptions with a Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) ≥ 2 from 42 Villarrica Volcano in the last c. 600 years, of which at least 22 also produced lahars. This 43 significantly expands our knowledge on the eruptive frequency of the volcano in this time 44 window, compared to the previously known eruptive history from historical records. The last 45 VEI ≥ 2 eruption of Villarrica Volcano occurred in 1991. We estimate the probability of the 46 occurrence of future eruptions from Villarrica Volcano, and statistically demonstrate that the 47 probability of a 22-year repose period (anno 2013) without VEI ≥ 2 eruptions is ≤ 1.7 %. This 48 new perspective on the recurrence interval of eruptions and historical lahar activity will help 49 improve volcanic hazard assessments for this rapidly expanding tourist region, and highlights 50 how lake records can be used to significantly improve historical eruption records in areas that 51 were previously uninhabited. 52


Abstract We study a nonlinear system of partial differential equations that describe rotating shallow water with an arbitrary constant polytropic index γ for the fluid. In our analysis, we apply the theory of symmetries for differential equations, and we determine that the system of our study is invariant under a five-dimensional Lie algebra. The admitted Lie symmetries form the {2A1⊕s 2A1}⊕sA1$\left\{{2{A_{1}}{\ \oplus_{s}}\ 2{A_{1}}}\right\}{\ \oplus_{s}}\ {A_{1}}$ Lie algebra for γ ≠ 1 and 2A1⊕s 3A1$2{A_{1}}{\ \oplus_{s}}\ 3{A_{1}}$ for γ = 1. The application of the Lie symmetries is performed with the derivation of the corresponding zero-order Lie invariants, which applied to reduce the system of partial differential equations into integrable systems of ordinary differential equations. For all the possible reductions, the algebraic or closed-form solutions are presented. Travel-wave and scaling solutions are also determined.


Motion planning for a tractor-trailer system is a challenging problem due to the nonholonomic constraints and highly nonlinear nature of the system. In this paper, we present a motion planning approach based on the Hybrid A* algorithm which produces smooth, collision-free, and kinematically feasible paths for a tractor-trailer system in a known environment. Kinematic model based on the on-axle hitching configuration of the tractor-trailer system is used for node expansion. Voronoi graph is used to compute sub-goals that guide the search towards the goal faster. A pure pursuit controller is employed to track the generated trajectory. The planning approach is evaluated over a number of Monte-Carlo simulation runs, and the experimental results indicate a perfect accuracy.


This study examines the role of migrant's remittances on labor supply for a panel of Peruvian households over the period 2002-2006. Remittances can undermine the incentives to work. On the other hand, the inflows may alleviate credit constraints for poor households which may foster productive investment and hence self-employment. Applying fixed effects estimations, we show that remittances have no average effect on employment. However, (male) wageemployment decreases, and self-employment increases. The latter is driven by poor individuals of both genders who are much more likely to be self-employed. Moreover, capital stock and profits of poor entrepreneurs increase, and consequently their implicit self-employment wage rises, suggesting that remittances alleviate credit constraints for the poor.


PURPOSE: To provide a thread tension control apparatus for a sewing machine having a control means with which imparting thread tension can be instantaneously controlled and data on an appropriate press contacting force to a thread pinched between stitch balancing thread tension disks are stored. CONSTITUTION: In the thread tension control apparatus for the sewing machine provided with a stitch balancing thread tension shaft fixed on a part of a sewing machine body and hooking a thread, a pair of the stitch balancing thread tension disks arranged on the stitch balancing thread tension shaft and an air cylinder with a driving rod energizing at least one of the pair of the stitch balancing thread tension disks and placing the thread hooked on the stitch balancing thread tension shaft between the pair of the stitch balancing thread tension disks and controlling a thread press contacting force between the pair of the stitch balancing thread tension disks generated by means of an air cylinder by means of an air regulator of the air cylinder, the air regulator is made to be an electric pneumatic type and a set air pressure of the electric pneumatic type air regulator is controlled by means of a micro computer.


By improving coherence and brightness, HAADF-STEM enables us to obtain incoherent images with comparable resolution to HRTEM. This paper reviews imaging in the high resolution HAADF-STEM and the dynamical simulations on the basis of Bloch theory. Its capability for performing quantitative structural and compositional analysis is discussed as well. Finally the advantages and disadvantages of HAADF-STEM are presented.


The Politica de Saude Integral da Populacao Negra (Integral Health Policy of the Black Population) reiterated the urgency of qualifying educational processes in the Unified Health System (SUS – Sistema Unico de Saude) in order to overcome institutional racism. The integrative review presented in this article analyzed the theoretical conceptions and the educational practices in studies directed to the health of the black population. The databases of the Virtual Health Library (VHL); the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO); the web search engine Google Scholar and the collection of the Revista da ABPN that is the magazine of the Associacao Brasileira de Pesquisadores/as Negros/as (Brazilian Association of Black Researchers) were examined. The production in this thematic is heterogeneous, dispersed in periodicals of the areas of education, health education and interdisciplinary. When the matter is the health of black population, the nursing is an avantgarde profession carrying out a number of studies with traditional peoples and communities. It was noted the difficulty of interpenetration of theoretical and pedagogical references of the field of education in support of educational health practices. We suggest the cooperation and the scientific integration between these fields aiming at the protagonism of the black population in the process of care.


This paper expounds the components of E-book and paper book, establishes the analysis models respectively for E-book and paper book, and makes the analysis and comparison of the relationship among various components in the two models, and probes into the differences between e-book and paper book.


Human-based mangaement is a progressive trend of library management in univeristies.The purpose is for serving people.It focus on services,and should be guaranteed by institution,and based on the quality of its employees.


In this paper, we introduce [Formula: see text]-Ricci curvature and [Formula: see text]-scalar curvature on lightlike hypersurfaces of a GRW spacetime. Using these curvatures, we establish some inequalities for lightlike hypersurfaces of a GRW spacetime. Using these inequalities, we obtain some characterizations on lightlike hypersurfaces. We also get Chen–Ricci inequality and Chen inequality on a screen homothetic lightlike hypersurfaces of a GRW spacetime.


Inguinal hernia are by far the most common variety of hernia in adults. While abit more common in men theydo occur in women as well with male to female ration of 12:1. Here in we report a case of giant direct inguinalhernia in thin lean post menopausal women.


Aerodynamic noise due to airflow over a vehicle moving at highway speeds has usually either been ignored, or postulated to be a negligible part of the total exterior noise of the vehicle. In part, this may have been due to the difficulty in separating aerodynamic noise from the other components of vehicle noise. In the investigations discussed here, a technique was developed to make this separation possible. The technique was applied to a sampling of six light vehicles: four different sizes and shapes of passenger cars, a pickup truck, and a window van. The noise data for each of three major components is presented in the form of A-weighted levels as a function of vehicle type, groud-speed, and directivity. It is shown that the aerodynamic noise component is not negligible in comparison to the other two components. Various implications of this newly defined importance of aerodynamic noise are discussed including those relating to tire noise testing.


This paper reports an autopsy case of a patient who died of complication of pneumonia four months after cervical spinal cord injury.The X-ray photograph of cervical vertebra was normal before his death and there was an anesthesia below the level of C4.At Autopsy, tears of intervertebral disc were observed between the vertebral body C3 and C4, and also between C5 and C6. At these points, intervertebral discs were prominent toward cervical spinal cord which was compressed and flattened.According to the histological examination, deviation and degeneration of sensory nurve fiber were seen in the central side from the injured part and deviation and degenertion of motoric nurve were seen in the peripheral side.


Diabetes is a chronic multi-system metabolic disease associated with significant morbidity, mortality and cost to the society. Socio-demographic factors like age and gender may affect prescribing pattern. The objective of the study was to evaluate the drug usage pattern of antidiabetic drugs in different age groups and gender. A cross sectional survey of all prescriptions of patients with diabetes attending the Outpatient Department (OPD) of Internal Medicine of Gulf Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, Ajman, United Arab Emirates was conducted for three months. The socio-demographic and drug information for each patient was obtained using a questionnaire. A total of 132 prescriptions were included in this survey whereby 54.8% of patients were males and 45.2% were females. The mean age of patients with diabetes was 54.09±10.24 years. Hundred twenty eight prescriptions were for patients with type 2 diabetes. Metformin alone and in combinations were the commonly prescribed antidiabetic drug. Insulin prescription was noted in 14 patients (type 1 and 2 diabetes), the commonest being human insulin. Metformin combinations were most commonly prescribed in both genders. For patients below 45 years and those between 45–60 years of age, metformin combinations were the commonest prescribed, while among patients above 60 years of age sulfonylureas were the most commonly prescribed. The utilisation pattern of antidiabetic drugs varied among different age groups and gender. Metformin alone and combinations with newer antidiabetic medications were commonly utilised.


The nonlinear properties of stock information were analyzed,and a novel time-series forecasting algorithm was provided.The new algorithm introduced radial basis functions into the basic ARMA model to explore the interaction among past information,and then chose optimal parameters for RBFs using an improved genetic algorithm.Then,selected stock prices trend was forecast using the new algorithm and approving results were achieved.


This issue presents 11 papers covering a broad range of topics concerned with micromechanics of heterogeneous fluids and solids. These papers were presented and discussed at an IUTAM (International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics) symposium Micromechanics of Fluid Suspensions and Solid Composites , which took place on 3–5 April 2002 at The University of Texas at Austin. The symposium brought together more than 30 prominent scientists, who presented their work and participated in a broad interdisciplinary exchange. The strongest link between micromechanical theories of fluids and solids, and the one that is easiest to exploit, involves creeping flows and linear elasticity, both of which are governed by linear partial differential equations. To a certain extent, this link dictated the selection of papers, as the majority of them involve either linear or mildly nonlinear mathematical problems. Nevertheless, the papers present a broad spectrum of topics that address fundamental questions and methods in fluid and solid mechanics that range from experimental observations to theorem proving. Thus, we hope that the issue will be of interest to specialists in continuum mechanics and applied mathematics. Also, we hope that the ideas and techniques presented in this issue will contribute to the development of micromechanical theories of viscoelasticity, which will provide another fundamental link between fluid and solid mechanics. We would like to dedicate this issue to the late Professor Christian Huet, who, due to his illness at that time, could not participate in the symposium. His fundamental contributions to size effects and viscoelasticity of concrete will have a lasting effect on the field of micromechanics.


The author has focused on the modified literary forms in which some of these terms 'visionary 'and 'anointed one'appear. Thus, for example, the terms 'visionary' and 'anointed one' appear in the Qumran corpus as prophetic designations in ways generally unknown in their original biblical contexts. The ancient prophets have been assigned two primary tasks: to foretell the future and to mediate divine law. This chapter continues this same approach by focusing on the final two prophetic designations that appear in the Qumran corpus: 'man of God' and 'servants'. Both of these terms regularly appear in the Hebrew Bible as prophetic epithets. They likewise appear in several places in the Dead Sea Scrolls as prophetic designations. The tradition of Moses as a 'man of God' in late biblical texts developed from earlier traditions imbedded within the Deuteronomistic history. David emerges as a 'man of God' only in late biblical literature.Keywords: ancient prophets; biblical literature; David; Dead Sea Scrolls; divine law; Hebrew Bible; Moses; Qumran corpus


It is preferable to carry out Semi-Circular Bending Test(SCB) with notched specimen to evaluate anti-cracking performance of asphalt concrete pavement with reflecting crack.In order to specify the mechanical response influence of test parameters such as specimen thickness,width and depth of notch,distance of supporting points,three-dimensional models are set up in ANSYS to simulate SCB test.The analysis results show that 50 mm in specimen thickness and 1.5 mm in width of notch is much more appropriate.It is required that 15 mm,20 mm and 25 mm in depth of notch should be verified by next experiment.It is most sensitive to the tensile stress on the bottom of the notch when the distance of supporting points reached the 0.8 times of specimen diameter.


A 43-year-old female patient with past medical history of superficial DVTs, nicotine dependency, and morbid obesity presented with shortness of breath and syncope. She was found to be tachycardic with elevated D-Dimer. Emergent chest-CT was performed which revealed large bilateral pulmonary emboli. As her vitals were within normal limits at that time, there were no indications for tissue plasminogen activator. Later, patient started having fleeting episodes of bradycardia and hypotension with drop in systolic pressure over 40mmHg on slight movements. Being in a rural hospital with limited resources, the decision was made to transfer the patient. Following the transfer, the patient was pronounced deceased due to complications related to her condition. We report this case to emphasize the importance of early recognition and management with thrombolytic therapy or mechanical thrombectomy if contraindications exist in patients with recurrent syncope in a rural setting.


Development of ceramic receiver technology for advanced solar thermal energy applications is being pursued in order to achieve significant reductions in energy cost and increase the potential application of solar thermal energy. Basically, structural ceramics are being seriously considered for solar applications because of their high temperature capability, their nonstrategic nature, and their potential for low cost. In this paper, candidate ceramic materials for solar receivers and their characteristics are described, potentially applicable fabrication and processing methods are discussed, and their applicability and promise for solar receivers is assessed. Receiver design requirements as well as system requirements for solar applications are reviewed. Promising areas of application of ceramic receivers in the near future are also discussed. Current ceramic receiver development status and plans are described, including one receiver which has been successfully tested at gas exit temperatures of up to 1425/sup 0/C.


Category: Ankle Introduction/Purpose: The lateral fibular stress test (LFST), also known as the hook or Cotton test, is commonly performed to assess syndesmotic instability intraoperatively. Several studies have determined that 100 Newtons (N) is the required force applied when performing the LFST to detect syndesmotic instability. We hypothesize that surgeons do not uniformly nor consistently apply 100N of force when performing the LFST and that substantial variation exists. Fundamentally, this could lead to under-detection of syndesmotic instability as surgeons may not be applying the requisite force in a consistent manner. Methods: A biomechanical SawBones lower leg model including simulated soft tissue envelope (SawBones inc., Vashon Island, Washington) was mounted to a board and a 1cm diameter hole was drilled across the tibia and fibula in the area of the syndesmosis. An industrial force gauge (Nidec-Shimpo, Kyoto, Japan) was then mounted. A metal extension piece was passed from the force gauge through the hole and positioned so that the tip was exposed on the lateral side of the model. A commonly utilized reduction clamp was affixed to the force gauge. Orthopaedic attending surgeons and trainees were asked to perform a series of LFSTs and to simulate the force they typically apply intra-operatively and this force was recorded in Newtons (N). Basic demographic data was collected on each participant. Results: 33 surgeons participated in the study, including 18 trainees. The median (IQR) force applied during the LFST was 96.42(71.42-126.33), 87.49 (69.19-117.40), 99.99(79.91-137.49), for the pooled group, attendings, and trainees respectively. Over half (54.5%) of all trials were less than 100N (57.8% of surgeons, 51.8% trainees). The distribution of pulls is shown in Figure 1. Intraobserver correlation was excellent within the overall cohort (0.92, p<0.001), trainees (0.90, p<0.001) and attendings (0.94, p<0.001), respectively. Inter-observer reliability was fair among the overall cohort (Kappa =0.28, p=0.49), and poor between the attendings (Kappa=0.11, p=0.69), and the trainees (Kappa=0.05, p=0.82), respectively. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that the amount of lateral force applied by surgeons in a biomechanical ankle model when performing the LFST is variable and often less than 100N. Inadequate force application when performing the LFST may lead to under-detection of syndesmotic instability which may portend a poorer outcome. Either the intraoperative use of force gauges and/or specific practice outside of the operating theatre (to become familiarized with the proprioceptive feel of generating the requisite force) may permit surgeons to consistently apply the test in a manner that is clinically reproducible.