The utility model relates to a portable type CO-[2] laser treatment instrument for the beauty operation, which has small volume and portable carrying; a CO-[2] laser tube and the output end of the laser are provided with the light-guiding cutter head of the zoom spot which can be telescoped, folded, and can arbitrarily rotate for 360 DEG, and a touch-type control circuit of the pulse switch. The portable type CO-[2] laser treatment instrument for the beauty operation can realize the single pulse, the multiple pulse, the continuous working way, the automatic timing, and the numeric display. The laser output power of the utility model can be continuously regulated from 0.5W to 10W and can be arbitrarily adopted; the size of the focal spot of the laser is changeable; the working current is regulated from 1 mA to 18 mA, and the portable type CO-[2] laser treatment instrument for the beauty operation can continuously work within the range of the network voltage from 180 volt to 250 volt. The portable type CO-[2] laser treatment instrument for the beauty operation is suitable for the operative treatment to the skin diseases on the special portions of the face and the body surface of the human body, such as a wart, a nevus, a spot, a tumor, etc.


A time-resolved salt bath technique was employed for assessing the adhesion of silver coatings on poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) web. Furthermore, a basis for quantitative comparisons of adhesion was developed. The salt bath test was applied to samples of silver on PET web, made with a variety of web surface treatments. The results of the salt bath test demonstrate that the technique is capable of distinguishing levels of adhesion and, therefore, levels of treatment. It is thus shown that the salt bath test can be used to study the effects of treatment and coating process parameters on the adhesion of silver coatings to PET substrates. Although the test is specifically applied to the case of silver on PET, the concepts of a time-resolved soak test are generally applicable to systems that are known to exhibit delamination when exposed to certian chemical agents or harsh environments.


Purpose: A fibrous element between the radial capitulum and the fovea is classically described; it is often called a synovial fringe. The term "meniscus" has been proposed to designate a truly rigid peripheral structure partially inter-postioned between the joint surfaces and susceptible of producing joint disease by internal disregulation of repeated pronation supination movements. This led us to study the anatomic and histological properties of this intra-articular structure. Material and methods: Fifty adult cadaver shoulders were dissected. The en bloc resection included the capsule of the humeroradial joint and the entire annular ligament. We searched for a fibrous structure, noting its soft or rigid aspect, its position relative to the five-part segmentation of the capsuloligament resection, and its size and thickness. Vertical sections were made for the histology study to determine the organized connective tissue or synovial nature of the structure. Results: An intra-articular element was visible in 43 cases, two structures were observed in two cases, on the deep aspect of the junction between the capsule and the annular ligament. The main positions observed were: circular (n=3), lateral and posterior (n = 11), posterior (n = 10). The anterior (n = 4), or lateral (n = 5) positions were rare. Mean length was 21.4 mm (9–51), mean width between the capsular attachment and the free edge was 2.9 mm (1–10), maxiam mean thickness was 1.7 mm (1–4 mm). The histology report showed two types of structures: a rigid structure with an oriented fibrous armature that had a triangular peripheral base continuous with the superior border of the annular ligament and covered with synovial on both sides of the free edge; a soft flexible structure formed uniquely by two layers of synovial and a more or less villous free edge. Fibrochondroid structures of the meniscal type were not observed. Small nerve fibers were demonstrated in some cases. Discussion: Certain lateral epiconylalgias of the elbow would suggest involvement of the humeroradial joint, possibly related to injury of the humeoradial "mensiscus". This study points out the frequency of this synovial or fiborsynovial fringe of variable dimensionts interpose between the radial capitulum and fovea. The structure has a more or less marked connective armature, basically in the lateral and posterior portion, and correctly cannot be termed a "meniscus". This structure might be involved in inflammatory and painful syndromes observed in epicondylalgias of the humeroradial joint.


The performance of hematite and Ti-substituted hematite nanorods as photoanodes for solar water splitting was quantitatively evaluated from the photoelectrochemical point of view. The nanostructure, morphology and chemical/electronic structure were characterized using various complementary methods, including X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning transmission X-ray microscopy. The presence of both reductive and oxidative surface states was evidenced and their impact on the photoelectrochemical efficiency was characterized. We show that both electronic conduction enhancement provided by the Ti substitution and charge transfer promoted by oxidative surface states improve the solar water splitting performance.


OBJECTIVES
to evaluate the impact of the carotid plaque type on recurrent carotid stenosis, future cardiovascular events and patients' survival.

DESIGN
open prospective study.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
three hundred and eight patients who underwent a total of 338 carotid endarterectomies were included in the study. All of the patients were evaluated postoperatively with clinical examination and colour duplex 1 month after the operation and every 6 months thereafter. Mean duration of follow-up was 63 months (range: 12-144). Eight patients (3%) were lost to follow-up. Restenoses, cardiovascular events and deaths were recorded and analysed with regard to the traditional risk factors and the ultrasonographic characteristics of the plaques. Statistical analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method, the log rank test and Cox regression analysis.

RESULTS
cumulative restenosis rate at 10 years of follow-up was 21% and was associated with coronary artery disease (p=0.01) and echolucent plaques (p=0.02). Life-table analysis showed a 10-year survival rate of 64% and a 10-year rate of cardiovascular events of 41%. Hypertension (p=0.003), coronary artery disease (p=0.002) and echolucent plaques (p=0.01) were associated with a higher incidence of cardiovascular events.


This paper proposes a new method for image registration by combining SURF and FREAK. SURF can extract robust feature points, and the topology of FREAK descriptor has strong ability of regional description. First, feature points of images are extracted by SURF, and described by FREAK descriptor. Then descriptors are roughly matched through the ratio of the closest neighbor and second closest one. Second, use RANSAC to eliminate the wrong matches. At last, the best transform parameters of spatial geometric are obtained by least squares method. Experimental results show that this method has a good matching result, and the speed of operation has been further improved under the premise of ensuring registration accuracy.


Received 05 September, 2013 Received in revised form 02 October, 2013 Accepted 14 October, 2013 Assessment of the consolidation properties of compacted lateritic soils stabilized with up to 8% tyre ash were carried out using time dependent one dimensional consolidation test; to enhance the usage of the material in geotechnical engineering. Samples were prepared at three different moulding water contents (2% dry of optimum, optimum moisture content and 2% wet of optimum) and compacted using the modified American Association of State Transportation and Highway Official (AASTHO) compactive energy. The liquid limit, plasticity index, shrinkage limit and linear shrinkage of the studied soils were optimally improved on the addition of tyre ash. Preconsolidation pressure increased with tyre ash content but decreased with increasing moulding water content. Reductions in both the compression index (Cc) and swell index (Cs) were observed with increase in tyre ash content irrespective of the moulding water content. However Cc increased with higher moulding water content while Cs decreased with higher moulding water content. The coefficient of volume compressibility (Mv) decreased with increasing tyre ash content and consolidation pressure irrespective of the moulding water content. In addition, samples compacted on the dry side optimum moisture content (OMC) had the least Mv for all the pressure increments. The coefficient of consolidation (Cv) decreased with increase in consolidation pressure and increased with increase in percentage tyre ash content in the three different moulding water contents. However, Cv decreased with higher moulding water content. The study revealed that consolidation characteristics (compressibility) are influenced by the fabric and particle state of the soil.


Patients with rheumatoid arthritis often have neck pain and paresthesia of bilateral upper extremities due to cervical instability. Conservative treatment of this condition involves using a ready made cervical orthosis in most cases. Due to difficulties in fitting the ready made orthosis, we prescribed an order made cervical orthosis for 3 rheumatoid arthritis patients. They were all satisfied with the order made orthosis in regard to comfort, but were not satisfied in regard to its external appearance.


Education is a powerful instrument of socio-economic and political change. Hence, it is necessary to improve quality of education at different levels of its field. Teachers need to be qualified in teaching methodology. Improvement of quality of teaching is essential for futuristic development. This is an experimental study of teaching Physics through compact disk programs of AllamaIqbal Open University, Islamabad and through lecture method of teaching. The main objectives of the study were, to investigate the effect of compact disk program on student learning, to compare the effect of teaching physics through compact disk method and lecture method and to recommend more effective teaching methodology in physics. The population for the study consisted of 52 private secondary schools of Rawalpindi city. Only 30 students of 9th class studying in Leaps International Montessori and high school in Rawalpindi city were taken as sample. There were two groups i-e an experimental group (N=15) and a control group (N=15). The control group was taught by lecture method and compact disk programs were taught to experimental group. The experiment was launched for one month, in order to find out the effect of compact disk program on student's learning achievement. The study was delimited to, school of Rawalpindi city only, to students of 9th class only, textbook of physics of 9th class only and five chapters of physics textbook only. 150 test items were developed in the form of MCQS, fill in the blanks, short questions and numerical in order to check the effectiveness of compact disk program. Analysis of data revealed that the students taught throughcompact disk programs performed significantly better. The study recommends the use of compact disk program to improve the quality of education in science subjects. It recommended that compact disk programs should be provided to the institutions and that teachers need to be provided training to use these compact disk programs to make the teaching of Physics effective.


ABSTRACT A sugarcane biomass production system in Florida is proposed and examined. Components of sugarcane production are summarized to quantify the embodied energy of sugarcane. Energetic analysis includes the estimation of Energy Yield Ratios (EYR) and Energy Productivity (EP) terms. Expected sugarcane yields are determined using a calibrated physiologically based sugarcane model, coupled with a soil water and soil nitrogen model. Two sugarcane production systems are analyzed: muck and sand soil-based systems. The EYR and EP for the much soil, 26.7 and 1.32, were higher than the sand soil, 18.5 and 0.91, due primarily to fertilizer nitrogen demands of the sand soil, and inherent higher yields on muck soil. Sensitivity analysis showed that irrigation is warranted in South Florida since energy requirements are minimal for subsurface irrigation and yield detriments may be significant under drought conditions. On the other hand, energy embodied in fertilizer production is high even though yields may decrease when the cane is under nutrient stress. In this study, EYR and EP were optimized when less fertilizer was applied than initially assumed for sugarcane production.


[Objective] To study the antibacterial activity of fosfomycin combined with other 9 antimicrobial agents against 47 strains of Acinetobacter in vitro,in order to provide laboratory data for clinical combination application.[Methods] The 47 strains of acinetobacter isolated from sputum samples were treated by 10 antimicrobial agents alone and by fosfomycin combined with other 9 antimicrobial agents.Through the minimal inhibitory concentration(MIC) and fractional inhibitory concentration(FIC) index,using a two-fold agar dilution method,we could evaluate the antibacterial activity of fosfomycin combined with other 9 antimicrobial agents in vitro.[Results] All the 47 strains of acinetobacter were resistant to fosfomycin,levofloxacin,ciprofloxacin,cefuroxime,ceftazidime,cefepime,cefoperazone/ sulbactam,amikacin,and were intermedium to meropenem and imipenem/cilastatin.The ratio of antimicrobial agents was 1∶ 1.The MICs of fosfomycin combined with other 9 antimicrobial agents were lower than those of 10 antimicrobial agents alone and FIC index≤2.The primary action was synergistic/additional effect.There was no antagonistic effect observed.[Conclusion] Synergistic/additional effect was observed in fosfomycin combined with levofloxacin,ciprofloxacin,cefuroxime,ceftazidime,cefepime,cefoperazone/sulbactam,amikacin,meropenem and imipenem/cilastatin against acinetobacter in vitro.The antimicrobial activities of combination were increased.


Hydro‐meteorological disasters such as floods are major challenges that need to be overcome in order to realize sustainable development and poverty alleviation for humankind. Devastating flood disasters have occurring in various locations throughout the world, and there has recently been rising concern that the intensity and frequency of catastrophic floods may be increasing. Being located on the eastern edge of monsoonal Asia and having climatic variations according to the seasonal and regional conditions, Japan has long suffered from numerous flood disasters, and thus has developed advanced flood management policies. This paper aims to discuss flood disasters in Japan and the recently improved flood management policies. In addition, this paper introduces a new plan attempted by the Public Works Research Institute (PWRI) of Japan that takes advantage of the wealth of long accumulated experience and knowledge in the hydro‐meteorological field. The PWRI is now working toward the establishment of an International Centre on Water‐related Hazard and Risk Management by acquiring UNESCO's auspices. In order to contribute to the global challenge of reducing devastating hydro‐meteorological disasters all over the world, this centre aims to conduct research, capacity‐building and training programmes, and information networking activities at the local, national, regional and global levels. The aim is to prevent and mitigate hydro‐meteorological disasters from the viewpoint of sustainable and integrated river basin management. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Potassium is an important metal and is the seventh most abundant and makes up about 2.4% by weight of the earth's crust. Potassium is an essential constituent for plant growth and is found in most soils. It is an element that is essential for the body's growth and maintenance. It is necessary to keep a normal water balance between the cells and body fluids. Potassium also plays an essential role in the response of nerves to stimulation and in the contraction of muscles. Cellular enzymes need potassium to work properly. Potassium is the major positive ion within cells and is particularly important for maintaining the electric charge on the cell membrane, which is necessary for neuromuscular communication and for transporting nutrients into cells and waste products out of the cell. The concentration of potassium inside cells is about 30 times that in the blood and other extracellular fluids. Small changes in the potassium concentration outside cells can have substantial effects on the activity of nerves and muscles. Therefore, measurement of serum potassium is one of the important tests in laboratory medicine. Low levels of potassium cause increased activity, whereas high levels cause decreased activity. Episodic muscular weakness, commonly associated with alterations of serum potassium, is the cardinal feature of periodic paralysis. The aberrant of the serum potassium has been mentioned in several diseases including malaria 1–2 , an important tropical infectious disease. Indeed, the combination of transient hyperkalemia (high serum potassium level) and rigours occurring during febrile episodes of malaria is suggested as the underlying cause, which can precipitate the muscular paralysis in the infected subjects. The present communication deals with the correlation of the serum potassium level and the characteristics of patients with falciparum malaria. Of interest, no specific correlation between the serum potassium level and the malarial infection rate was found. The medical records of the inpatients who had been diagnosed as cases of falciparum malaria, at the King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand, at some time between January 1997 and December 2001, were retrospectively reviewed. The medical records are available after asking the permission from the hospital. Since this is a retrospective study on the medical records, not an experimental study, there is no ethical problem. The inclusion criteria are: (i) the cases with falciparum malaria; and (ii) the cases with complete medical records for further analysis. The total numbers of subjects (sample size) in this study are equal to the number of all recruited cases for further study. In each case, the malaria was diagnosed on the basis of the detection of the organism in the thick or thin film examination. The data collected from the records included sex and age of each patient, the symptoms and signs, and the percentage of parasitaemia. The results from laboratory investigations were reviewed as well. The multiple logistic regression analysis was used for determining the correlation


Objective:
Summarize the clinical features in posterior scleritis, to provide the basis for correct diagnosis and rational treatment in clinic.

Methods:
Retrospective interventional case series study. This study included 30 patients (40 eyes), average ± standard deviation age 35.2 ± 14.3 years, who were diagnosed from January 2007 to October 2016 at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University and Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center of Sun Yat-sen University with non-infectious posterior scleritis. The medical history of all cases was documented, and the clinical features were recorded. The examinations included best corrected visual acuity, slit lamp examination, intraocular pressure, B-scan ultrasonography, and other routine eye and auxiliary examinations.

Results:
Posterior scleritis was unilateral in 20 cases and bilateral in 10 cases at presentation. Thirty-three eyes (83%) were painful and accompanied by vision loss. The visual acuity of 10 eyes (25%) was below 0.1, 13 eyes (32%) were between 0.1 and 0.6, and 17 eyes (43%) were between 0.6 and 1.2. The mean intraocular pressure was 13.2 ± 4.4 mmHg. Eighteen eyes (45%) had anterior uveitis, and 22 eyes (55%) had anterior scleritis. In the posterior segment, 22 eyes (55%) had optic disc swelling, 21 eyes (53%) had retinal phlebectasia, and 13 eyes (33%) had macular exudation detachment. Seven eyes (18%) had exudative retinal detachment, 3 eyes (8%) had macular stellate exudation, 3 eyes (8%) had choroidal detachment, 3 eyes (8%) had central retinal vein occlusion, and 2 eyes (5%) had a retinal or choroidal striae. B-scan ultrasound found increased thickness of the eyeball, with an average of 2.21 ± 0.85 mm. The posterior chamber had an annular hypoechoic with a typical T-sign.

Conclusions:
Non-infectious posterior scleritis exhibited some features in common with concurrent of anterior uveitis, disc swelling, retinal phlebectasia, macular exudation detachment, and retinal striae. B-scan ultrasound was the most useful diagnostic resource to confirm non-infectious posterior scleritis, with cases having the typical T-sign.

Key words:
sclera; scleritis; uveitis; clinical features


ABSTRACT This article discusses the mode of environmentalism practiced by those not commonly included in studies of environmentalism. Key weaknesses in environmental identity literatures are identified: the unacknowledged discrepancy between the conceptualisations of researchers and their research participants; the overwhelming abstractness of current conceptualisations; and the occlusion of those environmental actors not covered by movement organisations or designated as activists. A novel approach is outlined, whereby environmentalism is perceived as an example of implicit religion. A thorough discussion of the study sampling is included to demonstrate the applicability of this approach. Following a critical analysis of the discourses of environmental alienation accessed by interviewees, this article outlines the likely negative impact on global environmentalism which may result. The conceptualisation of 'practical stewardship' is offered to encompass a more inclusive notion of environmentalism.


The scientific community has shown a growing interest in relating to the ferroelectric materials and it has made an effort to develop them. Among these several ferroelectric materials, we proposed to investigated Pb(ZrTi)O 3 doped with distinct Er +3 concentrations. Our aim was to investigate how the erbium affects the PZT electrical properties. To determine the ideal sintering temperature of our ceramic samples, the dilatometry tests were performed. These results have showed that the erbium caused a change in sample densities (91.9% < ρ < 99.0%) as compared to undoped PZT sample. Furthermore, the X-ray diffraction results indicated that all samples are monophasic and peaks are indexed to tetragonal crystalline structure. According to these also results, there was an increment of the parameter a and a reduction of parameter c as compared to undoped PZT sample. On the other hand, the average grain size have decreased with the increment of erbium content. The electrical characterization of ours ceramics showed a peculiar ferrelectric-paraeletric phase transition around 390 ºC. Finally, the ferroelectric hysteresis measurements for doped samples in site A have revealed that remnant polarization and coercive field values depend on content. Whereas, doped samples in site B, the corresponding values are similar.


What has been known one of museum's important function is public education? Along with the advances of digital technology, the museum exhibition has become more digitalized. In recent years the interactive exhibition is more often presented for education. Since the outbreak of food safety crises we have been faced for years, the 2016 Yilan Green Expo took "Food Ethics" as the theme to convey food safety education to many by the method of museum digital guide. This research designed "The Yilan carefully selected" APP; during the period of the Expo, the accurate concept of food safety and food agriculture education could be presented while operating the APP, by which the experiment then be setting up for observing the interaction of the user and the device.


The mathematical model of MDO(Multidisciplinary Design Optimization) is built for a deep sea HOV general performance design,and the BLH framework is put forward for the deep sea HOV MDO project.The correlation is analyzed among the variables and the objectives by Ladin hydrocube of DOE(Design of Experiment) method,the optimal results of the deep sea HOV general performance design are obtained with the requests of design indices being met.


The invention relates to an arrangement for generating exterm ultrashort and short-wave light pulses using the Thomson-wave scattering process, said dispersive elements between an electron beam, particle or radiation source, which is synchronized with a laser system, and a focusing in a direction optical element are disposed, and the use of this arrangement for superimposing a pulsfrontverkippten light pulse high power with an ultrashort pulse laser relativistic electrons in a line focus. By varying the Laserpulsfrontverkippung obtained narrow-band radiation pulses of high number of photons in a wide wavelength range from EUV to X wavelengths and can also adjust the bandwidth and coherence properties. This arrangement can, inter alia, (phase constrast imaging) in the EUV lithography, for the planning and design of optimum laser system and electron source, wherein the material analysis by phase-contrast imaging, research superconductor may be used. The proposed arrangement is smaller and less expensive than similar arrangements today realized.


Indoor visible light positioning (VLP) is facing two important challenges which are the obstructed line-of-sight (LOS) paths between transmitters and receivers and the need for a sufficient number of LEDs that can be captured within the limited field of view (FOV). To solve both of them, a non-line-of-sight (NLOS) VLP system using a single an image sensor (IS) and two virtual LEDs is proposed for the first time in this paper. Experiments results show that the proposed NLOS VLP system can achieve 90th percentile accuracies of less than 22 cm for three-dimensional (3D) positioning.


In this paper, the effects of the sintering temperature on the pore evolution of the belite-sulfoaluminate cement clinker were evaluated. Belite-sulfoaluminate cement clinker with a targeted composition of 65 w/% -belite, 20 w/% calcium sulfoaluminate and 10 w/% ferrite was sintered at three different temperatures: 1200 °C, 1250 °C and 1300 °C. To quantitatively evaluate the pore evolution during sintering, a 3D microstructure reconstruction by micro-CT was used. From the data, the pore volume fraction and pore number were extracted and compared, and the pore size distribution with the sintering temperature was obtained as well. Additionally, the pore shape and distribution were displayed in 3D based on actual microstructure data. Clinker samples were also characterized by Hg-intrusion porosimetry and gas sorption. The changes in the pore evolution occurred to a larger extent when sintering at 1300 °C. Apart from a significant porosity decrease, pore coarsening was evident at this temperature, reducing their connectivity and shrinkage of the clinker. Simultaneously, the bulk and apparent densities increased with the temperature due to densification, while the BET surface area of the studied clinkers decreased, indicating the rounding of pores and particle coalescence with an increasing grain growth.


Hot corrosion is typically defined as the accelerated high temperature oxidation caused by a thin fused salt deposit in contact with the surface of a metallic material. When alloys used in air and land-base gas turbines experience hot corrosion, Na{sub 2}SO{sub 4} is usually the dominant salt found in the deposit due to the thermodynamic stability of this compound in the presence of sodium and sulfur in an oxidizing gas. In an effort to study the hot corrosion of several Fe- and Ni- base commercial wrought alloys in a gas turbine environment, a burner rig test program was executed. The study was conducted at 900 C (1650 F) and incorporated various test durations and two fuel sulfur contents (0.4 and 1.Owt%). Also, a synthetic sea salt was injected into the combustion zone of the burner rig, thereby maintaining a specific concentration of the salt in the combustion gas. Tests with the injection of 0 parts per million (ppm), 5 ppm, or 50 ppm salt were conducted. The principal constituents of the solution were NaCl, MgCl{sub 2},Na{sub 2}SO{sub 4}, CaCl{sub 2}, and KCl. In general, the Ni-base alloys tested exhibited superior hot corrosion resistance over the Fe-base alloys. When exposed tomore » a 1000 hour test with the injection of 50 ppm salt, the Fe content of a Ni-22Cr-18Fe-9Mo alloy appeared to be detrimental to the hot corrosion resistance of this alloy when compared to a Ni-21Cr-9Mo alloy. The W content in a Ni-22Cr-14W alloy did not show a detrimental affect on the hot corrosion resistance of this material. Also, Fe- base alloys containing less than 25wt% Cr did not perform well in a 500 hour test burning fuel containing 1.0wt% sulfur and 50 ppm salt injected into the combustion zone. Reasons for the performance of the alloys are suggested to be the quality or protectiveness of the oxide scale grown on a given alloy, the composition of the oxide scale grown on a given alloy -- making the scale more or less susceptible to a synergistic hot corrosion attack, and/or the alloy composition in relation to its ability to resist attack by chloride salts.« less


A new subject has been developed at the University of Queensland, Australia, and it combines the various aspects of overvoltage protection and insulation coordination for power equipment and systems with electrical overstress protection of electronic equipment and communications and computer systems. It has been taught as a combined subject since 1992 and has been well received by both "power" and "electronics" students.


The use of self-awareness inventories and self-reflection journals or blogs is an important part of modern intercultural communication training. The number of methodological approaches is imprecise as there is no detailed knowledge. There is an overall lack of guidelines and framework for developing individual assessment tools.


Four microfacies are distinguished in the section of Tran Formation exposed near Viden peak. The bioclastic wackestones at the base are defined as low-energy, shallow subtidal sediments. The laminated mudstones were deposited in the intertidal/supratidal zone of a tidal flat where fine-grained carbonate was mainly accumulated by tidal currents along with some in-situ microbially induced precipitation. The mudstones with root casts and the massive mudstones are interpreted as deposits in intertidal/supratidal ponds and supratidal marsh (palustrine) areas where alternating wetting and drying periods locally favoured desiccation and pedogenesis with vegetation development. The interbedding of laminites with non-laminated mudstones was likely controlled by a combination of autogenic and allogenic processes. The ambient waters did not reach hypersalinity for early dolomitization because the landward part of the restricted peritidal setting was influenced by freshwater input under semi-arid climatic conditions. Another hypothesis presumes that the sedimentation occurred in a coastal wetland with influence of both freshwater and seawater. However, the peritidal interpretation is preferred herein because it more adequately explains the general depositional environment. The carbonate succession indicates an upward-shallowing trend and was formed during the final regressive phase of Triassic platform development in Carnian–Norian times.


The main part of the Japanese Islands consists of the middle and late Paleozoic and the early Mesozoic eugeosynclinal sequences containing voluminous volcanic beds The change through time and space of the nature of the volcanic rocks and the lithologic assemblages of the Paleozoic sequences suggest that they were formed in an ancient marginal or interarc basin and on the outer flank of a migrating ridge The basin is presumed to have been initiated by a volcanotectonic rift zone that was associated with silicic tuffs and flows and coralline limestones during Middle Silurian to Middle Devonian time This was followed by the crustal extension that resulted in the separation of the Kurosegawa Abukuma South Kitakami insular ridge from the Hida belt to form a marginal basin during Late Devonian to Middle Permian time Thick eugeosynclinal deposits including mafic vo1cancics and chert accumulated concomitantly in the spreading basins In the early stage Late Devonian to Early Carboniferous of basin spreading alkaline basalt was pro duced in association with a large amount of gabbroic rocks and serpentinite which are assumed to be an oceanic basin crust created along the basin axes In the later stage Late Carboniferous to middle Permian flow rocks and pyroclastics of mainly alkaline partly tholeiitic basalt dominated They are conformably inter calated in clastic sediments and they are arranged in an alternating en echelon pattern of a few to several linear volcanic zones Two zones of ophiolitic assemblages the Mikabu Green Rocks Early Permian and the Yakuno Basic Rocks Middle Permian are interpreted to have occurred as short lived volcanic rises within the marginal basin The Triassic and Cretaceous mafic volcanic zones respectively were remarkably stepped southward along with the shifting of the main sedimentary basin to the outer side This shifting was almost coeval with the orogenic events in the main sedimentary basin during the preceding Paleozoic ages The mafic volcanic rocks are commonly accompanied by bedded chert and a rhythmic interlayering of tuff and chert is most characteristic The cherts consist essentially of Radiolaria some sponge spicules their fragments and a small amount of aphanitic material probably volcanic clay Their sedimentary features and intimate association with tuff suggest that chert beds accumulated rapidly because of an enormous supply of siliceous organisms These organisms perished episodically in great masses when explosive submarine erup tions at depths not greater than 500 m resulted in heated water columns rising to the surface and spreading detrimentally among the plankton populations


The first‐principle calculation was performed to study the effect of impurities Pb, Bi, and PbO on erosion properties of liquid lead‐bismuth eutectic alloy on the metal oxide (Fe3O4) and its surfaces. We found that whether in the bulk or on the surface of Fe3O4 the formation energy by substitution of Fe with Bi is slightly larger than that with Pb substitution and the formation energy by substitution of Fe with PbO is much larger than those with Pb and Bi, indicating that PbO has weaker corrosion potential than Pb/Bi. The calculation results show that a tetrahedral site in Fe3O4 should be the weakest position where Fe3O4 is attacked by these exotic impurities. The corrosion process on the oxide film will be initialized at that position. It can be seen that for the doping case the dissociation energy of Fe atom in the (110) surface has the smallest value, a medium value in (100) surface, and the largest value in (111) surface. Correspondingly, the corrosion resistance of doping Fe3O4 film in (110) surface is the weakest one among these surfaces. For the doping‐free case, the (100) surface has the weakest corrosion resistance. By comparing the doping case with no‐doping case it can be seen that the impurities of Pb, Bi, and PbO will weaken the corrosion resistance of Fe3O4 film further. The doping has a negative impact on the stability of the structure and on the corrosion resistance of Fe3O4 film. From present results, it is also seen that the replacement of Fe in Fe3O4 by multiple impurities is more likely to occur than the replacement of only single impurity.


It is very important for mobile robot to correctly and fleetly locate. With the development of the theory and arithmetic of computer vision, vision navigation has become an important research direction in airmanship of mobile robot. In the paper, localization based on landmark is researched by using the camera of mobile robot on the basis of traditional localization method. A novel mobile robot localization based on vision is presented by using multi-sensor data fusion. It is showed from experiment data that the new localization method has better performance.


This paper numerically simulated three air distribution systems for a 300m×130m large-scale exhibition hall under isothermal condition. The possibility of combining radiant supply air of air-supply kiosk with supply air from side outlet is demonstrated. The influence of the side wall return air inlet to air distribution is analyzed. The advantage and disadvantage of the two layout schemes of supply air kiosk is compared also.


An air-assisted injection mould was developed for an integral handle with great difference of wall thickness,in which half-cavity,submarine gate and side core-pulling mechanism were used to solve the forming and demolding problem.


We have developed a clock multiplying unit and 4 to 1 multiplexor (CMU/MUX 4:1) that operates up to 47 Gb/s. The on board VCO is LC tuned and the output clock jitter is 6 pspp. The eye diagram of the output is 400 mV swing with rise and fall times of less than 9 ps. This integrated circuit was processed in a 120 GHz BiCMOS 0.25 /spl mu/m process. Power dissipation is only 1 W for a chip area of 2 mm/sup 2/.


Monographs in Music Education Kabalevsky: Music Educator-Boris Dimentman National Identity and Universalism in Music-Kurt Blaukopf Jazz and World Culture-Charles Delaunay Webern and Varese-a Centennial Review-Philip K. Bracinin The Importance of Eutonie (Tension-Balance) in Music Education-Gerda Alexander Foreign Musics in Education-Michael Jenne The Intercultural School of Music in Venice The Hong Kong Academy of the Performing Arts Call for Research Seminar Papers


This paper examines the impact of the operational characteristics of the firms represented by firm size, financial leverage level, operating cash flow, and profitability on the total risks of the ASE-listed industrial public shareholding firms. The research population consists of (53) industrial firms listed on the Amman Stock Exchange (ASE), while the study sample comprises (26) firms between (2017) and (2021). Given the statistical analysis, the results show that the operational characteristics of the ASE-listed industrial public shareholding firms represented by firm size, financial leverage level, operating cash flow, and profitability affect the total risks. The findings also indicate that these four independent variables separately affect the total risks to varying degrees. The variable of the financial leverage level is ranked first in the strength of influence, while the variable of firm size is ranked last. This result can be expounded by the fact that the indebtedness in the industrial firms has a large size and thus has a greater impact on achieving the total risks of these firms. In light of these results, the officials in these firms whose shares are listed on the Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) must develop methods and tools to assess the relationship between the operational characteristics of the firms and the total risks by analyzing the ability of the firms to operate resources in operations that achieve actual cash flows exceeding the value of the cost of capital represented in stock returns and payments due for short- and long-term liabilities.


For the dissymmetry of information or no ready example to follow,there are many risks on project investment.The paper introduced a new decision making method on evaluation and selection of investment projects.The new method is based on two multi-attribute decision making methods: the entropy weighted method and TOPSIS method.The entropy weighted method is used to fix the objective weight of attributes.Then the synthetic weights of attributes is gotten combined with the subjective weight of decision maker.The TOPSIS method(Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) is used to rank the order of standby investment projects.This new method considers risks and revenue factors of project investment synthetically.Finally,an example of project investment is given to illustrate the use of the proposed method.


The effect of liquid maldistribution on reaction in a trickle-bed reactor is examined by using a discrete model. It is based on a computer-generated, two-dimensional bed packed with equal-sized spherical catalyst pellets. The configuration of the liquid inlet distributor is included in the model. The flow on and intraparticle diffusion and reaction in each and every catalyst pellet are sequentially analyzed, leading to predictions of the overall reactor behavior. The interplay between flow patterns, wetting on individual pellets, and effectiveness enhancement is demonstrated. The present model offers advantages over other conventional models in terms of overall reaction rate predictions, the ability in the description of irregular morphological features, the absence of the artificial backmixing of materials, and others


Network dataset has been widely used in network research. Network dataset has big challenges lead to certain matters, as an example huge time consumtion in data processing and transmission and false alarm rate increased in attack detection gaining the harm and unsafe condition to online user. Hence the nature of network dataset need to be analyzed. Many researchers try to come out with better algorithm to handle the network dataset, consequently to come out with better finding result. This paper is about to analyze the nature of network dataset and review the data mining techniques in supervised and unsupervised approach to handle and process the network dataset.


The "pseudo contact point" monitoring method, which we have developed, is a powerful tool to monitor contact state transitions in a task. In this paper we show a method how to determine evaluation functions and parameters for monitoring state transitions in a task. This method enables us develop evaluation functions for detecting contact state transitions in a task when monitoring contact state transitions in the task executed by a robot. The evaluation function is defined by using "stationary pseudo contact points (SPCP)". Our system divides data of force/torque sensor and searches for SPCPs automatically. This method can be applied to analysis of force/torque data from human execution using tele-operation system. Though insight of a human operator played an important role in the segmentation of the task, this method helps us to segment the data objectively using SPCPs


INTERVENTIONS TO MINIMIZE DISTRESS DURING PEDIATRIC PRIMARY CARE VISITS: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW Michelle Lee Smith College of Nursing Master of Science Purpose: This literature review is designed to analyze interventions to minimize trauma and psychological stress experienced by pediatric patients during visits with their primary care providers. Data Sources: An electronic search of the literature was conducted to identify studies from 2008 to 2014 in the following databases: CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane library. Conclusions: Interventions to reduce a child's anxiety are available and easily executed. When anxiety is decreased, children are able to approach medical situations with a sense of comfort, achievement, and control. Decreasing stress can assist children in developing trusting relationships of the health care system as adults. Implications for Practice: An awareness of these interventions can guide health care providers in being a patient advocate in implementing these interventions. Search Terms: Pediatric, Out-Patient, Primary Care, Distress


The mountainous soils in Pujian Province is a representative of mountain soils in subtropical zone of China. In this study , based on Chinese Soil Taxonomy, the diagnostic features of several representative pedons in Wuyishan, Meihuashan and Gushan were identified and the soil classification correlation with USST and WRB were discussed. In addition, the distribution models of main mountainous soils in Fujian Province were summarized.


Sustainable City Development – Local Implementation of UN Sustainable Development Goals Dear conference participant, The Sustainable City Development conference is held in Malmö, Sweden 30th November to 2nd December. As a part of the conference, researchers and practitioners have been invited to submit abstracts on best practices in the field of sustainable city development. The interest for this has been huge and the number of abstracts sent in was overwhelming. Regrettably we, the Scientific Committee, could not accept all abstracts, but many best practices will be presented and additional examples were provided in the form of posters. The first part of the proceedings are abstracts that have been selected by the scientific committee whereas the second part contains abstracts that have been submitted by practitioners and selected by the organizing committee of the conference as they are considered to make a valuable contribution to the discussions on sustainable city development. The members of the scientific committee are: • Lena Neij, Professor, Lund University (chair of the scientific committee) • Bengt Persson, Senior Lecturer, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences • Bent Egberg Mikkelsen, Professor, Aalborg University • Halina Dunin Woyset, Professor, Oslo School of Architecture and Design • Kerstin Sonesson, Associate Professor Environmental Education and Ecology, Malmö University • Maria Hellström Reimer, Professor, Malmö University • Mauritz Glauman, Research Leader, Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm and University of Gävle • Richard Lorch, Building Research Information, London • Ronald Rovers, Director for SBS and professor, Zuyd University, DJ Heerlen As chair of the scientific committee, I would like to thank all members of the committee for their work and valuable input during the selection process as well as their active engagement in the conference. We hope you find the content of these proceedings interesting and helpful to your work in making cities more sustainable. Lund in November 2016


The action of the stapedius muscle was simulated by applying tension to a thread attached to the stapedius tendon. The experiments were performed on cats under Dial anesthesia and curare, and the electrical responses of the cochlea were used to measure the effects. The application of tension to the stapedius tendon causes, in general, a reduction of transmission. The change is greatest for low tones, and grows less as the frequency is raised. Exceptional effects are shown for a limited range of tones in the region of 2000∼; for these tones slight tension may cause an increase in response. However, this increase is limited, and as the tension is further raised the response passes through a maximum and rapidly falls. For all tones, therefore, transmission is reduced by large tensions. The results thus show that the function of the stapedius muscle is fundamentally that of protecting the ear against over‐stimulation. Observations were made also on the effects of tension upon the patterns of distortion in the...


ABSTRACT The main objective of this study is to examine visitor characteristics and travel behavior of European and Turkish travelers visiting North Cyprus. In order to develop an effective marketing strategy, tourism destinations should be aware of the needs, wants, and preferred activities of their target market(s). The analysis of the study data revealed that there are significant differences between the two types of travelers with respect to travel motivations, travel activities, and trip behaviors. It is interesting to note that North Cyprus appears to be doing a good job in satisfying the needs and wants of European visitors but not Turkish visitors. It is suggested that North Cyprus should strive to meet the specific needs of both segments since these two segments make up the major international market of North Cyprus. The visitor database formed from the study may be of help in providing information that could be utilized by tourism officials, hotel and resort managers and travel intermediaries, a...


Objective To evaluate the clinical value of CT three-dimensation reconstruction in diagnosis of scapular fracture.Methods Thirty-five patients of scapular fracture were examined with multislice CT.Reconstructions were performed at the computer workstation.The courser,displace and angulation of fractures were observed from different points of view,then the types of fracture were determined and operative approaches were simulated according to CT three-dimensation images.Results The courser,displace and angulation of fractures determined on CT three-dimensation images correlated well with the situation of operation.Conclusion CT three-dimensation is of application value in diagnosis,classification of scapular fracture as well as the selection of appreciate operative approach,and might be one of the most important preoperative examinations for scapular fractures.


The culture of children's play changed at unprecedented rates during the past half-century. The causes are multiple and linked to changes in technology, family, and schooling. Excessive cyber play and parental concerns for safety confine children to sedentary indoor activity; controversial school testing and curricula repress recess and physical activity; extreme poverty restricts resources and opportunities commonly available to affluent families. The consequence of such changes in children's play include deficits in social, physical, cognitive, and emotional health, fitness, and wellbeing. The international community of scholars, foundations, professional organizations and governments are searching for and finding means to reverse these patterns, resulting in a play movement of unprecedented scope and vitality.


Financial reporting quality is one the most interesting topics which draw a great deal of attention to researchers and scientists in the field of accounting (Celine Michailesco, 2010). In the review of research on financial information from 1980 to 2016, Pham (2016) found that characteristics of useful financial information are relatively diverse with as many as 15 attributes being identified. In addition, he also found that all research in any period has employed the characteristics published by professional associations such as American Institute of Accountants, Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB as theoretical basis. Research on the quality of financial information is diverse yet have many things in common, above all is the Relevance characteristic which considered to be the basic qualitative component of the quality of financial information in financial statements. Conceptual Framework officially issued by FASB & IASB in 2010 (FASB & IASB 2010) has further confirmed Relevance is the basic quality component of financial information. Compared with previous announcements, there has been a considerable change in the criteria and attributes used to evaluate the appropriateness of Relevance characteristic of financial information in financial statements. This study aims at confirming the importance of the Relevance component in evaluating the quality of financial information, clarifyingg the characteristics of Relevance measurement before and after Conceptual Framework 2010 and constructing relevant scales as well as measuring the qualitative characteristic of Relevance among enterprises in Vietnam.


Chatbots are a recent technology that brands and companies adopt to provide 24/7 customer service. However, some customers have several concerns regarding technology, and therefore, prefer talking to humans rather than chatbots. Brands must improve their chatbots based on customer experience because customers satisfied with chatbots are more likely to use them to contact brands/companies. Therefore, this article investigated the effect of perceived ease of use, usefulness, enjoyment, and risk factors on customer experience and behavioral intention regarding chatbots. The study also looked into the impact of customer experience on behavioral intention. The sample consisted of 211 chatbot users of Turkish recruited using non-probability convenience sampling. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and SmartPLS3. The results showed that perceived ease of use and usefulness affected behavioral intention, but perceived risk had no impact on customer experience and behavioral intention regarding chatbots. Perceived enjoyment affected only customer experience. Lastly, customer experience affected behavioral intention.


Use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) during pregnancy has been linked to increased risks for miscarriage, cardiac defects, and


BACKGROUND
Age- and sex- standardized mortality rate of cardiovascular disease (CVD) was high in Bangkok and central Thailand in the year 2000. This may partially be related to differences in risk factors.

OBJECTIVE
To compare prevalence of CVD risk factors among regions in Thailand in the same period.

MATERIAL AND METHOD
From a survey in 2000 (InterASIA) which involved 5 regions in Thailand, conventional CVD risk factors were compared multivariate-wise among regions and subsequently aligned with CVD deaths obtained within similar regions from the registry.

RESULTS
Bangkok and a central province had a higher prevalence of the following: hypertension, elevated body mass index, large waist circumference, elevated lipid associated with low density lipoprotein cholesterol and diabetes mellitus. The Northeast had a higher prevalence of smoking, low values of high density lipoprotein cholesterol and high triglyceride.

CONCLUSION
Definite regional differences existed of CVD risks and death in Thailand in 2000. Some of the metabolic risk factors may be more important than smoking in the link with CVD death in Thailand


BMP2 gene fragment was from pSP6-BMP2, pcDNA3-BMP2 vector was constructed with pcDNA3 ,and expressed in E. coil DH-5α. pSP6-BMP2 and pcDNA3 were cut by HindⅢ and XbaI, extracted BMP2 fragment and pcD-NA3 vector, liangased BMP2 and pcDNA3 together, and then transfected into JM109,transferred plasmid was extracted out and identified by enzyme cut . Constructed vector was transferred into E. coli DH-5α. BMP2 protein was induced to express in E .coli DH-5α and identified by SDS-PAGE and Western blot. Enzyme cut confirmed pcDNA3-BMP2 vector was constructed successful. Result of SDS-PAGE identified with BMP2 expression in E. coli DH-5α transferred by pcD-NA3-BMP2 . Result of Western blot identified expressed protein in E.coli. DH-5α was with acitivity.


Many methods based on cryptography have been proposed to solve the problem of access control in hierarchic structures. However, these schemes are only used in symmetric (or one-key) cryptosystems. In this article, we propose a new multilevel access control scheme for a totally-ordered hierarchy that can be used in asymmetric (or two-key) cryptosystem. It is well known that there are two main advantages in asymmetric cryptography: key distribution and authentication. Our scheme is, to our best knowledge, the first to be used as an asymmetric cryptosystem.


Objectives: Knee ligament injuries related to lower limb fractures are common and frequently unnoticed. Management of acute polytrauma is usually focused in the bone lesion and a complete physical examination might be really difficult. The purpose of this study was to analyze a series of patients who suffered multiligament knee injuries associated to a lower limb fracture. Hypothesis: The use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) during the initial management can lead to an early diagnosis of ligament injuries. Methods: A retrospective search was conducted from our hospital´s electronic database. We evaluated the initial diagnosis and acute surgical treatment, and management and functional outcomes after the ligament lesion was diagnosed. Results: Seven patients who presented a knee multiligament injury associated with a lower limb fracture were evaluated. The average age was 29 years. Primary diagnoses were: four tibial plateau fractures; one open fracture-dislocation of the knee; one open leg fracture and ipsilateral hip dislocation; and one bifocal femur fracture. Only three patients had an MRI during the initial management of trauma. Six out of seven patients had to be operated on for the multiligament knee injury. The period between the resolution of the fracture and the ligamentous repair was from 3 to 24 months. Conclusion: Poor functional outcomes are reported in patients with multiligament knee injuries associated with high-energy lower limb fractures. We consider an MRI during the initial management can lead to better outcomes. A trauma surgeon working alongside an arthroscopic surgeon might optimize the results for these lesions.


BACKGROUND
In patients with multiple myeloma (MM) there is a high risk of compression fractures of the spine. In the majority of cases, the method of treatment is percutaneous vertebroplasty (PV) or kyphoplasty (PK). The number of studies verifying their efficacy in MM is still relatively small.

OBJECTIVES
The aim of this study has been to assess medium- and long-term pain relief as well as improvement in the quality of life (QL) after PV in MM cases.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
There was a prospective group of 34 MM cases in which a total of 131 vertebral bodies were augmented by means of PV. It was possible to follow up 22 patients who agreed to take part in the assessment. Their level of daily activity and the level of pain were assessed using the Oswestry Back Pain scale and a visual analogue scale (VAS) before PV and at a later date (medium-term follow up was a mean of 10 months after the last operation). Five out of eight cases in which 4.5-5 years had elapsed since the first PV were tested again (long-term follow-up).

RESULTS
Relief of pain and improvement of QL, assessed a mean of 10 months after PV, proved to be statistically significant. On the average, pain decreased by 4.7 points as measured on the VAS scale and the average improvement in the QL measured on the Oswestry scale was 27.7%. There were no neurological or general complications. After 4.5-5 years, there has not been any significant change in the level of pain relief or the improvement in the QL in the 5 cases in which long-term assessment was possible.

CONCLUSIONS
In MM cases, PV is a simple, effective and safe method for the treatment of vertebral infiltration and compression fractures, giving permanent long-term pain relief and concomitant improvement in the QL.


In older individuals, inflammatory mechanisms have been linked to the pathogenesis of both dementia and functional impairment. In this cross‐sectional study we have investigated the possible association between some markers of systemic inflammation and functional status, in a sample of one hundred and forty older demented patients including 60 patients with late onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) and 80 with vascular dementia (VD). Functional status was evaluated by Barthel Index (BI); the total score ranged from 0 (total dependency) to 20 (total autonomy). Interleukin‐1β, Tumor Necrosis Factor‐α, Interleukin‐ 6, Interleukin‐ 8, and Transforming Grow Factor β were quantified by ELISA. Among the cytokines evaluated, only IL‐6 was correlated with the BI (r: −0.32, p < 0.001). The mean levels of IL‐6 progressively decreased from I (9.50 pg/mL), to II (6.40 pg/mL), to III BI tertile (4.80 pg/mL) (p < 0.02).


The purpose of the study is to examine the efficiency of the PQ4R strategy in understanding the mathematical proof among primary school female students. To achieve the purpose of the study, the analytical approach is used. The sample of the study consists of 40 female students divided into two groups, one is experimental and the other is control, with each group consisting of (20) students. As for the validity and reliability of the study instrument, they are validated as required by a group of highly respective validators. The results of the study show that there is an efficiency of the teaching strategy using (PQ4R) in improving the understanding of mathematical proof for female primary school students. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-16-09 Publication date:June 30th 2020 1.0 Introduction The information revolution age has recently witnessed a wide flow of knowledge and its technical applications, which forces the educational institution to pay attention to the knowledge structures following modern trends and theories. These knowledge structures are interested in building the thinking minds capable of building knowledge, and how to use it better. Thus, education must think by keeping pace with educational developments, including modifying its goals such as modifying the student's behavior, thinking directions, and knowledge structures, so that the learner attains the knowledge to understand himself deeply and works to apply it in solving the problems of the life. This matter has led to the development of the majority of knowledge and sciences, including mathematics, as a useful life subject for the individual throughout his school life, starting from school, going to university, and leaving for work. The educational process's success is only done with the help of the teacher. The teacher, with his competencies, capabilities, desire, and inclination for education, can help the student master the learning and prepare him to acquire appropriate educational experiences. The teacher plays a prominent role in developing mathematics teaching for students in the public education stages. The more the teacher can teach the content and present it to students in the appropriate way and ignore the traditional teaching methods that rely on direct instruction, the students' understanding of what they learn becomes deeper (Astal, 2003). Mathematics's effective teaching requires a teacher who can make appropriate decisions in the educational situation about mathematical knowledge, curriculum objectives, the classroom environment, and the needs of students. In light of the school mathematics principles and standards document, the mathematics teachers are required to understand what their students' level of knowledge and what they need to learn and then create suitable opportunities for effective learning. The teacher is the main focus of students 'success in mathematics, especially in the early elementary grades, alongside the fact that the student's success in mathematics depends on the skills, knowledge, and practices performed by the teacher (NCTM, 2000). With a deep look to the development of mathematics curricula, it is seen that there are global efforts made to develop mathematics learning and teaching, and these efforts are a response to national and international requests calling for a review of mathematics objectives, teaching strategies, and methods for assessing their learning (Badawi, 2003). This necessitates a review of the teaching strategies used and focuses on indirect strategies whose focus is the student, its basis is extrapolation, inference, investigation, critical thinking, contemplative thinking, problem solving and mathematical thinking, and knowledge of the degree of the teacher's ability to use it. The teacher is obligated to select teaching strategies that help students to enrich their knowledge, develop their various thinking skills, and acquire them with methods of sound thinking (James, 2005). PQ4R is a metacognition strategy and is an abbreviation of Preview, Question, Read, Reflect, Recite, Review. It is developed by Thomas and Robinson in 1972, where the letter (P) refers to ( Preview) which is a quick reading of the topic and knowledge of its basic features, and the letter (Q) refers to (Question), which is the questions that are presented by the student on the subject of the lesson. The first letter (R) refers to (Read), which is to read. The second letter (R) refers to (Reflect), which is to contemplate, and the third letter (R) refers to (Recite), which is to tell. The fourth letter (R) refers to (Review), which is to review (Rathus, 2012). Attia (2013) explains that the importance of the strategy (PQ4R) lies in that it is one of the strategies of Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)


This paper proposes a DC-AC conversion system adapted to an electric vehicle with fuel cell. This conversion chain consists of a fuel cell, a unidirectional converter, an isolated bidirectional converter, an inverter, and a second voltage source. Matlab-Simulink is used in order to verify the theoretical results.


Terms such as "elastic fastener" and "resilient fastener", denoting direct fixation track, are intuitively similar terms often causing confusion or misunderstanding. A consistent set of definitions for direct fixation track, its related track forms, and its components are provided in this paper. Also defined are track categories and definitions for direct fixation track and components.


This paper presents a critical analysis of the representation of physical education (PE) in the 1992 Senate inquiry into 'Physical and Sport Education' in Australia. Analysis focuses specifically upon how and why a new professional discourse, fundamental motor skills (FMS), gained a privileged position in the inquiry, the inquiry report and in subsequent PE policy and practice across Australia. This paper examines the complex policy processes and power-relations underpinning the progressive legitimisation of the FMS discourse, and identifies subtleties and variations in the expression of the discourse. Attention is drawn to the strategic appropriation of established professional discourses and utilisation of crisis discourses in establishing and gaining support for the FMS discourse. The analysis reaffirms policy arenas as sites of contestation but highlights that they are simultaneously sites of possibility for PE professionals who are prepared and able to use discursive resources in strategic ways. The contemporary relevance of the discourses privileged in 1992 and lessons to be learned from events surrounding the Senate inquiry are discussed.


The performance of micro electronic and mechanical systems (MEMS) strongly depends on the mechanical properties of materials used. The evaluation of the mechanical properties of MEMS materials is indispensable for designing MEMS devices. Accurate values of mechanical properties (elastic properties, internal stress, strength, fatigue) are necessary for obtaining the optimum performances. For an example, elastic properties are necessary in prediction of the amount of deflection from an applied force and material strength sets device operational limits. Also, in view of reliability and life time requirements, mechanical characterization of MEMS materials becomes increasingly important. Small size of MEMS devices often leads to their usage in harsh environments, and good knowledge of mechanical properties may lead to elimination of some of the mechanical failure modes through proper material selection, design, fabrication and packaging processes. As the interest in MEMS grows, the demand for applicable data increases. Reliability, accuracy and repeatability of evaluation methods also became an issue. However, MEMS use materials such as silicon and many other thin films that are not fully characterized regarding their mechanical properties because they had not previously been considered as mechanical materials. The properties of thin films have so far been evaluated mostly to satisfy demands in semiconductor device research, but evaluations were mainly focused on the electrical properties, while investigations of mechanical properties were limited mainly to internal stresses. For that reason, the bulk properties were adopted whenever mechanical properties were needed, but with the growing application of thin films in various mechanical structures grew the need for better understanding of their mechanical and electromechanical properties. Therefore mechanical properties of thin films used in MEMS need to be accurately evaluated – they should be measured at the same scale as microand nanodevices since they differ from bulk material properties. Thin-film and bulk materials usually have different compositions, phase and microstructure and the formation process for thin films must be taken into account (deposition, thermal treatment, implantation and oxidation). Mechanical processing as the processing method for most bulk structures is in case of thin films substituted with photolithography and etching. Also, bulk and thin film have different surface finishing of processed structures. When size effect is concerned, one must have in mind that the ratio of surface area to the volume increases as dimensions of a device decrease. The dimensions of structures in MEMS devices range from submicrometers to millimetres and therefore the size effect in thin films is more sensitive than in bulk materials. Many measurement methods have been developed for evaluation of


To improve the performance of an optical character recognition (OCR) system, an adaptive technique that restores touching or broken character images is proposed. By using the output from an OCR system and a distorted text image, this technique trains an adaptive restoration filter and then applies the filter to the distorted text image that the OCR system could not recognize. To demonstrate the performance of this technique, two synthesized images containing only touching characters and two synthesized images containing only broken characters were processed. The results show that this technique can improve both pixel and character accuracy of text images containing touching or broken characters.


Warthin's tumor (WT), which is also known as papillary cystadenoma lymphomatosum, monomorphic parotid adenoma, adenolymphoma, cystadenolymphoma, and branchiogenic adenoma, is to be differentiated (in surgical practice) from other parotid masses. The purposes of our retrospective case series study are: (1) to describe ultrasound morphology (sonomorphology) of the WT in patients referred to our hospital, (2) based on the presented cases to propose a supplement to the Matsuda and colleagues' classification (2017) of anechoic area patterns of the WT, and (3) to expand the knowledge of oral and maxillofacial surgeons for the preoperative ultrasonographic verification of the WT and for choosing the most appropriate surgical technique. Over three years, 5 patients (mean age, 65.4 years) with parotid WT had been examined with gray-scale, color, and power Doppler ultrasonography. Cystic components are visualized in all five WT cases but in different proportions. Case 1 and 4 showed the presence of septations. According to Matsuda and colleagues' (2017) classification of anechoic area patterns, in our cases the US patterns of the WTs belong only to Group 3 (i.e., with large anechoic areas) (n = 4) and Group 4 (multiple and sponge-like anechoic areas) (n = 1). Moreover, based on the presented five cases, we offer an addition to the classification of Japanese authors. In conclusion, our supplement to Matsuda and colleagues' classification of anechoic area patterns of the WT can help surgeons around the globe to be more accurate in preoperative verification of cystadenolymphoma. This case series illustrate the growing importance of ultrasonography in the professional life of oral and maxillofacial and head and neck surgeons. Based on the cystic structure of this benign tumor and the ultrasound appearance presented in our case series, we propose to continue using the term "cystadenolymphoma" with a purpose to emphasize the tumor`s structure.


A quantum dual-engine is a machine that applies a dual cycle in a quantum system. This machine is a quantum analogy to the classical dual-engine consisting of a combination of classical Otto engine and classical Diesel engine. By analogizing a particle in a one-dimensional infinite potential well as a gas in a piston-cylinder, quantum thermodynamic processes in a dual cycle can be explained from the analogies of classical processes such as adiabatic, isochoric, and isobar. This research examines the value of thermal efficiency and other aspects of the quantum dual-engine with the study of literature. The results of the research show that the thermal efficiency of the quantum dual-engine has similarities with the classical dual-engine. Under the same mechanical ratios condition, the thermal efficiency of a quantum dual-engine has a higher value than the thermal efficiency of its classical engines.


Background: Continuous Integration (CI) has become widely adopted to enable faster code change integration. Meanwhile, Machine Learning (ML) is being used by software applications for previously unsolvable real-world scenarios. ML projects employ development processes different from those of traditional software projects, but they too require multiple iterations in their development, and may benefit from CI. Aims: While there are many works covering CI within traditional software, none of them empirically explored the adoption of CI and its associated issues within ML projects. To address this knowledge gap, we performed an empirical analysis comparing CI adoption between ML and Non-ML projects. Method: We developed TraVanalyzer, the first Travis CI configuration analyzer, to analyze the CI practices of ML projects, and developed a CI log analyzer to identify the different CI problems of ML projects. Results: We found that Travis CI is the most popular CI tool for ML projects, and that their CI adoption lags behind that of Non-ML projects, but that ML projects which adopted CI, used it for building, testing, code analysis, and automatic deployment more than Non-ML projects. Furthermore, while CI in ML projects is as likely to experience problems as CI in Non-ML projects, it has more varied reasons for build-breakage. The most frequent CI failures of ML projects are due to testing-related problems, similar to Non-ML and OSS CI failures. Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work that has analyzed ML projects' CI usage, practices, and issues, and contextualized its results by comparing them with similar Non-ML projects. It provides findings for researchers and ML developers to identify possible improvement scopes for CI in ML projects.


Formulating the model first in continuous time, we have developed a state space approach to the problem of testing for threshold-type nonlinearity when the data are irregularly spaced.


This study was conducted with the following objectives: (1) to investigate students' attitudes towards the use of project works to enhance their autonomous learning in an English speaking class; (2) to find out to what extent students believe that using project works can promote their autonomous learning; and (3) to figure out difficulties that learners have during the time they conduct Video making projects. The study population was 73 second-year students who took the course of English listening and speaking 2. An open-ended questionnaire and 25 semi-structured interviews were employed as research instruments for data collection. The result firstly shows that the students have positive attitudes towards the use of project works in English classes that may have enhanced their autonomous learning. Then, it reveals students' preference in having more project works to do in their English classes. Nonetheless, using project works' evaluation as one of criteria for course assessment is a controversial issue among these students. In addition, students' interest in utilizing information technology devices is remarked as one of the significant findings in this study. Furthermore, some difficulties when conducting projects are found including time constraints, teamwork conflicts, cultural differences and problems with technology. Because of students' positive attitudes towards Video making project in enhancing their autonomous learning, it is suggested that teachers should consider applying the projects in their language teaching.


Phase-Change-Material' (PCM) is able to store thermal energy through change of its physical condition from solid to liquid without heating-up. In order to enable the effect of phase change a signifi cant difference in maximum daytime and minimum night-time temperature is required. The Chilean climate of the central valley fi ts perfectly since the average temperature difference between day- and night-time in Santiago ranges from 11 (15/4 in July) up to 16 degrees (29/13 in February). The use of PCM in the central part of Chile could be an energy-effi cient and economical way of passive cooling of buildings.


This paper presents a Power Factor Corrected (PFC) Bridgeless Buck Boost Converter-Fed Brushless DC motor(BLDC) drive with trapezoidal back electromotive force (emf) as an increased power quality solution for low power applications. A PFC Bridgeless Buck Boost Converter eliminates the use of diode bridge rectifier and, thus improves the power factor at the ac mains. In this work, conventional PI and fuzzy logic controller has been used for the speed control of BLDC motor drive. The performance of conventional PI and Fuzzy controller is compared under variable reference speed and load disturbance for different parameters of BLDC motor drive. The obtained power quality indices are found within the acceptable limits of power quality standards. The proposed work has been simulated in Matlab/Simulink and the obtained results give a comparative study of the error capability and effectiveness of conventional PI and Fuzzy controller.


This paper defines a life cycle that is tailorable to either commercial or aerospace system developments. The tailorability is accomplished by separately describing the product life cycle, the acquisition cycles, and the technical steps used in performing the systems engineering. In addition this life cycle is based on the discovery of issues.

The life cycle described here differs from both the Waterfall Model, (Royce 1987), and the Spiral Model, (Boehm 1986), in significant ways that make it applicable to the work that occurs on time and cost sensitive projects.

The waterfall model defines a set of phases through which the project passes, but does not describe the manner in which actual projects loop back to prior phases when issues are discovered which require revisiting prior work. The spiral model defines progress through a series of prototypes, but does not root the prototypes in particular engineering goals.

In the discovery life cycle a set of normal forward phases is defined. The process for handling issues is described as a separate Change Management process which may be initiated at any step of engineering and may lead to any other step of engineering for resolution. In the discovery life cycle prototyping is associated with particular activities:

Rapid prototyping to define and demonstrate product function to operators and users to verify and refine requirements
Early prototyping to remediate risk by demonstrating feasibility.
Sequential release of products in a product line.
Sequential build designed to facilitate early stimulus/response thread validation through the system as it is integrated.


In order to research the effects to surface O3 in clean area by biomass burning,the concentration of O3,CO,and NOx were monitored at Shangdianzi regional atmospheric background station in September 2005,with TE model 49C-type ozone analyzer,TE model 48C-type carbon monoxide analyzer and TE model 42C-type nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide analyzer manufactured by US Thermo Electron Corporation,respectively.Meteorological data was obtained and biomass burning cases were recorded in detail synchronously.Results show that diurnal variation of surface O3 was affected by the biomass burning.In biomass burning cases,maximum hourly average O3 concentration displayed at 1800 LST.Besides the O3 concentration was higher than non-biomass burning cases in the following 5 to 6 hours,NOx and CO diurnal variation character was different from that observed in urban area.High concentration of NOx and CO correlated with concentrated biomass burning closely.The concentration of CO went up greatly during concentrated burning time.In biomass burning cases,NOx and CO concentration recorded during concentrated biomass burning time showed a good linear correlation with O3 concentration.The rate of photochemical O3 production in the boundary layer O3 by biomass burning calculated from the production ratio Δφ(O3)/Δφ(CO)was 0.04 much higher than by non-biomass burning,which was 0.02.Studying of the biomass and non-biomass burning cases under the same weather condition showed that effected by the transportation of biomass burning emission,surface O3 concentration was about 0.02 mg·m-3 higher than that of non-biomass burning cases obtained in the leading wind direction.Hourly variation of surface O3 concentration during noon and afternoon displays that O3 concentration goes up hourly from 1500 LST to 1900 LST in biomass burning cases.It agrees well with the biomass burning time recorded.


tion was achieved less often in women than in men (p=0.004). In men,the expression of EGFR,VEGF,p53,P21,CerbB2 of NSCLC was 47.1%,36.0%, 36.8%,49.3% and 30.1% respectively. In women, the expression of EGFR, VEGF, p53,P21, CerbB2 of NSCLC was 42.4%,29.6%,21.6%,26.4% and 48.8% respectively. Female gender significantly increased the risk of high expression of CerbB2, RR: 2.208, 95%CI: 1.330-3.667, p=0.002, and decreased the risk of high expression of P21, RR: 0.372, 95%CI: 0.159--0.870 p=0.023. The high expression of EGFR and VEGF may indicated the poor prognosis. The expression of p53 was significantly related to smoking. Conclusions: Women with lung cancer were more peripheral type and smoked less intensively but had more passive smoking. Over-representation of adenocarcinoma and smaller lesions was observed in the women. Women with lung cancer had a better lung function and expression of CerbB2 in NSCLC related to women but expression of P21 has been verified associated with smoking correlated with men. Our study suggested the interaction between environmental and genetic factors is important.


PREFACE Through the mandate of the Local Organising Committee, the Local Technical Committee was formed to attend to the processing of the technical papers. Firstly I am thankful to advices from Chairman Dr. Kannan M. M. and Advisor Dr. C. S. Ow. I wish to thank each and every member of the Local Technical Committee for making possible this end result: the proceedings of a very prestigious Asian conference series on fluid mechanics. They are (in alphabetical order) G. M. Chen Ervina Efzan Hasril Hasini Desmond Kho G. C. Lee B. K. Lim T. L. Lim L. C. Low Shahrir Abdullah H. K. Sim C. F. Than H. T. Toh T. C. Yap Zambri Harun Zulkifly Abdullah Then the full credit for the standard of the Congress must go to the expert reviewers, both from within and outside Malaysia. They ensure that peer review was carried out through processes administered by the proceedings editors, in accordance with the high demand of IOP publication. The reviewers include (in alphabetical order) AA Bidokhti Abdul Aziz Hairuddin A. K. M. Sadrul Islam Badrul Hisham G. S. Bhat S. Chang G. M. Chen Y. T. Chew K. H. Chuah J. J. Foo Harijono Djojodihardjo Hasril Hasini Hitoshi Ishikawa Y. M. Hung Irfan Anjum Magami Kahar bin Osman Kannan M. M. Kamarul Arifin Ahmad Kenny Tan C. S. Lim Q. Q. Liu Mehran Tadjfar Mohd. Nazri Mohd Radzi Abu Mansor Mohd Zamri Yusoff T. L. Mook N. Balakrishnan K. C. Ng Nik Nazri Noor Fadiya Osamu Mochizuki C. S. Ow Rahim Abu Talib Sanjay Mittal Saqaff Ahmed Alkaff Sekhar Majumdar Shahrir Abdullah Shuhaimi bin Mansor Siti Aslina Sivanandam Sivasankaran Sri Redjeki Pudjaprasetya Srithar Rajoo Sudi Mungkasi C. F. Than H. T. Toh C. P. Tso Vinod Kumar Venkiteswaran Wan Ahmad Najmi J. J. Wang H. K. Yeoh Zambri Harun Zulkifly Abdullah Last but not least, we wish to thank all the participants who contributed and attended the conference and made the event a success. C. P. Tso Editor -in -Chief


The relevance of the research topic is determined by the variety of interpretations of the concept of utility, according to which the problems of pleasure, good and happiness are solved. The English utilitarians of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were the first to conduct an in-depth analysis of utility and try to find common grounds that constitute this concept. The purpose of the article is to clarify the ways of using the concept of utility in the works of J. Berkeley, D. Hume and I. Bentham. The systematization of the views of the New Time, carried out by these thinkers, allowed us to approach the identification of the essence of utility. Proportionality and symmetry, the conditions of appointment and adaptation to the needs of man contributed to the removal of the beautiful and moral principles from the useful. The fact that the perfection of a thing is defined as an acceptable purpose for which it was created gave reason to conclude that the concept of ulitity in early utilitarianism is revealed through the rationality of goals and means, and the principle of utility through the dependence of individual interests from the level of social welfare.


£ Tough on crime, tough on causes' sounded good 10 years ago. Jack Straw and his policy makers were going to use the science-based recommendations of the Audit Commission (1996) and the Home Office (1998). That is, they planned to invest in programmes proven to reduce crime effectively, including those focusing on preventing youth offending. But with the exception of 'youth inclusion projects', this was not the case. Instead, from 2000 onwards, Labour expanded the number of police officers by 10% and the number of prisoners by 25% at an extra annual cost to taxpayers of close to £4 billion. That is, they did exactly what the Audit Commission described as 'misspend'. Now, 10 years later, advocates (National Accounting Office, 2005) of this profligate spending on law and order (and CCTV) are triumphant that these are the principal reason for the 35% reduction in victimisation rates in England and Wales. While most of the reductions in volume crime seem real, this confidence in the contribution of law and order to those reductions is misplaced according to the independent audit (Solomon et al., 2006) which called the claims 'mixed' or 'misleading' and questioned the value for money.


A quarter-century ago green and alternative movements emerged in most European countries. As advanced industrial societies were experiencing shifts towards postmaterialist value orientations [Inglehart, 1977; 1990], their political agenda were increasingly influenced by issues related to the 'New Politics' and growing tendencies to engage in protest action [Baker, Dalton and Hildebrandt, 1981; Barnes, Kaase et al., 1979; Hildebrandt and Dalton, 1978; Jennings and van Deth, 1990]. Since the beginning, these groups have challenged the established political parties at a local level. They were interested in single issues such as the provision of parks and cycle tracks; they protested against urban renewal, new highways or the construction of nuclear power plants. Heavily influenced by the debates on nuclear energy and the NATO dual-track decision on intermediate nuclear forces as well as the stationing of Cruise missiles in Western Europe, these movements launched the foundations of Green parties in the early 1980s. Between 1980 and 1984 new Green parties were founded in 12 Western European countries (see Appendix 1). By the late 1980s, these parties had gained significant electoral and parliamentary success. A few years later, Green parties have entered national governments in five countries including three major powers (France, Germany, Italy) and two smaller nations (Belgium and Finland). This rapid development no doubt calls for a changing perspective when analysing the Green party family. Thus far, comparative research and scholarly debates on the Greens in Western Europe have mainly focused on three topics: the rise and


In this paper, we build a renewed labour supply model in order to explain why the RMI recipients don't «fall in poverty traps» but on the contrary accept to work even for low wages. The standard consumption-leisure trade-off is extended : we consider that one needs a minimum consumption level that the non-working time can be either leisure time or to idle time. In the standard labour supply model, leisure which enters in the utility function is implicitly defined as the non-working time. This is regrettable since this period of time is not entirely dedicated to pleasant activities. One can «do nothing» : this «non activity» can be modelled as an inferior good. In this "consumption-leisure-idle time" trade-off, labour supply depends on how much the worker can consume over the survival level and on what he does during non-working time. RMI recipients' consumption is close to the survival level and they have not much to spend on leisure : labour supply is inelastic to wage and there are no traps.


The aim of this study was to reach an understanding of how young adults with permanent residence permit, who came to Sweden as unaccompanied asylum seeking minors, experience their confrontation wi ...


When iron and vanadium films vaccum-deposited onto copper (111) surface were thicker than 10 and 15 nm, respectively, regular textural patterns were observed in their images of transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The textural patterns were composed of numerous rectangles like laths and showed remarkable contrast at defocussing conditions of TEM, similar to Fresnel contrast. The size of each rectangle composing texture changed with the film thickness and substrate temperature. The most remarkable textural pattern was observed in three-layer film, V/Fe/Cu, and a similar pattern was also observed in the carbon replica taken from its film surface. Therefore, the textural pattern reflects the surface microtopography of each film.


West Mediterranean Development Agency, the development agency of West Mediterranean Region in where Antalya, Isparta and Burdur are located, increases the development dynamics of many sectors particularly tourism. The Agency hosted French and South Korean entrepreneurs, investors and authors in the tourism sector in West Mediterranean Region and enhanced the tourism mission.  WMDA has accomplished the publication activity intended to South Korean tourists; who have the culture, eco and faith tourism potential  and who prefers to travel in the fall and winter; between April, 25-29 th .' (Translated by BURDIL)


Abstract Jim Bulpitt understood the UK as an eminently political creation, emphasizing the role of elites in managing diversity. He can be criticized for underplaying the ideology of union, for dismissing Labour unionism and for an excessively central and Tory perspective. His insights, however, remain useful in analysing the current collapse of unionism, if not of the Union itself. His key concept of central autonomy explains why current neo-unionist efforts to forge Britishness are unlikely to succeed, since they imply a stronger territorial articulation of the state itself.


This work presents a numerical parametric study on the resistance of cold‐formed stainless steel beam‐columns with lipped channel and sigma cross‐sections at elevated temperatures, considering different stainless steel grades, cross‐sections and members slenderness and bending moment diagrams. The beam‐columns fire resistance is obtained by geometrically and materially nonlinear analyses including imperfections, using the Finite Element software SAFIR, and compared with the ultimate load bearing capacity obtained through EN 1993‐1‐2:2005. It is concluded that the current calculation rules are not well adjusted, existing thus the need to develop more precise prescriptions.


Dense plasma focus (DPF) Z-pinch devices are sources of copious high energy electrons and ions, x-rays, and neutrons. Megajoule-scale DPFs can generate 1012 neutrons per pulse in deuterium gas through a combination of thermonuclear and beam-target fusion. However, the details of the neutron production are not fully understood and past optimization efforts of these devices have been largely empirical. Previously, we reported on the first fully kinetic simulations of a kilojoule-scale DPF and demonstrated that both kinetic ions and kinetic electrons are needed to reproduce experimentally observed features, such as charged-particle beam formation and anomalous resistivity. Here, we present the first fully kinetic simulation of a MegaJoule DPF, with predicted ion and neutron spectra, neutron anisotropy, neutron spot size, and time history of neutron production. The total yield predicted by the simulation is in agreement with measured values, validating the kinetic model in a second energy regime.


The use of artificial intelligence (AI) for journalistic purposes is increasingly present in worldwide media. Despite its key role in the construction of communities, the local press enjoys a lower level of use of AI due to its limited economic capacity. It is in this context that this research examines the use of robotization in the local media of the Mittmedia consortium in Sweden, which in the period 2017-2020 have exponentially increased their number of subscribers through articles produced by a bot (The homeowners bot). The structure and content of the information published by this United Robot tool is analyzed, for which 50 news items published in three periods of time (2017, 2018 and 2019) are collected. As a result, it is observed that the bot produces short texts with interactivity elements that contextualize their content. Automation focuses on news from the real estate sector, providing public service information by subscription. This practice means a chance for robotization to be used to develop texts that generate engagement in local areas, since without AI many of these issues would be left uncovered.


This study involved a torrefaction (mild pyrolysis) processing approach that could be used to sterilize feces and produce a stable, odor-free solid product that can be stored or recycled, and also to simultaneously recover moisture. It was demonstrated that mild heating (200-250 C) in nitrogen or air was adequate for torrefaction of a fecal simulant and an analog of human solid waste (canine feces). The net result was a nearly undetectable odor (for the canine feces), complete recovery of moisture, some additional water production, a modest reduction of the dry solid mass, and the production of small amounts of gas and liquid. The liquid product is mainly water, with a small Total Organic Carbon content. The amount of solid vs gas plus liquid products can be controlled by adjusting the torrefaction conditions (final temperature, holding time), and the current work has shown that the benefits of torrefaction could be achieved in a low temperature range (< 250 C). These temperatures are compatible with the PTFE bag materials historically used by NASA for fecal waste containment and will reduce the energy consumption of the process. The solid product was a dry material that did not support bacterial growth and was hydrophobic relative to the starting material. In the case of canine feces, the solid product was a mechanically friable material that could be easily compacted to a significantly smaller volume (approx. 50%). The proposed Torrefaction Processing Unit (TPU) would be designed to be compatible with the Universal Waste Management System (UWMS), now under development by NASA. A stand-alone TPU could be used to treat the canister from the UWMS, along with other types of wet solid wastes, with either conventional or microwave heating. Over time, a more complete integration of the TPU and the UWMS could be achieved, but will require design changes in both units.


Critical care medicine is directed toward patients with a wide spectrum of illnesses. These have the common denominators of marked exacerbation of an existing disease, severe acute new problems, or severe complications from disease or treatments. In recent years has been an explosion of evidence based medicine with improvement in outcome, however there are several conditions in critical care patients that maintains a high morbidity and high mortali‐ ty that is necessary to be addressed [1]. Of these, severe sepsis and the acute respiratory dis‐ tress syndrome (ARDS), including acute lung injury (ALI) (syndromes consisting of acute respiratory failure associated with pulmonary infiltrates due to intraor extra-pulmonary diseases) are two important conditions that have increased mortality in critical care units around the world [2, 3].


The demand for uniform distribution into the soil of grain seeds and especially small grain seeds has increased during the last decade. Improvements had been made on the new metering devices, furrow openers and grain flow. The present research was focused on two major issues: a.) increasing grain flow uniformity out of the metering devices and b.) Improving seed distribution into the soil. Research was carried out in the Department of Mechanisation of the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest and used a three row simulator of a conventional grain drill, made out of more than 90% of recycled components. The team comprised three students from Faculty of Agriculture in the final year, and this research was part of their final Diploma Project. All the research was supervised by Assoc.Prof. Dr. Cristian IACOMI, the Head of the Mechanization Department.


Axisymmetric straining modes, which are different from the axisymmetric flexural modes of vibrating circular plates and cannot be revealed by conventional plate theory-based approaches, are investigated in the present study. Mode shapes of an example problem with clamped and four different simply-supported boundary conditions are presented to show what straining modes may look like. The straining modes are classified into three types and a criterion is set up to predict the appearance of straining modes. Some observations about straining modes are obtained and discussions are made. Results for different Poisson ratios are also shown.