Plastic pollution need to be resolved as it affects air, water, land. The favourable alternative for plastics would be Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) from bacterial origin, which are biodegradable and biocompatible biopolymers. Focus on the PHB producing bacteria is done by collecting garden soil sample. Five colonies of Sudan black blue positive isolates were chosen, extracted, and produced. One of the strains (SM1) - a potent producer as con�rmed by crotonic acid assay, was further subjected to large scale production. The PHB thus produced was analysed using Fourier Transform Infra-Red spectroscopy (FTIR) and Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GCMS) to con�rm the presence of functional groups. X-Ray crystallography revealed that it is of crystalline nature and are pictured by Scanning electron microscopy photography. DNA was isolated from the strain SM1, and the gene for 16S rRNA has been sequenced and submitted in GENBANK, (Accession No: MZ363886). The organism was found to be Bacillus cereus as predicted by 16S rRNA and NCBI BLAST. A phylogenetic tree was constructed using MEGA software. Bioplastic preparation was done under laboratory scale and the produced bioplastic was successfully degraded using Pseudomonas species. The prepared bioplastic from bacteria was biodegradable and eco-friendly.


Figure 1. Detection of Borna disease virus (BDV)–specific nucleic acid in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of a man with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), by nested and seminested polymerase chain reaction assays. Lanes: A, BDV-negative PBMC; B, BDV-specific amplicates from PBMC of patient with CFS; M, size marker (100-bp DNA ladder). Demonstration of Borna Disease Virus Nucleic Acid in a Patient with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome


The expression "immunocompromised host" refers to an individual who has one or more defects in the body's natural defense, which leads to severe, often life-threatening, infections. Alcoholism, diabetes mellitus, advanced age, the use of antacids, and viral infections have immune-modulating effects. The human immunodeficiency virus, cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, and Non A, Non B hepatitis virus also contribute to immunosuppression. The lung has a special vulnerability to infection, and pneumonia accounts for more than 40% of deaths in the immunosuppressed population. Diagnostic methods include detection of microbial antigens by monoclonal antibodies, DNA sequences by the polymerase chain-reactions or DNA probes, and unique metabolites of pathogens by gas chromatography. Transtracheal aspiration was used to obtain uncontaminated respiratory secretions, but fiberoptic bronchoscopy with shielded brush and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is a better means of diagnosis because of a 90% sensitivity in diagnosing pneumocystis infection. Percutaneous aspiration and open lung biopsy are reserved for more complicated cases. Empiric treatment is justified in far advanced AIDS or relapsed myelogenous leukemia with limited life expectancy, or when there is uncontrollable bleeding diathesis or impaired pulmonary function as invasion diagnostic procedures will not be tolerated. The most important antiinfective measure is careful hand washing, while prophylactic antibiotics, selective decontamination, and antifungal, antiviral, and antiparasitic agents can be used. Active and passive immunization against specific pathogens, immunological reconstitution with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and reducing the dosage of immunosuppression are the other strategies for prevention. In the last several decades there has been substantial progress in the management of chronic diseases which used to be fatal.


An adenomatous neoplasm from the middle enr was studied. Two distinct groups of cells were present. Electron microscopy suggested that one group was epithelial and the other neuroendocrine in origin. The features supported the hypothesis that such tumors arise from middle ear mucosa.


The 1993 Constitution of the Russian Federation established a system of highest state bodies that has no precedent in our fatherland. Among these state bodies the Fundamental Law of the Russian State (Article 11) lists the presidency of the Russian Federation, the Federal Assembly (Federation Council and State Duma), the Russian government, and the highest courts.


ABSTRACT Most previous studies on discourse markers (DMs) have yielded a common finding, that is, native speakers of English (NSs) and non-native speakers of English (NNSs) use discourse markers in different ways, especially as regards frequency of occurrence, position and function. Although discourse markers, such as I think, I mean and you know, are sometimes syntactically peripheral and poor in semantic meaning, they are pragmatically indispensable in spoken discourse and serve a variety of pragmatic functions. This study focuses on one of the most frequently overused discourse markers by NNSs, I think, and presents a comparative analysis of I think as used by Hong Kong English (HKE) speakers and British English (BrE) speakers in terms of its frequency of occurrence, position, collocation patterns and pragmatic functions, based on two parallel corpora: the Hong Kong component (ICE–HK) and the British component (ICE–GB) of the International Corpus of English (ICE). By highlighting similarities and differences in the use of I think by HKE and BrE speakers, this study also examines possible reasons that may lead to these.


The 1,2:5,6-di-O-methylethylidene-D-mannitol has been prepared from D-mannitol with anhydrous zinc chloride as the catalyst. The optimum synthetic condition has been studied in detail and the yield of the reaction is 65%. Firstly, the product was oxidized by NaIO4 and then deoxidized by NaBH4 to yield (+)-1,2-O-isopropylideneglycerol. Furthermore, the outgrowths were analyzed and it was found that the outgrowths had no influence on the synthesis of the target compound.


Though the appearance of any new book by Wilfred Cantwell Smith is always a great occasion for those engaged in religious studies, the publication of his Faith and Belief (Princeton: Princeton University Press,1979) was felt to warrant special attention, with the result that Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses invited several scholars to contribute a response. The result is the following three-part review article. Peter Slater of Carleton University, immediate past-president of the CssltIscEx, considers the specific content of Smith's view of faith; Donald Wiebe, whose labours on behalf of the recent xlvth I.A.H.R. Congress will long be appreciated, and who is now teaching at the University of Toronto, directs his attention to Smith's argument against belief,~ and Tibor Horvath, s. J., of Regis College, author of Faith under Scrutiny (Notre Dame: Fides, 1975), here scrutinizes Smith's treatment of the Roman Catholic view offaith in Chapter5. It is hoped that these three responses will set in motion the kind of high-level discussion the book deserves.


Abstract An improved large-signal breakdown model establishment applying an artificial neural network (ANN) approach is presented for metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) operating in the breakdown regime for the first time. A neural network program with the feed-forward back propagation algorithm and Levenberg Marquardt optimization is utilized to obtain the MOSFET large-signal model for breakdown operation. When compared with the conventional model without the breakdown effects considered, more accurate large-signal characteristics in the breakdown regime can be obtained by incorporating the avalanche network using the ANN approach. The breakdown network is demonstrated to be significant for large-signal characterization at high bias according to the analysis of minimum acceptable error. Besides, the divergence problem due to the neglected avalanche network can be avoided during ANN training in the avalanche regime. The accuracy of the presented model can keep about 2% error. The presented ANN approach can be applied to device large-signal modeling in the impact ionization regime.


As a preferred technology to enhance oilfield energy production, well stimulation has and will continue to have an important role in fulfilling the worlds future energy needs. Mud acid is a conventional acid system that reacts with most injurants and removes damages. However, fast reaction rate with minerals will lead to high leak-off velocity, great possibility of secondary and tertiary precipitation, lower effect of corrosion inhibitor in high temperature as well as short efficient operating range. Therefore, new kinds of acid system are required to cope with these problems above. This paper proposed three acid system with the similarity of fluorine ammonium compounds for sandstone acidizing ammonium hydrogen fluoride (AHF), ammonium fluotitanate (AFT), and ammonium fluoroborate system (AFB). Chemical structures, acidity test and solubility tests have proved the feasibility. Then, performance comparisons are conducted to prove the advantages over mud acid system.


Abstract The influence of substituents at the carbon of the P=C bond of about 60 phosphaalkenes was investigated by 31P NMR spectroscopy. The P=C system is characterized as electronwithdrawing. All compounds were found to be configurationally stable.


This article describes a variety of conceptual and methodological limitations of existing research on the efficacy of early intervention programs. Problems related to the specification of both independent and dependent variables are noted, and recent studies using meta-analytic techniques to generate testable hypotheses are reviewed. Recommendations for greater precision in measurement and for improved research design are presented. Finally, some reasons for the persistence of common problems in program evaluation are offered in conjunction with suggestions for future research efforts.


The "Mortile Insert" has been perforated and now enters the vapor barrier lamination line which, when completed, prevents moisture and dust from infiltrating through to the office area-while increasing the acoustic value of the original tile. Perhaps the greatest innovation in office design has been the acoustical tile ceiling. It is estimated that one billion square feet of tile will be sold this year and that, of the 20 billion square feet already installed in North America, half will need to be replaced in the near future. Designed as a sound absorbant, aesthetic alternative to the plaster ceiling, acoustical tile can be attached directly to an existing ceiling or installed as a "drop ceiling," which creates a plenum, or space, which may house plumbing or electrical wiring. Although acoustical tile dampens room noise and provides a visually interesting alternative to chipping plaster, it is by no means without its share of problems. In fact, standard mineral board tile is quite limited in three areas-ability to be cleaned, acoustical value and health and safety. A conventional mineral board tile ceiling does not permit efficient cleaning. Companies have emerged claiming to effectively clean a tile ceiling. But the methods they use-they either vacuum or bleach the tiles-are costly and inefficient and can even damage the ceiling and interior. Bleaching agents have been known to damage broadloom, furniture and drapes while having little positive effect on the tiles. Painting, also, is not a viable alternative to cleaning since paint retains the dirt in the ceiling and destroys the sound-absorbing characteristics of the tile. However, a product is now on the market which can be easily, and costeffectively, cleaned with just soap and water, add up to 20 percent to an existing tile's acoustical value and eliminate the threat of OIS (Office Ill-


The aim of this paper is to present a robust tuning method and a closed-loop performance analysis of two-degree-of-freedom proportional integral controllers for integrating controlled processes. A closed-loop model reference optimization method has been followed with nonoscillatory and under damped response targets. It has been found that nonoscillatory response targets produce smoother controller outputs and that the regulatory and servo-control performance (integrated absolute error and setting time) may be improved if lightly-under-damped responses are allowed. The proposed tuning method allows the designer to deal with the performance/robustness trade-off of the resulting closed-loop control system by specifying the desired robustness level through selecting a maximum sensitivity in the range from 1.4 to 2.0. Controller tuning equations that guarantee the design robustness level are provided for integrating second-order plus dead-time models with normalized dead-times in the range from 0.1 to 2.0, and...


e22109 Background: Assessment of the circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in lung cancer patients could prevent burdensome surgery in understaged cases. Therefore we have tested the hypothesis that the p...


The article contains the discussion about the apparent contradictions between economicand other dimensions of social life from the theoretical perspective of economic institutionalism. The author shows that the conflicts between the individual and the collective and betweenefficiency and social solidarity are better understood and hence better solved if we take intoaccount different time perspective of social and economic actions. The article argues also that postindustrial economy enables the revival of community oriented economic actions which are both efficient and socially integrating. Thus, the obsolescenceof certain forms of the community-based economic activities is rather apparent than true. Theauthor claims that there is a role for public support for he socially oriented community basedeconomy, especially in the sector of social services. Yet, any policy action should be precededby a careful policy analysis both with regards to expected goals and chosen instruments.


We explore the potential of reflectance confocal video microscopy of human skin microvasculature to noninvasively track immune cell activity following hematopoietic cell transplantation. In three patients, we tracked leukocyte-endothelial interactions over time.


In this paper, we present our newly developed face expression modeling system for expression analysis and identification. Given a face image at a front view, a realistic facial model is created using our extended topographic analysis and model instantiation approach. Our facial expression modeling system consists of two major components: (1) facial feature representation using the coarse-to-fine multiscale topographic primitive features and (2) an adaptive generic model individualization process based on the primal facial surface feature context. The algorithms have been tested using both static images and facial expression sequences. The usefulness of the generated expression models is validated by our 3D facial expression analysis algorithm. The accuracy of the generated expression model is evaluated by the comparison between the generated models and the range models obtained by a 3D digitizer


Global warming as a result of climate changes is a phenomenon widely accepted by the international scientific community, already highlighted by analyzing observational data over long periods of time. Simulations made with global climate models indicate that the main factors influencing this phenomenon are both natural and anthropogenic (changes in atmospheric composition due to human activities). But the cumulative effect of the two factors may explain the observed changes in average global temperature over the last 150 years. Changes in climate regime in Romania follows the global context, taking into account the regional conditions. Compared to the annual average temperature global increase during 19012013 with 0,6 o C in Romania the annual average temperature was increased only with 0,3 o C. Compared with other regions in the neighborhood, there were differences: a warming more pronounced in the south and east (reaching up to 0,8 o C) and non-significant in the intraCarpathian regions, except the Baia Mare station, where the effect of local anthropogenic activity led to a heating with 0,7 o C. For the present study were performed, using the MS Office Excel and G.S. Surfer program, statistical models to highlight the situation of Baia Mare Urban System, knowing that this region was until recently a hotspot area according to the atmospheric pollution.


The new concept which has come up in recent timesbeing integrated with 3D bioprinting is 4-dimensional bio-printing. This is now considered the most appropriate solution for "tissue engineering". It has the potential to construct functional structure and also fabricate 3D patterns of biological architecture which can change shape under various stimuli by use of "stimulate responsive material". 4Dbio-printing provides a great potential for tissue engineering of bone. The properties like shape memory of the printed structure is used for repair of personalized bone defect and the properties such as functional maturation helps in promoting osteogenic differentiation of stem cells. This review aims to discuss the concept of 4D bioprinting and its application in "bone tissue engineering".


The thesis stresses two points regarding mandatory initiation rites where a young person is introduced into adult rights and obligations: first, that a poly-angular approach is necessary to get a f ...


Real-time standoff biological agent detection—i.e., the detection of biological agent clouds at some distance from the target— is now a key requirement for defense and security. Of the several technologies developed to address this challenge, none is presently able to provide efficient protection against such threats. Light detection and ranging (lidar) technologies, based on the transmission of laser pulses and analysis of the return signal, have demonstrated impressive capabilities in aerosol standoff sensing. However, higher sensitivity and lower false alarm rates are required to make them relevant for defense and security applications. High sensitivity is needed to detect low concentrations at standoff distances. Low false alarm rates are imperative for efficient operational scenarios where the capacity to discriminate between an inoffensive and a potentially threatening bioaerosol cloud is paramount. Single-wavelength elastic backscatter lidar techniques have demonstrated valuable capabilities in cloud mapping and longrange low-concentration aerosol detection, but are unable to distinguish between clouds of different compositions having similar aerosol size distributions. Passive infrared spectroscopy, polarization-sensitive lidar, differential elastic scattering, and laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) are all promising contenders with respective advantages and drawbacks. We are working on a new approach based on spectrally resolved UV-LIF range-gated detection with the aim of optimizing sensitivity and discrimination capability. The schematics of the system, called SINBAHD (Standoff Integrated Bioaerosol Active Hyperspectral Detection), are shown in Figure 1. It consists of a UV laser source, a beam expander, a folding mirror (FM), a steering mirror, and a 30cm-diameter Newtonian telescope that collects the returned radiation and focuses it at the entrance slit Figure 1. Shown is a schematic representation of the Standoff Integrated Bioaerosol Active Hyperspectral Detection system.


We will here prove the following special case of an (unpublished) conjecture for a polynomial of degree ndue to L. Ilieff: Theorem. If all zeros of the cubic polynomial p3(z) lie in |z| ≤ 1, then at least one zero of p3′(z) lies in or on the boundary of a circle of radius unity around each zero of p′3(z).


It often deviate from the ideal area when the automobile engine operating.To optimize the Drive-Line parameter can make the engine usually runs in the ideal area,which improve the vehicle's power.This paper discusses some optimization methods of Drive-line parameter,and its influence to vehicle power,fuel economy,emission.


In this paper, synergy between the physical layer and the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer of a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network is exploited to reduce the co-channel interference in both the forward and reverse channels. By doing such cross-layer optimization analysis, physical and MAC layer control decisions reach their full potential when they are designed in an integrated manner. The proposed solution focuses on the integration of the concepts of orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA), sectorization, and Latin Square to improve the signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) with the most effective resource utilization. The solution seeks to achieve an optimum point of tradeoff between improvement in the SIR and the acceptable amount of the unutilized resources.


Errors arising in the exploration of ore deposits can be divided into two groups: errors in determining specific quantitative characteristics of mineralization (average thickness, grade, density) and errors in identifying the conditions of occurrence, shape and structure of ore clusters. This article discusses the reasons for the non-confirmation of explored reserves for individual blocks of ore bodies of the Charmitan gold deposit. The calculated parameters and ore and metal reserves are compared in the framework of proven reserves for four ore bodies with unconfirmed reserves. The main discrepancies in ore and metal reserves, non-confirmation of body thicknesses and gold grades, as well as a complex of factors are considered: the density of the exploration network, and statistical and spatial variability of useful components.


The new species Mesapamea secalella Remm, described by H. Remm in 1983 from the USSR : Estonian SSR, is also distributed in Western Europe. The moth's provisional distribution is stated, the external appearance as well as the genitalia ofMesapamea secalis (L.) and Mesapamea secalella Remm are described, and the nomenclature of M. secalella is discussed. Mesapamea secalis, described by Linné in 1758, is a very variable species with many described aberrations and forms, see for instance Turner (1926-1935) and Heinicke (1960). Entomologists have often considered whether M. secalis L. contained more than one species. Genital investigations on secalis have so far concluded, that in Europe there was only one species = Mesapamea secalis L. Investigations on the male genital organs of a number of "secalis L." from the Estonian SSR of the USSR has however proved that there is a second species : Mesapamea secalella Remm, 1983, hidden among M. secalis L. The honour for this interesting discovery goes to Dr. H. Remm from Tartu in the Estonian SSR, who has published his discovery in Ent. Obozr. LXII.3. 1983: 596-600, in the article: "New species of Noctuidae (Lepidoptera) from the USSR". We were informed about Remm's article, (which is written in russian, without english summary) by W. Skworzow from Pskow in the USSR, who told us, that Mesapamea secalella Remm was found in the Estonian SSR and in the Pskow area of the USSR, together with Mesapamea secalis L. The holotype ofMesapamea secalella Remm is from the USSR, Estonian SSR, Bez., Rapla : Hageri, ö , 27-7-1960. The paratypes are from : Bez. 121 ©Societas Europaea Lepidopterologica; download unter http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ und www.zobodat.at


Shortly after the introduction of herbicides for weed control, HARPER6) predicted that the repeated use of the same herbicide would almost inevitably be followed by the development of a resistant strain of weed, as often happened with pesticides. Many reports have been published concerning variations within weed species in response to herbicides. However, the development of resistance due to repeated herbicide treatment was not as rapid as expected, and the first case of such occurrence was reported in Senecio vulgaris by RYAN11) in Washington State in 1968 in a nursery where atrazine and simazine had been used once or twice annually since 1958. Since then, according to UEKI and YAMASUE12) who reviewed data on the development of resistant biotypes in various weeds, some reports have been published, for example, describing the resistance of Senecio vulgaris8,10) to simazine, that of Chenopodium1) to atrazine and cyanazine as well as that of Poa annua and several other species5) to metoxurone. In 1980, the authors learned of the increasing difficulty in controlling Erigeron


Continuum mechanics quantities can be computed from molecular dynamics (MD) models based on the classical Irving-Kirkwood (IK) formalism. Practical implementations of IK formulas involve a spatial averaging using a smooth kernel function. The obtained results usually need to be further processed to reduce the fluctuation, e.g., by ensemble or time averaging. In this talk the IK formalism is extended to systematically incorporate both spatial and temporal averaging into the expression of continuum quantities. We will present the results both in Lagrangian and Eulerian coordinates.


This paper demonstrates that well-known parameter estimation methods for Gaussian fields place different emphasis on the high and low frequency components of the data. As a consequence, the relative importance of the frequencies under the objective of the analysis should be taken into account when selecting an estimation method, in addition to other considerations such as statistical and computational efficiency. The paper also shows that when noise is added to the Gaussian field, maximum pseudolikelihood automatically sets the smoothing parameter of the model equal to one. A simulation study then indicates that generalised cross-validation is more robust than maximum likelihood un- der model misspecification in smoothing and image restoration problems. This has implications for Bayesian procedures since these use the same weightings of the frequencies as the likelihood.


The vehicle emissions are controlled by introducing new techniques like after treatment method and incylinder treatment method i.e., RCCI (Reactive controlled compression ignition combustion), PPCI (Partially premixed compression ignition combustion), HCCI (Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition Combustion), GDCI (Gasoline Direct Injection Compression Ignition) etc., The performance and emissions of SI engine can be improved by modifying the cubic capacity of engine, compression ratio, regulating the flow of air-fuel charge and air fuel ratio. Nowadays due to inavailability of crude oil and import of high level of crude oil to our country makes the fuel consumers to spend more money for fuel consumption. Our government has passed an order to introduce electric vehicle by the year 2020, to the entire vehicle manufacturer in order to reduce pollution, to adhere the BS-VI emission norms and to be free from fuel dependency. So, by considering all the above statements mentioned it is important to concentrate in reducing the vehicle emission and improving fuel economy of an IC engine. In this project, aims to reduce the emission from vehicle, improving fuel economy and performance of engine by injecting hydrogen along with carbureted gasoline in the intake manifold of the SI engine. The hydrogen generation can be achieved by using dry cell electrolysis method. During the injection of hydrogen in the intake manifold, the amount of gasoline supplied for ignition in normal running condition will be reduced and the reduced fuel level will be compensated by hydrogen supply. But the conversion of hydrogen gas into liquid form is a tedious process and a complicated one. To overcome these defects, the hydrogen gas generated from the dry cell is directly feed to the intake manifold along with the gasoline. The hydrogen generation will also be done in moving vehicle by electrolysis of distilled water. In future this will be tested in the GDI (Gasoline Direct Injection)engine with the help of ECU (Electronic Control Unit).


With the aim to understand the structure characteristics and provide theoretical basis for the excavation of the advantaged gene in Ziziphus jujuba,the functional annotations of ESTs from a cDNA Library in the fruit bearing shoot of Ziziphus jujuba during the early stages of flower bud differentiation was analyzed by the tools of bioinformatics,and the basic physical chemicalproperties,secondary structure,hydrophobic/hydrophilicity and potential phosphorylation sites were also analysed.The results showed that 397 ESTs had high homology with the known EST of NCBI,among them there were 77 repetitive ESTs,and 62 metabolic pathway of 123 ESTs were obtained through the KEGG database.The molecular weight of the ribosomal protein was between 6 931.12-32 764.44,alpha helix and random coil were their primary structural element,the polypeptide chains were hydrophilic and the potential phosphorylation sites were widespread in the polypeptide chain.Phylogenetic tree was constructed based on ribosomal protein genes,and its molecular evolution was also analyzed.


The purpose of this research is to study the characteristics of a learning organization and then to determine the factors which would allow a private university to achieve such status. The study considers five aspects of the organization's subsystems based upon Michael J. Marquardt's theory: learning, organization, people, knowledge and technology. The research adopted a qualitative research procedure. A survey was administered to collect all faculty and staff's perspectives, and analyze them using the Learning Organization Profile. The results were used to formulate questions for interviews with four of the university's top executives. The university being studied was found to have a high degree of learning organization, in compliance with the five aspects framework. Thirteen influencing factors and six vulnerabilities were identified. The concept of organization development toward learning organization as defined in this study can be applied to other types of organizations. The methodology used in the study can be adapted to identify supporting factors and weaknesses, and then to initiate appropriate projects which would lead to successful implementation. To cite this document: Suntaya Dararat and Teera Taechamaneestit, "Organization development toward learning organization in a private university", International Journal of Cyber Society and Education, Vol. 8, No. 1, pp. 19-30, 2015. Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.7903/ijcse.1245


Integrative Gestalt pedagogy is a comprehensive pedagogy that based on Gestalt theory (-philosophy, -psychology, -therapy, -pedagogy), humanistic psychology and pedagogy. In the 1980s its holistic approach was used by Dr Albert Hofer to reform the concept of the Austrian religious education. Hofer succeeded in designing a complete Gestalt-pedagogical model of learning and teaching, whose uniqueness can be seen in its approaches that encourage student's personal growth. In accordance with Jesus's teaching it looks at students in a loving and caring way, talking to them in their everyday situations and opening them to religious experience and God's working in their lives. This has been confirmed by empirical research.


There is cohabitation of grandparents, parents and their children discussed in this diploma thesis. The thesis consists of two sections: Supporting theory and field research. In the first section the terms relating family and its current role in the society are explained, further the role of parents and grandparents in upbringing adolescent kids is discussed with close at-tention to upbringing styles. Closing chapter in this section tackles multigeneration cohabi-tation and relations between generations. The field research and its preparation is discussed in the second section. The opinions and attitudes to upbringing of children are being researched by using qualitative research stra-tegy by technique of standardized questioning. The goal was to obtain opinions and attitu-des from people living in multigeneration cohabitation, which is not so common nowadays, and its influence to upbringing of adolescent children.


The alterations and distribution of proteoglycan (PG) synthesis in the intervertebral discs of young dogs exercised with long‐distance running (40 km/day) were studied with a method based on image analysis of tissue sections. Ten dogs were run on a treadmill daily for 55 weeks, and 10 dogs from the same litters served as controls. The daily running distance gradually was increased to 40 km and was maintained at that level for the final 15 weeks. Midsagittal disc segments C7‐T1, T8‐9, and L1‐2 were labeled with 35SO4, and histological sections of the segments were apposed against autoradiographic film to determine the synthesis of PGs. Next, the same sections were stained with safranin O to estimate possible alterations in PG concentration. The radiographs and stained sections were digitized with a flatbed scanner and measured by image analysis. The lumbar discs of the runners displayed a significantly lower rate of 35SO4 incorporation, while a tendency toward enhanced incorporation was seen in the cervical and thoracic discs. Safranin O staining showed a pattern just opposite to 35SO4 incorporation: decreased staining in the cervical and thoracic discs and increased staining in the lumbar disc of the runners. The results demonstrate qualitatively different influences of long‐term running training on PG metabolism at the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar levels in young dogs.


Groin injuries in athletes are being recognised more often in sport, especially in football. In Gothenberg, a study of football injuries, both acute and chronic, revealed that 5% of all injuries were localised in the groin region. Seventeen different teams were studied. Groin pain may be caused by injuries occurring in sports such as soccer, handball, ice hockey, skating, ski-ing, hurdles, high jump, fencing, bowling, horse-riding, etc., due to overloading of the muscles producing microscopic lesions in the muscles, peri6steum, or tendons, and leading to inflammatory reaction. Symptoms may also be caused by complete or incomplete macroscopic lesions, such as disruptions in the groin muscles. Symptoms be diffuse and uncharacteristic,


Objective:To demonstrate the characteristic of the root formation of the mandibular third molars with acquired space by orthodontic treatment. Method:21 orthodontic cases by extraction of first or second molars prior to the completeness of the root formation of mandibular third molars were followed up. After the completeness of root formation,the ratio and degree of separate root of mandibular third molars were compared with the second molars. Result:With abundant space, the ratio and degree of separate root of mandibular third molars were higher than the mandibular second molars,while the length of roots were similar. Conclusion:The fused root of mandibular third molar might be caused by being impacted in the insufficient space, and the relative orthodontic treatment should be carried out prior to the completeness of root formation of third molar.


New applications for Ni-MH batteries such as emergency lighting units and photovoltaic energy storage require the development of new materials for the negative electrode. Hydrogen absorbing alloys with increased specific capacity and enhanced life duration have been the subject of numerous studies [1]. The optimum alloy composition has to be a compromise between the capacity of the material, its corrosion resistance, its charge acceptance and its cost. It is thus necessary to study the mechanisms that limit the electrochemical kinetics during the charge reaction of the alloys, taking into account the influence of corrosion products that are formed with time. In this work, the electrochemical kinetics properties of Ni-MH negative electrodes were investigated with a cavity microelectrode (CME). This technique is a powerful tool in electroanalytical studies of powder materials due to a high mass transfer, a small ohmic drop and a negligible double layer capacitance. Moreover, it is possible to study the intrinsic properties of conductive powder materials without any adjunction of electronic conductor or binder [2].


Signal feature extraction is the key to fault diagnosis.In this paper,through dyadic wavelet transform which uses Daubechies wavelet as basic function,wavelet packet of Mallat fast algorithm is applied to extract characteristics of fault signal.Analyzing the experimental data with wavelet packet are analyzed.The result has good localization characteristics,and can identify non-stationary signal effectively.


Abstract This article explains about how to apply "what is the question game" in teaching speaking to junior high school students. To do this game, students are divided into four groups and each of group has same amount of students. There are three steps that should be done by the teacher when he/ she applies this game. The first is preparation in which the teacher prepares topic that suitable with this game, lesson plan, material for teaching and media. The second is activity I, in this step the teacher explains expression that are used in introduction. Then, the teacher explains question form of expression of introduction. The third is activity II, the teacher invite students to play "what is the question game" and among this game the teacher sing song together with students. After completing the game, the teacher concludes the lesson at the day and closes the class. Key words: Game, Technique, Junior High School


interaction metaphors on ease of use in terms of efficiency, effectiveness, user satisfaction, user trust and communication performance of users in e-government interfaces. This study has been implemented by developing two different conditions on an experimental e-government platform. The first condition was based on the use of the avatar facial expression with text to present the messaging content between the sender and receiver. The second condition was concerned with using a combination of new multimodal metaphors (avatars with full body and text) to communicate the same information. These conditions were then empirically evaluated by two independent groups of users. Both conditions measured the performance of user on typical tasks and evaluation questions. The results obtained from this experiment confirm that multimodal metaphors do in fact help to improve usability and user perception of trust on e-government interfaces. They reduced the time needed for users to respond to messages, enabled users to undertake activities more accurately, users were more satisfied with the interface and had a positive influence on the perception of trust. Therefore, the improved parameters were effectiveness, efficiency, user satisfaction and user trust. It is therefore proposed to include multimodal metaphors in e-government interfaces, and this need to be taken in mind when designing such interfaces. I. INTRODUCTION ANY e-government interfaces are crowded and not always communicate information to users correctly. These interfaces often use visual means to communicate information (often text with graphics). The user interaction could improve significantly if additional channels (e.g. auditory) to the visual one are added. This paper presents an empirical study to investigate the usability aspects of an e-government interface that incorporates a combination of traditional metaphors (e.g. text and graphics) with multimodal


Contact allergy to cetyl and stearyl alcohols has been reported for many years. About one per cent of eczema patients are allergic to either alcohol or a mixture of the two. In the present study, 11 of 1374 patients reacted to 20% cetylstearyl alcohol in patch tests. Results of a previous study, suggested that some impurities in commercial cetyl and stearyl alcohols might be responsiblefor the contact allergies.


Disclosed are a semiconductor memory device which stores refresh period information and an operating method thereof. The semiconductor memory device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a cell array which includes at least one cell region and a refresh information storage unit which stores first information and second information related to a refresh period by corresponding to each cell region. The cell region is refreshed with the refresh period according to the first information of a first refresh section and the second information of a second refresh section.


In this study, the composites with incorporation betel nut powder at three levels (10, 18 and 25%) in Polycarbonate (PC) and Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) matrices having Kevlar Fibres (KF) and Molybdenum Disulphide (MoS2) nano particles in fixed amounts are looked into for their tribological characteristics. The effect of hardness, surface roughness and density was evaluated. FTIR and X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies have been carried out to identify the phases. The effects of load on the slide wear loss and coefficient of friction of the composites were determined using Pin on Disc set up. The wear test pertaining to the betel nut bearing (BNP) composites were compared with those of betel nut free ones i.e. PC/ABS/KF/MoS2. The results revealed that with increase in load, the wear loss increases. Further with increase in betel nut powder concentration from 10% to 25% there is a decrease in wear loss as well as coefficient of friction. The surface morphology of the worn surface were examined using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) which revealed higher plastic deformation, debris formation and furrowing in BNP free systems compared to betel nut bearing ones.


The present paper makes progress in explaining the role of capital for inflation and output dynamics. We followWoodford (2003, Ch. 5) in assuming Calvo pricing combined with a convex capital adjustment cost at the firm level. Our main result is that capital accumulation affects inflation dynamics primarily through its impact on the marginal cost. This mechanism is much simpler than the one implied by the analysis in Woodford's text. The reason is that his analysis suffers from a conceptual mistake, as we show. The latter obscures the economic mechanism through which capital affects inflation and output dynamics in the Calvo model, as discussed in Woodford (2004).


Different models for switched reluctance machines (SRMs) are presented. All models are developed for the newest version (6.3) of PSpice for Windows. The models demonstrate the software's capabilities to define custom symbols and construct multilevel hierarchical models. PSpice also has strong analog behavioral modeling capabilities that are fully exploited. For this paper, 6-4 motors are simulated, but the models can be extended to other designs. The first model is based on an equivalent circuit representation with linear, voltage controlled inductors. The second model is based on a set of analytical equations which include saturation effects. In both cases, the electrical and mechanical system is modeled. Coupling between the windings is neglected. The models yield information about electrical as well as mechanical parameters such as induced phase voltage and torque. Both models produce comparable results in the unsaturated regime for the phase current. At higher current levels the model based on the analytical equations gives more accurate results.


The relevance of the topic is resulted from the need to conform current legislation and practices on the rights to equal access to quality education for children with special needs. Regulatory and legal issues of inclusive education were considered in the scientific publications of Ukraine. However, regulatory and legal issues of inclusive general secondary education requires further analysis. The purpose of the work is to research and analysis of regulatory and legal issues of inclusive general secondary education in the world experience and in the Ukraine in particular. The legislative process of providing inclusive education in the Ukraine is determined by international regulations. The international strategy for inclusive education is aimed at realizing human rights to education, forming an inclusive society, transforming educational systems, supporting state strategies for inclusive education, modernizing teacher training, and developing mechanisms for investing in inclusive education. There are fundamentals for individualization of education in the Ukraine. Issues of practical implementation the concept of inclusive education needed to be improved. First, there is a need to amend the laws of Ukraine "About education", "About preschool education" and "About general secondary education" in terms of the number of working hours of the assistant educator and assistant teacher in upward. Secondly, the changes should be made regarding the size of groups and classes. The children with only one type of disorder can study within the group. Key words: Inclusive education, special educational needs, inclusion, general secondary education, regulatory and legal issues of education.


Anxiety disorder is one of the most common mental ailments exhibited by human. It is characterized by motor tension, sympathetic hyperactivity and apprehension and vigilance syndromes. A part from very few chemical remedies available like benzodiazepine and serotonin modulators, not much treatment options are at hand that safely and effectively alleviate anxiety. The ethanol extract of the fruits of plant Limonia acidissima was evaluated for its anti-anxiety activity in swiss albino mice at dose 200mg/kg and 400mg/kg body weight. Anti-anxiety was assessed by using elevated plus maze (EPM) and light and dark model methods. The ethanolic extract exhibit anxiolytic effect in experimental mice. So it is supports the use of Limonia acidissima as anxiolytic agents. Further investigation should be made to elucidate the active constituent of responsible for the activity.


Abstract 5189 Background: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a severe and life-threatening disease. It is characterized by excessive growth of pulmonary artery endothelial and smooth muscle cells leading to a profound pulmonary artery remodeling and consequently increased pulmonary artery pressure and vascular resistance. Most patients with the heritable form of PAH harbor a mutation in the bone morphogenic protein (BMP) receptor 2 (BMPR2) resulting in dysregulated BMP signaling. In addition, aberrant BMP signaling was also observed in the idiopathic form of PAH although the underlying molecular mechanisms have not been elucidated. Recently, it was shown that BMP antagonist Gremlin-1 was elevated in pulmonary vessels of mice during development of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (Cahill et al, Circulation. 2012;125(7):920–30). Methods and Results: The aim of this prospective study was to investigate the plasma levels of Gremlin-1 in PAH patients (Dana point classification group I) and to correlate Gremlin-1 levels to clinical and hemodynamic parameters. Thirty subjects were included in the study (19 patients with PAH treated at the PH clinics of the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany and 11 healthy volunteers) after giving informed consent. The mean Gremlin-1 plasma level was 2. 6-fold increased with 333 ± 160 ng/ml, in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension compared to those of healthy control subjects with a mean Gremlin-1 plasma level of 118 ± 115 ng/ml (p=0. 001 in t-test). Gremlin-1 plasma levels of PAH patients were correlated to demographic, clinical and hemodynamic parameters including age, sex, 6-minute walk distance, systemic and pulmonary blood pressure & vascular resistance, lung function testing, NT-proBNP (N terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide) and NYHA/WHO functional classification. A positive correlation between Gremlin-1 plasma levels and NT-proBNP plasma levels was observed (Spearman Rho 0. 809 with p Conclusion: The plasma levels of BMP antagonist Gremlin-1 are significantly elevated in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension and may serve as new serological marker. Gremlin-1 might mirror the state of BMP dysregulation and represent a potential follow up marker under a future targeted therapy. Furthermore, since Gremlin-1 was shown to induce proliferative effects on both endothelial as well as smooth muscle cells, it might also contribute directly to the aberrant vessel growth observed in PAH. Gremlin-1 plasma levels of patients with pulmonary hypertension (n=19) were analyzed in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Compared to healthy subjects (n=11), mean plasma levels of Gremlin-1 were 2. 6-fold increased in PH patients (t-test p=0. 001). Box plots show the median (center horizontal line), the 25th to the 75th percentile (box) and the range (whiskers).** indicates p Disclosures: Hennigs:Bayer: Honoraria, Research Funding; Pfizer: Honoraria, Research Funding; Actelion: Research Funding; GlaxoSmithKline: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria. Fiedler:Pfizer Inc. : Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding.


A discussion on energy conservation in atmospheric distillation columns by modifying vapor feed inlet tray covers the basic equipment required for standard continuous industrial distillation; proposal to insert the vapor product of the flash drum into upper trays of the column separately; side stream products; investment costs; and case study involving an atmospheric distillation of a mixture of benzene and toluene. This is an abstract of a paper presented at the 7th European Congress of Chemical Engineering-7 and 19th International Congress of Chemical and Process Engineering CHISA (Prague, Czech Republic 8/28/2010-9/1/2010).


Shuqin Lou is a professor of electronic and information engineering at Beijing Jiaotong University. Since 1989, she has been teaching courses of digital circuit and analog circuit for the sophomore and junior undergraduate students whose major is electronic and information Engineering. Her teaching has been honored with the Outstanding Teacher Award in 2001 and the Distinguished Teacher Award in 2008 in Beijing Jiaotong University. She earned one first prize and two second prizes of Beijing teaching achievement award. Since 2001, she has published seven textbooks. One of these bookswas honored by the excellent book award of Beijing Municipal Government in 2011. In 2010, she was granted the project of National bilingual course of digital electronic technology funded by the Ministry of Education of China. In 2014, she finished the translation version of "Digital fundamental: a system approach" written by Thomas L. Floyd and was honored with excellent translator award from Hua Zhang Press in Beijing for her excellent work. Her research interests cover the areas of telecommunication, especially optical communication. She has been holding more than 20 projects, publishing over 250 papers, and getting 14 patents. She has also organized more than 10 conferences on her research areas.


Following revision of the genus by Dowe and Hodel (1994), Archontophoenix comprises six species of palms native
to tropical to warm-temperate Australia, in Queensland and
New South Wales. The living collections at Montgomery
Botanical Center have five of these six species represented (see table). These collections include some very old specimens that date back to Colonel Montgomery (Figure 1) and a significant group of more recently collected plants including Archontophoenix tuckeri (Figure 2), the most tropical of the species.


Purpose
The purpose of this exploratory study is to identify the antecedents of brand hate in respect to luxury brand gamification marketing activities.

Design/methodology/approach
Five gamified product placements characterized by the ad hoc design of luxury co-branded virtual and/or physical products were selected for the research study. Content analysis was used to identify patterns and classify negative comments shared online into categories.

Findings
A content analysis of the negative comments (n. 2,321) related to the perception toward gamification of luxury fashion in videogames revealed the following seven domains: monetization of the game; promotion of inappropriate behavior; unethical placement; games commodified by brands; predatory monetization; perceived incongruence; poor product performance.

Research limitations/implications
The exploratory research study revealed how the perception of gamification activities trigger negative emotions toward luxury fashion brands. It was significant that many of these emotions fall within the antecedents of brand hate.

Practical implications
Luxury companies and game developers need to be aware and manage the antecedents of brand hate in respect to luxury brand gamification activities in videogames. Moreover, luxury brands need to consider customers' influencing behavior via online word-of-mouth and the potential to impact attitudes and behaviors of other consumers toward brands.

Originality/value
The ethics of gamification within a marketing context have largely escaped inquiry. The study provides evidence that luxury brands need to align the fundamentals of luxury brand management in the digital world of gaming.


By the 1960s the Sisters of St. Ann had established a reputation for excellence in their Catholic schools throughout the British Columbia. New teachers were mentored by experienced teachers and encouraged to keep abreast of the most effective teaching methods. Changes in the provincial curriculum were closely followed. When the Vancouver Archdiocese established a superintendent's office for its schools, Sisters of St. Ann were asked to take up leading positions. With each new development in the provincial public school system, such as the Chant Report (1960) or the BCTF Commission (1968), the sisters requested materials and invited guest speakers from the department of education to familiarize their teachers with the changes. Evidence from the classroom level suggests, however, that considerable leeway was given to the individual teacher to determine her own teaching practices. While some teachers maintained a highly traditional approach to education with routine standardized tests, essay writing competitions, and notes and worksheets produced by a mimeograph machine, others experimented with open-area schools, implementing practices from William Glasser's  Schools Without Failure (1968), and creative dance enrichment programs. With the latter type of teacher, local teacher education programs had a significant influence on their innovative teaching practices.


In this paper,the market demand and the future of high-temperature resistant PP was analyzed and discussed;The modification methods and research progress were summarized,including glass fiber modification,adding nucleating agent,cross linking modification and whisker modification,and the advantages and disadvantages of all kinds of different modification methods were discussed.The viewpoint of using fiberglass modification,adding nucleating agent modification methods as the main method,using crosslinking modification or whisker modification for blends and synergy were presented.


The article introduces such factors related to the manufacture of capacitor as environment,raw material,production facilities,design and operation and proposes the way of controlling capacitor.And it,at the same time,indicates the way of stating the growth rate of capacitance before and after oiliness as the reference to control the capacitance.Meanwhile the capacitance deviation should be adjusted during production process.


"Hilbert Cube" emerged from the challenge of taking the famous 2-dimensional Hilbert curve (Fig.1) and exploring what can be done with this pattern in 3 dimensions. The 3D shape is generated by a recursive procedure that starts with a simple closed path along eight edges of a cube visiting all its eight vertices. Each corner in this structure is then replaced with a copy of this path, scaled down by a factor of 2, and suitably connected to maintain the overall cyclic nature of the path. After three recursion steps, a structure emerges with a total of 512 L-shaped turns. The result resembles a cubist rendering of a brain, split into two distinct lobes that are only loosely connected to one another. These halves are again divided into two loosely connected halves, and so on.


We propose an interaction-aware stochastic model predictive control (MPC) strategy for lane merging tasks in automated driving. The MPC strategy is integrated with an online learning framework, which models a given driver's cooperation level as an unknown parameter in a state-dependent probability distribution. The online learning framework adaptively estimates the surrounding vehicle's cooperation level with the vehicle's past state trajectory and combines this with a kinematic vehicle model to predict the distribution of a multimodal future state trajectory. Learning is conducted using logistic regression, enabling fast online computations. The multi-future prediction is used in the MPC algorithm to compute the optimal control input while satisfying safety constraints. We demonstrate our algorithm in an interactive lane changing scenario with drivers in different randomly selected cooperation levels.


In order to discover the physiological and biochemical characteristics in Myricaria laxiflora,an endangered species in Three Gorges Reservoir Area,the transpiration,photosynthesis,water potential of plant planted in two kinds of soils were tested in different growing seasons.Results showed that changes of transpiration,photosynthesis and water potential in a day all showed "single curve".Transpiration and photosynthesis could reach the maximum of a day at noon whereas water potential fall to the minimum.Transpiration changed with the fluctuation of photosynthesis.The photosynthesis and transpiration of plants in May were higher than that in October due to the plants in October just recover from the dormancy induced by flooding.PV-curve and relative water parameters,including Ψ100(maximum osmotic potential at water saturation point),Ψ0(osmotic potential when a plasmolysis just emerge),ROWC(relative osmotic water content),RWC(relative water content),AWC(relative water content in apoplast)and RDW(relative dry weight)of the plants grown in sandy soil,red soil and submerged soil were measured.Plants at submerge sandy soil having low Ψ100,Ψ0,AWC and high ROWC and RDW implied that submersion could promote plants to develop a good ability resisting dry stress.The biochemical contents related with stress resistance were tested in different growing seasons.Mlondialdehyde(MDA)content,peroxidase(POD)activity,Polyphenol oxidase(PPO)activity and total soluble sugar content decreased after flower and fructification.It suggested that the plant resistance declined after fruit.Some suggestions finally were put forward for the population transplant to conserve this species according to its physiological and biochemical characteristics.


Potato is the most consumed vegetable while stands 4th among food crops after wheat, rice, and maize in terms of production. Bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum is one of the most devastating diseases throughout the world causing substantial losses in potato and in other important crops. This study was embarked to search for biocontrol of pathogen, keeping in view recent reports of disease incidence in major potato growing areas of Pakistan. In this study, several potato growing areas of Punjab (Pakistan) were visited to study the bacterial community residing in potato rhizosphere and also screen bacterial antagonists against the virulent strains (Rs9, Rs17 and R43) of R. solanacearum. The results revealed that out of 221 rhizobacterial isolates, Bacillus spp. (101) were dominantly isolated from potato rhizosphere, followed by Pseudomonas spp. (76) and Serratia spp. (44). All these isolates were tested for antagonism using dual culture plate method which showed 11 isolates to be highly antagonistic against either isolate of R. solanacearum. Against Rs9, Rs17, Rs43 and GMI1000 highest zone of inhibition was recorded with B28 (12.3 mm), P11 (10.2 mm), B9 (9.9 mm) and B85 (11.7 mm) respectively. Culture filtrate (CF) of antagonists was also checked against live R. solanacearum cells which also showed inhibition in liquid medium. Antagonistic isolates were tested for plant growth promoting (PGP) traits i.e. indole acetic acid (IAA), siderophore production, P-solubilization, root colonization, and chitinase production. The isolates B28 and B85 were potential isolates possessing antagonistic activity along with several PGP traits. * Corresponding Author: M. Inam-ul-Haq  email@example.com International Journal of Biosciences | IJB | ISSN: 2220-6655 (Print), 2222-5234 (Online) http://www.innspub.net Vol. 8, No. 2, p. 228-240, 2016


The purpose of the study was to explore the extent to which Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the Cape Coast Metropolis (CCM) comply with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs). The study further looked at firm attributes (size, profitability, audit type, internationality, type of SME, and leverage) that influence the level of SMEs' compliance with IFRSs. The descriptive design was adopted for this study. The study sampled 89 SMEs within the metropolis, however, data from 67 medium scale enterprises were used. A self-constructed compliance index (CINDEX) checklist was the instrument used. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used in analysing the data. The findings revealed that medium scale enterprises average level of compliance of IFRSs is 77.9%. Also, enterprise's attributes such as types, profitability, and audit type are able to influence 70.6% of the variance in the level of enterprise's compliance with IFRSs disclosure requirements. The study recommended that the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) and the owner/managers of the various SMEs in the metropolis should liaise with Institute of chartered Accountant Ghana (ICAG) to organise regular training programmes, for accountants within the sector, intended to provide practical guide for compliance with the International Accounting Standard Board (IASB).


In two previous papers [7, 8] we described and investigated a technique, called twisted face-pairing, for constructing 3-manifolds from face-pairings. The starting point for the construction is a faceted 3-ball P together with an orientation-reversing face-pairing on P . The quotient complex P/ need not be a 3-manifold, and experience shows that it is unlikely that P/ will be a 3-manifold if P and are chosen "randomly". The face-pairing determines an equivalence relation on the set of edges of P . The twisted face-pairing construction depends on the faceted 3-ball P , the face-pairing , and a multiplier function mul, which assigns a positive integer to each equivalence class of edges. For each multiplier function mul, twisted face-pairing produces a pair (Q, δ) consisting of a faceted 3-ball Q which is obtained from P by subdivision and a face-pairing δ on Q which is obtained from by composition with a twist. The fundamental theorem of twisted face-pairing, which is proved in [7] and in [8], is that the quotient complexM( ,mul) = Q/δ is always a 3-manifold. In this paper we specialize the construction by restricting the class of faceted 3-balls. A faceted 3-ball P is ample if it satisfies the following three conditions.


In prostate analysis clinical routine, manual and semi-manual techniques are used to interpret MRI scans, which in addition to being subjective, are time-consuming and operator-dependent. Prostate segmentation is necessary for the diagnosis of a possible tumor, biopsy, staging, monitoring and treatment. Thus, an automatic segmentation can be crucial for fast and reliable diagnosis, but is challenging to accomplish due to the varying sizes, shapes and also unclear prostate boundaries that are blended with surrounding tissues. Thereupon, this work proposes an automatic method for prostate segmentation on 3D MRI scans based on superpixels, taxonomic indexes, probabilistic atlas and the extreme gradient boosting algorithm (XGBoost). In addition, the proposed method has been evaluated on the Prostate 3T and PROMISE12 databases, presenting a dice similarity coefficient of 84.03%, volumetric similarity of 95.42%, recall of 88.11%, specificity of 90.82%, and an accuracy of 90.06%. Experimental results demonstrate the high potential of the proposed method comparable to those previously published.


As people around the world self-isolate, online communities and digital tools have been a social lifeline for our physical and mental health


Recent progress in fabrication of the high-power laser diodes with quantum-sized active layers has attracted attention to the processes taking place in the active media under extremely high pumping conditions [1]. Study of such processes associated with both high carrier and photon densities is believed to cast light upon the fundamental factors limiting the optical power of the laser diodes. In this report, we present experimental study of spectrally-resolved dynamics of InGaAs/GaAs/AlGaAs QW laser diodes emitting through multiple electron and hole quantum levels. 4mm-long lasers with 7 µm stripes were pumped with short 150 ns electrical pulses with low 16 kHz repetition rate in order to avoid overheating. This has allowed to apply pumping current amplitudes up to 10 A, to the level of hundreds of thresholds.


A mutual antagonism exists between interleukin‐1s (IL‐1s) as pro‐inflammatory and glucocorticoids as anti‐inflammatory mediators. This report examines the effects of IL‐1 on the induction by dexamethasone of alkaline phosphatase in LEII murine endothelial cells. Dexamethasone increases the specific activity of alkaline phosphatase in a time‐ and dose‐dependent fashion (maximum 14‐fold induction at 10−6 M, IC50 = 10−8 M), and this induction can be completely inhibited by simultaneous incubation with picomolar concentrations of recombinant human IL‐1α or IL‐1β. This IL‐1‐mediated antagonism of dexamethasone activity is not due to a down‐regulation of glucocorticoid receptors in the cell line used, because the number of receptors and their affinity for dexamethasone is unchanged in IL‐1‐treated cells. However, induction of alkaline phosphatase by dexamethasone in LEII cells is receptor‐mediated, since it can also be inhibited by glucocorticoid‐receptor antagonists.


A cell for biological samples that allows atomic force microscopy (AFM) observations in a controlled environment (air or gas or any liquid) is described. The cell is made of a modified Petri container and it is possible, through two inlet and outlet feedthroughs, to introduce an aqueous liquid during AFM observation thus directly visualizing the modifications induced on the biological specimen. Uncoated neurons and Escherichia Coli bacteria have been imaged in air and after introducing an aqueous liquid by contact-mode AFM: the microimages are similar and show a comparable resolution even though the force applied to the biological material is different.


The effects of anoxia on brain amino acid and monoamine levels were measured in the brown anole lizard (Anolis sagrei) and loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) and compared to previous measurements on a freshwater turtle (Pseudemys scripta elegans), the crucian carp (Carassius carassius), and mammals. With regard to amino acids, anoxia-tolerant species (loggerhead turtle, freshwater turtle, and crucian carp) display similar changes in response to anoxia. Thus, in these species, anoxia causes increased levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glycine, while the levels of glutamate and glutamine decrease. In both turtle species, the level of taurine also increases. In contrast, in the anoxiaintolerant species (anole lizard and dog), GABA is the only inhibitory amino acid that shows an increase, while glutamate and glutamine remain unchanged or even increase. It is hypothesized that the increased levels of the inhibitory amino acids GABA, glycine, and taurine, in combination with the decreased concentration of the excitatory amino acid glutamate (and its precursor glutamine), mediate or facilitate the lowering of brain activity and energy consumption during anoxia, a key strategy for anoxic survival With the possible exception of GABA, these mechanisms seem not to function in the anoxia-intolerant species. With regard to monoamines, for which synthesis demands molecular O₂, a 40% fall is observed in the brain level of serotonin in anole lizards exposed to 40 min of anoxia, while turtles and crucian carp maintain their monoamine levels for several hours of anoxia.


In recent years, microelectronics has contributed to the development of complex and varied technologies. Many of these technologies can be applied successfully to realize Seebeck micro generators: photolithography and deposition methods allow the elaboration of thin thermoelectric structures at the micro-scale level. Our goal is to scavenge energy by developing a miniature power source for operating electronic components. First Bi and Sb micro-devices on glass substrate have been manufactured with an area of 1cm2 including more than one hundred junctions. We have optimized each step of the manufacturing process: photolithography, deposition process, annealing conditions and metallic connections. Three different device structures have been realized with differing micro-line dimensions. Each device performance will be reviewed and discussed as a function of their design structure


Quasi-square wave mode with zero voltage switching (QSW-ZVS) is an operation mode in which the switching losses can be minimized. However, a large inductance current ripple is needed in this mode, which limits the maximum attainable power of the topology. A possible way to increase the power managed by a QSW-ZVS mode converter is to use a modular converter. An input parallel output parallel (IPOP) arrangement, in which the current can be shared among the modules, can increase the total power proportionally to the number of modules. This paper addresses two main proposals. The first one is a master–slave technique to extend the QSW-ZVS mode to an IPOP modular converter, achieving an interleaved solution which minimizes the total input current ripple and assures the current balance among the modules. The second one is a comparison of four different control techniques applied to the IPOP modular converter to improve the overall efficiency at light to medium load: balanced master–slave technique, master–slave with phase-shedding, asymmetrical master–slave, and burst mode (or hysteretic control). These four strategies are theoretically analyzed, experimentally validated and compared using a 150–400 V 2 kW modular IPOP prototype made up of four synchronous boost converter operating in QSW-ZVS mode.


This paper studies and develops an assistant tool for project risk management,which records risk source properties and the direct effect elements based on the modeling of software process.The tool does analysis of risk effect and uses the relationship between the process units and the risk objects to calculate the risk pervasion effect of final deliverable element or other relevant elements including project cost information,workload information,and success probability.Calculation results are visualized in multi-dimensions to assist the user to make the decision of risk management.


The invention relates to a method for bonding semiconductor chips on a metallic substrate on which a resist is at least on one side, and a substrate, and a module for receiving the semiconductor chip. The object underlying the invention is to provide a method and a module of the aforementioned type that allows at minimum thickness of the module for high-quality semiconductor chips to 5 x 5 mm The object is inventively achieved by a method corresponding with the substrate in the form of a one-piece base substrate (4) in areas that future modules, is preconstructed, pads of the semiconductor chip (1) in predetermined areas of a first surface of the pre-patterned base substrate (4) be contacted and on the top (12) of the pre-patterned base substrate (4) and the active surface side of the semiconductor chip (1) a first adhesive layer (16) is introduced, then a second adhesive layer (17) on the other surface side of the semiconductor chips (1) applied and thereafter curing the adhesive layers (16, 17) takes place and a Endstrukturieren of the metallic base substrate (4).


Reaction of K[(SePPh2)2N] with [Te(tu)4]Cl2 (tu = thiourea) in methanol gave [Te{(SePPh2)2N}2], (1), while reaction of K[(SPPh2)2N] with 4-MeOPhTeCl3 in methanol gave [4-MeOPhTe-{(SPPh2)2N}]2, (2). The crystals of 1 are triclinic and contain centrosymmetric molecules. The ligands are bidentate and form a true square planar Te(II) complex with TeSe4 coordination. For 2, the crystals are also triclinic, and the dimeric molecules are centrosymmetric. Each dithiolate ligand bridges the two Te(II) atoms; the result is a T-shaped coordination around each tellurium atom. A tendency to weak TeTe bonding across the ring-formed dimer roughly in the direction of the missing fourth ligand in a potential square planar tellurium coordination sphere is also found [TeTe = 3.761 (1) A]. In 1, the Te–Se bonds have an average length of 2.797 A. The Te–S bonds in 2 are quite asymmetric with Te(1)–S(1) = 2.551 (3) A and Te(1)–S(2a) = 2.873 (3) A, while Te(1)–C(1) = 2.10 (1) A. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 9: 615–621, 1998


As the basic content of power system's operation management and real-time control, the short-term load forecasting is significant for power system to run safely and economically. A short-term power system load predicting model based on genetic neural network is proposed, which take many factors into account, such as temperature, holidays and so on. In order to solve the problems of long convergence time and being easy to fall into local minimum of BP neural network, genetic algorithm (GA) is used to make a global searching for the initial weights and thresholds to solve the problems of long convergence time of BP neural network, and the Levenberg-Marquardt (L-M) method is used to train the network quickly. Based on the historical actual data, the forecasting results by the proposed method is more precise than those by BP neural network model, providing an effective way to forecast short-term power system load.


Frontier is a reputed platform where authors wish to contribute their latest findings and most influential original research to review articles in historically untouched areas. One such opportunity was provided by the topic "Oxidative stress, metabolic dysfunction and subfertility," which published four manuscripts after a tedious peer-review process, including two review articles, one original and one systematic review. The Research Topic aimed to cover and review the promising, recent, and novel research trends in the Research on Oxidative Stress (OS) and its effect on the body systems causing various diseases notably obesity, cardiovascular and renal dysfunctions, thyroid disorders and implications of its deficiency on reproduction. Furthermore, it encompassed the mechanisms involved in managing the oxidative environment and identifying the therapeutic agents being used. The article by Chen et al. titled: Oxidative RNA Damage in the Pathogenesis and Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes, highlights the importance of oxidative damage to RNA leading to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and its impediments. The paper discusses the magnitudes and processes of intracellular response to RNA oxidation, reviews the association of reactive oxygen species (ROS) with T2DM, and use of antioxidants as one of the approaches for the management of T2DM, although the pharmacological effects remain unclear. The limitations of this paper are not explicitly stated. Additionally, the paper does not provide a comprehensive overview of all the factors contributing to the development of T2DM, and further research is needed to fully understand the disease's complexity. The paper suggests that future research should focus on developing novel complexes that inhibit reactive oxygen-producing enzymes, increase intracellular antioxidant defense, and control the production of free radicals. Additionally, the causality of oxidative RNA damage in T2D patients and fundamental regulatory mechanisms of glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity needs to be explored. The paper furthermore suggests that more clinical trials are needed to evaluate the pharmacological effects of antioxidants in managing T2DM. Zhu et al.'s article titled "Effects of acupuncture on the pregnancy outcomes of frozenthawed embryo transfer: A systematic review and meta-analysis" investigated outcomes of pregnancy after acupuncture given to females who undergo Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET). OPEN ACCESS


Abstract : The goal of the Management System for Heterogeneous Networks (MSHN) is to provide a resource management system (RMS) to enable adaptive applications to use multiple sets of shared resources while accounting for dynamically changing priorities and environments. This RMS must be capable of providing each subscriber process with its required Quality of Service (which might include security considerations, deadlines, user priorities, and preferences) in a heterogeneous computing environment in which many processes are competing for shared resources. Applying this RMS technology to C4I modeling and simulation applications would enable on-scene Commanders to simulate complex elements of the decision process in order to optimize the use of forces and materiel. The objective of this thesis was to transparently intercept operating system calls made by a robust, C4I modeling application, the Extended Air Defense Simulation (EADSIM), in order to weigh the resources required against the confidence level of the outcomes obtained. Specifically, the goal was to determine resource usage required to run the application using both Monte Carlo simulation and deterministic simulation. MSHN needs this type of information to determine which version of an application to execute, in order to provide the best Quality of Service, while meeting operational deadlines.


Survivin is a member of the inhibitor-of-apoptosis (IAP) family of endogenous caspase inhibitors. We have previously shown that Survivin is expressed in primitive hematopoietic stem and progenitor (HSPC) cells and required for HSC maintenance and for entry into cell cycle. Several alternative Survivin splice variants have been described that are associated with differential prognosis in patients with cancer and leukemia, however, the function of alternative splice variants in normal and cancer cells is not fully understood. Using rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) with mRNA from HL-60 leukemia cells we have identified two novel alternative splice variants, Survivin-3γ (Sur3γ) and Survivin-3γ-Variant (Sur3γV) that differ by only 4 bases, however due to changes in the reading frame, they result in proteins with very different C-termini, with Sur3γV being the predominant variant. We have characterized the expression of Sur3γV and Sur3γ in normal HSPC, leukemia and solid cancer cells and evaluated their anti-apoptotic function in cancer cell lines and primary hematopoietic cells. In contrast to cell lines and most cancers, where SurWT is the predominant transcript, Sur3γV is expressed at higher levels than SurWT in a number of normal human tissues including bone marrow, pericardium, placenta, seminal vesicles, testis and uterus. In placenta and bone marrow, Sur3γV mRNA is expressed at 25-fold and 65-fold higher levels respectively, than wild-type Survivin (SurWT). Sur3γV is expressed at ~16-fold higher levels in CD34+ HSPC and at ~80-fold higher level in primary CD34+ CD38− HSPC. In CD34+ cells, stimulation with SCF, TPO, FLT3L was associated with 30 – 55 fold increase in expression of SurWT, however expression of Sur3γ and Sur3γV were not altered, suggesting that these variants may be associated with HSPC maintenance/quiescence. Sur3γV and SurWT are expressed at equivalent levels in AML however, in blast crisis CML, Sur3γV is expressed at 5-fold higher level than SurWT. Over expression of Sur3γ and Sur3γV in Yac1, a mouse lymphoma cell line, confers ~ 2-fold increased resistance to Taxol similar to that observed using Survivin-WT. Similarly, Yac-1 cells over expressing Sur3γV or Sur3γ were equally resistant to Etoposide as cells over expressing SurWT. Over-expression of Sur3γ and Sur3γV using the bi-cistronic MIEG vector in primary murine bone marrow mononuclear cells results in 1.7-fold increase in total CFU-GM, similar to SurWT. In addition, over-expression of Sur3γV and Sur3γ protected CFU-GM from apoptosis induced by delayed growth factor addition resulting in a 1.6 fold increase in the number of CFU-GM colonies detected. These studies clearly indicate that both Sur3γ and Sur3γV possess anti-apoptotic function at least equivalent to SurWT. In summary, we have identified 2 novel splice variants of Survivin that differ from one another by 4 bases. Unlike other Survivin splice variants that are expressed at low levels, Sur3γV is expressed at a higher level than SurWT in primitive HSPC and in some primary leukemia samples. Expression of Sur3γ and Sur3γV is not altered by hematopoietic growth factors that stimulate HSC proliferation. Over-expression of Sur3γ and Sur3γV protects cells from chemotherapeutic drugs and ectopic expression of Sur3γ and 3γV stimulates HPC proliferation and protects primary mouse HSPC from apoptosis. These studies also suggest that differential expression of Survivin splice variants may play a critical role in HSC function and differentiation.


SUMMARY This report discusses the work with a group of former British child migrant women as they took steps towards unravelling the effects of traumatic childhood experiences which still exerted unwanted influences on mid-life years. The Loss and Grief Centre in Adelaide South Australia (a partnership between Anglicare South Australia and Flinders University) sponsored this group and shared their search for meaning in the devastating act of being shipped to Australia as unaccompanied British minors who were robbed in the process of identifying background information. Now in their 50s the women had survived experiences of dislocation, loss, trauma, and deception regarding their true identity perpetuated by governments and the church-based receiving institution. In their resilience they reunited to try to collectively make sense of their past. Interpersonal and group social work interventions brought forth some of the deeply buried anguish and trauma that had remained unnamed for years but seemed to penetrate only superficial layers of emotions. Gradually through collective activities the social injustices were named in a more public formal context and the link between grief, trauma, and social justice became more apparent. Even after 40 years the trauma could not be resolved nor the grief fully expressed without connecting the intensity of reactions to the lack of acknowledgement and recognition of the injustice and inhumanity they had received as children. Despite various inquiries and documentation of the historical events a more personal connection between themselves as child victims and adult resilient survivors needed to emerge and this defined the social work helping role.


The precursor compounds Rb2[Pt(CN)4]·1.5H2O and Cs2[Pt(CN)4]·H2O are prepared by crystallization from aqueous solutions of Ba[PtCN4]·4H2O and excess Rb2SO4 and Cs2SO4.


Quality is the key for the success of any product or service in the present context. Many concepts have been used to improve the quality on a continuous basis. Six Sigma has been utilized by manufacturing industries to decrease cost and improve quality and productivity by reducing variation and production defects. By and large Six Sigma is seen as a quality improvement concept for mechanical industries. But of late it is gaining importance in other sectors as well. In this paper a pharmaceutical industry has been examined to test the underlying facts about Six Sigma implementation. The opinion of employees who have worked in the Six Sigma projects has been collected, tested and analyzed to check the outcome of Six Sigma implementation. Employees have observed that the implementation of Six Sigma has improved the financial status, productivity, peoples' equity, growth of the company and customer satisfaction.


Lattice matched ZnMgSe grown on InP is of considerable interest for its potential applications as a cladding layer due to the high band-gap energy (∼3.6eV) and for use in intersubband devices such as quantum cascade lasers. Several lattice matched Zn0.5Cd0.5Se∕Zn0.13Mg0.87Se quantum wells (QWs) were grown on InP (001) substrates. Emission ranging from the near UV to the visible spectral range was achieved by varying the thickness of the wells. The QW fundamental transition as function of the QW thickness was experimentally studied and modeled using an envelope calculation. The contactless electroreflectance measurements of a Zn0.5Cd0.5Se∕Zn0.13Mg0.87Se single QW yielded multiple transitions from the QW, allowing us to estimate the conduction band offset of this heterostructure to be as high as 1.12eV.


Design is a complex process, in which an artifact is created through a complex set of interactions between designer (or designers), information germane to the design and the design itself. A key factor in successful collaborative design and learning is shared access to, and management of, information needed to support design and learning. In this paper, we determine the requirements for a collaborative informationseeking environment for design through a scenario. We outline a design for such an environment, which extends the information seeking capabilities of the SketchTrieve tool, with support for collaborative information seeking and handling capabili-


Ultra‐high‐resolution mapping is useful in the ablation of accessory pathways. However, in patients with accessory pathways in the coronary sinus (CS) diverticulum, treatment with endocardial ablation may be challenging. Patients suspected of having subepicardial accessory pathways may require the examination of the venous anomaly using CS angiography.


The article is devoted to the theoretical analysis of the problem of personal determinants of the legal consciousness deformation of the penal system staff. The assumption concerning personal helplessness of the subject as one of the determinants of the legal consciousness deformation of the staff in penal institutions has been substantiated.


In new generation networks, 5G and 6G networks, intelligent mechanisms based on artificial intelligence algorithms are playing a relevant role in the performance improvement at different network levels. In 5G networks, different techniques are used, such as MIMO systems, and its network infrastructure is utilized by diverse services, for instance, vehicular communications. Thus, the description and the tracing of a communication scenario needs a large volume of data. Because of the difficulty to implement actual 5G networks, there is a lack of datasets containing complete 5G scenarios, the data is not enough or contain imbalanced classes to properly train machine learning (ML) algorithms. In this context, we propose a method to increase the amount of data to improve the machine learning performance of some classification models, specifically Random Forest, Multilayer Perceptron, and k-Nearest Neighbors. In the experimental results of the test phase, considering the inclusion of synthetic data, Random Forest, Multilayer Perceptron and k-Nearest Neighbors reached macro F1 scores of 0.9341, 0.9241 and 0.9456, respectively, which are superior to the results obtained when training with the original data only.


In recent neuroimaging research, there has been considerable interest in identifying neuromarkers of sleep. Automatic slow wave sleep (SWS) and rapid eye movement (REM) are two known phases of sleep. However, the level by which those changes contribute to brain interactions has not been well characterized. In recent years, it has been shown that brain connectivity measuring can be helpful in investigation of behavioral states of the brain. By considering the fact that brains have different states in different stages of sleep, the present work employs effective connectivity and machine-learning analysis to quantify and classify SWS and REM stages of sleep. We examine low-density 12-channel EEG data from 8 healthy participants during a full night of sleep. Data were epoched into 30-s windows and SWS and REM stages were labeled by a sleep consultant. Effective connectivity was quantified using a directed metric, generalized partial directed coherence, and measures were used as input features for a machine-learning system. A support vector machine classifier was used to solve 2 binary problems of REM vs. nREM and SWS vs. nSWS. Findings revealed an excellent balanced accuracy of 89.80% in REM detection and 87.32% in SWS detection. Overall, our work demonstrates a successful application of effective connectivity analysis and machine learning for sleep neuromarkers in EEG.


Different efferent outputs of the hippocampal formation provide a differentiated control of the single unit activity in the region of the supraoptic nucleus. Responses of the neurosecretory cells to hippocampal and subicular stimulation were excitatory and inhibitory accordingly. The short-latency reactions were predominant. Amygdala were shown to activate the paraventricular neurones antidromically identified by the neurohypophysial stalk stimulation though to a lesser extent than hippocampus. Influences of the limbic structures were revealed to direct mainly to interneurones and other cells not projecting to the posterior lobe of the hypophysis.


This paper deals with existence of positive solutions for a class of quasilinear elliptic systems involving the $\Phi$-Laplacian operator and convex-concave singular terms. Our approach is based on the generalized Galerkin Method along with perturbartion techniques and comparison arguments in the setting of Orlicz-Sobolev spaces


The species of the genus Leiosoma Stephens, 1829 close to Leiosoma cribrum (Gyllenhal, 1834) are reviewed. The Leiosoma cribrum species group is proposed. Leiosoma cribrum (Gyllenhal, 1834) and Leiosoma concinnum Boheman, 1842 are redescribed; lectotypes are designated for both species. Neotypes are designated for Liosoma carpathicum Brancsik, 1899 and Liosoma isabellae Tschapeck, 1874. Four new species are described: Leiosoma diottii n.sp. (southern Italy), Leiosoma komovicum n.sp. (Montenegro), Leiosoma kostali n.sp. and Leiosoma senex n.sp. (Romania). A key to the species of the group is provided. Observations on the ecology and remarks for each species are reported. The species of the Leiosoma cribrum group are mostly spread over high-mountain ecosystems.


The chemical reduction method has been used to adeptly synthesize a CS/Au/MWCNT nanocomposite, to be used as a carrier for the effectual delivery of the anticancer drug 5-Fluorouracil. The work aims at utilizing the less investigated ternary nanocomposite system containing chitosan (CS), gold (Au) and MWCNT's to attain higher encapsulation efficiency and to enable a more sustained and prolonged release of 5-FU. This system has improved cytotoxicity when compared to the CS/Au binary system. The prepared sample has been characterized using various techniques that confirm the formation of the nanocomposite, encapsulation of 5-FU into the nanocomposite, the structure of 5-FU and Au in the nanocomposite and the formation of the polymer matrix nanocomposite. An increase in the encapsulation efficiency to 98% and loading efficiency to 43% is observed when compared to the binary composite, elucidating the importance of incorporation of carbon nanotubes into the nanocomposite. A reduction in the release percentage of 5-FU by 40% indicates a more prolonged release, which will enable a reduction of the number of dosages that need to be administered. This in turn leads to a reduction in the side effects posed by the drug 5-FU. Moreover, the effectiveness of the drug loaded nanocomposite system towards the inhibition of breast cancer cells, apparent from the attainment of 50% cell viability while taking sample concentrations as low as 25 μg ml−1, makes this ternary nanocomposite superior and significant.


As a result complexity of the students catch,difference in ages,and knowledge,full-time adult student's education and management have particularity and complexity to a certain extent. As long as we practically aim at student's mental characteristics to guide them properly and manage scientifically. We can achieve the goal of education and management.


ABSTRACT This paper presents an analysis of trends in six drought variables at 566 stations across India over the period 1901–2002. Six drought variables were computed using standardized precipitation index (SPI). The Mann-Kendall (MK) trend test and Sen's slope estimator were used for trend analysis of drought variables. Discrete wavelet transform (DWT) was used to identify the dominant periodic components in trends, whereas the significance of periodic components was examined using continuous wavelet transform (CWT) based global wavelet spectrum (GWS). Our results show an increasing trend in droughts in eastern, northeastern and extreme southern regions, and a decreasing trend in the northern and southern regions of the country. The periodic component influencing the trend was 2–4 years in south, 4–8 years in west, east and northeast, 8–64 years in central parts and 32–128 years in the north; however, most of the periodic components were not statistically significant.


The present invention discloses a kind of high-performance all-solid lithium-ion battery and preparation method thereof, the all-solid lithium-ion battery preparation method of the present invention solves the problems, such as to contact firmly between electrolyte and electrode interface, improve the activation degree of electrolyte and electrode material, reduce activation polarization, it will be apparent that reduce the internal resistance of cell;The polymer dielectric of lithium superionic conductors modification improves the transmission rate of lithium ion through whole all-solid lithium-ion battery system, improves the rate charge-discharge ability of all-solid lithium-ion battery;It is binding agent that positive and negative plate coating, which has used the high molecular polymer same with electrolyte phase, shortens the diffusion road warp of lithium ion, and the capacity for being conducive to active material plays, and significantly improves battery specific energy, up to 763Wh/Kg;High molecular polymer has relaxed the uneven discharge and recharge of negative metal lithium at the same time, it is suppressed that the growth of lithium crystallization, improves service life, can be recycled more than 1000 times.


Energy usage has been the target of various conservation and cost control strategies for many years. Technologies have ranged from turning equipment off, to mystical black boxes that lower costs. Utilities have been instrumental in the support of customer energy conservation and development and implementation of efficiency improvements. Natural gas fuel cells are a direct energy conversion technology that has reached stages of development that will begin to supply electrical energy (and associated thermal energy) at comparable life cycle cost to those available from more conventional combustion based electrical generation systems. This article will briefly describe the basics of fuel cells and types of fuel cells. Recent advances in fuel cell technology and installations will be discussed. Finally an analysis will be presented to determine their future within grid, industrial, commercial, and/or residential applications.


The testing of high-speed internal combustion engines usually falls into one of three categories: (a) Routine and acceptance tests. (b) Tests of new types. (c) Analytical or research test.


A new terthiophene-based imidazole luminophore 5,5'-(1H-thieno[3,4-d]imidazole-4,6-diyl)bis(thiophene-2-carboxylic acid) (TIBTCH2, 5) was synthesized in one step from previously reported 4,6-di(thiophen-2-yl)-1H-thieno[3,4-d]imidazole (DTTI, 4), and their photophysical properties were studied and compared accordingly. Under solvothermal conditions, reacting 5 with Mn(OAc)2 yielded a new three-dimensional metal-organic framework (MOF, 6) which was structurally defined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. In 6, all Mn(II) ions octahedrally bind to carboxylate-O atoms to form a linear Mn3 secondary building unit (SBU) that contains three distinct coordination modes. Importantly, 6 exhibits dual functional properties of ligand-based emission and metal-based magnetic behaviors.


This article proposes a reflection on cultural heritage, Made in Italy and mass consumption. It starts from ethnographic research based on a specific case study: the production and consumption of Florence's straw hat. The fieldwork is Florence's industrial zone: Signa, Lastra a Signa, Campi Bisenzio in particular. The aim of the article is to describe the central role of cultural biography of things in the processes of construction of cultural identity in the world of mass consumption.


AbstractEffects of saturated straight-chain fatty acids at various chain lengths (C8-C18) on the permeation of indomethacin, a relatively lipophilic compound and 6-carboxyfluorescein, a hydrophilic compound were examined using rat skins in in vitro. Furthermore, the disordering degrees of intercellular lipid domain in stratum corneum, which were treated by preparation containing saturated fatty acids were measured by FT-IR method using excised rabbit ear skins. Capric acid (C10), lauric acid (C12) and myristic acid (C14) within series of saturated fatty acids (0.07 M) showed the enhancing effects on the skin permeations of indomethacin and 6-CF. The permeation enhancing effects by these saturated fatty acids (C8-C18) except for capric acid (C10), were relative to the degrees of wavenumber shift in the frequency of the asymmetric CHbond stretching absorbance (2920 cm−1) on FT-IR spectra of the fatty acid treated stratum corneum. Therefore, the perturbation increase of lipid domain in stratum corneum by the...