We present the first complete software-based framework for real-time experimental evaluation of secondary multi-hop cognitive underlay networks with decentralized control. We build a $7$-node software-defined radio testbed and implement a distributed algorithm that maximizes the secondary network throughput, while at the same time avoids interference to primary users through joint Routing and cOde-waveform CHannelization (ROCH). ROCH is implemented using GNU Radio and Universal Software Radio Peripherals ($\mathrm{USRP-N210s}$). The implementation of ROCH is facilitated by the architectural abstractions of a novel radio framework, referred to as RcUBe, that provides reconfigurability at the PHY, MAC, and network layers of the protocol stack.


In order to accelerate the descending mortality rate of acute diarrhea in children under five years of age in Mexico six strategies were implemented. The results showed that after nine months 49% of mothers had been trained and improved significantly their home management of diarrhea. The use of oral rehydration salts increased from 10 to 30%; use of oral rehydration therapy increased from 77 to 83%; and timely and appropriate demand for medical help increased from 51 to 62% (p < 0.05). 100% of all physicians received training and they improved their therapeutic practices as shown by a decrease in the use of antibiotics from 48 to 34%; prescription of restrictive diets diminished from 33 to 4%; and oral rehydration therapy increased from 74 to 87%. 34 verbal autopsies were carried out and they showed that 70% of the children who died did so in their homes or on their way to the hospital despite the fact that 94% of them had received medical care previous to their death and that 84% of these had been seen by a doctor within 24 hours previous to their death. In 85% of these cases the physician involved was a private physician of rural or marginal areas. Monthly analysis of death certificates showed that during the first year of the program (1991) deaths due to diarrhea diminished 20% while the corresponding figure for 1992 was 52%. In conclusion the combination of strategies followed in the program made it possible to accelerate on a short-term basis the descending trend of deaths due to diarrhea. It was also shown that an intervention project such as the one presented here may efficiently link results from research to decisions taken by policy-makers and that these can be effectively turned into actions. (authors)


Three iron complexes having bidentate 1-(2-aminophenyl)-substituted imidazol-2-ylidene ligands were synthesized by reactions of Cp*FeN(SiMe3)2 (Cp* = η5-C5Me5) with the corresponding imidazolium iodides. These iron complexes exhibited high catalytic performance for dehydrogenation of ammonia-borane in the presence of KN(SiMe3)2. The structure of an active species was determined by its NMR and high resolution mass spectra and also by isolation of its CO adduct.


Metaphorical language is an indispensable part of human life, involving language,
thought and action (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980; Lakoff, 1998). Accordingly, metaphor plays a
major role in people's everyday language use and thinking. Our conceptual system is based
on experiences we have gained with interacting with people and things surrounding us.
In this respect, color plays an important role in convention metaphorical expressions in
people's lives and daily communication. As a sub-category of metaphors, color terms are
widely used literally and metaphorically in different languages and may also reflect cultural
identities of language users.
Replying on ―Contrastive Analysis of Metaphors‖ proposed by Barcelona (2001, cf. Soriano,
2003) as a cognitive qualitative method and on the basis of ―Conceptual Metaphor Theory‖
(Lakoff and Johnson 1980, 1999, 2003; Grady 1997; Kovecses 2000, 2002, 2005; etc), this
paper tries to investigate the extent to which connotations of basic colors, as used in the
structure of metaphors are varied in English and Persian on the one hand; and, as compared
to their differences in their metaphorical mappings in the languages concerned, on the other
hand.
To do so, we collected English instances from The Oxford Dictionary of Idioms (Siefring,
2005) and The Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs (Speake, 2008) and some other dictionaries.
Next, Persian instances were extracted from some Persian dictionaries. The findings of this
comparative analysis show that, although the connotation of colors in the structure of
metaphorical expressions are overlapping each other to some extent, most of the expressions
are culture-bound and specific to each language.


Density based clustering techniques discover the intrinsic clusters by separating the regions present in the dataset as high- and low-density regions based on their neighborhood information. They are popular and effective because they identify the clusters of arbitrary shapes and automatically detect the number of clusters. However, the distribution patterns of clusters are natural and complex in the datasets generated by different applications. Most of the existing density based clustering algorithms are not suitable to identify the clusters of complex pattern with large variation in density because they use fixed global parameters to compute the density of data points. Minimum spanning tree (MST) of a complete graph easily captures the intrinsic neighborhood information of different characteristic datasets without any user defined parameters. We propose a new Relative Density measure based on MST Neighborhood graph (RDMN) to compute the density of data points. Based on this new density measure, we propose a clustering technique to identify the clusters of complex patterns with varying density. The MST neighborhood graph is partitioned into dense regions based on the density level of data points to retain the shape of clusters. Finally, these regions are merged into actual clusters using MST based clustering technique. To the best of our knowledge, the proposed RDMN is the first MST based density measure for capturing the intrinsic neighborhood without any user defined parameter. Experimental results on synthetic and real datasets demonstrate that the proposed algorithm outperforms other popular clustering techniques in terms of cluster quality, accuracy, and robustness against noise and detecting the outliers.


The utility model provides an improve reverse osmosis membrane structure of diaphragm salt rejection and flux, includes center tube and reverse osmosis filter diaphragm, and the reverse osmosis filter diaphragm is coiled and is formed the reverse osmosis filter structure, and the center tube is arranged in the middle passage of reverse osmosis filter structure, also includes the pure water separator, and the pure water separator is provided on the center tube and keeps away from the lower extreme of middle passage, establishes the pure water separator into raw water inhalant canal to the middle passage between the middle passage lower extreme, in the structural into water structure that is equipped with of the reverse osmosis filter who is arranged in raw water inhalant canal, is equipped with a plurality of pure water structure of intaking on the center tube between the pure water separator is to the middle passage on. The utility model discloses owing to adopted pure water separator and raw water inhalant canal, cross the raw water and into filter in the reverse osmosis filter structure through can the water yield more many, fast the flowing sooner of water of raw water inhalant canal, have the advantages such as life, salt rejection and filtration efficiency height of washing conveniently, having improved the reverse osmosis filter diaphragm.


Operator conflict about the ERP performance was recognized as an obstacle which causes several challenges for administrations; consequently it should be understood carefully. ERP is applied in several steps in which the last step of its performance refers to the Post Implementation Step. Post Implementation Step of ERP scheme considered very important for ERP performance and the actual examination of scheme initiates while a user starts using the system. The categorization procedure created 52 papers from 7 varying databases. After doing the exclusion standards, the set was decreased to 8 papers, that were obviously related to the standards defined for doing an organized review, that were consequently evaluated. This paper attempts to recognize some elements which affect the user conflict in POST-ERP execution stage. The most important goal of the study is to find some issues which should be considered for securing the ERP Post implementation scheme as fruitful criterion by decreasing user conflict regarding the system. The findings of this study shows that user resistance after ERP application usually happens by conflict to variation, operator beliefs, operator beliefs, operator ages and training of the user.


Ionizing radiation gives immense benefit to the patient in the hospital through diagnostic and therapeutic procedures but unnecessary radiation may cause short- and long-term trouble to healthcare workers & public. The purpose of the study is to monitor the real-time radiation in the Mymensingh Medical College Hospital (MMCH) Campus of Bangladesh and assessment of radiological risks to healthcare workers & public. Real-time radiation monitoring was accomplished in the MMCH campus from August-September 2022 using digital portable radiation monitoring devices through the In-Situ technique. The real-time radiation dose rates & calculated annual effective doses to healthcare workers and the public ranged from 0.25-4.11 µSv/hr (mean: 1.438 ± 0.331 μSv/h) and 0.438-8.585 mSv (mean: 2.529 ± 0.627 mSv) respectively. The excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) among healthcare worker & public on the MMCH campus were estimated based on the annual effective dose and ranged from 8.436 × 10-3 to 16.572 × 10-3 (mean: 10.667 × 10-3). The mean ELCR in the MMCH campus is higher than that of the worldwide average value. Real-time radiation monitoring in the big hospital campus is vital for detecting a malfunction of the radiation-generating equipment and wrong handling of the radioactive substance. The study would help for minimizing the radiological risk to healthcare workers & public in the big hospital campus, thereby would ensure the hospital's environment is free from radioactive contamination.

https://universepg.com/public/storage/journal-pdf/Estimation of radiological risk on healthcare workers and public in Mymensingh.pdf


The article focuses on topical issues and problems encountered while developing ethnic culture in Lithuania in accordance with the Law on the Principles of State Protection of Ethnic Culture and the Law on Products of the National Heritage adopted by the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania. The possibilities of ethnic culture to develop national self-awareness and citizenship are analysed. The theoretical assumptions how these activities may contribute to primary and secondary socialisation of children and youth, enhancement of family and community relations, are highlighted. Keywords: ethnic culture, national identity, civic spirit, national state, globalisation primary and secondary socialisation. DOI:  http://dx.doi.org/10.15823/p.2015.046


In Part I of the authors' exploration, the social exchange tenet of reciprocity first emerged as a strong theme in both rural consumers' and retailers' focus group discussions. Reciprocity was defined as the degree to which individuals in the community and its marketplace expected cooperative action. The authors then pursued the theme of reciprocity in a second study using a mail survey of rural retailers. Findings suggested that rural retailers' level of satisfaction with their business was significantly associated with their level of satisfaction with reciprocity in local marketplace exchange relationships. In Part II, the authors explore rural Nebraska consumers' responses to mail survey questions focusing on specific types of reciprocity and find that satisfaction with interpersonal or community reciprocity, along with social and economic motivations, were significantly related to consumers' intention to shop with local retailers in the marketplace. This study incorporated controls for social desirability as a possible source of bias.


The grain quality of imported steamed-rice was investigated to improve the competitiveness of domestic .ice (Oryza sativa L.) in low price market. Eight samples of imported steamed-rice were collected during 2004 and 2005, and they were examined in appearances, physicochemical, pasting, cooking qualities and palatability. In the appearance of grain, there were many cracks, which were easily classified, on the surface of steamed-rice. And they had high protein contents, low moisture contents and very low glossiness. We could certain that there was often decolorization process after boiling according to the wide range of whiteness in steamed-rice samples. Amylograms and thermo-grams of the steamed-rice represented that they were at-ready gelatinized. Thus, we could concluded that the steamed-rice absorbed water with meager endothermic reaction and eluted more soluble solid with many breaks of the grain than milled rice during cooking process. From the sensory preference evaluation, the steamed-rice had the lowest scores among milled rice, long stored rice, and broken rice samples on all evaluation items.


The purpose of the article is to analyze the approaches to the use of modern virtual and augmented reality technologies in the organization of the media space of a modern library.
The research methodology is based on methods of semantic analysis of the subject area basic concepts. The main directions of the libraries' transformation in the conditions of technological and information development of society are considered in the article.
The novelty of the study is the analysis of innovative approaches to the use of immersive technologies in the organization of the modern library's media space. The article presents ways to apply virtual and augmented reality technologies in the direction of storytelling, as well as the use of modern approaches to establishing social and communicative links between the library and readers.
Conclusions. The use of innovations in modern libraries and the transformation of book collections into information media space promotes the interest of readers and the promotion of library institutions. Modern libraries are required not only to preserve the classical structure of the information institution as an institution for the collection and preservation of printed and manuscript works but also to become modern information and educational space. Presented approaches to virtualization and the use of augmented reality in modern libraries expand opportunities for the promotion of science, literature, promote the involvement of young people in scientific and cognitive activities.


Reliability of regional road network is investigated by simulation in this paper. Considering the task completion of the network in terms of amount and time, two reliability measurements for the regional road network are defined, and a simulation model to evaluate these reliability measurements based on Anylogic is established. This model is applied to a regional road network in Changsha, a big city in the middle south of China. Form the results, the mechanism about how the network reliability is affected by traffic loads is presented and discussed, also, a new possibility of improving the network reliability is suggested.


With the deepening of aging society,there are more and more empty nest senior citizens,which has become an important social issue.The lonely empty nest old couples therefore develop various psychological and physical problems.In order to help them solve these problems,this paper deeply analyzes the application of internet of things technology in elder care and proposes its application in elder care.


We have established that inadequate access to timely information and ineffective communication among patient care team members are frequent events that are proximal causes of medical errors.1 We are exploring the use of wireless mobile computing technology to help reduce these problems through extensions to the Web-based clinical information system at New York Presbyterian Hospital (NYPH).

Currently, there are several wireless devices that allow Web browsing and e-mail messaging along with other features. The advantage of Palm devices over other personal digital assistants (PDA) is size and the enormous amount of software available for the Palm OS. Compared to cellular phones and alphanumeric pagers, …


Background: Pneumonia is an infection of the respiratory system, especially the lungs, which is associated with increased fluid in the alveoli followed by fever and rapid breathing. Under-five pneumonia sufferers in Indonesia in 2017 reached 447,431 cases (46.34%) and caused death in 1,351 under-five sufferers. The study aimed to determine the risk factors for the incidences of pneumonia in children at Regional Public Hospital of Lewoleba, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia Subjects and Method: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the Lewoleba Regional Hospital in 2020. The population of the study was 1,023 toddlers. This study used purposive sampling to select a sample of 126 toddlers.  The dependent variable of this study was pneumonia. The independent variable of this study was the history of asthma. Data were collected by a questionnaire and analyzed by a multiple logistic regressions. Results: Had history of asthma and cigarette smoke exposure increased the risk of pneumonia (p<0.001). Conclusion: Has history of asthma and cigarette smoke exposure increased the risk of pneumonia. Children with a history of asthma have a risk of having respiratory disorders, impaired mucus and ciliated cell integrity, and decreased local and systemic humoral / cellular immunity. Keyword s : pneumonia, history of asthma, children under five Correspondence:  Nikosius Dae Sory Wutun, Universitas Negeri Nusa Cendana Kupang. Jl.Adisucipto Penfui, Kupang, NTT. email@example.com, 082340482420 Journal of Epidemiology and Public Health (2020), 05(02): 218-226 https://doi.org/10.26911/jepublichealth.2020.05.02.09


This paper presents the resllits from tlte first interlaboratory comparison (rollnd-robin) of fenestration thermal transmission ratings (U-factors) acqllired in accordance with NFRC 100-91 SM: Procedure for Determining Fenestration Product Thermal Properties. The rollnd-robin involved 10 thermal testing laboratories and 12 simlliation laboratories. This paper presents only tire res liltS from the test laboraton) rollndrobin. A second paper presents the res lilts from the simlliatioll laboratory rolllld-robill. noo different prodllcts were evaillated. Gne prodllct was an aillminllm-framed horizontal sliding window incorporating an insillating glass IInit constructed of two lites of e/ear glass separated by an air space of 0.55 inches. The other prodllct was a calibration transfer standard (CTS) panel constmcted of


In this paper, presenting a watch which can handle many properties.We can allow to maintain this watch and adding 4 micro camera in this watch in both sides. Though this watch have 4 micro camera so it can capture the whole thing in front of you.This watch can have a micro-chip slot and it can be supported upto 32 gb expandable memory chip,which can store the video clippings arouns you. Generally 4.5v battery is used in a normal watch but as we adding some features in this watch like micro-camera,memory chip so we are using high voltage battery 15.5v to handle this watch. We are using micro-camera,memory chip in this watch ,its totally depends on the high voltage battery. Keywords—Watch, Micro camera, Image Processing, Emotion detection


The Lower Permian Taiyuan Formation in North China,well exposed in western Henan and south central of Shanxi province,consists of littoral,neritic,lagoon and tidal flat deposits in the epicontinental sea carbonate platform. It conformably contacts with both the overlaying Middle Permian Shanxi Formation and the underlaying Upper Carboniferous Benxi Formation. The lithology of the Taiyuan Formation mainly composed of thin bedded to middle bedded,grey to dark grey biological clastic limestone,sandstone,siltstone,carbonaceous shale and coal beds. Body fossils are abundant in every layer limestone of the Taiyuan Formation,such as fusulinida,brachiopoda,gastropods,coral,crinoid,and so on. The ichnofossil Zoophycos with high abundance are discovered in carbonate rocks of this stratum,which can be divided into four types-Zoophycos with black,grey,off-white or red fillings based on the different colors of burrow fillings,and other ichnofossils associated with Zoophycos commonly are Chondrites,Nereites,Palaeophycos,Rhizocorallium,Gordia,Taenidium,Teichichnus,Planolites and Thalassinoides. In this paper,representative Zoophycos specimens are chosen from Jiaozuo cross section,western Henan province and Fucheng cross section,southeastern Shanxi province. Specimens used to test are cleaned up with distilled water,and dried in a drying box,then fixed on sample holders with conducting resin,at last coated with gold in ion sputtering apparatus. After specimen preparation,a scanning electron microscopy( SEM,model number: JSM-6390 /LV) is used to observe morphology and structure of carbonate micro-shapes in specimens,and Energy Disperse Spectroscopy( EDS,model number: INCA-ENERGY 250) is applied to test their composition. Six kinds of carbonate micro-shapes( single mineral and aggregates) related to microbes are recognized by observing Zoophycos burrow fillings,which are spheroid-like,rhabditiform,areatus,net-like,vase-like and cerebrum-like,most of which show the different microbial structures.Based on spheroids' surface features,individual size and occurrence features,carbonate spheroids can be further divided into four types,including 1Spheroid-like carbonates with smooth surface( type 1),well-preserved,and most are 2 to 15 μm in diameter; 2Spheroid-like carbonates with unshaped surface and fine grain structure( type 2),the diameters of these spheroids range mostly from 2 to 10 μm,their outside surfaces show well-organized fine grain structure,but grain shapes are irregular; 3Spheroid-like carbonates with thorn surface and fine grain structure( type 3),the their diameters are 6 to 9 μm,their outside surfaces display well-organized fine grains; 4Spheroid-like carbonate aggregates( type 4) with smaller diameter,appearing in groups,and distributing intensively,embedded within calcite crystals. The spheroids present as monomer or multi-monomer in types 1-3,but occurred as groups in type 4. Based on surface features,individual shape and branch feature,carbonate micro-shape of rhabditiform can be further divided into six types,i.e.,1net-like rhabditiform with thorn surface( type 1),with obvious branches,showing an irregular network; 2rhabditiform with thorn surface( type 2),arranging in parallel to each other and appearing in groups;3rhabditiform with spiral form( type 3),showing as a spiral,and occurring separately; 4rhabditiform with biserial form( type 4),arranging closely with smooth surface and occurring separately; 5rhabditiform in a straight line with smooth surface( type 5),displaying round cross section and appearing dispersedly; 6rhabditiform with smooth surface and expanding tail end( type 6),with tail expanding spheres and appearring independently. Areatus carbonate aggregates appear as druse,and showing granular,needle-like,sheet structures,surrounded by well-crystallized calcite. The monomers of net-like carbonate aggregates varied in shape,which interweave and overlap each other,forming irregular networks. Vase-like carbonate micro-shapes like a vase or a calabash,existing in isolation. Cerebrum-like carbonate micro-shapes,with unshaped fine grain structures on their surface,their composition mainly composed of CaCO3. Above carbonate micro-shapes found in the Zoophycos burrow filling indicates that these burrows is not a simple grazing trace or food storehouse,and it is likely to exsit a set of mutually beneficial and symbiotic relationships between the Zoophycos-maker and microbes. Microcosmic analysis showing,a part of the carbonate micro-shapes found in the Taiyuan Formation contains microbial structures,however,which is not yet enough to determine what kind of microbe species they are. On condition that combining the study of geo-microbial fossils and molecular fossils,it will be helpful to determine biological classification units and ecological characteristics of geo-microbes. This research contributes to explain the relationship between macro-organism and micro-organism,and to explore how the geomicrobial processes affect geochemical processses,and to provide new microcosmic data for finely analyzing the formation process and sedimentary evolution of carbonatite in Taiyuan Formation of the study area.


A reinforced concrete beam on an arbitrary elastic base under the action of an external load is considered. Its movements and the distribution of internal forces in its sections are determined. The calculation is performed by the variation-difference method using finite differences of increased accuracy. Initially, the beam is divided into identical rectangular sections and a stiffness matrix is constructed for the elastic base as the inverse of the malleability matrix. The functional of the total potential energy is compiled as the sum of the energy of the bending of the beam, the deformation of the elastic base and the work of the external load in the form of a quadratic function of the displacements of the centers of the sections on the beam. By differentiating the latter for each displacement, a system of linear algebraic equations is formed, the solution of which is the displacement of the centers of the sections on the beam. An iterative algorithm is organized, where at each iteration, according to the "stiffness-curvature" relation ship, the bending stiffness on each section of the beam is specified. Examples of calculation of rectangular cross-section beams on an elastic layer and a Winkler base are given.


Ergonomics requisites are of particular importance in designing and developing active wear. Ergonomics in clothing is interpreted as the consideration of comfort and performance factors in the design of clothing made for a specific end user requirements. Although active wear have been introduced in a global context, their functionality within customized circumstances, appropriateness in geographical and climatic contexts has been an insufficiently explored aspect. Thus the focus of this study is to identify the influence of ergonomic factors on active wear in the Sri Lankan context.In order to identify the factors that need to be considered when designing active wear for the Sri Lankan market, this research was conducted on the joggers in the urban population of Sri Lanka. A questionnaire survey was carried out among working professionals aged between 20-40 years to understand the current level of consideration of ergonomic factors among users of active wear, particularly jogging, in the local context. A statistical data analysis process was used to analyze the gathered data.The analysis yielded varying results with certain ergonomic factors such as fit of the garment, weight of the clothing being considered as significant while the functional features of the fabrics used and the items of clothing worn being somewhat inappropriate in the environmental context. Particular attention should be given in the future to develop novel fabrics and innovative constructions that are compatible with the environmental conditions. This will be an essential support for designers and product developers to gain an understanding on special ergonomic factors that need to be considered when designing active wear (jogging clothing) for the Sri Lankan context.Key wordsergonomic factors, clothing, active wear, Sri Lankan context, 02 International Conference on Apparel Textiles and Fashion Design


We report experimental evidence for the formation of chiral bobbers -- a surface topological spin texture -- at the surface/interface of FeGe films grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). After establishing the presence of skyrmions in FeGe/Si(111) thin film samples through Lorentz transmission electron microscopy and topological Hall effect, we perform magnetization measurements that reveal an inverse relationship between film thickness and the slope of the susceptibility (dX/dH). We present evidence for the evolution as a function of film thickness, L, from a skyrmion phase for L L_D/2, where L_D ~ 70 nm is the FeGe pitch length. We show using micromagnetic simulations that chiral bobbers, earlier predicted to be metastable, are in fact the stable ground state in the presence of an additional interfacial Rashba Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI).


Background & Objectives: Acute Hypertension is the most common condition seen in primary care and leads to myocardial infarction, stroke, renal failure, and death if not detected early and treated appropriately.  The study was conducted with the objective to examine the incidence of different types of adverse drug reactions in drug treated hypertensive patients.Materials & Methods: Patients (n=382) who received antihypertensive agents were selected and interviewed using a standardized questionnaire. The Naranjo Algorithm, which categorizes the causality relationship into definite, probable, possible and doubtful, was used for the assessment of the exact nature of Adverse drug reaction (ADR).Results: Calcium channel blockers (CCBs) were the drug class with highest number (22 or  32.84%)  of ADRs followed by Angiotensin-converting enzyme Inhibitors (ACEI) in 17 (25.38%), Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARB) in 12 (17.91%), diuretics in 10 (14.92%) and beta adrenergic antagonist in six (8.95%). Cardiovascular system (40 or 59.70%) was the most affected followed by central nervous system (16 or 23.88%) and respiratory and dermatological system each in 11 (16.42%) cases. On Naranjo's probability scale, nine (13.4%) of the ADRs were definite, 39 (58.2%) possible, 16 (23.9%) probable and three (4.5%) doubtful.      Conclusion: Calcium channel blockers were mostly associated with ADRs while Cardiovascular system was the most frequently affected.


Curves are presented illustrating the following factors that affect air requirements: (1) How the adiabatic temperature rise affects the minimum air requirements for a series of porosity values; (2) the relationship of air required to heat a cu ft of reservoir, and the resulting temperature rise for various combustion efficiencies and heat losses; (3) fuel requirements to heat 1 acre-ft of rock of various porosities for temperature rises up to 1,200 ft; (4) the effect of adiabatic temperature rise and rock porosity on the air/oil ratio; (5) illustrating the effect of fuel composition and COD2U/CO ratio on the amount of air required to burn 1 lb of fuel; (6) apparent H/C ratios, calculated from laboratory data, decrease with increasing combustion temperatures; (7) the heating value of a fuel is a function of composition and carbon oxides in the produced gas (the range of 15,000 to 21,000 btu/lb of fuel is of main interest for in situ combustion); and (8) generated curves which indicate that a value of 100 to 105 btu/scf of air consumed is reasonable for use in combustion calculations.


Abstract Background Adipose tissue is not only a very important source of filler but also the body's greatest source of regenerative cells. Objectives In this study, adipose tissue was cut to the desired dimensions using ultra-sharp blade systems to avoid excessive blunt pressure and applied to various anatomical areas—a procedure known as adjustable regenerative adipose-tissue transfer (ARAT). Mechanical stromal cell transfer (MEST) of regenerative cells from fat tissue was also examined. Methods ARAT, MEST, or a combination of these was applied in the facial area of a total of 24 patients who were followed for at least 24 months. The integrity of the fat tissue cut with different diameter blades is shown histopathologically. The number and viability of the stromal cells obtained were evaluated and secretome analyses were performed. Patient and surgeon satisfaction were assessed with a visual analog scale. Results With the ARAT technique, the desired size fat grafts were obtained between 4000- and 200-micron diameters and applied at varying depths to different aesthetic units of the face, and a guide was developed. In MEST, stromal cells were obtained from 100 mL of condensed fat using different indication-based protocols with 93% mean viability and cell counts of 28.66 to 88.88 × 106. Conclusions There are 2 main complications in fat grafting: visibility in thin skin and a low retention rate. The ARAT technique can be used to prevent these 2 complications. MEST, on the other hand, obtains a high rate of fat and viable stromal cells without applying excessive blunt pressure. Level of Evidence: 4


Transportation projects have long involved some of the most equipment-intensive field construction operations. They are already benefitting from automation in concrete batch plants, slip-form pavers, laser-guided excavators and graders, and tunnel boring machines. The transportation construction sector has a good record for innovation, and the means to continue. This paper provides an overview of some of the potential applications that can be improved or introduced as a result.


The primary research question in this investigation concerned whether arousal manipulation by a stimulant (phentermine 20 mg) and a depressant (pentobarbital 100 mg) will oppositely affect choice behaviour in a probability learning task and decision processes manipulated by pay‐off. A 3‐source probability learning task was used for this purpose, in that, upon the presentation of a pacing cue (every 2 s) which initiates a sampling response required the subject to predict which source will contain a signal. Three groups of 12 subjects received the drugs or placebo, double‐blind and crossover. One group performed the task under an all‐or‐none pay‐off function (V1), wherein correct responses on the high (0·60), medium (0·30) or low (0·10) probability source were equally paid; the second group performed the task under a pay‐off function, approximately inversely proportional to the signal probability ratio (V2), wherein their gain was maximal on the low probability source when their predictions were correct on this event; while the third group was paid according to a pay‐off function (V3), closely related to the first, in that, the maximum gain could be reached when predictions were correct on the high or medium probability source. The results showed that pentobarbital significantly increased sampling responses on the low probability source in the V1 group, while the effects of phentermine did not reach significance when compared to placebo. In the V2 group, no significant treatment effects were found on sampling responses on the high, medium or low probability source a finding explained in the context of arousal theory. Further, in the V3 group relative to placebo, both phentermine and pentobarbital marginally significantly increased and decreased sampling responses on the medium probability source, respectively. These effects reached significance on the low probability source for both drugs when compared to placebo. It was concluded that: (1) the results generally confirm the expectations regarding the different pay‐off conditions and the general finding that full maximization is hardly ever found in probability learning experiments; (2) the expected effects of the drugs were overall small but consistent and in the hypothesized direction; (3) significant drug effects were mostly found on the low probability source; (4) pentobarbital produced more behavioural changes than phentermine. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


NADPH/NADP+ redox state supports numerous reactions related to cell growth and survival; yet the full impact is difficult to appreciate due to organelle compartmentalization of NADPH and NADP+. To study glucose-stimulated NADPH production in pancreatic beta-cell organelles, we targeted the Apollo-NADP+ sensor by first selecting the most pH stable version of the single colour sensor. We subsequently targeted mTurquoise2-Apollo-NADP+ to various organelles and confirmed activity in the cytoplasm, mitochondrial matrix, nucleus, and peroxisome. Finally, we measured the glucose- and glutamine-stimulated NADPH responses by single and dual colour imaging of the targeted sensors. Overall, we developed multiple organelle-targeted Apollo-NADP+ sensors to reveal the prominent role of beta-cell mitochondria in determining NADPH production in the cytoplasm, nucleus, and peroxisome.


Purpose – This paper aims to investigate accessibility and usage of mobile smartphones by Arabic-speaking visually impaired people in Saudi Arabia. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 104 participants with visual impairments were interviewed about their use of mobile phones with the following questions: What is the most commonly used mobile phone? What is the popular domain for which they use mobile phones? What are their favorite applications? What accessibility challenges do they usually face while using mobile phones? How often do they use the Internet via mobile phones and what are the reasons behind that? Findings – This research is the first study with such magnitude to investigate smartphone usage by Arabic-speaking visually impaired people. The survey has revealed that Arabic-speaking visually impaired people utilize mobile phones in different ways and strategies. Getting assistance in performing daily tasks and navigating independently are two of the most common uses for mobile phones. Origin...


DTU Orbit (09/12/2018)  Fractional Derivative Loudspeaker Models for Nonlinear Suspensions and Voice Coils Moving-coil loudspeakers exhibit a number of linear effects, such as viscoelastic suspension creep and lossy inductance of the voice coil, which complicate their frequency response. Nonlinear models of the loudspeaker must include these effects in order to make accurate predictions for nonlinear compensation algorithms. While viscoelasticity and lossy inductance have been modeled using a variety of methods in the frequency domain, the discrete time-domain description using fractional order derivatives is both accurate and easily incorporated into existing nonlinear models. The influence of the fractional order derivative is demonstrated using a fractional order oscillator, resulting in a response that closely resembles viscoelastic suspension creep in a loudspeaker or an increase in displacement toward low frequencies. A full bandwidth loudspeaker model with a fractional order viscoelastic suspension and a fractional order lossy voice coil was used to fit measurement data from two loudspeakers. Further simulations with a nonlinear position-dependent suspension and a nonlinear position-dependent inductance were conducted, and this revealed unexpected frequency components due to the infinite memory of fractional derivatives.


Low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) shows that glycine molecules can stick onto the Cu(100) substrate at room temperature forming ordered structures, while their binding to the substrate is fairly weak as evidenced by the quick degradation of the adsorbing structures and in turn the LEED pattern induced by the incident electron beam. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) observation shows that the molecules can also adsorb on the Cu(111) substrate at room temperature, and the binding is strong enough to be imaged with not too small a tunnel resistance but is weak enough to be manipulated by the tip with a small tunnel resistance. Careful inspections of the STM images allow us to further conclude the following.(i) At least three adsorption geometries with different apparent heights have been identified, although the details of the molecular images are often dominated by the tip shape.(ii) It is possible to move the molecules without changing their adsorbing geometry. (iii) In manipulation the molecules are pushed forward by the tip.(iv) Each glycine molecule forms at least two bonds with the substrate. During controllable manipulations the molecules remain at least one bond unbroken. (v) Electrostatic forces between the tip and sample do not play an important role in manipulations, as changing bias polarity seems to have almost no influences.(vi) In manipulations the higher the tunnel resistance the better our control on the molecules, as long as the molecules can be moved.


In the method of greenhouse cultivating,the corn growth and change of water,salt and temperature were studied in saline soil under normal irrigation,fixed irrigation and alternate irrigation.The results showed: in the course of corn growth,water use efficiency of alternate irrigation corn was the best in 3 irrigation methods.Temperature of dryness furrow was ascended more than wetness furrow in same time.Soil temperature was more and more low with the increasing of soil depth.The soil water-solubility salt content of normal irrigation was highest and the soil salt content of fixed irrigation was lowest.Soil water-solubility salt,Cl-and Na+ were accumulated in soil surface layer visibly.


ABSTRACT This is a revised and extended version of a paper read at the 12th International Conference on English Historical Linguistics held at Glasgow University, Scotland in August, 2002. (1) In it I reconsider positions supporting its existence and inner coherence, including my own dating from ten years ago, after a cumulative series of facts were examined--some of them have long been invoked as counterarguments while others stem from recent theoretical frameworks. First, since the classical model (as schematised by Jespersen 1909-1949, I: [section] 8.1, for example) has frequently been used to illustrate the concept of "chain shifts" ("one change within a given phonological system gives rise to other, related changes" Hock 1986 [1998]: 156), I have examined textual evidence from the London variety in the period concerned (as that presented in Lass 1999) which casts serious doubts on the inner consistency of the combined push/drag chains invoked to explain the mechanisms of operation of the shift. Second, although a two-phase GVS is widely accepted (one, raising of /e: o:/ and diphthongization of /i: u:/ completed by the early 16th century and two, raising of /[epsilon]: [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII.] a:/to various positions), the unfolding of those two phases in the subsequent centuries is too divergent and plausibly suggest an alternative hypothesis. In fact, I claim that no chain, whether push or drag, connecting Phase I and Phase II of the GVS is sustainable at all--at least for the development of the standard variety. My discussion is framed by the new scenario provided by theoretical views like that of languages as populations of variants moving towards attractors (Lass 1997) and speakers making loaded choices among those variants (cf. Smith 1996: 91-105). Besides, in a general context of vowel shifts of various sizes and types characteristic of Germanic languages (cf. Stockwell and Minkova 1988, among others), Phase I is proposed as the only one having happened in most dialects from Late Middle English--and the best candidate if we still want some kind of unitary change with a sonorous name, provided the adjective "Great" is substituted by "Pan-dialectal" (see, in this same line Lass 1999:56-186) and shorten the time span for its operation by at least a century. 1. Introduction The title of this paper accounts for two things. One, that it is my second contribution to the platitude that more literature has been written on the Great Vowel Shift than on any other issue concerning English phonological evolution. Two, that in it I reconsider positions supporting its existence and inner coherence, including my own, presented at the 7th International Conference on English Historical Linguistics held in 1992 in Valencia and subsequently published in the 1994 proceedings (Guzman 1994: 81-90). The long controversy on the Great Vowel Shift has proved itself most fruitful, among other things, "for the amount of interesting scholarship and research produced" (Lass 1997: 40) which has raised (and allowed us to learn so much about) a number of crucial issues ranging from source evaluation to theory shapes. So abundant is it, indeed, that I felt that a change of my former opinion was almost unavoidable, once cumulative evidence over the years was examined. Such is the fate of good practice in research, though, as Ritt (2001: 23) quite sensibly writes: "we ought to admit the possibility that our investigations might cause us to revise our understanding of the concepts or even to give them up altogether". Part of this evidence has long been invoked as counterargument against the Great Vowel Shift, (2) while others stem from recent theoretical frameworks. The following section explores the first ones. 2. One shift, many shifts? The classical model, especially the extremely well-known representation in terms of vowel space devised by Luick (1964) (see Fig. …


There has been an increased interest in adaptive video quality control and dynamically adjusting the output video bit rate based on the status of the network. However, network-level performance parameters cannot accurately reflect the video quality perceived by the end users. Our goal is to investigate an adaptive perceptual video quality control mechanism based on an application-level perceptual video quality scheme. In this paper we investigate perceptual objective quality assessment technologies and use them to exploit the relationships between perceptual video quality, output bit rate, and quantization scales of video encoders. We also implemented a real time Video over IP (VIP) network application that uses a feedback channel to relay measurements, taken at the end user, to the source side, to enable the calculation of the perceptual video quality degradation caused by IP packet loss. Using this experimental setup, we were able to investigate appropriate rules for adaptive perceptual video quality control based on an application-level perceptual video quality scheme.


In an effort to extend previous work on developing general recommendations for design of art museum websites, we evaluated four museum websites (the Tate, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the Rijksmuseum) and examined the relationships between website features, virtual visitors' impressions and estimates of repeat visits to the site. The study produced a comparative evaluation of the four museum websites and identified strengths and weaknesses in the sites' navigation, design, and content features. The study found that website aesthetics was the strongest predictor of the visitor's overall impressions. Ability to manipulate content (e.g., download, print, and zoom in and out) was also linked to the visitor's inclination to make repeat visits to the site. This paper describes the methods and results of the study and proposes a set of recommendations for the development and evaluation of art museum websites.


With the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT), ambient vibration energy harvesting technology using piezoelectric transducers has drawn much research interest in realizing the power supply for wireless sensor networks (WSNs). To improve the efficiency of energy harvesting, an interface circuit is required to operate energy management action. The synchronized switch harvesting on inductor (SSHI) method is the most efficient method of extracting energy from the piezoelectric transducer. This paper presents a self-powered piezoelectric energy harvesting (PEH) interface circuit, which integrates a SSHI rectifier with self-adaptive switch control. The proposed circuit includes an active diode in each LC resonant tank to reduce the reverse current of the inductor. The SSHI rectifier, therefore, has high adaptability to external inductors and piezoelectric transducers. The switch control circuit of this paper is directly powered by the rectified voltage to avoid an external power supply for higher integration. Compared with the conventional SSHI rectifier, the proposed implementation achieves high voltage flipping efficiency with a small flipping inductor. The proposed circuit is designed in 180nm CMOS process, and the chip area is 0.163mm2. The simulation result shows that the proposed circuit achieves cold start-up operation without any external power supply and can work with high efficiency when the external inductor is varying from 1 to 1000μH. The simulated maximum output power of the proposed design is 2.5× higher than that of the ideal full-bridge rectifier.


BACKGROUND
Hearing loss affects over 1.3 billion individuals worldwide, with the greatest burden among adults. Little is known regarding the association between adult-onset hearing loss and employment.

METHODS
Seven databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, ABI/Inform Collection, Business Source Ultimate, Web of Science and Scopus) were searched through to October 2018. The key word terms used related to hearing loss and employment, excluding paediatric or congenital hearing loss and deaf or culturally deaf populations.

RESULTS
The initial search resulted in 13 144 articles. A total of 7494 articles underwent title and abstract screening, and 243 underwent full-text review. Twenty-five articles met the inclusion criteria. Studies were set in 10 predominantly high-income countries. Seven of the 25 studies analysed regionally or nationally representative datasets and controlled for key variables. Six of these seven studies reported associations between hearing loss and employment.

CONCLUSION
The highest quality studies currently available indicate that adult-onset hearing loss is associated with unemployment. However, considerable heterogeneity exists, and more rigorous studies that include low- and middle-income countries are needed.


a Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Malawi, P/Bag 360, Blantyre, Malawi. Tel: +265999383833, Email: email@example.com. a Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Malawi, P/Bag 360, Blantyre, Malawi. Tel: +265995499280, Email: firstname.lastname@example.com b Biology Department, Chancellor College, University of Malawi, P.O. Box 280, Zomba, Malawi. Tel: +265886549753, Email: email@example.com c Chemistry Department, Mzuzu University, P/Bag 201, Mzuzu 2, Malawi. Tel: +265995303560, Email: firstname.lastname@example.com d Africa Centre of Excellence in Public Health and Herbal Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Malawi, P/Bag 360, Blantyre, Malawi. Tel: +265995482713, Email: email@example.com Corresponding author: Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Malawi, P/Bag 360, Blantyre, Malawi. Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


Drought and high salt are the most important adverse environmental factors that cause osmotic stress, negatively impacting plant growth and crop productivity. To maintain a stable intracellular environment in the presence of ex- ternal environmental stresses, many plants increase their cellular osmotic potential through accumulation of intracellular organic osmolytes such as proline, glycine betaine, mannitol and trehalose (Wang et al., 2007; Zhu, 2002). Proline is an osmo-protecting molecule that accumulates in many organisms, including bacteria, fungi, and plants, in response to low water stress and salinity (Claussen, 2005; Kumar et al., 2003). Proline accumulation in plants not only increases cell potential but also stabilizes proteins, membranes, and subcellular structures (Verslues et al., 2006). It also protects cells against oxidative damage by reactive oxygen species (Borsani et al., 2005; Sharma and Dietz, 2006; Vendruscolo et al., 2007). In higher plants, proline is synthesized from glutamate or arginine/ ornithine. The pathway via arginine/ ornithine is not important for proline synthesis during osmotic stress (Hu et al., 1992). The first two steps of proline biosynthesis from glutamate are known to be catalyzed by a bifunctional enzyme Δ1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase (P5CS), which is a rate-limiting enzyme in the pathway, triggering both γ-glutamyl kinase (γ-GK) and glutamic-γ-semialdehyde dehydrogenase (GSA-DH) activities (Yoshiba et al., 1995). In common with bacteria (Smith et al., 1984), proline controls the γ-GK activity of P5CS by feedback in plants (Hong et al., 2000). In higher plants, P5CS is encoded by a nuclear gene that was cloned from Vigna aconitifolia (Hu et al., 1992), Arabidopsis thaliana (Strizhov et al., 1997), Medicaho truncatula (Armengaud et al., 2004), Medicaho sativa (Ginzberg et al., 1998), and Lycopersicon esculentum (Fujita et al., 1998) and other species. The expression patterns of different P5CS genes in plants have been studied under various stress conditions. For example, the gene VaP5CS was highly expressed in leaves and roots of salt stressed V. aconitifolia (Hu et al., 1992). The AtP5CS1 gene was expressed in most plant organs and tissues in Arabidopsis and was upregulated by dehydration, high salinity, and abscisic acid (ABA) treatments, but was not expressed in dividing cell cultures in the absence of stress .Expression of AtP5CS2 in dividing cell cultures under stress induction was dependent on protein synthesis (Strizhov et al., 1997). In rice (Oryza sativa), expression of OsP5CS1 was induced by salt, drought, ABA, and cold, but not by heat treatment (Igarashi et al., 1997). RT-PCR analysis showed that the OsP5CS2 transcript was present in reproductive organs, especially in stamens (Hur et al., 2004). In response to NaCl stress, mRNA of tomPRO2 increased more than 3-fold, whereas the transcripts of tomPRO1 were undetectable (Fujita et al., 1998). Two P5CS genes of M. truncatula showed developmental and environment-specific features. MtP5CS1 in different organs had steady-state transcript levels that were well correlated with proline levels, whereas MtP5CS2 transcripts accumulated only in shoots of salt stressed plants (Armengaud et al., 2004). It appeared that MtP5CS1 acted as a developmental housekeeping enzyme responsible for the supply of proline to the reproductive organs, and MtP5CS2 acted as a shoot-specific osmoregulated isoform.


In recent years, universities around the world have become entrepreneurial in offering their courses. This push has seen many Australian universities develop international strategies to offer teaching programs and courses globally. The tyranny of distance in global course offerings has provided a variety of challenges for universities that enter the international arena. In addition to the quality of the programs being delivered, one of the concerns or objectives when the same subject is taught across various teaching locations and modes is to maintain uniformity in the standard of delivery and assessment. The study examines student performance (measured by academic grades) of four different student cohorts located in Australia and South-East Asia (Malaysia and Singapore) studying an introductory accounting subject offered by Monash University. The results suggest that offering a homogenous pre-packaged educational product within a global environment would not necessarily ensure uniform student performance, and as such, has implications for both faculty and universities as a whole.


This book brings together the experiences and expertise of eighteen scholars of colour, based in the USA or Canada, who teach about race and racism. The book attempts to speak to two different audiences and to achieve at least two different goals. Its first intended audience is other scholars of colour: it is to be seen as 'a site of safety and sanity, driving home the reality that they are not alone' as coeditor George Yancy puts it in his introduction (p. 9). But the editors also hope that it will be used as a resource for white scholars like me, who address race and racism in their classrooms. In terms of its goals, it seeks to be a place in which the experiences of black scholars can be validated and indeed honoured. But it also has a role as a resource bank for a range of useful theoretical approaches, teaching materials and practical strategies for scholars from all backgrounds who wish to address racism in mainly white classrooms.


Magnetic exchange force microscopy (MExFM) is an important experimental technique for mapping the magnetic structure of surfaces with atomic resolution relying on the spin-dependent short-range exchange interaction between a magnetic tip and a magnetic surface. RuO 2 - an excellent electrocatalyst - has recently been characterized as an antiferromagnetic (AFM) material, and its magnetism has been predicted to play an important role in its catalytic properties. In the current study, we therefore explore theoretically whether MExFM can visualize the magnetic surface structure of RuO 2 . We use density functional theory (DFT) calculations to extract the exchange interactions between a ferromagnetic Fe tip interacting with an AFM RuO 2 (110) surface, as a function of tip-surface distance and the position of the tip over the surface. This data is used to calculate the normalized frequency shift of an oscillating cantilever tip versus the minimum tip-surface distance and to construct corrugation height line profiles. We found that the exchange interaction between tip and surface is strongest for a parallel configuration of the spins of the tip and of the surface. In a corrugation profile, this gives rise to a sizable height difference of 25 pm between the spin-up and spin-down Ru atoms in the RuO 2 (110) surface at a normalized frequency shift 𝛾 = -10.12 fNm 1/2 . The O atoms in the surface are not or hardly visible in the corrugation profile.


1. A dry pelleted diet is described which, supplemented with fresh greenstuff, dried cabbage, or ascorbic acid, is highly satisfactory for the growth and maintenance of guinea-pigs. 2. No evidence could be found that the pelleted diet alone was deficient in any other factor than vitamin C required by guinea-pigs, fresh greens and dehydrated cabbage being effective because of their high content of this vitamin. 3. Vitamin C added to the diet as crystalline ascorbic acid or as present in dried lucerne meal is mostly destroyed by the pelleting process and is further reduced during storage. 4. The aim of evolving a dry pelleted stable diet completely adequate for guinea-pigs has not yet been realized. It is a pleasure to acknowledge our indebtedness to Miss M. Olliver, Messrs Chivers & Sons Ltd., who carried out the ascorbic acid determinations and gave us much valuable advice. Our thanks are also due to Roche Products, who gave us the ascorbic acid, to the Director of Messrs Chivers & Sons Ltd. for the generous gift of 1 cwt. of standard dehydrated cabbage, to the Dehydration Division of the Ministry of Food for supplying two samples of sub-standard dehydrated cabbage, and to Mr D. G. Short, senior technician in charge of the animals at the Institute, who prepared the small-scale diets.


Cybercrime activity has been growing over the years and there is no evidence that this tendency will stop in the near future, hence it raises the obligation of the organization's cybersecurity team to strengthen the cybersecurity, to avoid irreversible damages. The use of public blacklists is one strategy to monitor the organization's network to detect suspicious communications, however, the use of public blacklist generates a high percentage of false positives alerts. This paper describes a solution that gathers external information about malicious IP, reported by public blacklists, and organization's internal information regarding security incidents, to calculate reputation scores for external IP and public IP blacklists. The reputation score is used by the SIEM rules to select the type of alert for each IP address to monitor. The objective is to decrease the rate of false positives alerts that are usually generated when using public blacklists. The trustworthiness score will aid the SOC team to select the public blacklists that can be more suitable for the organization cyber context. The presented solution is aimed at enhancing the SIEM's coverage on cybercrime activity over the organization's network. Preliminary results of an application on a worldwide company are presented. Keywords—threat intelligence; security metrics; public blacklists; open-source intelligence, security information and event management, cybercrime


There is difficulty representing relative clauses with split antecedents (Perlmutter & Ross 1970, McCawley 1982, Link 1984, Wilder 1994, a.o.): (i) Mary met a man and John met a woman who know each other well. In this paper, I demonstrate that existing analyses, both movement and base generation approaches, have difficulties accounting for split-antecedent relative clauses (SARC) without construction-specific stipulations. Even the most promising accounts do not make predictions about the actual behavior of SARC. Formally, I propose that traditional approaches have difficulty because of how the notion of chain is represented. I provide a preliminary analysis using a novel system of representing narrow syntax that does not run into the type of problem that traditional approaches do. SARC are naturally predicted from the way I propose to treat coordination within the new system. In doing this, I argue for another direction of our model of narrow syntax (cf. Vergnaud to appear), one which redefines the representation of a chain and instead represents grammatical relationships as local – a generalized form of Multidominance. This approach to syntax makes wide-reaching predictions, which I do not discuss here. But, I show that this direction derives SARC naturally, without construction-specific stipulations. This working paper is available in University of Pennsylvania Working Papers in Linguistics: http://repository.upenn.edu/pwpl/ vol19/iss1/14 U. Penn Working Papers in Linguistics, Volume 19.1, 2013 Deriving Split-Antecedent Relative Clauses Katherine McKinney-Bock *


the patients. Because this procedure can cause recrudescence of the hepatic injury, it was felt that rechallenge was not ethically justifiable. In spite of not being absolutely certain as to which drug was responsible, we felt that since haloperidol is such a commonly used neuroleptic agent, the occurrence of significant liver dysfunction associated with haloperidol and biopsy documentation should be brought to the attention of the general medical community. The infrequency of reports of similar cases in the past suggests that haloperidol induced liver disease is a rare adverse effect, consistent with a sensitization reaction. Cases may have occurred, but the association possibly went unrecognized. Therefore, when haloperidol is prescribed, the appearance of constitutional symptoms such as fever, chills, arthralgias or skin rash should suggest the possible development of hepatic dysfunction. The determination of liver function tests in these patients may help to ascertain the true prevalence of haloperidol-induced liver disease.


Attempts to demonstrate the presence of the spore outer membrane in mature, dormant spores of a strain of Bacillus megaterium are described. The outer, integument, layers of this organism were found to contain one-third of the total spore cytochrome content, several enzymes of the electron transport chain (specifically NADH oxidase, dehydrogenase, cytochrome c reductase and NADPH dehydrogenase) and a large number of polypeptides extractable with sodium dodecylsulphate in the presence of dithiothreitol and protease inhibitors. These all suggest the presence of a membraneous element. Electron microscopic evidence is presented on the structure of the dormant integument enzymes. Changes in the integument enzymes and in the gel electrophoresis profile of the extractable integument polypeptides which occur during spore gemination, are described and compared with those that take place in the spore inner membrane. The heat sensitivity of the integument enzymes is compared with that of the inner membrane enzymes and the implications for theories of spore heat resistance discussed.


The specific technological and typological features of the
Aurignacian of the Middle Danube region are reviewed in the
context of available chronostratigraphic data and
anthropological associations (Early Aurignacian, Evolved
Aurignacian, Late Aurignacian-Epiaurignacian, and the
Streletskian elements).


If R is a commutative ring with identity and G a group, it is shown that the regular radical of the group ring RG is trivial if the regular radical of R is trivial. This answers in the affirmative the commutative case of a question in [4]. Further, the regular radical of RG is computed when G is an Abelian group or when G is locally finite and the order of each element of G is a unit in R.


The design of seeker antenna of traditional radar with sum and difference by amplitude is to present the directivity functions of various sub-antennas and to synthesize the summing beams by adjusting the gains and the included angles between those sub-antennas and beams,thus resulting in the antenna failing to satisfy the conditions of sum beams.Consequently,this paper presents a new sort of designing principles and formulas for radar seeker,by which,the directivity functions of four horn antenna is designed,the included angles between various antennas and beams are calculated,and the sum beams generated,meeting the demand of radar seekers.Simulation results show that the designed seeker antenna of radar with sum and difference by amplitude satisfies the conditions that the sum beams and difference ones vary linearly within the wave-width range of 3 dB.


Data transparency could be used as a metaphor to describe how data owners can give controlled access to their data to end users. In a scientific environment and focusing on seismic data, this is a very delicate activity that needs to consider the desire for data owners to position themselves in the research community, possible legal issues and the commercial incomes that data could provide. In this perspective, this work focuses on the possibility of having various levels of access to data so that its opacity can be progressively removed according to the contractual status with the end user. Within the EU FP7 Geo-Seas project, an interactive web-based seismic data viewer tool has been developed in order to provide these features. End users work within secured shells contained in the viewer without downloading any data. This relieves the concerns of data providers of losing control of their data, fosters their collaborative attitude and ultimately increases the availability of data within the community.


An article is an attempt to study «special relationships» between the United States and Great Britain. The author mentioned that the presidential elections in the USA and the fact that Donald Trump became a new president reflected on the relationships between the United States and Great Britain. The attention is given to the role of personality in states' relationships. The article illustrates that Donald Trump`s populism in his speeches played a negative role for making stable relationships with the UK. More specifically, Donald Trump's criticism of London's mayor Sadiq Khan, Scotland Yard evocated a negative social reaction in Great Britain. As shown in the article, the citizens of the United Kingdom were shocked by Donald Trump`s islamophobia and his Facebook post of the far-right organization «Britain first». Indeed, it was the reason for massive protests during Donald Trump's official visit to the United Kingdom in 2018. The reference should be made to the fact that in 2016 the UK citizens decided to leave European Union. Despite the fact that Donald Trump approved this decision he criticized British prime-minister Theresa May for soft Brexit. As shown in the article contrary to the strong criticism of the British government Donald Trump visited Great Britain three times during his presidential term. These official trips were directed on normalization of Anglo-American relationships. Queen Elizabeth twice met Donald Trump and they both mentioned that special relationships are important for their countries. Research has shown that during Boris Johnson's premiership US-UK relations became stronger. This factor is due to close Trump`s and Johnson's political views. The article illustrates that the United States and Great Britain still have special relationships. Countries have strong intelligence, military and nuclear cooperation. Both the US and the UK are still key economical partners and they are interested in safety relationships.


Abstract One hundred seventy species in 57 lichen genera are reported from the Parashant National Monument. Collections were made from 16 sites visited during the study. Data reported in this study correlates with previous studies from the surrounding areas, and 38 species are reported as new to this region in northwestern Arizona. In addition, a second record of Letharia vulpina is reported for the state. The data presented here serve as a baseline for future studies related to lichen biodiversity or air quality monitoring in northwestern Arizona.


Cholic acid der i vatives(2-6) and (10-15)were Synthes i zed by treatment of cholic acid 1 with 4-aminoaniline  in the presence of N, N'- Dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC) as coupling reagent and 4-d i methylaminopyr i dine (DMAP) as catalyst in CH 2 Cl 2 -DMF gave compound (2) that reacted with approperate cyanophenyl, 2,3-d i flurophenyl, 3,4-dimethoxy phenyl)boronic acid using palladium (0) tetraks - triphenyl phosphine (Pd(0)Ph 3 P) 4 ) and Na 2 CO 3 as a catalysts in 2ml from DMF and H 2 O by using microwave Technique afford (10-12) . The carbohydrazide derivative (5, 6) was prepared from methyl cholate 3 and hydrazine hydrate. The prepared hydrazone was introduced by reaction of the cholic acid with the carbonyl compounds (4-formyl phenyl boronic acid and 4-bromo ace to phenone) in refluxing acidic Et OH. The synthesis of compounds (14-15)  was accomplished from (6) with appropriately functionalized boronic acid derivatives by using Susuki - Miyaura criss-coupling reaction while the compounds(13) synthesized from reaction of (5) with (6) under Susuki - Miyaura criss-coupling reaction too (.some of these compounds show moderate to good  activity against Staphylococcus aureus bacteria and Candida albicans fungal. The reaction was monitored by (TLC) technique. All new Cholic acid derivatives were characterized by melting points, elemental analysis, FT‐ Invra red radiation, 1 H, 13 C spectroscopy. Antimicrobial activity of these derivatives was also determined. Keywords : Cholic acid, Cholic acid hydrazones ,Bile acids, Susuki -Miyaura cross -coupling reaction, Antimicrobial activity .


A NUMERICAL study was conducted in order to establish a set of preliminary design guidelines and performance criteria for three-dimensional subsonic wind tunnel contraction sections. Inlet geometries for both square and rectangular cross-sectional inlets were considered for a range of contraction ratios of 10-40. Wall geometries were defined using a single-parameter, matched cubic profile. Finite difference field solutions were developed for a potential flow model and the inlet performance quantified in terms of mean flowfield distortion and adverse wall pressure gradients. A turbulent boundary-layer separation prediction is included based on Stratford's criteria. The results are presented in terms of design charts that should prove useful for preliminary, three-dimensional inlet design.


: Glass-ceramics, with a speci fi c crystalline phase assembly, can combine the advantages of glass and ceramic and avoid their disadvantages. In this study, both cubic-zirconia and zirconolite-based glass-ceramics were obtained by the crystallization of SiO 2 − CaO − Al 2 O 3 − TiO 2 − ZrO 2 − Nd 2 O 3 − Na 2 O glass. Results show that all samples underwent a phase transformation from cubic-zirconia to zirconolite when crystallized at 900, 950, and 1000 ° C. The size of the cubic-zirconia crystal could be controlled by temperature and dwelling time. Both cubic-zirconia and zirconolite crystals/particles show dendrite shapes, but with di ff erent dendrite branching. The dendrite cubic-zirconia showed highly oriented growth. Scanning electron microscopy images show that the branches of the cubic-zirconia crystal had a snow fl ake-like appearance, while those in zirconolite were composed of many individual crystals. Rietveld quantitative analysis revealed that the maximum amount of zirconolite was ∼ 19 wt %. A two-stage crystallization method was used to obtain di ff erent microstructures of zirconolite-based glass-ceramic. The amount of zirconolite remained approximately 19 wt %, but the individual crystals were smaller and more homogeneously dispersed in the dendrite structure than those obtained from one-stage crystallization. This process-control feature can result in di ff erent sizes and morphologies of cubic-zirconia and zirconolite crystals to facilitate the design of glass-ceramic waste forms for nuclear wastes. both crystalline and amorphous (glass) phases, all of the samples were mixed with 20 wt % of Al 2 O 3 (NIST, SRM · 676a) as the standard reference in our QXRD technique to assist the quanti fi cation of the amorphous content. For SEM characterization, the samples were polished using decreasing grain sizes of diamond paste. The EBSD and TEM samples were prepared by mechanical thinning followed by ion-beam milling (Fischione model 1010 Ion Beam Milling). A Hitachi S4800 FEG- SEM, Hitachi S-3400N with variable pressure and Leo 1530 FESEM were used to observe the sample morphology. The TEM-EDX analysis was performed on an FEI Tecnai G2 20 S-TWIN operated at 200 kV. The EBSD scan was performed on the Leo 1530 FESEM using commercial software from HKL Technology APS Ltd. (Oxford, UK). During EBSD characterization, the sample was tilted at 70 ° , and a scanning step size of 0.1 μ m was used for the electron beam.


Physician-Assisted Death for Psychiatric Patients Physicians in the Netherlands and Belgium have helped a small but growing number of patients with mental illness but no terminal condition to end t...


Sum series of power series have wonderful analyzing nature in its interval of convergence, namely, continuity, and item-by-by integrability and differentiability. The article extends the continuity and item-by-item to the interval of convergence of power series, and presents the relation between from the item-by-item derivation and term by term integration from power series and the interval of convergence of original power series.


A graduate applied computer science course in security is described. Laboratory exercises using both Linux and Windows preceded the real-time audit of a client as a culminating exercise. The course's scope and content are offered here as one alternative for departments creating security courses in their curricula. Reactions of the students, client, administration, and instructor are noted. A description of the environment in which the course exists is included, because that factor cannot be disregarded in evaluating the efficacy of this aggressive approach in another institution.


The article is devoted to the monitoring study of educational programs offered by the world's leading universities in the most popular fields today: energy, computer and engineering sciences, human resource management. The master's degree programs of universities included in the QS World University Rankings and additional educational courses presented on the international Coursera platform were selected as the basis for comparative analysis. The role of internationalization in university practice is considered from the point of view of the strategic direction of development and increasing the competitiveness of the university in the world market of educational services. The features of educational programs successfully implemented in the conditions of internationalization of education in Russia and various parts of the world – Europe, Asia, America, Australia – are determined. It is revealed that the development of internationalization of Russian education takes into account the peculiarities of domestic regions and is carried out in line with global trends, which allows maintaining and developing competitiveness among foreign universities. Practical recommendations are formulated for the formation of a strategy for the integration of the Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B. N. Yeltsin into the international educational space, maintaining and improving its competitiveness within the framework of the internationalization of educational programs.


History of Quality Control is as old as the history of the industry itself. Before the Industrial Revolution, the quality was controlled by the vast experience of the artisans of the time, which guarantee product quality. The industrial system has suffered a new technical era, where the production process split complex operations into simple tasks that could be per‐ formed by workers with specific skills. Thus, the worker is no longer responsible for all product manufacturing, leaving the responsibility of only a part of it (Juran, 1993).


The Cold War gave birth to two of the three most developed space programs today. As the Soviet communist ideology had to compete with the democratic USA, the USSR made incredible progress towards outer space and supported the initial growth of the first Chinese space technology. The two space programs have been intertwined since the first Sino-Soviet relations in the 1950s seeking to establish a balance of power and counter American ambitions for hegemony. The Russian and Chinese regimes have had an altering liaison from allies to opponents and consecutively partners in a struggle for power and influence within the space sector. Examining the two space programs allows the reader to comprehend the complex relations between two superpowers in a geopolitical struggle going beyond Earth's boundaries. Using the problem-chronological and comparative method this article seeks to explore the intricate relationship between the Soviet Union/Russia and the People's Republic of China, analysing the genesis of their relationship, differences, similarities and accomplished progress in the space sector until present day. The complex relationship formed between Russia and China in the last three decades has morphed into a close economic, military and space partnership, looking to counter current American space dominance and challenge the status quo. Space geopolitics is a relatively new field to the school of international relations and so far only a handful of political scientists have focused on activities conducted within the space environment, as crucial actions to the overall setting of the international scene. As our world continues its progress, space becomes an integral part of our daily lives, and any endeavors associated with space need to be considered, discussed and explained.


Te-based phase-change materials (such as Te, Ge2Sb2Te5, and Ag8In14Sb55Te23) are employed now in optical data storage and non-volatile electrical memory due to the acceptable optical and electrical contrast between the crystalline and amorphous states. Thermal properties of the materials have an important influence on the device performance. In this work, the dependence of thermal properties of Te-based phase-change materials on temperature is measured and analyzed. Comparisons among these three Te-based phase-change materials are made, and the origins of thermal conductivity in Te, Ge2Sb2Te5 and AgInSbTe are also discussed. One can see that the thermal properties of crystalline Ge2Sb2Te5 are more similar to those of Te with respect to AgInSbTe due to containing higher percentage of Te element. These experimental data can be helpful for optimizing the performance of phase change memory devices.


Architectural recovery techniques depend on an intermediary representation of the source code called a source model. While completely reliant on the source model the majority of the techniques pay inadequate attention to the source model's formation and it is often assumed that the only relevant dependencies should be those of call and field accesses. So pervasive and abstract are these kinds of dependency that they convey almost no information to a programmer, thus making most source models low entropy artefacts absolutely requiring a secondary analysis technique to be applied in order to reveal high entropy interdependencies in the system. We contend in this paper that the secondary analysis, forming the majority of architectural recovery techniques, is often premature and that more effort be spent on creating the initial source model so as to include high entropy dependencies from other first class programming and operating system constructs. In doing so we show, through both theoretical and industrial evaluations, that a source model can be rendered useful to a programmer again, revealing central design concepts for the system's application domain.


The class imbalance problem usually occurs in real applications. The class imbalance is that the amount of one class may be much less than that of another in training set. Under-sampling is a very popular approach to deal with this problem. Under-sampling approach is very efficient, it only using a subset of the majority class. The drawback of under-sampling is that it throws away many potentially useful majority class examples. To overcome this drawback, we adopt an unsupervised learning technique for supervised learning. We proposes cluster-based majority under-sampling approaches for selecting a representative subset from the majority class. Compared to under-sampling, cluster-based under-sampling can effectively avoid the important information loss of majority class. We adopt two methods to select representative subset from k clusters with certain proportions, and then use the representative subset and the all minority class samples as training data to improve accuracy over minority and majority classes. In the paper, we compared the behaviors of our approaches with the traditional random under-sampling approach on ten UCI repository datasets using the following classifiers: k-nearest neighbor and Naïve Bayes classifier. Recall, Precision, F-measure, G-mean and BACC (balance accuracy) are used for evaluating performance of classifiers. Experimental results show that our cluster-based majority under-sampling approaches outperform the random under-sampling approach. Our approaches attain better overall performance on k-nearest neighbor classifier compared to Naïve Bayes classifier.


To slow down the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic an unequalled vaccination campaign was initiated. Despite proven efficacy and safety, a rare but potentially fatal complication of adenoviral‐vector vaccines, called vaccine‐induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), has emerged the pathogenesis of which seems to be related to the development of platelet‐activating anti‐platelet factor 4 (PF4) antibodies. While a few studies have evaluated the incidence of anti‐PF4 positivity in anti‐severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) vaccine recipients, to date no studies have assessed whether an antiplatelet immunological response develops and if this associates with platelet and blood clotting activation. We carried out a prospective study in healthy subjects who received the first dose of ChAdOx1 or Ad26.COV2.S or BNT162b2 vaccines to evaluate platelet‐specific and non‐specific immune response and in vivo platelet activation and blood clotting activation. Individuals receiving ChAdOx1 and, less so, Ad26.COV2.S developed with high frequency auto‐ or alloantiplatelet antibodies, increased circulating platelet‐derived microvesicles and soluble P‐selectin associated with mild blood clotting activation. Our study shows that an immunological reaction involving platelets is not uncommon in individuals receiving anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccination, especially after ChAdOx1 and Ad26.COV2.S, and that it associates with in vivo platelet and blood clotting activation.


The difficulties encountered in applying the Clean Water Act over the past twenty-five years provide valuable insight into the regulatory mismatch problem. The idea that a Congressional determination that wetlands must be preserved, not only for scientific, but also for aesthetic and ethical reasons, would provide a constitutional basis for wetlands legislation, is examined in this paper. The difficulties encountered when basing law on an ambiguous scientific basis are also examined and certain solutions are considered. The concept of returning to the original intent of Congress through examination of the Clean Water Act's legislative history regarding the delegation of authority to the states is also considered. Finally, the movement of federal permit programs to state implementation (similar to the NPDES permitting program), as originally intended by the legislators, is examined.


In this paper a high performance face recognition system, based on different data fusion techniques combining the decisions obtained from the probability distribution functions (PDF) based face recognition system in different colour channels, is introduced. The PDFs of the equalized and segmented face images are used as statistical feature vectors for the recognition of faces by minimizing the KullbackLeibler Distance (KLD) between the PDF of a given face and the PDFs of faces in the database. Well known data fusion techniques such as Median Rule, Sum Rule, Max Rule, Product Rule, Majority Voting (MV) and feature vector fusion (FVF) have been employed to increase the recognition performance. The proposed system has been tested on the FERET, Head Pose, Essex University, and Georgia Tech University face databases. The overall results indicate that the median rule over-performs the other fusion techniques.


Ni/YSZ (Y_{2}O_{3}-stabilized ZrO_{2}), Cu/YSZ and CuO/YSZ composite powder for a cathode material in high temperature electrolysis (HTE) was synthesized by a mechanical alloying method with Ni (or Cu, CuO, Co) and YSZ powder. Microstructure of the composite for HTE reaction has been analyzed with various techniques of XRD, SEM to investigate effects of fabrication conditions. And conductivity of electrode was measured, Cu/YSZ cermet showed the higher electrical conductivity value than Ni/YSZ.


Cultivating high skill technicians is the imminent business colleges.It expounds the development of business education status and current problems,discusses the high skill technicians cultivating mode in business colleges,and puts forward some practical application of business education reform measures.


Questions of development of information and analytical tools for the solution of problems of state regulation of the regional labor markets (RLM) (on the example of St. Petersburg) and labor market of the Russian Federation in general are considered. Methods of an assessment of level and structure of regional unemployment, potential of its formation and development are offered. Labor market is considered as spatial economic system for which research methods of econometric comparison of RRT are offered.


Upper respiratory diseases are one of the most frequent health damages associated with air pollution. It is also known that they are the main causes of laboral and school absentism. Therefore, a comparative bacteriological study was done among two populations, exposed to high and low levels of air polution todetermine afterwards if there are any alterations of the oropharynx normal bacteria. An important number of Gram negative strains was observed, among two groups of urban population (adult and young), especially those of the Enterobacteriaceae and Branhamella catarrhalis . These results were statistically significant when adult populations from urban and suburban populations were compared (P<0.05). Streptococcus faecalis was most easily isolated from infants from the urban zone. One of the most potentially dangerous pathogens isolated among the oropharynx indigenous bacteria was Staphylococcus aureus , it was also frequently found among the urban habitants. These results suggest that the patogenicity of Enterobacteriaceae in the oropharinx should be revised. Suggestive data of fecal contamination in the oropharyngeal flora of the people of the high polluted ara are presented. Sanitary actions should be improved besides of the effort in trying to reduce the air pollution.


Multiple degree of freedom motion platform is always one of the important components in optoelectronic packaging systems, its characteristics have a vital impact on the performances of optoelectronic packaging. This paper presents a 6-Prismatic-Spherical-Spherical compliant parallel platform for optoelectronic packaging. This platform is a kind of parallel layout structure, which uses the piezoelectric motors as active joints and the large-stroke flexure hinges are employed as passive joints. An inverse kinematic modeling based on elastokinematic analysis is analyzed and deduced. The elastokinematic analysis considers the elastic deformation of the large-stroke flexure hinges in movement process, and improves the positioning accuracy of the compliant parallel platform in applications. The finite element analysis model and the prototype of the compliant parallel platform are developed, and the validity of the proposed method is finally verified. This paper provides a theoretical reference and experimental data for the inverse kinematic analysis of six degrees of freedom motion compliant parallel platforms with large-stroke flexure hinges.


In order to solve the food distribution process in the temperature of predictability,TTIs(time-temperature indicator/integrator,referred to as TTI) based on different principles have been developed at home and abroad(mechanics,chemistry,enzymology,microbiology,or electronics irreversible reaction).This paper have discussed TTIs at home and abroad through a comprehensive research,the commercial applicability of TTI,and a new TTI(micro-type) status and it's future research prospects.


The matters dealt with in this article are, in the main, statements of fact. There are, however, some opinions expressed and suggestions made. The writer wishes to make it clear that these are his personal views after five years' experience as a member of the Electricity Distribution Commission and do not purport to be the opinions of the commission.


O ptical components manufacturing is one of the most demanding tasks for injection molding. Precise dimensions, tight tolerances, and the persistent demand for faultless and reproducible parts represent the operational framework in this industry. Driven by increasing miniaturization and more functionality in new device generations in the past years, the industry has shown a strongly increasing demand for high-precision injection molded optical components. Analogous to the innovative impulses for new, more compact equipment system triggered in recent years through the functional options of aspheres, new perspectives for future system innovations are presently emerging through the use of application-specific freeform optics. This nomenclature summarizes refracting and reflecting surfaces that clearly differ from symmetric and aspheric geometries. However, due to inadequate availability of technical basics, today's demand for plastic types for freeform optics can only be met at uneconomic expense. Within the scope of the FREE project – the acronym stands for "precision freeform optics" – Jenoptik Polymer Systems GmbH in Triptis, Germany, was faced with the challenge of producing symmetric, non-rotation freeform optics from high-performance plastic materials. Hereby, the aim was to achieve a precision of 0.5 μm. In order to penetrate this lucrative business, in which polymerbased precision optics with symmetric, non-rotation freeform profiles play a key role, this project was to create the required basic competences.


DC distribution network has a lot of advantages over traditional ac distribution network and it is considered as one of the best power supply modes in the future. However, protection relay design for dc distribution network is a major challenge due to the requirement of high speed fault detection for the vulnerability of converters. In this paper, it is proposed that the boundary protection is very suitable for dc distribution network since it can protect the whole line only based on local measurement and does not need to coordinate with neighboring relays. However, it needs to find suitable line boundary for dc distribution network. Impedance features of magnetic ring is tested and difference in steepness and peak time of voltage travelling wave in case of internal and external faults when magnetic ring installed at both ends of dc distribution line is analyzed. Results show that magnetic ring is feasible to be used as line boundary. Besides, a wide band model of magnetic ring is proposed based on vector fitting and circuit synthesis method. It paves the way of analysis on features of internal and external faults at dc distribution line and validation of proposed fault detection method.


This article investigates the spatial patterns of interurban trade in capital market services by analysing 16,324 trade links involving advisers and clients in the Visegrád Four plus Austria and their counter-parties worldwide between 2000 and 2014. We aim to address a gap in the research on financial centres and interurban trade by providing empirical evidence on the relationship between the complexity of services and the size of market areas across which they are traded. We utilise recent contributions to Central Place Theory (CPT), which provide us with suitably general models of interurban trade applicable to financial services. The key proposition of CPT in this respect is that more complex services are traded across larger market areas, thus translating into a further spatial reach of service centres. Given that these propositions are derived at a very general level, we rely on global city theory for explaining the underlying causal mechanisms in the context of capital market services. Our analysis examines the geography of adviser–client trade links to investigate how spatial patterns of interurban trade in capital market services are shaped by the characteristics of the services traded. We uncover evidence that more complex and larger transactions are associated with higher distance between clients and financial services providers. This in turn means that more complex services are traded across larger market areas. While clients in Central and Eastern Europe can generally find suitable providers for less complex capital market services locally, they often rely on financial services providers globally for the most complex transactions.


The influence of square corners on the ignition of a solid exposed to a step in surface temperature is analyzed by means of large activation energy asymptotics. This study begins by considering the case of a semi-infinite square corner, applicable to the ignition of finite bodies with square corners when the reaction is very fast. Two spatial zones (reactive and inert) and two time stages (initial and transition) are identified. During the initial stage, the structure of the reaction zone is determined by a quasi-stationary problem of the Frank-Kamenetskii type, where the time variable plays the role of the Damkohler number. There is no solution to this problem if the time $\tau $ is larger than a certain critical value $\tau_0 $, which is a first approximation for the ignition time. In a transition stage, for $0 < \tau_0 - \tau \ll 1$, the nonstationary effects cannot be neglected; when these are taken into account, a first correction to the ignition time is obtained. The ignition of a two-dimensional re...


The significance of using different ionization rates on the operating characteristics of Si IMPATT devices is examined. The dc breakdown and small-signal results of IMPATT devices at room temperature are presented. Numerical results for p+nn+as well as the complementary n+pp+Si diodes in the millimeter-wave frequency range and at different current densities ranging from 2500 to 10 000 A/cm2are given. It is shown that large differences in some important device parameters are obtained, depending on the ionization rates employed.


In this paper, 2D array transducers using a conductive backer similar to 1-3 composites have been designed, fabricated, and evaluated. The conductive backer was based on well known manufacturing process of 1-3 composites with affordable ingredients. The 2D array transducer had 4,096 elements designed to have 3.5 MHz center frequency and a fractional bandwidth over 60 %. Fabricated prototype of the transducer satisfied the specifications in the center frequency and bandwidth. Performance over the entire elements was so uniform that the standard deviation was less than 0.81 dB. Thus applicability of the conductive backer proposed in this work to 2D array transducers was verified.


Chronic pain is pain that lasts longer than three months and it can arise from an injury and affects millions of people worldwide. Roessingh Research and Development (RRD) have developed the Virep project which is a virtual reality game to improve the training of chronic pain both in the clinical and home settings. This research and graduation projects will develop an extension of the Virep project by creating a virtual reality relaxation environment. This project will go through some iterative design testing in order to find the best result of creating a relaxation environment. The final relaxation environment was created so that the user biosignals would be mimicked in the environment and they had to listen to their own bodies and the virtual reality world in order to decrease their heart rate. The final environment proved to achieve the goal of relaxation but testing needs to be continued on people who have chronic back pain.