In about half the unemployment compensation laws now in effect in this country there are provisions limiting the benefit rights of seasonal workers or requiring the administrative agency to study the problem of benefit payments to workers in seasonal industries or occupations. The terms of most of these provisions are vague, permitting— in many cases necessitating—considerable administrative discretion in putting them into effect. The rational formulation and evaluation of specific policies must be based on a guiding conception of the character and purpose of an unemployment insurance system and of the reasons for varying the benefit rights of workers in seasonal and in nonseasonal employment. There is hardly an industry in the United States which does not exhibit some seasonal variation in employment. The magnitude and the pattern of variation differ greatly, however, from industry to industry. If one excludes from consideration the industries with very minor employment fluctuations , the "seasonal industries" may be divided roughly into two groups. At the one extreme are industries which virtually cease production for certain periods of the year—canning or logging in some areas; this first group will be designated as the short-season industries. The second type of seasonal industry is that which operates throughout the year but with definite peak and slack seasons—for example, the garment industry. There are marked differences among industries in the first group as to the length of the seasonal period, and among industries in the second group as to the amplitude and pattern of the fluctuations from peak to slack employment. Nevertheless, the distinction between the two types of seasonal industry is significant and important for unemployment compensation. Whether or not industries of the second type are seasonal according to the definitions now embodied in most of the State unemployment compensation laws is somewhat doubtful. The issue will have to be determined by each State. Seasonality of production may affect the individual worker in a variety of ways. It may mean for him variations in daily or weekly hours of work, and consequently in his earnings, without, however, any change in his employment status. Some workers may themselves have steady jobs although employed in seasonal industries. Other workers may find year-round employment by working in several seasonal industries or by filling in periods of irregular employment in a nonseasonal industry with employment in a seasonal industry. Some workers may wish year-round employment but fail to obtain it …


In the rapidly changing world of business-to-business (B2B) interaction, the e-service model triggers a new way to design and implement business services. While the capabilities required to implement a service stay constant, the set of companies providing these capabilities can change dynamically. Even when the companies stay the same, they may want to cover different roles at different times. Automating the negotiation processes between companies become crucial. We present a distributed negotiation system, which allows a service provider to dynamically subcontract aspects of its service to other providers and to determine the price to pay each. The system takes the description of the service in the form of a complete business workflow, together with a set of roles that participate in this workflow. Firstly, it decomposes the workflow into a set of process descriptions (projections) specialised for each possible subset of the roles involved in the original workflow. Each projection represents the view a potential subcontractor has over the workflow. The system then conducts a reverse combinatorial auction to allow subcontractors to offer to play a given set of roles, and fulfil the process associated with it in return for a payment.


The natural alkaloid 2-amino-l- phenylpropan-1-ol (1) was utilized in the synthesis of some
novel benzamides (2-5), benzenesulfonamides (6-8) and ethyl 2-(3-(1-hydroxy-1-phenylpropan-2-
yl)thioureido)-4,5-dimethylthiophene-3-carboxylate (9). The structures of the semisynthesized compounds
were proved by analytical and spectral data. The synthesized compounds were evaluated in vitro for antimicrobial
activity against Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 35501, Candida
albicans ATCC 14053 and Aspergillus niger ATCC 16404. Two compounds showed inhibitory effect
against C. albicans ATCC 14053: ethyl 2-(3-(1-hydroxy-1-phenylpropan-2-yl)thioureido)-4,5-dimethylthiophene-
3-carboxylate (9) was the most active with MIC = 1.5 mg/mL followed by 4-bromo-N-(1-hydroxy-1-
phenylpropan-2-yl)benzenesulfonamide (8) with MIC = 3 mg/mL.


This study aims to determine the marketing channels and margins of RGL citrus in Rejang Lebong Regency. The study was conducted from February to April 2019. Data collection was conducted through interviews involving 14 informants consisting of 10 citrus farmers and 4 traders. The data collected consists of identifying market participants, identifying channels and marketing patterns, marketing costs, and market participants' profits. Marketing channels and marketing margins are analyzed descriptively. The results showed that there were four orange marketing channels in Rejang Lebong Regency which were divided into 6 patterns. The longer the marketing channel, the greater the marketing margin that indicates the market is increasingly less efficient.


Noninvasive fat reduction appears effective, but there are various methods for quantifying changes. The objective of this review is to assess comparative utility measures of subcutaneous fat.


KAGUYA's small satellite separation system is an important equipment. The success of gravity field investigation by R/V-Star depends on its work. A unique spring called "bow spring" is applied to the separation system. Bow spring generates an axial direction velocity and a rotating one simultaneously. The separation system became lighter and simpler by applying "bow spring". In this paper, we describe the summary of its development, operation, and a future of separation systems with it.


The kinetics of the thermally activated motion of screw pyramidal dislocations in zinc crystals is investigated in the temperature range 4.2-295 'K. It is shown that the dislocation path length depends linearly on the loading duration; a lag time t, is observed. The effect of the stress T and temperature Ton the dislocation velocity is studied. It is shown that the motion of the dislocation is determined over the entire T and T interval by the surmounting of the Peierls barriers. Estimates are obtained for the Peierls stress T, = 780 gf/mm2 and the energy of a single kink V, = 0.17 eV.


Electronic structures of Si(100)-(2×1) in electric fields are calculated by the self-consistent pseudopotential method. Assuming an asymmetric dimer model, we obtain a characteristic change in the charge distribution around the dimer due to applied fields of 0.6 V/A–1.8 V/A. It is found that the field of negative tip voltage repels the electron charge around an up atom of the dimer and pushes it to the inside of the bulk, reducing the charge imbalance of the asymmetric dimer. This result is consistent with the recent scanning tunneling microscope (STM) experiment, which analyzed the relation between the buckling of dimers and applied fields.


Based on an insight into the premature phenomenon of coarse grain genetic algorithms,an agent-based implementation of the discrete segmented genetic algorithm(DSGA) was proposed.The method can accelerate the speed of solving problem based on the DSGA and improve the memory utilization and communication efficiency.By validating the algorithm via multi-peak value function,it is shown that the optimized speed of the algorithm can be improved to a certain extent.


Acetone cyanohydrin was used as the hydrogen cyanide donor in the one-pot reaction——the decomposing reaction of acetone cyanohydrin in organic media which is the first-step reaction of preparing the important intermidate of bio-insecticide pyrethroids. In order to study the kinetic characteristics of the one-pot reaction, and to serve for designing appropriate reactor, the kinetics of the decomposing reaction of acetone cyanohydrin was studied. Since the acetone cyanohydrin can be decomposed by bases and considering the compatibility of biocatalyst with chemical catalyst and the convenience of successive operation in bioreactor, anion exchange resins were used as the catalyst in this reaction. Two domestic base resins, D296 and D301 were used respectively and the results showed that the weak basic resin, D301 is better than the strong basic resin, D296. Two kinds of solvent with different polarities (anhydrous diisopropyl ether and vinyl acetate) were used respectively and it was found that D301 showed better catalytic chacteristics in the lower polarity solvent, diisopropyl ether. The reaction was studied at different temperatures and the optimal temperature was found to be 55℃ under the experimental conditions. It was also found that in both solvents the effect of the catalyst external surface diffusion resistant on the reaction rate can be neglected if the rotation speed is over 190rmin-1.


Firstly,based on the information fusion method of fuzzy reasoning and production rules,uncertain fault propagation relations are expressed by the confidence level of fuzzy production rules,and the fault position state that can not be measured accurately is fuzzed by the membership degree.Then,by creating a fault diagnosis model based on fuzzy Petri net(FPN),sensors information,components and parts status information,operators' status information,and fuzzy relationships information between the failure characteristics and the failure mode are fused effectively.Finally,considering the economic principles in preventive fault diagnosis and the timeliness principle in diagnosis after the fault,and taking full advantage of Petri nets' parallel reasoning,real-time fault diagnosis is fulfilled by a formal reasoning algorithm.The feasibility of the method is verified by an example.


The invention provides a light-emitting diode (LED) display device which comprises an LED display panel (1) and a face guard. The face guard is placed on one side of the LED display panel (1) and comprises a plurality of light transmission cover units (10) which are pasted with the LED display panel. Positioning structures are placed between the light transmission cover units (10) and the LED display panel (1) to limit the pasting positions of the light transmission cover units (10) on the LED display panel (1). Each light transmission cover unit (10) is provided with a first side (11) and a second side (12), wherein the fist side (11) faces the LED display panel (1), the second side deviates from the LED display panel (1), and a grating structure is placed on the second side (12). The LED display device is small in splicing gap, good in evenness and display effects.


The natural systems (NS) in nature and society works in low «brain» and may use for constructing of intellectual artifical systems (AS). With ideas of self-organization and evolution investigated unsteady regimes of NS and stability the models of trigger systems. The fluctuation with negative entropy produсtion may iniciate unstability and burning ordered structures. The self-organization interpreteted as practicability behavior.


In this article we consider the heuristic algorithm which improves step by step wireless data delivery over LTE cellular networks by using the total transmit power with the constraint on users' data rates, and the total throughput with the constraints on the total transmit power as well as users' data rates, which are jointly integrated into a hybrid-layer design framework to perform radio resource allocation for multiple users, and to effectively decide the optimal system parameter such as modulation and coding scheme (MCS) in order to adapt to the varying channel quality. We propose new heuristic algorithm which balances the accessible data rate, the initial data rates of each user allocated by LTE scheduler, the priority indicator which signals delay- throughput- packet loss awareness of the user, and the buffer fullness by achieving maximization of radio resource allocation for multiple users. It is noted that the overall performance is improved with the increase in the number of users, due to multiuser diversity. Experimental results illustrate and validate the accuracy of the proposed methodology.


Based on SWOT analysis, discuss the development strategy of energy Internet value chain, innovation chain, and industrial chain integration technology. Through the analysis of its advantages, disadvantages, opportunities and threats, three key development strategies are proposed, including enhancing the technical innovation capability of the Energy Internet, promoting the coordinated development of the Energy Internet industry, and strengthening the international cooperation of the Energy Internet, and deriving the mathematical model of the energy change rate. In addition, through the analysis of typical cases, the application of this technology in practice is discussed, and the application prospects in the future are forecasted. From a comprehensive analysis, it can be seen that the energy Internet value chain, innovation chain, and industrial chain integration technology have many advantages, but also have certain disadvantages. Therefore, in the future, it is necessary to further strengthen technological innovation and coordinated development, and promote the deep integration of Energy Internet and other fields, so as to realize a virtuous cycle and sustainable development of energy Internet value chain, innovation chain, and industrial chain integration technology.


We study a zero sum differential game under strong assumptions of convexity — the cost is convex for one player, and concave for the other. An explicit necessary and sufficient condition for a saddle point of the game is given in terms of convex analysis subgradients of the conjugate of the cost function. A generalized Hamiltonian equation is shown to describe saddle trajectories of the game.


We develop the signal processing method for adaptive implementing direction of signal and the frequency sensitivity of human visual system(HVS). Existing multibnad energy scaling method makes ringing artifact because it does not consider signal direction. To solve this problem, we use block gradient for signal direction in addition to existing method. And we use the fact that frequency component of signal is more sensitive than value of signal over human eyes. we enhance the signal according to contrast sensitivity function(CSF) which is the model of frequency sensitivity of human eye. Compared that the existing analysis models only improve the efficiencies in the existing systems, the developed method can process the image signals to be more desirable and suitable to HVS.


The control effect of 48% Garlon EC was more than 80% when sprayed at the rate of 960 mL/hm~2 during bud stage;while 75% Lontrel SG could achieve 90%control effects when sprayed at the rate of 200 g/hm~2.Both chemicals were safe to forages.


CANCER PAIN IN 2019 In the United States, this year, it is predicted that there will be 1.7 million new cancer diagnoses and over 606,000 cancer deaths.1 Pain in cancer is common, with a recent meta-analysis showing a prevalence of 55% during anticancer treatment, 39% after curative treatment, and 66% in advanced, metastatic, or terminal disease; among patients with pain, 38% graded their symptoms as moderate to severe.2 The management of cancer pain has often implied the management of patients with only weeks to months to live, using high-dose opioids with an emphasis on comfort at the end of life. This paradigm has changed markedly with the advent of more advanced oncologic care, including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, and bone marrow transplantation. Patients are now living longer with cancer and often with a relatively preserved quality of life and a desire to remain functional and productive. Comparing the 1970s to the present day, the 5-year relative survival rates for all cancers have increased from 49% to 69%. During this same period, the 5-year survival rate for breast cancer has increased from 75% to 91% and prostate cancer from 68% to 99%. We highlight breast and prostate cancer because they are associated with bony metastases and pain. This year we expect in excess of 268,000 new breast cancer cases and over 174,000 new prostate cancer cases; many of these individuals will be alive 5 years after diagnosis, requiring a pain management plan that emphasizes both symptom management and functional restoration. In contrast, pancreatic cancer, predicted to cause over 45,000 deaths in the United States this year and almost invariably associated with debilitating visceral pain, continues to have a dismal 9% 5-year survival. However, despite the limited prognosis, the median survival has improved to 6–12 months and therefore requires a longerview approach to analgesia and symptom management.1


The response of native shortgrass prairie legumes to water and nitrogen additions was evaluated utilizing a replicated factorial design of two water and two nitrogen treatments. Responses measured were densities and aboveground biomass by species. Water treatment greatly increased both density and biomass of legumes, presumably because of more favorable conditions for nitrogen fixation and increased competitive advantage under nitrogen deficient conditions. The availability of nitrogen, more than any other mineral element, is a critical determinant of both the structure and productivity of grassland plant communities (Date 1973). Additionally, mineral nitrogen supplies to the plant community largely determine the value of the biomass produced as forage for consumers. In native grasslands nitrogen-fixing plants are presumed to occupy an important position in nitrogen cycling although for most grasslands very little is known about the ecology or functional significance of native legumes (Becker and Crockett 1976). This is particularly true of the semiarid grasslands of the Great Plains of North America. The majority of the information available concerning the ecology of legumes in these grasslands is available as an incidental portion of the data collected on the dominant grassland plants (Albertson 1937; Hanson and Whitman 1938; Dyksterhuis 1946; Brown 1971; Hyder et al. 1975). As a first step in understanding the functional role of legumes in a shortgrass prairie, we provide basic phytosociological data for legumes under ambient environmental conditions and results from experimental manipulation of soil water and mineral nitrogen availability.


In the present study, the characteristics of the Ti powders fabricated by Hydride–Dehydride (HDH) were analyzed in terms of particle shape, size and size distribution. Ti powders were subjected to roll compaction and their microstructure and green densities were evaluated in terms of particle size, powder morphology, roll gap and rolling speed. Effects of blending elements having different powder sizes on densification properties were analyzed. The strip thickness was proportional to the roll gap up to 0.9 mm and the density of titanium strip was decreased with the increase in roll gap. As the roll speed increased, the strip density and thickness were decreased by using -200 mesh Ti powder. However, the effect of rolling speed for -400 mesh Ti powder was not greater than that of -200 mesh powder. The highest density by 93% was achieved by using -400 mesh Ti powder at 0.1 mm roll gap, however edge cracks and alligator cracks were occurred.


By condensation according Ullmann of 2-iodo-9-oxo-fluorene with 3-bromo-2-cyano-9-oxo-fluorene, followed by cyclisation and reduction, the new linear 13,15-dihydro-7H-diindeno[2.1-b; 2′.1′-h]fluorene (III) is synthesized in 3 steps. The 6-methyl-derivative of II is also obtained in a similar way.


The electrophysiological measurements of image distortion are based on the model of object's detection in noise which describes quantitatively frequency-contrast characteristics in presence of noise and consist of the several stages including primary filtering, signal match filtering, comparison with threshold, decision, internal and memory noise. The tools for experiments include hardware and software for stimulation and data processing based on interconnection between two computers via RS 232C interface. Hardware for stimulation includes CCD camera, framegrabber, high resolution monitor and device for photometrical control and gamma-correction. Software includes programs for image processing and for test image generation. Hardware for evoked potentials processing includes multiple scalp electrodes, 16-channel amplifier, 12 bit A/D converter. Visual evoked potentials to calibrated natural test images or Gabor gratings from 0.45 to 14.4 cycles/deg with or without superposition of noise were studied. We measured the amplitude of (N1-P1), (N2-P2) components. The noise dispersion imitate the volume of image distortion. Evoked potentials recorded from different areas of the normal subjects cortex. The different reaction in occipital and parietal scalp area to spatial frequency of the test images was obtained. Changes in the form of responses were found when white noise was superimposed to the test images. The early components (N1-P1) of the evoked potentials are not depended from the spatial frequency of the test images with noise, but the late ones (P2-N2) are depended.


This chapter provides an overview of CBT and its current application within health and social care services in the UK. The defining features of CBT are described in terms of its underpinning principles. A multi-level definition of CBT is set out that incorporates its theoretical underpinnings, the evidence base, treatment techniques and paradigms, therapist competencies and practice, and service delivery and contexts. How CBT can be distinguished from non-CBT interventions is then considered. Finally, some of the future challenges and directions for the development of CBT are outlined.


Oxytropis kansuensis Bunge. powder was dripped in methanol, the residue following evaporated of the methanol was dissolved in 1 mol/l HCl and filtered. The acidified filtrate at first extracted 8 times by chloroform, second alkalized by NaOH, at last extracted 4 times by chloroform to obtain position of alkalized chloroform. Applied 22.6 g position of alkalized chloroform to a silica gel column and gradient eluted under system of chloroform-ethyl acetate-methanol, collected 30mL/fraction. 721 fractions was collected and monitored by TLC. Incorporated the same fraction to gain the crystalⅠwhich was identified by TLC and spectrophotometry. Analysed the position of alkalized chloroform with GC-MS to find 20 components, in which the structure of 1 alkaloid, 6 esters, 1 alcohol, 1 aromatic hydrocarbon, and 1 fatty acid were defined.


The author arrived o n the Island of Cyprus January 2 , 1991 . The entire Royal Jordanian Airl ine had just flown its planes to Larnaca International Airport and parked them for safety. By January 7th, all international airline travel was due to cease. The weather was clear and cold and the island was dry due to drought the two previous years. The winds of war were blowing nearby as the United Nations and Iraq were unable to see eye-to-eye on the occupation of Kuwait by Iraqi armed forces. Ref ugees from Lebanon were waiting in Cyprus to return home to a country devastated by civil war. Refugees from throughout the Middle East were arriving in Cyprus daily with fear of war touching their homelands. Cyprus was sti l l l iving an uneasy peace, partitioned s ince 1974, with United Nation troops separating the Turkish Cypriots and the Turkish army in the North from the Greek Cypriots in the South . North Cyprus had declared independence in 1983, fanning emotions in the South about previously owned property, family burial sites, and the loss of famous historical sites. A portion of the author's assignment for the Fulbright-Hayes Commiss ion in Cyprus, from January I -July 31 , 1991 , was to work with the Technical Educa tion Divisions, M inistries of Education throughout the Island of Cyprus. The work plan schedule was to be in volved with Greek Cypriots on Monday through Thurs day and with Turkish Cypriots on Fridays. During the introductory weeks, the author became fascinated witp the development of the school systems since their independence from Great Britain, and knew that if observations were to be understood , a c learer mental picture of this recent h istory was im portant . An awareness that multiple school administra tions had been operating was a surprise to the foreign observer. It was for future visitors to the island th�lt this article has been written so that this small portion of h istory would help clarify how technical education came to be what it currently is in Cyprus. There is very l imited information available in the l it erature about technical education in Cyprus. This arti cle was made possible through informal meetings with the Technical Education Inspector, Mr. Savvas Kontos ; Chief Inspector of Technical Education, Mr. Christos Philokypro; and support from the Director of Technical Education, Mr. M ichaelis. These colleagues allowed the author, at various times, to have copies of papers that they had presented at international educational meetings during this historical period and which now reflect on technical education during the developing process. Mr. Celal Dogan9ay, Deputy Director for Technical Vocational Education in North Cyprus, as s isted in arranging visitation opportun ities to the techni cal vocational schools on the north portion of the island . Mr. Sal ih Ozkurt, Head of Mechanical Production, ac companied the author on these visits in North Cyprus to Lefke, Guzelyurt (Morphu) , Girne (Kyrenia) , Gagima gusta (Famagusta) , and Beylerbeyi (Bellapais) , as wel l as to technical schools in Lefkosa (Nicosia) . The American reader wi l l be rem inded that gymna sium has a different meaning in Europe. A student who attends a gymnasium wi l l be studying at a level equivalent to the American junior and senior college preparatory h igh schools .


Abstract The nucleotides are the building blocks of nucleic acids and determining their sequential arrangement had always been an integral part of biological research. Since the past seven decades, researchers from multi-disciplinary fields has been working together to innovate the best sequencing methods. Various methods had been proposed, from some oligonucleotides to the whole genome sequencing, and the growth had gone through adolescence to the mature phase where it is now capable of sequencing the whole genome at a low cost and within a short time frame. DNA sequencing has become a key technology in every discipline of biology and medicine. This review aims to highlight the evolution of DNA sequencing techniques and the machines used, including their principles and key achievements.


In the years since the discovery of the anti-inflammatory action of cortisone, the steroids have come of age. Today steroid therapy is a vital part of medicine, and probably, next to the tranquilizers, steroids are the most frequently prescribed drugs used by patients. The steroids are distinguished by their usefulness in many disease entities and by the fact that new discoveries in this field tend to render today's knowledge and use of some of these drugs obsolete by tomorrow.


This research called NOISE DETERMINATION LEVELS AND ITS SOCIAL IMPACT IN THE INDUSTRIAL ZONE OF LASSO, CANTON Latacunga, Cotopaxi province", through the review of the environmental regulations in Ecuador, which normalizes maximum permissible limits of ambient noise levels for stationary sources and vibrations, and methods for measuring these levels, as well as provide values for the evaluation of vibrating in buildings (Annex 5, Book VI, of the Environmental Quality). TULAS, 2002.
In fulfillment to the established was determined the industrial area, it was defined in the section from the entrance to Pastocalle parish in the area called the Progress until the Avelina,segment in which we find the companies and industries to our research. Same as the aid equipment on-site (sound level meter JTS 1387), was demarcated according to the standard, the decibels of noise present in the area of measurement in the morning hours, afternoon and evening....


Disclosed is a display device wherein deterioration in characteristics of a display element is suppressed even when a resin is used as a substrate material. Specifically disclosed is a display device sequentially comprising an organic insulating film (14), an inorganic conductive film (15) and a display element (10) on a resin substrate (11) in this order. This display device further comprises an inorganic insulating film (16) arranged next to the inorganic conductive film (15), and the inorganic insulating film (16) covers the entire surface of the organic insulating film (14) together with the inorganic conductive film (15).


An efficient aerodynamic design tool has been developed adopting the surface mesh movement method for body-installation junctions. Three-dimensional unstructured Euler solver is used for the flow analysis. The sensitivity analysis is made by a discrete adjoint method. Surface mesh points on body-installation junctions are moved directly on the curved body surface. New mesh locations are restricted to be on the initial surface by a surface recovery method. Surface mesh point coordinates are taken as design variables. For a smooth variation of the geometry, the traction method is employed. The optimization tool is applied to a design example of ONERA M5 wing-body configuration. A successful result verifies the efficiency of the present approach.


:Ground water is a very important underground resource, the principal source of which is thought to be precipitation and underflow from rivers. In general, ground-water level is subject to sea -sonal fluctuations, and furthermore, the fluctuation pattern varies locally according to the permeability of the aquifer and the distance from the water recharge area. This paper presents a regression analysis method for prediction of the ground-water level. The autoregressive model constructed from the time-series data can be used to predict future fluctuations. In this paper, we propose that, by extending the theory of the autoregressive model, the multivariate regression model can be related to two kinds of time-series data. This method was applied to specify the relationship between variations of the ground-water level and precipitation in the Kumamoto plain. The optimum multivariate regression models for the nine observation wells, located in the plateau area, at one end of the plain, and in the lowland area, are determined through the value of AIC. The boring data stored in the geotechnical database for the plain are divided into nine groups by the nearest neighborhood method. Assuming that the water level data at each boring site in a group has the same stochastic structure as the observation-well data in the group, general and regional fluctuation trends in water level under the plain are clearly shown. Furthermore, by using the trend-surface analysis of the water level, seasonal changes of the water-flow pattern are estimated.


This paper presents the results of tests conducted by the Saskatchewan Department of Highways and Transportation, using a Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) in pavement evaluation. The first part of this paper is an overview of available nondestructive testing procedures for pavement evaluation as well as available data analysis techniques and computer software. Data, analyses, and results of the Saskatchewan study are presented in the second part. Analyses performed included correlation between data from an FWD and those from the Benkelman Beam (BB) equipment and back calculation of layer material properties. For the covering entry of this conference, see IRRD abstract number 843191.


The N-cyanoethylation of substituted benzimidazole derivatives (I) proceeds fast and with high yields under microwave irradiation using K2CO3 as catalyst.


A Skyrme-type effective potential is determined to describe the interaction between $\Lambda$ hyperons in nuclear medium. Experimental data of the binding energies of the double-$\Lambda$ ($\Lambda\Lambda$) nuclei with mass numbers $A=10$--$13$ are used to fit the parameters of the $\Lambda\Lambda$ interaction. As a result of the fitting, we obtain eight different sets of the $\Lambda\Lambda$ interaction parameters, which reproduces the input data within 5\% deviation from the experimental data on average. The eight $\Lambda\Lambda$ interactions are plugged in the calculation of the heavier $\Lambda\Lambda$ nuclei and the neutron star equation of state to explore the issue of hyperon puzzle. We found that the $\Lambda\Lambda$ interaction, specifically, p-wave interaction makes the equation of state stiff enough that the maximum mass of the neutron star can be as large as, or above $2\;M_\odot$.


Abstract ATPase was solubilized with n-octylglucoside from plasma membrane-enriched fractions of mature cucumber roots. Partially purified ATPase was prepared by the centrifugation of an n-octylglucoside solubilized sample and reconstituted into proteoliposomes by the n-octylglucoside dilution method. Equilibrium density centrifugation showed that the densities of ATPase reconstituted into proteoliposomes and of ATPase from the native plasma membrane-enriched fraction detected by ATPase activity were 1.115 and 1.175 g cm−3, respectively. The ATPase reconstituted into proteoliposomes showed a high specificity for ATP as a substrate, while other nucleotides, pyrophosphate and p-nitrophenyl-phosphate were hardly hydrolyzed. The optimum pH of the reconstituted ATPase was 6.0 and the K m value for ATP was 0.23 mol m−3. The reconstituted ATPase was inhibited strongly by vanadate and DCCD but not by nitrate. The reconstituted ATPase was activated by various monovalent cations accompanying chloride anion but not ...


Digital Spatial Profiling (DSP) is a state-of-the-art method for multiplexed spatial profiling of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue samples. DSP combines compartmentalized tissue imaging, with photo-cleavable antibodies, and RNA probes for whole transcriptome analysis. Through DSP imaging, regions of interest (ROIs) can be selected for different compartments of kidney biopsies such as glomeruli or tubules, for RNA sequencing. In this preliminary study, we analyzed three kidney transplant biopsy samples, 32 ROIs total, measured with DSP and RNA sequencing by Nanostring GeoMX platform. Using traditional cell type convolution approaches, we found different abundance for mast cell resting, macrophages M1, and regulatory T cells between the graft loss status (FDR < 0.10). Principal component analysis was carried out for ROI clustering. Differential expression (DE) analysis was used to identify individual transcripts associated with graft loss, stratified by compartment types. These preliminary results suggest that DSP of FFPE tissue can be useful for the identification and quantification of specific cell types and molecular transcripts of interest. At the end of the talk, analytical challenges will be discussed on development of statistical methods for DSP data analysis. RECENT ADVANCES IN NEUROIMAGING STATISTICS FOR INVESTIGATING HUMAN


Modification is a change or improvement from the standard. Motorcycle modification is done on the engine or body. Modifications to motorcycle engines aim to increase power, torque or minimize fuel consumption. Therefore this study aims to create a mechanical device used to increase torque and power. One of the mechanical devices used is a ring with a difference in inner diameter. This study aims to create exhaust modifications with variations in inner diameter.

 The design of the tool uses variations in diameters of 18, 20 and 22 millimeters. The data produced after the study was conducted showed that the standard vixion 150 motorbike produced a maximum torque of 13.44 Nm at 6115 rpm. the use of Magic Ring on the market produces maximum torque of 13.77 Nm at 6,105 rpm. While the maximum torque produced by the modification of the Exhaust Manifold Inner diameter with 18 millimeters variation can produce a maximum torque of 14.36 Nm at engine speed of 6,063 rpm. Then in the modification of the Exhaust Manifold Inner diameter with a variation of 20 millimeters gets 14,15 HP of power at 6,101 rpm. While the maximum power produced by the modification of the Exhaust Manifold Inner diameter with variations in the dimensions of the ratio of 20 millimeters capable of producing 14 HP at 8413 rpm engine speed. Then for modification of the Exhaust Manifold Inner diameter with 18 millimeters variation produces the lowest power which is 13.8 HP at 8221 rpm. has a difference of 0.2 HP or about 1.45% with a modified Exhaust Manifold Inner diameter with a variation of 20 millimeters which has the best power.

 The results showed that the effect of changes in the dimensions of the inner diameter on motorcycle output was not directly proportional to the reduction of the inner diameter of the vixion 150 motorcycle. The best data was obtained in the inner diameter with a variation of 20 millimeters. And the best torque is found in the inner diameter with a variation of 18 millimeters.


Purpose The purpose of this study is to evaluate the increase in suicide rates for Kansas residents, as well as quantify the difference in suicide rates between men and women across the State of Kansas. Design/methodology/approach To evaluate increases in suicide rates, a joinpoint regression analysis was conducted to calculate the annual percentage change in suicide rates. To evaluate differences between sex characteristics, a one-way analysis of variance was conducted. Findings Results of a joinpoint regression analysis found that the annual percentage change in the suicide rates of Kansas did increase significantly between 2009 and 2018. Furthermore, the rate of suicide increase among women was greater than the suicide rate increases of men. Originality/value The value of this study provides context to the suicide literature that could allow for better local and statewide policy decisions.


The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of human capital on productivity of Non-life insurance business in Ethiopia with special reference to Ethiopian Insurance Corporation. The study adopted mixed type of research approach with arrangement of primary data collection via a cross-sectional survey questionnaire and secondary data from financial statement of Ethiopian non-life insurance business. The sample of this study was 95 employees of determined by Yamane's formula and selected using simple random sampling technique. The questionnaires were distributed to 82 employees of EIC and only 60 were completed and returned . The study used regression analysis technique and used STATA software package . The study finding revealed that human capital is positively and significantly affecting productivity in Ethiopian Insurance corporation. Therefore, the study recommends that an Ethiopian Insurance corporation should understand and develop better mechanism in this regard to increase productivity in the company.


THE LEARNING STRATEGIES
OF THE SECOND-GRADE STUDENTS OF STATE
JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL 2 OF WONOSARI KLATENIN RELATION
TO THEIR ENGLISH LEARNING ACHIEVEMENT
IN THE ACADEMIC YEAR OF 2009/2010
By
Anita Listyowati K.
05202244151
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study is to investigate the use of learning strategies by
second grade students of State Junior High School 2 of Wonosari Klaten. This
purpose is further specified into two objectives: (1) the extent of use of six
learning strategies categories by the students and (2) the relationship between the
students' use of learning strategies and their English learning achievement.
This study was categorized into a correlational study as it tried to
investigate the possibility of the relationships between only two variables. The
two variables in this study were learning strategies as the independent variable
and the students' English learning achievement as the dependent variable. The
subjects of the study were 234 second-grade students of State Junior High School
2 of Wonosari Klaten in the academic year of 2009/2010 (115 male and 119
female). The data of the study were gathered by using a questionnaire and
documentation. The questionnaire, consisting of 50 items, was taken from the
Strategies Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) version 7.0 (ESL/EFL)
developed by Oxford (1990). It was used to collect the data on the students'
learning strategies. Meanwhile, the documentation was used to see the students'
English learning achievement. Then, to analyze the descriptive data the researcher
used SPSS version 17.0 to find the mean and the standard deviation, while the
inferential analysis was investigated by using the Pearson Product Moment
formula.
The findings of the study show that (1) the use of Memory, Cognitive,
Compensation, Metacognitive, and Social Strategy by the students falls in the
fairly good category, while (2) the use of Affective Strategy is in the poor
category. The findings also show that (3) the learning strategy used most is the
Memory Strategy while the least used is Affective Strategy. (4) A positive and
significant correlation is found between the use of Memory, Cognitive,
Compensation, Affective and Social Strategies and the English learning
achievement. However, (5) Metacognitive Strategy individually does not have a
significant correlation with the English learning achievement.


CPRI and OBSAI as two industry standards dedicating to base station modularizing with open interfaces is introduced. Their effects on operators are analyzed from view points of purchasing cost, equipment management and application of new technology. CPRI interface's effects on operators'network constructing, maintenance, optimizing and reliability are analyzed deeply.


Directed by the theory and methods of geostatstics,we have researched industrial factors of No.X ore-body in Dachang tin deposit which located in Guangxi Province,and compared the factors with those advised by 215 Geology Group.The ore-body can become larger and richer by using the synthetic marginal grade.Then it is also important to use synthetic marginal grade on protecting environments and keeping sustainable developments.


The ideal management of cholecysto-choledocholithiasis is an open cholecystectomy (OC) with the common bile duct (CBD) exploration worldwide. The single setting 2-stage approachendoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST), and CBD clearance followed by laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) offers an advantage, mainly by reducing the hospital stay, the cost, and the morbidity. The Objective of the study is to compare the ERCP+LC single setting approach with an OC+CBD exploration for the treatment of cholecysto-choledocholithiasis. This is an interim analysis of 160 patients with 83 (51.9%) patients in ERCP+LC and 77 (48.1%) in an open procedure (OC+CBD exploration) group respectively. We did a prospective study in patients admitted for the management of the cholecysto-choledocholithiasis in the Department of Surgery at the Lumbini Medical College and Teaching Hospital from November 2012–October 2015. They underwent 2-stage ERCP+LC in a single setting and we compared them with 2-stage OC+CBD exploration in a single setting approach. The patients with the open procedure were our control group. All the included cases in the study were elective. The procedure was feasible in our hospital. Similarly, the hospital stay was significantly shorter in the ERCP+LC group; 3.92±0.719 days vs 10.30±1.557 days, p <0.05. There was a significant difference in the total morbidity of ERCP+LC group 7 (8.4%) vs 14 (18.2%), p <0.05. Here, wound infection in the ERCP+LC group was 2 (2.4%) vs 4 (5.2%) and there was one case of abdominal collection 1 (1.2%) which was managed symptomatically. The incidence of retained CBD stone in the ERCP+LC was 3 (1.2%) which was managed successfully with ERCP. In all the cases, postERCP amylase value was found to be within the normal limit. The result of our study suggests, single setting ERCP+LC at the peripheral-level hospital is feasible in terms of cost, length of hospital stay, morbidity and stone clearance. 1Department of Surgery, 1Lumbini Medical College and Teaching Hospital, Department of Surgery, Palpa 32500, Lumbini, 2Nepal Medical College Teaching Hospital, Attarkhel, Gokarneshwor-8, Kathmandu, Nepal, Chitwan Medical College Teaching Hospital, 3Department of Surgery, Bharatpur, Chitwan 44200, Nepal Corresponding author Dr. Nabin Pokhrel Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, Nepal Medical College Teaching Hospital Gokarneshwor-8, Kathmandu, Nepal Email: firstname.lastname@example.com Orcid ID: 0000-0002-8981-3336 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3126/nmcj.v22i1-2.30038


It is well known that sonic logs can be improved by using a petrophysical model to create a theoretical compressional and shear sonic. The measured sonic logs are only used as a guide. There are numerous techniques for doing this, although the most popular are the Xu, White and Keys model (Keys and Xu, Geophysics, 2002) and the Greenberg and Castangna method (Greenberg and Castangna, Geophysical Prospecting, 1992). These methods and most others require that the subject well be analyzed accurately for porosity, water saturation, and major lithologic and/or mineral components. Using the petrophysical analysis the compressional and shear moduli are built up step by step. First the moduli of the rock mixture are computed, then porosity is added to the mixture and finally the fluids are added using the Gassmann equation (Gassmann, F., Vierteljahrschrift der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft, 1951). The last step is to use the final Gassmann bulk and shear moduli to compute the compressional sonic log and the shear modulus to compute the shear sonic log. Sonic logs containing any fluid mixture can then be computed once this rock framework is built (Batzle and Wang, Geophysics, 1992). Past experience has shown us that measured sonic logs are subject to serious error due to borehole conditions and invasion. When the results of a petrophysical velocity model are used to compare wells to seismic or to build a rock strength model for pore pressure prediction or a well completion, the results are usually better than with the measured data alone. The best procedures for building these valuable models have yet to be agreed upon by the industry because the technology is still new. One of the debates is about how to add porosity and what porosity to use. Many petrophysicists prefer to use total porosity and dry clay volume to build their model. Others, like this author, prefer to use effective porosity and wet shale volume. The reasons behind this choice are presented. Introduction Petrophysical velocity modeling, to improve sonic logs and create better well ties to seismic sections, is important today for both AVO studies and seismic inversions. These petrophysical velocity models start with a petrophysical interpretation that describes the rock components. The interpretation provides the volumes of sand, shale, carbonate, etc. in the solid matrix, as well as the porosity of the rock and a description of the fluids filling the rock's pores. Using this description, compressional sonic velocity and shear sonic velocity are computed. Various methods can be used to make these calculations, but regardless of the method used great care must be taken to make sure that the volume definitions used in the petrophysical interpretation are the same as those used in the velocity model. This admonition is particularly important for the definitions of shale and porosity. Definition of wet shale Numerous techniques for producing and presenting petrophysical interpretations have been published over the years. All of these methods fall into two categories, the wet shale and effective porosity method and the dry clay and total porosity method. These are described graphically in Figure 1 (slide 2). In both models the total porosity is the same. The "Wet Shale" model, which can also be called a "Rock Model," divides the rock into two components: sand and shale. These are not minerals, but rock components. In this model the shale has bound water associated with it according to a shale porosity determined by the log response in a "type shale" chosen by the analyst. The effective porosity is the porosity that is in excess of the shale porosity("Phish"). The effective porosity portion of the rock has some irreducible water in it, associated with the sand and silt, that depends upon the height above the hydrocarbon water contact or the capillary pressure. The dry clay and total porosity method shown in the lower half of Figure 1 (slide 2) divides the rock into mineralogic clay (illite, kaolinite, etc.) and quartz and other sand grain forming minerals like feldspars. In this slide only quartz and clay are shown for simplicity. Clay-sized and silt-sized quartz are OTC 17643-PP Using Wet Shale and Effective Porosity in a Petrophysical Velocity Model Andy May, Kerr-McGee Oil & Gas


A major objection of Rioux and DeKock (1) is the statement in our earlier paper (2) that electron repulsion is responsible for the relative ionization energies of H and He. Their work clearly shows that a quantum mechanical treatment of this problem reveals that kinetic energy considerations play a crucial role in these values. However, although their criticism is appropriate in the context of this more sophisticated QM treatment, it does not in any way invalidate our original paper, the goal of which was to provide a model, namely the shell model, for the electronic structure of atoms that is consistent with experimental ionization energies. For this purpose it is not even necessary to discuss the difference in the ionization energies of H and He because it is only the large decrease in the first ionization energy from He to Li, indicating that the third electron in Li is at a much larger distance from the nucleus than are the electrons in He, that is relevant to deducing the shell model. Still, students...


People in their everyday life in midst the bustling schedule have developed taste for go-to nutritious food products such as, nutrition bars, nutrition cookies, flavored yogurts, protein shakes, sugar-free juices, fruit juices with additional vitamins, probiotic pickle, and flavored teas. With emergence of fortified food items, increase in health awareness and changed outlook of consumers, has made food industry to adopt fortification of beverages and common food like cheese, bread, and yogurt with herbal extracts. Plant extract are known to have antioxidant, anti-diabetic, antimicrobial, and anti-cancer properties. Fenugreek, for instance, are rich in polyphenols and this class of secondary metabolites have strong antioxidant capacity in comparison to vitamins and carotenoids. Current study aims at extracting polyphenols from fenugreek seeds (PFFS). Total phenol content of PFFS was estimated using Folin Ciocalteau Method and it was calculated to be 182 µg of GAE/ 5 mg of FPPS. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB), Lactococcus lactis cremoris was isolated from homemade yogurt. Isolated L. lactis cremoris culture was used to prepare yogurt fortified with polyphenol fraction extracted from fenugreek seeds. The antioxidant activity of fortified yogurt was determined qualitatively using DPPH assay which showed immediate change in color from purple to yellow which is indicative of free radical scavenging activity.


By the summer of 2004 Republicans had succeeded in branding Democratic challenger John Kerry a "flip-flopper." Less than a month before the election, that transformation seemed a fait accompli: as Rob Christensen noted in the Raleigh News & Observer, despite Kerry's Theodore Roosevelt-like "San Juan Hill moment ... in Vietnam," "the Republicans have saddled [him] with less rugged images of him wind-surfing, being vaguely French, and being the master of the flip-flop" (par. 11, 12). Queerly enough, among the issues Kerry was accused of flip-flopping on was gay marriage.1 Despite the applicability of "flip-flopper" to Bush himself in terms of policy (the creation of a 9/11 Commission and the creation of a Homeland Security Department, to name but two instances), this single sound byte typecast the presidential hopeful as indecisive, spineless, and unmanly. Setting aside Kerry's astute deconstruction of Bush's so-called certainty as bullheaded solipsism and of "flip-flopping" as altering one's course when reason and reality demand it, I would like to examine the gender stereotypes and homophobic rhetoric on which Republican strategists relied to denigrate Kerry in the public eye and to crystallize, by contrast, Bush's image as machismo nonpareil-the farthest thing from a limp-wristed flip-flopper one could ask for. The importance of understanding what the Republican National Committee (RNC) and their supporters accomplished in emasculating and queer baiting Kerry lies in its influence on the election's outcome, which itself can be measured not merely by pre-election polls and media coverage but also by the jarring resonance of campaign homophobia in postelection Republican policy. Queer baiting Kerry dovetails into baiting queers. Homophobic rhetoric is hardly a new phenomenon in American campaign politics; challenging the manliness of one's opponent has long been part of that mudslinging game, as has discrimination and intolerance against gays and lesbians. As Canadian journalist Stacy Lorenz observed on Election Day 2004, "a longer view of the gender rhetoric surrounding presidential elections reveals a preoccupation with manhood in much earlier periods" (par. 2). Of Lorenz's examples, the 1840 election contest between the incumbent president Martin van Buren and Whig challenger General William Henry Harrison is the closest parallel to the 2004 race. Despite Whigs' emphasis on their candidate's "manly virtues" (as a military hero from the 1811 Battle of Tippecanoe), Democrats dubbed him "Granny" Harrison, caricaturing him as "a senile, feeble old woman" (pars. 4, 7). In retaliation, Whigs attacked Van Buren as a "champagne-drinking aristocrat who wore ruffled shirts ... and ate fancy meals prepared by 'French cooks'" (par. 6). Aside, however, from the fact that being manly and being French have been opposed in the American imagination for more than a century, the 2004 campaign marks a definite advance in the use of gender rhetoric as mudslinging. Candidates in past presidential campaigns may have been mocked as insufficiently masculine (Adlai Stevenson was nicknamed "Adelaide"; James Buchanan, called a "granny of an executive" [pars. 13, 10]), but there are few if any previous instances in which a candidate's sexuality has been questioned-at least so openly and unabashedly. The stark and minatory innovation over previous campaign rhetoric is the convergence of politics as usual with a serious agenda for regulating public debate and codifying as law the erasure of queers from the civil and cultural landscape. A largely unbroken silence in public forums toward recent acts of censorship and intimidation makes the advance, whether downplayed as pandering or simply ignored as hollow rhetoric, additionally chilling. Looking back on the 2004 election, Riki Wilchins writes in The Advocate that "[g]ay rights, women's rights, and gender rights are now at the fulcrum of the culture wars just as black civil rights were in the 1960s and 1970s. …


Objective To investigate procalcitonin(PCT)and CRP as markers of systemic and localized bacterial infections.Methods The cases of infectious diseases were recruited retrospectively in a children' hospital. Severe sepsis, septicemia with positive blood culture were recruited as systemic bacterial infection group. Acute suppurative tonsillitis, urinary tract infection and pyogenic osteomyelitis and septic arthritis were recruited as localized bacterial infection group. Infectious mononucleosis, hand foot and mouth disease were recruited as viral infection group. The value and positive rates of serum PCT and CRP among these groups were compared. The receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC) was drawn for PCT and CRP to diagnose systemic and localized bacterial infections, and the sensitivity and specificity were evaluated and the area under roc curve (AUC) and 95%CI were analyzed.Results One hundred and forty eight cases were recruited, 19 in systemic bacterial infection group, 55 in localized bacterial infections group and 74 in viral infection group. ①The levels of serum CRP and PCT and the positive rate of PCT were lower in localized bacterial infection group than in systemic bacterial infection group(CRP: 21.35 vs 76.0 mg·L-1, P=0.001; PCT:0.10 vs 28.09 μg·L-1, 32.7% vs 100%, P0.001). The levels of serum CRP and the positive rate were higher in localized bacterial infection group than in viral infection group(21.35 vs 4.0 mg·L-1, P0.001; 73.1% vs 27.0%, P0.001). The levels and the positive rate of serum CRP were not significantly different in these two groups. There were no significant differences of WBC in three groups. The positive rate of WBC was higher in systemic bacterial infection group than in viral infection group(84.5% vs 54.0%,P=0.017),but no significant difference was found between systemic bacterial infection group and localized bacterial infection group. There were no significant differences between localized bacterial infection group and viral infection group.②In patients with localized bacterial infection, the level and the positive rate of serum PCT were higher in systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) group than non-SIRS group(0.40 vs 0.08, P =0.002; 60.0% vs 17.1%, P =0.001), but there was no significant difference in the level and the positive rate of serum CRP between two groups. ③The AUC of ROC was 0.99 for PCT and 0.84 for CRP to diagnose systemic bacterial infection. It was 0.54 for PCT and 0.78 for CRP to diagnose localized bacterial infection, respectively. Conclusions In our study, PCT was identified as a sensitive marker of systemic bacterial infection and localized bacterial infections progressing into sepsis. As an indicator of bacterial infection, CRP was batter than PCT in localized infections.


Management Information System (MIS) is a factor that supports the decision makings of business organizations. The competition between organizations is tight in terms of services offered these days. Therefore, implementing data analytics might be a unique technique to gain a competitive advantage by offering greater benefits and services to customers. Furry Tales Veterinary Clinic is one of the animal clinics in Quezon City that offers pet services. Some issues encountered by the company involve managing medicine supplies and inefficient customer management. Because of this, an MIS was developed to help the clinic in amending the processes. Health care organization like animal clinics collects, stores, and retrieves a large number of data. This study utilizes data analytics as a business strategic technique to help the Furry tales veterinary clinic in anticipating the needs of the pet owners based on the historical medical data of the pets. A predictive analysis was being used to determine the possible trends or outcomes in the future. The segmentation algorithm for Microsoft Power BI tool was applied to cluster and transform the data collected. Based on the result of evaluation and opinions from the respondents, it was proven that MIS and data analytics could be used as a strategy to help business companies increase their revenue.


Oxidation-reduction couples in concentrated solutions separated by appropriate ion selective membranes are an attractive approach to bulk electrical energy storage. A key problem is the developnent of the membrane. This report discusses four promising types of anienic membranes which were developed and evaluatd for the Redax Energy Storage System. The copoly rners af ethy leneglycoldimethacryhte w ;th either 2-viny lpyridine o r vinylbenzl chloride gave stable resistance values compared to the copolymer of vinylbemichloride and divinylbttxrzene which served a s the baseline ntembn.1~. A polyvinylchloride film aminated with tetraet\ylenepentamine had a low resistance J U ~ a high iron transfer rate. A slurry coated vinylpyridine had the h e s t iron t r a d e r wte. A l l t\ese membranes functioned well in laboratory cells at ambient t empra tures witb the acidic chloride oxidan:,'reductant system. Fe III, Fe I1 jTi m, Ti IV. 18 D~slrlbut~on Statement Membranes; Red ~x reactions STAR Category 44 ( 21 No of Pager 1 22 e j c e ' Unclassifiea 1 Unclassified I 1 I j ' For s?Iz 1; 'lie National Technical I n f a r ~ a l ~ o n S?: , r i ce Spr~: lg :~e:? ' J : ? , 1 ; 22151 ANION EXCHANGE MEMBRANES FOR ELECTROCHEMICAL OXIDATION-REDUCTION ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM by Patricia M. OtDonnell, Dean W. Sheibley ,


This paper describes an approach to resolving data inconsistencies in a distributed system environment. Data inconsistency is a common problem in any system, but it poses special problems in a distributed system because of the need to distribute data in duplicated and transformed form across various elements within the network. It is necessary to ensure the consistency of the data across these elements if the system is to function. Therefore, for operators and service providers pursuing a multi-vendor strategy, data consistency is a key component of system integration. Our solution to the problem of data inconsistency uses Extensible Markup Language (XML) to specify data relationships and an Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformation (XSLT)-based engine to audit the data and to align it across the elements. The solution is applicable to network, service, and business management systems.


This study aims to carry out a high-temperature exposure assessment for graphene oxide (GO) reinforced cement in terms of weight loss, flexural strength, and compressive strength. Different additive amounts of GO in cement are experimentally studied to unfold its effect on enhancing the mechanical performance of prepared GO reinforced cement. Temperatures are chosen as room temperature, 200, 400, 600, and 800°C, corresponding to different reaction status of cement. It is found that as the temperature increases, the water evaporates from the GO reinforced cement. Evaporated quantity of water relies on the reaction status, and the relation between weight loss and temperature is provided. Benefiting from the bonding effects of GO, hydrated calcium silicate hydrate (C–S–H) is chemically produced and, thus, a reticular bridging system, which is greatly helpful to enhance the flexural strength, is formed. Unlike flexural strength, adding GO into cement statistically has little effect on the compressive strength, except when the temperature rises up to 800°C due to the occurrence of decarburization from dehydration.


The perception of job insecurity is known to be a stressful condition for employees. Less is known about employment insecurity and the ways employees and their families deal with it. This study investigates whether participation in further training is a strategy that employees adopt to reduce perceived employment insecurity. As participation in further training is often costly and time-consuming, we assume that the family context is of importance for the decision to take part in further training. To take account of possible self-selection, we apply a propensity score matching procedure on longitudinal data from the Swiss Household Panel (2004-2013). Three main findings can be emphasized: first, participation in further training is not a strategy adopted particularly by employees who perceive high employment insecurity as they are less likely to train than their secure counterparts. Second, even though further training is not a strategy that is actively adopted, employees who train subsequently report lower levels of perceived employment insecurity. Third, the family context indeed influences the likelihood to train: partnered employees are more likely to train and preschool-aged children act as a constraint on women's but enhance men's participation in further training. Yet, in the context of high perceived employment insecurity, children generally reduce their parents' likelihood to train as the parents may turn to other strategies that reduce perceived employment insecurity.


The aim of this graduate thesis is to present the process of prevention and rehabilitation after the surgery of inguinal hernia by laparoscopic procedure (TEP). Within the process certain movements are used as basic therapeutic activity together with gradually increasing volume of work with remarks of proper exercising and breathing during training with the plan and program of kinesitherapy treatment. Recovery from such an injury with return into full work load takes 3 to 6 months with existing dangers from re-injuring in case of irregular, inadequate and excessive work in which case recovery extends and becomes more complicated. The goal of implementing kinesitherapy program is to enable a person through the process of preventive training and rehabilitation after injury or illness the best possible recovery and returning to the natural lifestyle and making it easier to perform daily duties. Movement is used as basic kinesiologic operator which therapeutically stimulates all the muscles affected by the surgery.


Abstract: Incubation of rat brain synaptosomes with xanthine and xanthine oxidase (X/XO) resulted in an inhibition of γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) uptake. The inhibitory effects of X/XO were temperature‐ and time‐dependent, and were characterized by an increased Km for GABA and a decresed Vmax. Inhibition of GABA uptake by X/XO was associated with both the formation of malonyldialdehyde (MDA) and conjugated dienes, indicating that lipid peroxidation was involved. Studies with catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), mannitol, and chelated iron suggested that hydroxyl radical (OH·) was probably responsible for the initiation of lipid peroxidation. Both the peroxidation of synaptosomal membranes and the inhibition of GABA uptake by X/XO were enhanced by the addition of ADP and FeCl2. The X/XO‐induced inhibition of GABA uptake by synaptosomes could be prevented by preincubation of synaptosomes with certain glucocorticoids prior to X/XO exposure. Methylprednisolone sodium succinate (MPSS), dexamethasone sodium phosphate (DMSP), and prednisolone sodium succinate (PSS) all prevented the inhibition of GABA uptake by X/XO. MPSS was most effective at concentrations around 100 μM, DMSP was slightly more potent, and PSS was optimal at around 300 μM. On the other hand, hydrocortisone sodium succinate (HCSS) was ineffective at preventing X/XO‐induced inhibition of GABA uptake at concentrations up to 3 mM. The steroids are presumed to work through a mechanism that blocked the formation of lipid peroxides, as MPSS inhibited the formation of conjugated dienes in synaptosomes exposed to X/XO at a concentration that also protected GABA uptake.


The Chengdu Huoshui Park was built in 1997.It is the first ecological park with a topic of water protection in the world.It displays the concept of "water treatment system in artificial wetland" and simulates "the natural vegetation of subtropics on Emei Mountain".Since then the system has been running for 10 years.In this paper,based on review of design,construction and operation of the project in Huoshui Park as well as problems in other artificial wetlands else,proposals are given as references for those who are engaged in design,construction and management of artificial wetland.


In global Web services selection, it involves to multi-objectives optimization and tradeoffs of diversified QoS criteria, therefore a suitable genetic algorithm is proposed to tackle the service selection problem. Since the QoS criteria are not always explicit and usually containing of fuzzy element, So this paper focuses on the relation between constraint satisfaction of fuzzy QoS criteria optimization and fitness evolution in multi-objective Web services selection and how to adjust the fuzzy QoS criteria of individual to fit for the evolution of population.


This study explores the best model for the quantitative inversion of soil salinity index in an area, and adapts the least squares support vector machines (LS - SVM) regression forecast method. A variety of index inversions is made in serious saline-alkali land in Daqing area, and decision-making method of binary tree is adopted to classify the saline-alkali by taking Songliao basin as an example. To have effective preventions and controls of saline-alkali land, based on hyperspectral data of the environmental mitigation Satellite( HJ - 1 A) we contrast the results of predictions between curve regression and least squares support vector machine (SVM) regression which are the two nonlinear regression modes in the prediction effects of salt content inversion. The results shows that the environmental mitigation satellite can be effectively used on the extraction about information aline-alkali land .The inversion model based on least squares support vector machine (SVM) is with highest accuracy; In RS, the method of decision binary tree can effectively be supported by using classifies saline-alkali lands. The results are accurate and reliable; Research shows that The salinization of Daqing area is serious, because the most parts of lands are alkalized soil, including mild alkaline lands , 345.03 km2、moderate alkaline lands ,1389.03 km2、and severe alkaline lands , 869.94 km2. The research has great significance for the prevention and cure of saline-alkali land and fast extraction information of saline-alkali land.


Virtual reality is considered a way to limit visiting activities. This study aims to reveal changes in actual activities into virtual activities based on perceived experience. A qualitative research design through a case study approach was used on VR service users at the Taman Pintar Museum and Play Both Mall Pakuwon. This research can reveal a person's experience after using VR services. Miles Huberman's analysis, combined with the semi-immersive method and the UTAUT model, is used in this study. The results found that fun is one of the driving factors for the acceptance of VR technology. At the same time, the condition of technology, social activities and interactions that are carried out become one of the obstacles. Even so, the use of VR services can be a way to stimulate user motivation


The carbon dioxide (CO2) methanation reaction not only provides a solution for mitigating the excessive carbon dioxide emissions but also can potentially be employed for the storage and transportat...


This research project was developed in Quevedo canton Decentralized Autonomous Government, in Los Rios province, it is public institution. The objetivo research project is the analysis of the management model to promote organizational culture of human talent Decentralized Autonomous Government Quevedo Canton disability. 2015. For its development was necessary to use the following metodos research such as: allowing tabular statistical information obtained in interviews, presenting them as tables; the cualitativo was applied to organize the data collected, transcribe to text, ie it was collected: documents, records, regulations, internal policies, descriptive data was processed from the words of the people, spoken or written, and behavior observable; the inductivo was applied to obtain the primary information of public servants, so that they know firsthand what the management model used, and how it works organizational culture for staff with disabilities and finally the deductivo was applied to the analysis of interviews conducted fieldwork in the Mayor and Head of Human Resource Management. Of the conclusions reached is that the model of administrative management of GAD Quevedo Canton, is a model of general management, organizational culture responds to competition models, involved in the political structure; have work incentives and economic incentives, but apparently not all share it. The staff provides care to disabled taxpayers who qualify very satisfactory level of care. Whereas the rights and obligations accorded to the human talent with GAD Quevedo Canton disability, adjustments have been made in infrastructure which facilitates access to facilities allowing them to function normally, efficiency and an adequate working environment


An automatic pickup unit, a control system comprising a pickup apparatus, the pickup machine base, with adjustable height on the thread guide post base and extracting machine, provided with a bottom tray, the tray plate in the thread guide post means is provided with a tray rack chassis and the pickup, the pickup unit further comprises a pickup chassis, boxes and rack pickup chassis connected by the tray bottom plate, said pickup body chassis member is provided with a take advancing arm, the tray device comprises a tray arm, the tray is provided with contact arm product tray is provided with a make contact product tray tray inverted and inverted cylinder control then stepping motors under the product tray moving contact product tray, in the ground product is provided with a bottom tray and weight sensor apparatus control system connected to the pickup. The present invention takes advantage of an automatic machine that can replace the member who operate, safe, stable, efficient, error or an error occurs and alarm will automatically pick machine.


A water plasmoid in atmospheric pressure air with an autonomous phase of ~500 ms is formed from a discharge above a water surface, which is powered only for 150 ms. The plasma ball has a diameter of ~20 cm and is often referred to as the ball lightning phenomena. High speed cameras and optical spectra are used for diagnostic purposes. An image of the initial phase reveals the formation of the plasma ball from the inner electrode with streamers above the water surface.


The ancestral cult overlaps with less "religious" idea systems of public memory and literary heritage. To tease out the religious webs preserved by the stele, the chapter first explains its physical and textual ancestors. It then presents three representative examples, the first dedicated to a man, the second to a woman, and the third to a child. Each grave stele maps out different kinds of webs, each giving shape to different kinds of posthumous identities. The stelae of the 2nd century AD are not the product of mono-causal evolution; they instead result from a confluence of several traditions of inscribed markers and mortuary implements. Eastern Han stelae must be seen in the context of increasing usage of stone in architectonic cemeteries as the dead gradually enjoyed a greater physical presence in the mundane landscape. This description demonstrates that the stele was nestled among numerous other stone mortuary objects. Keywords: ancestral cult; Eastern Han stelae; posthumous identities; public memory; religious webs


Introduction 1. The Milling Industry 2. Mill Numbers and Revenues 3. The Technology of the Late Medieval English Milling Industry 4. The Operation of Milling 5. Entrepreneurs 6. Workers and Customers Conclusion: The Late Middle Ages as an Era of Change? Appendices Bibliography Index


The bacterial model GLIC remains one of the best known among pentameric ligand-gated ion channels (pLGICs), regarding their structure. GLIC is activated at low extracellular pH, but no agonist compound is known. Van Renterghem et al. (under review; bioRxiv preprint) showed that short-chain dicarboxylates potentiate GLIC activity, with strict dependence on two carboxylate binding pockets, previously characterized by crystallography (Sauguet et al. 2013, Fourati et al. 2015, 2020). A "in series" model was proposed, with compound binding at the inter-subunit pocket [homologous to the pLGICs orthotopic neutotransmitter binding site], and with involvement of the intra-subunit (or vestibular) pocket in coupling binding to gating. Here we characterize saturated, mono-carboxylates as negative modulators of GLIC, as previously shown for crotonate (Alqqazzaz et al. 2016). Butyrate and crotonate have indistinguishable properties regarding negative


Ideally, binary-collision algorithms conserve kinetic momentum and energy. In practice, the finite size of collision cells and the finite difference in the particle locations affect the conservation properties. In the present work, we investigate numerically how the accuracy of these algorithms is affected when the size of collision cells is large compared with gradient scale length of the background plasma, a parameter essential in full-$f$ fusion plasma simulations. Additionally, we discuss implications for the conserved quantities in drift-kinetic formulations when fluctuating magnetic and electric fields are present: we suggest how the accuracy of the algorithms could potentially be improved with minor modifications.


Perfluoroalkyl iodides react directly with trialkylbismuth compounds at 100°C to form dialkylperfluoroalkyl- and alkylbisperfluoroalkylbismuthines. These previously unknown compounds decompose below their boiling points. They are readily oxidized and may be hydrolysed by aqueous alkali, liberating the appropriate fluorocarbon. Halogens rapidly split off both alkyl and perfluoroalkyl groups. Whereas interconversion of the mixed alkylperfluoroalkyl compounds readily occurs, attempts to form the fully perfluoroalkylated bismuth compounds have been unsuccessful. Vapour pressure-temperature and infrared spectral data are presented and discussed.


Evandra -2, located within the L1 production license, will be side-tracked from the existing Evandra-1 wellbore at a depth of approximately 1,900 metres. The side-track is designed to test the oil potential of the Dongara reservoir over the Evandra structure. The Evandra-1 well, drilled in 2005 did not intersect the Dongara reservoir, with the prognosed reservoir interpreted to have been faulted out at the well location. However, Evandra-1 did encounter an oil column in the underlying tight Wagina Sandstone. This reservoir tested oil at low production rates Additional prospectivity has been identified in the close proximity to the side-track location. This prospectivity is also dependent on the presence of Dongara reservoir in the area. AWE Limited (via subsidiaries) is sole-risking the sidetracking operation and will fund 100% of the work program.


The strategy of any organization is based on the growth of its customer base, and one of 5 its principles is that selling a product to an existing customer is much more profitable than acquiring 6 a new customer. However, this approach has several opportunities for improvement, since it usu- 7 ally has a totally reactive approach, which does not give opportunity to the areas specialized in 8 customer experience and recovery, to give an effective response for that moment, since the customer 9 is gone at the time of the intervention. This happens because usually a diagnostic analysis of cus- 10 tomers who have stopped buying products or services in a defined period, commonly three (3) pe- 11 riods or months, is performed. This paper challenges the way to face this problem, and proposes 12 the development of a complete solution, which does not focus exclusively on the prediction of 13 churn, as is usually done in the state of the art research, but to intervene in different interactions 14 that can be carried out with customers. The above focused not only to prevent customer churn, but 15 to generate an added value of continuous improvement in sales processes, increase customer pene- 16 tration, leading to an improvement in customer experience and consequently, an increase in cus- 17 tomer loyalty.


Optionality and opacity pose obvious challenges for the child learning the morpho-phonology of their ambient language. In both cases, the already non-trivial task of identifying the phonological processes active in the language and their scope of application is made harder by the fact that these processes are not immediately recognizable from the surface forms observable by the child. Consider, for example, the case of optional word-final liquid deletion in French, discussed by Dell (1981): a word-final liquid may optionally delete (e.g., tabl ∼ tab 'table'), though only after an obstruent (thus, e.g., parl ∼ *par 'speak'). The relevant process can be stated as follows:1


The present relates to an apparatus and a method for recovering lithium. The present invention comprises a first electrode on which an absorbent is coated including manganese oxide on the surface of a carrier; a second electrode with applied electricity which is dipped into liquid containing the lithium and is placed facing the first electrode at a distance; and a power supply device which applies a positive pole to the first electrode and a negative pole to the second electrode after applying the negative and positive poles to the first and second electrodes. The invention is provided with excellent energy and economic efficiency as well as making the apparatus with a large size since the lithium is attached to the absorbent of the first electrode by applying electricity to the first and second electrodes with the second electrode which is dipped into the liquid containing the lithium and faces the first electrode in which the absorbent containing the manganese oxide is coated on the surface of the stainless container formed into a wire mesh or punching plate.


Stung repeatedly by charges that it has not been taking proper care in keeping pollutants out of the environment, the Department of Energy has begun an ambitious five-year plan of environmental assessment and cleanup. The program includes an applied R&D project on environmental remediation. Outlined in a letter to members of Congress late last month from Energy Secretary James D. Watkins, the program focuses on waste management operations, inactive waste site cleanup, and corrective actions needed for all DOE operating facilities. Watkins also announced his appointment of Leo Duffy as a new special assistant for coordination of DOE defense waste management. Duffy was formerly vice president and project director for nuclear services with the engineering firm Roy F. Weston Inc. "I intend to personally involve myself in these programs," Watkins says. "Priority attention will be given to the department's waste management environmental corrective actions to ensure compliance with all applicable federal and sta...


Taking coal combustion products from two coal-fired power plants in Shandong as example,the environmental impact assessment method of heavy metals in coal combustion products was studied.4 heavy metals of As,Cu,Zn,Pb,Hg in raw coal,fly ash,bottom ash of the power plants were determined.The leaching rate of heavy metals in the coal combustion products were determined by immersion test.Atmospheric pollution index,water pollution index were calculated.The results showed that the volatility of the heavy metals in the coal during coal combustion is high.The integrated pollution indices of the heavy metals in the coal from the two plants to atmospheric environment are 6.83 and 7.93,which belong to heavy pollution indices.The integrated pollution indices of heavy metals in the coal-fired products to water environment are 4.35 and 3.38 respectively,belonging to heavy pollution indeces.


All experiments made with care in the different countries where the system of separate confinement is in operation have proved by experience that none of the dangers or disadvantages attributed to it by its opponents exist; that on the contrary it satisfies in every particular not only the requirements of justice but all the necessary considerations for physical, mental and moral well-being of the prisoners.


There are three different types of activities performed in higher education institutions that, taken together, form the components of a trilemma in higher education. These include traditional academic activities (research and teaching), along with those that aim to transfer knowledge beyond academic research (policy-/industry-oriented activities). I argue that there are potential synergies across these three components that can be exploited to resolve this trilemma. This is illustrated in an augmented research value chain that introduces teaching and policy-/industry-oriented activities as phases that complement the research process. The interaction of the different phases in the research process contributes to the generation of new knowledge, increasing the value-added of the organization. This proposal relies on an application in an organizational unit specializing in international trade within an Australian university. Australia provides an interesting case study because research-intensive Australian universities are no longer evaluated purely in terms of their research quality, but also in terms of their transfer of knowledge and contributions beyond academic research. In this context, I conceptualize how to resolve the trilemma, and increase the feasibility of bridging the gap between academic and policy-/industry-oriented activities in higher education institutions.


Some hemipteran xylem and phloem-feeding insects have evolved specialized alimentary structures or fi lter chambers that rapidly transport water for excretion or osmoregulation. In the white fl y, Bemisia tabaci , mass movement of water through opposing alimentary tract tissues within the fi lter chamber is likely facilitated by an aquaporin protein. B. tabaci aquaporin-1 (BtAQP1) possesses characteristic aquaporin topology and conserved pore-forming residues found in water-speci fi c aquaporins. As pre- dicted for an integral transmembrane protein, recombinant BtAQP1 expressed in cultured insect cells localized within the plasma membrane. BtAQP1 is primarily expressed in early instar nymphs and adults, where in adults it is localized in the fi lter chamber and hindgut. Xenopus oocytes expressing BtAQP1 were water permeable and mercury-sensitive, both characteristics of classical water-speci fi c aquaporins. These data support the hypothesis that BtAQP1 is a water transport protein within the specialized fi lter chamber of the alimentary tract and functions to translocate water across tissues for maintenance of osmotic pressure and/or excretion of excess dietary fl uid. Published by Elsevier Ltd.


Because of the global financial crisis it is getting more and more difficult for the banking system of any state to generate its deposits. The interruptions of this process have a negative effect on the stability and efficiency of the real sector of economy. The choice of the sources that can be involved in ensuring stable work mainly depends on policies of credit institutions. The authors analyze the dynamics of absolute value and structure of personal deposits in commercial banks of the Russian Federation in 2008-2012, their growth rate, structure and dynamics of changes in personal deposits depending on the time and amount of deposits. The article also studies the changes in percentage of personal deposits placed in foreign currency and trends of commercial banks to increase interest on personal deposits. The scientific findings of the study are the identification of major trends in the development of the main source of credit institutions' resource base in times of relative stability of the Russian Federation banking system and the determination of the key factors that influence the growth of this source. The article emphasizes the fact that in the market economy in times of financial crisis personal monetary funds can become credit institutions' resource base in case of active government support of credit institutions stability and smart interest rate policy.


Heavy metals accumulation has negative effects on plant growth and yields, especially in leguminous sensible species, as well as on soil processes, such as nutrients cycling, humification or degradation of various pollutants. Under the impact of heavy metals, inoculation with effective N2-fixing bacterial strains could positively influence plant development and soil processes. A greenhouse experiment has been carried out in order to assess changes in growth and nodulation of pea plants, cultivar CORINA inoculated with Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. leguminosarum strain Mz 805, under the influence of growing concentrations of cadmium in soil (1ppm, 3ppm and 30ppm), as compared with non-inoculated plants and non-polluted control. The paper presents the results concerning the effect of cadmium on plant growth, nodulation parameters and yields at main developing stages. These parameters significantly decreased when cadmium increased. The values of regression coefficients calculated were higher in non-inoculated variants than in inoculated ones. Chromatography revealed that in rhizosphere of pea plants inoculated with strain Mz 804, composition of humus fractions THAC, TFAC and FAC I was modified by the different nature of root exudates.


A variety of basic research methods focused on community practice organizations have been demonstrated over the last three decades. This article reviews the highlights of this history by examining comparative analysis, quantitative analysis, qualitative study, and historical research methods. A systematic description and analysis of nine specific research methods, including their purpose, stage of knowledge development, and feasibility, are provided. Documentation of this rich history of creative and feasible research methods should serve to stimulate further work on community practice research methods.


In this letter, we demonstrate that random Brownian forces can be used for effective trapping and manipulation of nanoparticles and molecules on surfaces in the presence of strong temperature modulation. Substantial (~ 2 orders of magnitude) increase in the modulation of particle concentration (trapping efficiency) compared to thermophoresis in a bulk medium is predicted and explained by a periodic potential of interaction between a particle/molecule and the crystalline surface. As a result, a new nanofabrication and manipulation technique for creating optically-induced complex surface structures with nano-scale resolution below tens of nanometers is proposed and developed.


Two imido derivatives of U(IV), Cp*2UCl(NSPh2) (1; Cp* = pentamethylcyclopentadienyl) and Cp*2U(NSPh2)2 (2), have been prepared in high yield from Cp*2UCl2 and LiNSPh2. Alternatively, 1 and 2 can be synthesized by treating Cp*2UCl[(CH2)2PPh2] with anhydrous HNSPh2. Cp*2U(NSPh2)2 is the first structurally characterized uranium bis(sulfilimide) complex. Its short U−N distance suggests significant uranium−imido multiple-bond character.


Electrochemical measurement of corrosion involves imposition of electrical perterbation in the form of potential or current on the test specimen and measuring its response. A potentiostat is most frequently used for this purpose. The present paper describes a menu driven user friendly software developed for corrosion analysis by interfacing the potentiostat with PC-AT. The system
was developed around a laboratory developed potentiostat and a PC/AT 486.The interface between the two was devel-oped using a PC plug in PCL 208A card with nominal speci-fications : AD 16 ch., DA 2ch, res 12 bits, max. frequency 100 KHz. The DA channels were modified for bipolar output and fine turfing of potential. Corrosion rates are measu-red by (i) linear polarisation, (ii) Tafel analysis and (iii) increasing pulse polarisation. The corrosion rate is calculated using Stern Greary equation with Rp measured
from the polarisation data and known tafel slopes. Alterna-tively it is calculated using a nonlinear least square alg-orithm. Besides corrosion measurement the system is also used for other experiments like potentiodynamic polari-sation, pitting, cyclic voltametry, EPR and transients. The specification for the present system are : control potential range ±2V, resolution 0.488 mV, current sensit-ivity 0.1 uA, scan rate 0.26 uVlsec to 20 Vlsec, pulse potential 1.2 mV to 5V, pulse time 250 ms. to 72 mins. Completely arbitrary waveform can be generated and imposed on specimens. The software has facility for preview of
potential wafeform, simultaneous display of acquired potential/current data, drawing of lines and tangents, data viewing and editing and calculation of different corrosion and electrochemical parameters.


Thus what we have here is a collection of islands, some high, some low, some with rather intcresting topography, and somc whose landscape is rather legalistic and bleak. Each could have served the author-and the scholarly and legal community as well-as a contribution to a particular legal journal. For example, I cannot help but think how much the Journal of Afi-ican Law, offtimes markcd by a thinness of contributions, might have benefited had the pieces on African law been printed there instead. After all, there are few comparatists who dare to range over such a wide


Summary Antimacrophage serum inhibited the ability of specific antigens to induce blast transformation of previously sensitized circulating lymphocytes, without altering their response to nonspecific mitogens.


The concept design for long railway bridges shall take into consideration the need to balance imposed deformations of the deck, due to thermal effects, shrinkage and creep in concrete and composite structures and induced stress effects in the rails. The need to reduce the number of rail expansion devices requires moderate lengths of continuous superstructures and so the introduction of expansion joints in the deck. In seismic zones, the concept design of the bridge shall balance the advantage of short continuous lengths of the superstructure, to reduce track-structure interaction effects, with the inconvenient of transferring the seismic forces to a limited number of piers. Of course, the use of seismic devices to dissipate energy, reducing the seismic actions on piers and foundations, is nowadays a usual solution to overcome these difficulties. The bridge design shall take into consideration a variety of other variable actions inducing stresses in the rails due to longitudinal displacements, namely associated to braking forces and vertical actions. Due to the continuity of the rails on the structural expansion joints, the deformations of the deck induce stresses in the rails that need to be checked. The main design criteria are now specified in Eurocode 1 – Part 2. The concept design for two long railway bridges, located in seismic zones, is discussed in the present paper. Prestressed concrete and steel-concrete composite superstructures are considered. To check track-structure interaction, a numerical model based on EC1-Part 2 and UIC 774-3 was developed and results are presented for one of these viaducts.


Objective: To explore the protective effect of Apostichopus japonicus on the kidney of streptozotocin(STZ)-induced diabetic rats and its possible mechanisms.Methods: A diabetic rat model was developed by a single intraperitoneal injection of STZ at the dose of 60 mg/kg and kidney damage was induced by long-term high levels of blood glucose.The diabetic rats were administered with Apostichopus japonicus at the daily dose of 800 mg/kg for 8 consecutive weeks.The changes in fasting blood glucose,urine glucose,renal index,and the excretion amounts of urine protein,mAlb and NAG were determined.The mRNA expression of peroxisome proliferation activated receptor-γ(PPARγ),transforming growth factor beta 1(TGF-β1) and connective tissue growth factor(CTGF) in kidney were assessed by RT-PCR.Results: Apostichopus japonicus showed remarkable a suppressive effect on fasting blood glucose,uric glucose,kidney index and the excretion amounts of protein,mAlb and NAG in diabetic rats.The expression level of PPARγ mRNA was markedly increased,while the mRNA expression levels of TGF-β1 and CTGF were effectively suppressed by Apostichopus japonicus.Conclusion: Apostichopus japonicus can remarkably reduce blood glucose through improving the expression of PPARγ and restraining the expression of TGF-β1 and CTGF,which results in a protective effect on kidney damage.


Communication within an organization is of the utmost importance since through it the strategies are deployed in order that all its workers reach the company objectives.
The objective of this investigation is to analyze how this internal communication relates to the satisfaction of the employees and their superiors of the Piedras Negras Coahuila car dealership.
This study is descriptive and correlational, a survey was used to collect the perceptions of all employees if the company.
The result of the investigation shows that the employees are satisfied with the internal communication that takes place between the same colleagues as well as with their superiors


The authors are evaluating ultrafine particle (UFP) catalysts in slurry-phase with the aim to develop active and selective synthesis of hydrocarbons and oxygenates. The selected particle size (< 100 nm) represents a boundary between homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis. Two Fe-based materials with mean particle diameter (MPD) of 3 nm and 50 nm were selected and initially tested for Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) synthesis. Mossbauer and Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) measurements were carried-out on quenched catalyst samples. The correlation between spectroscopic data and catalyst performance is discussed.


A good estimate of the length of stay (LOS) of elderly people in institutional long-term care (ILTC) is essential to both care providers (care home owners) and purchasers (local authorities in the UK) in order to forecast their resource availability and future requirements. Existing methods usually rely on cohort data, which needs to be collected on a continuous basis for several years and are often not available electronically. In this paper we develop an approach based on multi-census data to fit a Markov model in continuous-time for the LOS of elderly people in ILTC (residential and nursing care). We use 3 year placement data provided by London Borough of Merton Social Services to compare the estimates of the model parameters obtained using multi-census data with those derived from cohort data, hence to validate the multi-census approach in this context. The implications of the proposed multi-census approach and its advantages in the context of long-term care planning are discussed.