Money is the life-blood of any modern market-oriented economy. The level of money supply - the quantity and velocity of money circulated in such an economy would determine its health. The central issue in managing the economy is to understand how money supply is determined. The history of modern monetary economics actually has witnessed the emergence of two opposing views pertaining to the role of central bank in controlling the supply of money in an economy. A group of economists, known as monetarists, under the influence of Milton Friedman, contended that money supply in an economy is exogenously determined. Post Keynesian however holds the view that money supply is endogenously rather than exogenously determined. Examining the theory of endogenous money as well as empirical work, the present paper has found that money supply in several countries is endogenously determined.


The anti-ulcer activity of Leucas lavandulifolia (Labiatae) has been carried out in albino rats. First of all study on small group of animals was conducted to know the approximate ulcer protective activity of various solvents extracts of the plant. Finally, the methanolic extract was selected out and taken for final study. Anti-ulcer activity of methanolic extract of the herb was studied in rats, in which gastric ulcers were induced by oral administration of indomethacin (20 mg/kg) followed by pylorus ligation method. The extract was administered in the dose of 100 and 200 mg/kg intraperitonially to the test group of animals for 3 consecutive days and on fourth day pylorus part of their stomach was ligated. After four hours of ligation, the rats were subjected for ulcer index and gastric acid evaluation. The reduction of ulcer index as well as gastric acid output in extract treated animals was found to be statistically significant with respect to control animals. The extract exhibited ulcer protection activity in dose dependent manner. Misoprostol was used as standard drug for ulcer protection.


Accurate and precise satellite radiance measurements are important for data assimilations in numerical weather prediction models and for climate-change detection. After the successful launch of the infrared atmospheric sounding interferometer (IASI), several studies have indicated that the IASI radiance measurements are well calibrated and maintain superb spectral and radiometric calibration accuracy. Owing to its hyperspectral nature and high-quality measurements, the IASI radiance can serve as a relative reference to independently assess the radiance measurements of broad- or narrow-band instruments that share the same spectral region. In this paper, we demonstrate the utility of the IASI radiances to evaluate the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) infrared (IR) channel measurements. The coregistered AVHRR pixels inside each IASI pixel are averaged spatially. We then compared the spatially averaged radiance from AVHRR IR channels with IASI by convolving the IASI-measured spectra with the AVHRR spectral response functions. It was found that, statistically, the temperature observed from AVHRR channels 4 and 5 is slightly warmer than that in IASI for the brightness temperature (BT) range of 200 K-300 K. The mean BT difference (IASI minus AVHRR) is less than 0.4 K with a standard deviation of ~0.3 K for AVHRR channels 4 and 5. The BT difference between IASI and AVHRR IR channels is scene-temperature dependent for both channels 4 and 5, which is probably caused by the nonlinearity of the AVHRR detectors. Both AVHRR channels 4 and 5 show slight scan-dependent bias with maximum differences of approximately ~0.2 K (with AVHRR being warmer than IASI) at both ends of the scan.


This chapter explores what it means for a person from one religious tradition (Buddhism) to work at an institution committed to a different tradition (Christianity). In what ways can the individual and the institution make space for each other, and what might transpire as a result? The author begins by presenting her own story of negotiating these issues, demonstrating that attention to both diversity and institutional identity is necessary to provide for meaningful interfaith encounters. The chapter then provides two concrete examples of the advantages that can accrue in the vocationally significant areas of academic advising and teaching the general education curriculum. The chapter's overall theme is that of "response-ability": not simply responsibility in the usual sense, but an ability and a willingness to respond thoughtfully in all situations—and particularly in the religiously diverse context of higher education today.


E-agriculture is vital for supporting the development in agricultural sector. Before developing any e-agriculture technology, it is essential to measure e-readiness as it will be an indicator to foresee the application of the developed technology. This has necessitated the concept of e-readiness. The literature has not yet adequately assessed the farmers' e-readiness level due to a lack of contextually appropriate assessment tools. This study aims to identify factors that contribute to measure e-readiness of farmers in Sri Lanka and constructing and standardising a scale that can be used to quantitatively score e-readiness across each of these factors. The study utilized the criteria 8Cs developed by Rao and embraced a structured literature review approach to identify measurement items to 8Cs. To finalise the statements, the study used mean value and Kendall's coefficient of concordance. The analysis of the literature demonstrates that most of the indicators of e-readiness related to technology infrastructure, human skills, people and accessibility and connectivity. However, the challenge is to construct a comprehensive model that would incorporate all the major driving forces of an economy that would directly effect on the improvement of e-agriculture. We proposed 89 independent measures across eight factors. This paper provides a first attempt to conceptualise the scale to quantify the e-readiness of farmers in Sri Lanka utilizing the criteria 8Cs. The proposed assessment framework would rectify the areas excluded by the existing e-readiness tools and provide a more inclusive foundation for measuring and monitoring e-readiness in agricultural community. The study will be useful to know farmers' preparedness and ability to use technological devices. The e-readiness measurement will be utilized to evaluate the farming community's readiness to engage in e-activities such as e-commerce, e-learning and e-government.


This essay aims to describe the basic elements required to facilitate an inclusive form of higher education for students with special educational needs, from the perspective of functional diversity. Throughout the study, the concept of disability undergoes a rigorous examination. This paper reveals a number of findings that enable the formation of practical models that address the distinct dimensions underpinning a process of social inclusion in the university environment. Of course, in order to implement such changes, a major collaborative effort would be called for. The study does not overlook the difficulties and obstacles that must first be overcome in order to achieve the successful implementation of the inclusive models outlined in the articles consulted. Having support for people with special needs would allow inclusion process which maintains the high requirement for the preparation of competent and qualified professionals.


Energy is an essential ingredient for socioeconomic development and economic growth country. Energy is available in two different forms, fast depleting or non-renewable (coal, fuel, natural gas) and renewable (solar, wind, hydro etc.). In fact, one of the biggest sources of energy is all around us all of the time, the wind. Every year the number of installed wind power plants in the world increases. Vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT) are capable of producing a lot of power, and offer many advantages for small-scale and domestic applications. One drawback of Darrieus Type VAWT is their inability to reliably self-start at a low tip speed ratio [1]. The main purpose of the study described here is to investigate the effect of different designparameter on performance evaluation of SB-VAWTs.


Brokers or middlemen have been called a key element in preindustrial economic development, facilitating the exchange of goods within the domestic economy and opening rural production systems to foreign markets. Though Chinese society historically boasted a vigorous brokerage system, many studies of Chinese brokers have viewed them as obstacles to the development of entrepreneurship and capitalist transformation. China's brokers were limited, it is argued, by larger structural constraints—the bonds of custom and community, a preindustrial mode of production, a particular form of state organization and ideology—that inhibited entrepreneurial activities. This view is best reflected in the writings of Marxist historians who claim that brokers in China's presocialist society were an integral part of a feudal system in which landlords and the state dominated the peasant/worker economy, preventing the flowering of the "capitalist sprouts" shooting forth from China's towns and villages.


IntroductionAccording to Eric Clemons, professor of operations, information and decisions at Wharton, "the key is to create a 'forgetting organization'" (Knowledge@Wharton, 2015). In other words, an organization which is willing to question entrenched beliefs and "discover how technology can disrupt them".The recent Toyota express maintenance television commercial is different, in that it focuses on after-sales service-60-min quality service, less than the time it takes for a lady to get ready; rather than selling the product-a Toyota vehicle. And this, when an automobile is as hard a product as can get. That is how important good customer service is.The service industry, on the other hand, is a nebulous one, as the product on offer is an abstract entity. This implies that marketing of such products is a bigger challenge than selling tangible products. Since the product itself is intangible, companies differentiate themselves by price, waiting time and the overall experience of the customer (Allon and Federgruen, 2007). Insurance-life and general-is one such product. The current business scenario is exciting; at the same time it is challenging. The pace of economic growth has created a burgeoning middle class with disposable income to invest in and acquire assets that require protection. The service sector has been the most vibrant sector, contributing almost 66.1% of gross value-added in 2015-16, also becoming an important net foreign exchange earner and the most attractive sector for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows for India (Press Information Bureau, 2016).In a highly competitive and dynamic business environment, insurance companies can no longer survive on a policy-based model. Insurance companies need to shift focus from product to a more customer-centric approach in order to be sustainable. Inability to respond to the changing needs of customers will lead to 'marketing myopia'. Service marketers are aware that 'retaining' existing customers is more critical than 'acquiring' new customers, which implies that there are negative effects of customers switching from one service provider to another, on both market share and profitability (Keaveney, 1995).The problem is compounded by the current troubled financial markets and economic uncertainty. Customers across the world have lost faith in financial products, and this has led to a drastic change in customer behavior and attitude. But what are the drivers of profitability from the customer perspective? Harnessing the customer data available may well answer this question.The insurance industry in India has a mix of both private and public sector organizations. The insurance sector is divided into two: (1) Life Insurance; and (2) General Insurance.The insurance sector has progressed a great deal since the first Oriental Life Insurance Company started in 1818. Currently, there are 24 life insurance companies and 28 general insurance companies, including five stand-alone health insurance companies. The largest life-insurance company in India, Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), is still owned by the government. Till the 1990s, the insurance sector was dominated by LIC and General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC) along with its four subsidiaries. In 2000, the Government of India allowed private companies and FDI up to 26%. In March 2015, in a rare case of consensus and a historic moment, the new National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, with the support of the congress, ratified the enhanced 49% cap on FDI, leading to speculation that this amendment can result in investments up to ?60,000 cr ($10 bn) and create as many as 1,18,000 new jobs.The entry of foreign players created a vibrant market, with the hitherto monopolistic public sector players joining the race with renewed fervor. Despite the insurance companies' efforts to attract and retain customers and the government's impetus, the insurance sector, once considered a sunshine sector, has not shown the promise it could have. …


Device (10) comprising cutting; a) a pivoting element (50) including an arm (56) activation; b) a blade (30) cutting; c) an element (72) flexible spring connecting said blade (30) with said element (50) pivotally; d) cam elements of a size and shape coacting with said element (72) resorteflexible to move said blade (30) from a position precut to and passing through a position alo Slit a substantially parabolic path after the movement of said arm (56) of activation, characterized in that: e) the device (10) cutting further includes a housing (160) having a first element (175) arrest and f) said member (50) pivotally includes plus a second arm (60) relatively flexible having a pawl (180) configured to engage the first element (175) stopping the blade (30) in the deprecorte position, the element (50) pivoting being arranged to pivot within the housing in response to laactivacion arm (56) activation by a user applies a force that causes deflection of the arm (60) flexibly to a deflected position for the pawl (180) disengages from the first stop element, permitiendode thereby the blade (30) cutting move through the cutting position by the flexible delbrazo aided action (60) returning from the deflected position.


In this paper, we develop an ontology-based 3D audio metadata management system. We also define an ontology hierarchy structure for 3D audio metadata. Conventional audio metadata databases (DBs) have to be worked with manually to search and manage the metadata, because audio metadata is not indexed and not supported by most systems. To solve this problem, we propose a 3D audio metadata database management system (DBMS). In the experiment section, we show the feasibility of our system.


A lot of Italian old town centers are wilderness because of their inability to adapt to the different ways of contemporary living and it represents an urgency that needs compelling solutions. This essay shows the importance of the fieldwork and the involvement of the persons to renew the forsaken town centers through the example of the Farm Cultural Park, a driving force of a cultural, social and economical rebirth of the Sicilian town of Favara.


A spin-orbit qubit is a hybrid qubit that contains both orbital and spin degrees of freedom of an electron in a quantum dot. Here we study the exchange coupling between two spin-orbit qubits in a nanowire double quantum dot (DQD) with strong spin-orbit coupling (SOC). We find that while the total tunneling in the DQD is irrelevant to the SOC, both the spin-conserved and spin-flipped tunnelings are SOC dependent and can compete with each other in the strong SOC regime. Moreover, the Coulomb repulsion between electrons can combine with the SOC-dependent tunnelings to yield an anisotropic exchange coupling between the two spin-orbit qubits. Also, we give an explicit physical mechanism for this anisotropic exchange coupling.


Diabetes Mellitus has become a severe hazard to public health, which has a higher incidence, morbidity and mortality.It is explored in this paper the feasbility that could effectively treat the disease by comparison of directing effects on Diabetes Mellitus therapeutics between Western and Traditional Chinese Medicine's(TCM) grouping and phasing. TCM stress concept of entirety and individual treatment, Western Medicine lay stress on group treatment and can improve metabolic disorder rapidly.It is feasible to establish effective treatment strategy of Diabetes Mellitus and complications by making advantage of integrated TCM and Western Medicine.


This report describes a hybrid simulation developed at the Hybrid Computation Department of the Delft University of Technology Computation Center in response to an order of the Dutch blast-furnaces and steel-mills industry, Hoogovens IJmuiden B.V., at IJmuiden, the Netherlands. The system to be simu lated is the gas-transport system used to carry blast furnace exhaust gases into a neighboring thermal power plant where the gas is used for the generation of electricity. The simulation is based on the use of the directional-difference method, which is used to solve the hyperbolic partial differential equa tions describing tube flow. Some attention is also devoted to the analysis of boundary values, and the approach toward a solution for this particular flow problem is outlined. The hybrid model is based on the cell-multiplexed method. The simulation showed that the system as originally designed could be marginal in certain respects. Some design changes were therefore incorporated in the simulation and it was rerun until a satisfactory operational performance of the gas-transport system was reached. The Hybrid Computation Department facility used for the implementation of the simulation consists of an Applied Dynamics AD-4 analog/hybrid computer and an IBM-1800 digital computer.


Flowering Chinese cabbages are widely planted in the south of China and often exposed to acid rain. However, the effect of acid rain on the growth of flowering Chinese cabbage is unclear. In this study, we investigated the influence of simulated acid rain (SAR) on plant height, soil-plant analysis development (SPAD) value (an index for chlorophyll content), proline, malondialdehyde (MDA), antioxidant enzyme activities, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), or potassium (K) uptake and variation of soil nutrients. Our results showed that SAR at pH 5.5 did not damage plant development because growth characteristics, photosynthesis, and superoxide dismutase and peroxidase activities did not change obviously at this pH compared to those at pH 7.0. However, 2to 7-time of SAR exposure at pH 4.5 and pH 3.5 led to the increases of antioxidant enzyme activities, MDA and proline contents, and the decreases of leaf SPAD value and root activity. Nutrient analysis indicated that spraying 4 to 7 times of SAR at pH 3.5 reduced the uptake of N, P and K of flowering Chinese cabbage significantly. In addition, treatment with SAR at pH 3.5 decreased the pH value of the surface soil and the contents of alkaline-hydrolytic N and readily available K but increased that of readily available P in the surface soil by 8.5% to 14.9%. Taken together, our results indicated that SAR at pH 3.5 influenced the antioxidant enzyme system and the contents of soil nutrients, caused metabolic disorders and ultimately restricted the development and growth of flowering Chinese cabbages.


Though both guidebooks and films create fictions and dreamlands, the discursive intersections between them have not been a prioritised object of cultural analysis. The present paper aims at making a contribution to this field of investigation, looking into converging or shared mechanisms of cultural construction. Drawing on a recently concluded research project which focussed on tourist literature, the paper seeks to highlight and debate the way guidebook gazes significantly intertwine with filmic discourses on Portugal and its culture, contributing thus, in fact, to the perpetuation of a tourism imaginary in which the country apparently remains unchangeably locked.


This paper deals with an ASIC design and realization for a pipelined cell search algorithm in the 3GPP W-CDMA system. Pipelining three stages of cell search provides preferable performance, but also results in greed for high computing power. The ASIC implementation furnishes this computing power demand with a high-performance, cost-effective, and low-power solution. In the ASIC design, two synchronization code matched correlators are well designed and realized with reduced computing power. A weighted comma-free Reed-Solomon decoder is also proposed with superior performance, and realized in a cost-effective and low-power architecture. Finally, the cell search chip is designed in a 3.3-V 0.35-/spl mu/m CMOS technology with 4/spl times/4-mm/sup 2/ core area and 1.32 W power dissipation, complying with the 3GPP W-CDMA system specifications.


As the proximity of high fault current power lines to residential areas increases, the need for accurate prediction of earth potential rise (EPR) is of crucial importance for both safety and equipment protection. To date, the most accurate methods for predicting EPR are power system modelling software tools, such as EMTP, or recursive methods that use a span by span approach to model a transmission line. These techniques are generally used in conjunction with impedances and admittances that are derived from the assumption of infinite line length. In this paper a span by span model was created to predict the EPR along a dual circuit transmission line in EMTP-RV, where the mutual impedances were considered to be between finite length conductors. A series of current injection tests were also performed on the system under study in order to establish the accuracy of both the finite and infinite methods.


This study offers a novel bio-inspired metaheuristic black widow optimization algorithm for addressing the economic load dispatch problem. The suggested algorithm replicates the spider's unique mating and courtship behavior, ensuring exploration and exploitation. The optimization findings demonstrate the reliability of black widow optimization when contrasted with other algorithms. CEC C06 2019 and two different test systems are examined to analyze the algorithm's ability in solving the nonconvex problem.


This paper mainly aimed to explore how bilingualism has been implemented and practiced in the current Canadian society, with a special focus on the issue faced by both francophones and anglophones in Quebec. The superficial aspects of bilingualism were tested against current events reported in news media. The paper also examined the status of French in Quebec from the historical, economical and educational context. This paper concluded that while English thrives in the rest of Canada, gaining new speakers of other languages every year, it has been in retreat in Quebec during the last three decades. This paper could possibly contribute to deepening our understanding on the realities of the bilingualism in Canada and its seemingly mixed-up language policies across Canada. At the end of this study, some implications about language education policies applicable to Korea were discussed in depth. Since Korea is welcoming a number of immigrants with diverse language backgrounds, the implications in this study could possibly contribute to facilitating decision-makers of language education policies in Korea to establish more appropriate bilingual education programs in Korea.


Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the structural and process integration mechanisms used by firms to form a hybrid mode of supply chain governance referred to as supply chain value integration (SCVI).Design/methodology/approach – The authors employ a multi‐method approach, conducting depth interviews following the grand touring technique to develop the model, and survey methodology to test the model using partial least squares approach for structural path estimation.Findings – SCVI is a multi‐dimensional concept comprised of two second‐order constructs, SCVI infrastructure and SCVI process, each comprised of three first‐order constructs, that lead to joint value creation and improved supply chain performance.Practical implications – Dependent suppliers striving to compete on value creation can adopt bonding behavior by establishing an integrative infrastructure comprised of people, technology, and knowledge components, which balances the level of dependence and motivates the customer to en...


The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) recently issued a report of its findings after analyzing the auditing procedures of its eight regional entities, related to the disturbance event reporting standards: CIP-001-2a, EOP-004-1, and EOP-004-2. While an auditor must perform the due diligence necessary to have a reasonable assurance that a responsible entity (an entity responsible for compliance with a particular reliability standard) is in compliance with a standard, inevitably different compliance auditing practices are used across the eight regions. Such inconsistency could lead to different results.


A method and apparatus for preventing web page attacks are disclosed. Specifically, one embodiment of the present invention sets forth a method, which includes the steps of examining an object property from a web page requested by a client computer in real-time before the client computer receives the web page, assessing a collective risk level associated with the web page causing harm to the client computer based on the result of examining the object property, and performing an action with regards to the web page according to the collective risk level.


This study describes the preparation, characterization, in vitro uptake and in vivo biodistribution in mice of solid lipid nanoparticles and nanostructured lipid carriers.
The effect of nanoparticle lipid matrix, presence of fluorescent and functionalization by polysorbate 80 on dimensional distribution and morphology have been studied by sedimentation field flow fractionation, photon correlation spectroscopy and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy. The complementary use of different techniques demonstrated that lipid matrix composition, presence of fluorescent dye and polysorbate 80 functionalization have little effect on nanoparticle morphology and size distribution.
Uptake of fluorescent nanoparticles was determined in vitro by human brain endothelial cells, showing that nanoparticles treated by polysorbate 80 displayed lower uptake values with respect to the corresponding control nanoparticles.
Biodistribution of solid lipid nanoparticles treated by polysorbate 80 was evaluated by fluorescent luminescent imaging after intraperitoneal administration in mice. The in vivo images indicate that nanoparticles were able to reach the brain, even if they prevalently accumulated in liver and spleen.


By using MTT and trypan blue exclusion assay, the sensitivity of retinoic acid sensitive HL-60 and resistant HL-60/RA cell to six anti-leukemia drugs such as RA, Ara-c, harringtonine was compared. It was found that all five drugs except RA exhibited an approximately equivalent IC50 to HL-60 and HL-60/RA cells. The results suggest that tumor cells may not develop resistance to differentiation inducer and cytotoxic anti-tumor agent parallel. It also suggests that it is reasonable to use a combination of differentiation and cytotoxic anti-leukemia agents concomitantly or sequentially.


We present a novel instrument for fast-gated operation of a 50 μm CMOS SPAD (Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Single-Photon Avalanche Diode), driven by an integrated fast-gated active quenching circuit with transition times faster than 300 ps (20–80%). The instrument is based on a custom system-in-package where the SPAD and its driving electronics are housed in a TO-8 package. The detector can be operated at repetition rates up to 160 MHz, with gate on-times as short as 500 ps, always guaranteeing a temporal response with 60 ps (FWHM) timing jitter and short exponential decay (53 ps time-constant). A dark-count rate as low as 1 cps is achieved operating the CMOS SPAD at 5 V above breakdown at a temperature of 263 K, still keeping the afterpulsing probability lower than 2%, with only 50 ns hold-off time, thanks to the fast-gating driving electronics. The instrument is housed in a compact 5 × 4 × 8 cm3 case and can be triggered by either an external or internal source. A USB link allows to adjust measurement parameters, SPAD bias voltage and operating temperature. The high re-configurability of the instrument and its state-of-the-art performance make it suitable for applications where high detection rates and low timing jitter are required.


In recent years,great development has been made in Anhui economy,and the industrial economy is the key to Anhui economy growth.This paper firstly makes a introduction to the present industrial economy structures in Anhui province,and then through the methods of integrating theory with practice,comparing with other neighboring provinces and combining the qualitative analysis with the quantitative analysis(AHP)and Delphine techniques,establishing an appraise index system.The paper analyzes and studies the present structures to discover some existing issues,providing a theoretical basis to the further adjustment in the Anhui industrial economy structures.At the same time,it gives some suggestions to Anhui economy development.


Abstract Comparison of endotoxin exposures reported by various authors is problematic since sampling and analytical methods have not been standardized. As part of a study of respiratory hazards in the turkey growing industry, replicate samples from two types of barns (brooder and hen grower) were assayed by two laboratories using different Limulus-based methods. One set of samples was assayed using the kinetic Limulus assay with resistant-parallel-line estimation (KLARE) method, and the other set was assayed using a conventional chromogenic endpoint Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) method. Possible sources of disagreement included: changes during shipping; different extraction methods; sample dilutions; lysate preparations; response; and data analysis. Use of different control standard endotoxins in the two laboratories resulted in significantly different estimates when computed as nanograms of endotoxin. When results were calculated in endotoxin units relative to U.S. Reference Standard Endotoxin EC-5 the ...


The purpose of this study is to provide practical and theoretical insights into how small and medium enterprises (SMEs) adjust and further develop entrepreneurial activities, product innovation and SME business performance in the city of Bandung. This study used quantitative methods by using questionnaires for data collection. The number of samples used was 119 respondents using purposive sampling techniques. Partial least Square (PLS) is used for data processing. Based on the results of data analysis, it is implied that entrepreneurial competence has a significant effect on business performance, entrepreneurial competence has a significant effect on product innovation. However, product innovation does not have a significant effect on SME business performance.


Extracellular matrix metalloproteinases inducer(EMMPRIN),a highly glycosylated transmemebrane glycoprotein,is a member of the immunoglobulin family that is expressed widly in human tissue cells.EMMPRIN can influence plaque stability through stimulating the secretion of matrix metalloproteinases in coronary artery atherosclerotic plaque,which play an important role in acute coronary syndrome(ACS)genesis and development.This article reviews the role of EMMPRIN in ACS.


Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometry uses the phase difference between two SAR antennas to obtain an elevation estimate of the imaged terrain. Using an initial digital elevation model (DEM), the time-domain backprojection algorithm implicitly removes the terrain height phase from images during image formation. The use of a DEM during image formation adds additional information to the process of interferometry, resulting in different sensitivities to conventional interferometry. This article presents a novel method of SAR interferometry using backprojected imagery. It is shown that the sensitivity and performance of backprojection interferometry is significantly different to that of conventional methods. Specifically, it is shown that backprojection interferometry is much less sensitive to errors in measurement of the interferometric baseline length and angle. This comes at the expense of higher sensitivity to phase errors. We conclude that backprojection interferometry is best suited for airborne operation.


An analysis of current higher education laws and rules in China shows that there exists serious absence of student's rights in higher education legislation.In fact,according the essence of higher education,students should have their subjectivity right-registration right;according to their relationship with higher education,students should have their contract right-right of getting good education;according to the subjectivity of colleges or universities,students should have democratic management right;students should also obtain the highest juridical remedy if they are punished because of violation of laws.


The author has been delivering Appreciative Inquiry training as part of a programme designed to support senior and aspiring senior National Health Service staff in England. The pandemic gave her the chance to completely rework and improve a key element of the programme, as explained in this article.


Estimating future flavour evolution in wine generally requires quantitative analysis of a known precursor compound or forcible production using elevated temperature and/or lower pH with analysis of the produced volatiles. While it is understood that these methods are not always accurate, they can provide an indicative assessment of the magnitude of evolving species. However, due to the complex pathways by which some key odorants are formed, these predictive measures may not provide a compositionally relevant outcome, and do not provide any indication of future flavour evolution. Here, extracts derived from the winemaking by-product, grape marc, rich in monoterpene glycosides have been analysed by 'predictive' methods and also added to wine to provide a correlation with real-world evolution profiles. While analysis of a precursor molecule, geraniol glucoside, and acid-catalysed hydrolytic assessment of the extracts both provided good correlations with total flavour production in wine, neither were good predictors for final monoterpene composition in wines. Additionally, a single extract was monitored over 36 months in two different base wines and at two different concentrations to gain a better understanding of hydrolysis kinetics, which was also explored computationally. The generation of first-order rate curves provided a mechanism to determine reaction half-lives for the hydrolysis of geraniol glucoside and related to the monoterpene composition in wines.


The rise of online seminars being held, of course, has advantages and disadvantages. Therefore it needs to be answered in a study. This type of research is a qualitative research method using a survey method. The research variables were the response of elementary school teachers and live chat streaming services. Subjects in this study were elementary school teachers who attended online seminars who were selected using simple random sampling. Data is taken and analyzed from teacher comments on google forms and live chat streaming on YouTube. The survey results show that descriptively elementary school teachers are enthusiastic about participating in online seminars via live chat streaming.


The P-V-T-x phase relations of helium—n-butane system were measured in the region of low helium content (up to 10.4 mole % helium). The system exhibits the gas-gas equilibrium originally predicted by Kamerlingh-Onnes and Keesom. The term gas-gas equilibrium is applied because the critical temperatures of the mixtures are higher than the critical temperature of either component. This behavior is quite unlike that observed in most binary systems, in which the critical temperature of the mixtures lie between those of the pure compounds. As a consequence of the shape of the critical locus curve, the system exhibits isothermal retrograde condensation of the second kind.


The objective of this work was to determine the numbers of stained mast cells (MCs) and substance P (SP) immunoreactivity during the initiation and progression of pulmonary lesions in a model of pneumonic pasteurellosis (PP) in ruminants. The first experiment demonstrated that, at 6 h after intrabronchial deposition of Mannheimia {Pasteurella) haemolytica in neonatal calves, MC numbers decreased in sites of severe lung damage. Prior administration of a sialyl Lewis mimetic (TBC1269) intended to prevent neutrophil infiltration had no effect on MC numbers, suggesting that MC degranulation is unaffected by selectin inhibition. In the second study, a single high dose of dihydrocapsaicin (DHC) administered to neonatal iambs depleted peptidergic nerves of SP. Depletion was measured in nasal septum, the site richest in SP fibers, and was estimated to be 85% of controls. In the upper and lower respiratory tract MC density increased progressively with age, from 3 to 21 days, but DHC-treated animals had significantly higher numbers of MCs; this suggests a functional association between MCs and SP fibers. Histamine content in the lung was similar to controls. The model is suitable for studies of the inflammatory response in the respiratory tract when the neurogenic contribution is reduced. In the third experiment, diminished numbers of MCs and histamine during the acute phase (1 day) of PP in sheep were associated with SP immunoreactivity in macrophages infiltrating the areas of severe damage, suggesting an extraneural source of SP. At 15 days, MCs were scarce at sites with pyogranulomatous foci, but increased in areas with interstitial pneumonia. Substance P immunoreactivity demonstrated that not only an extrinsic sensory innervation, but also an intrinsic contribution of pulmonary ganglion neurons, sustain the inflammatory response. At 45 days the fibroplastic changes in pleura, interlobular spaces, and interstitium were marked, as was the presence of bronchiolitis obliterans. These changes were associated with an increased number of MCs; however, the elevation in histamine did not correspond with the MCs increment. In areas of severe fibrosis SP immunoreactivity in nerve fibers was mild suggesting that the absence of SP during chronic PP hinders tissue repair.


Abstract In this work, we investigated bicomplex Pell and Pell-Lucas numbers. We defined generating function and various identities involving both bicomplex Pell and Pell-Lucas numbers.


A three-dimensional (3D) sound gaming application, an ultrasound sound system, and one or more of the game player, and game console, it is possible to have a throat microphone set. Ultrasonic sound system, the audio signal of the phase, delay, reverberation, echo, gain, and the size or other audio signal components or game console adjustable digital signal processing of audio signal components received from, (OSP), treatment an amplifier capable of amplifying the audio signal, emits an ultrasonic signal to each ear of the game player, it is possible to have an emitter pair capable of providing a 3D sound effects. .FIELD 5B


Two interrelated objectives of this article are to establish empirically the construct of entrepreneurial strategic posture and to ascertain the predictive validity of its relationship to performance. In doing so, the entrepreneurial strategic postures associated with high and low performance among independent restaurants are explored and contrasted. Performance was designated as the dependent variable, and the dimensions of entrepreneurial strategic posture were treated as the independent variables. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire mailed to a random sample of 1,500 owners/general managers. The results suggest that certain competitive methods and business practices are more strongly related to high performers than low performers. Exploring relationships between entrepreneurial strategic posture and performance is of value, and it is timely given the mature as well as increasingly complex and uncertain environmental conditions faced by entrepreneurs in today's ever more competitive economy.


In this research,we obtained a great deal of sterile plants from the offspring of transgenic Bt maize by agrobacterium.Obtained stable male sterile inbreds when this materials were pollinated by acceptor inbred lines of "18 red".The sterile stability was observed in 2 locations,for 2 years and 3 generations.In order to analyse the kind of male sterile,many normal inbred lines were used to cross with this mutant.The main results are as the follow: the male sterile mutant is stable,inheritable in different years and different locations.It attributes to cytoplasmic male sterility.The appearance of male sterile mutant is the conclusion of somaclona variation.


Objective To establish the method for determination the content of taurine in oyster soft tissue.Methods TLCS is used.Results Taurine can be separated from the other amino acid.Conclusion This method is simple, rapid, sensitive and reproducible.


FIELD: information technologies. SUBSTANCE: method includes collection and transfer of information, establishment of a USSD session with a mobile device user, using safe communication channels and a complex equipped with a coupling unit, having a connection with a transaction system, additionally information is collected from information-containing components or networks of cellular mobile communication of GSM/UMTS standards, or LBS systems of cellular mobile communication operators of GSM/UMTS standards, or a GPS system, or positioning systems by Wi-Fi networks, or their combination, information is sent by sending an SMS message to a user at their mobile device in a transaction mode, via components of an OKS-7 network, the complex is equipped with an information unit, an SMS unit, a USSD unit, and the USSD session is established via components of the OKS-7 network with the mobile device user registered either in a home or visited network of cellular mobile communication of GSM/UMTS standard. EFFECT: expansion of functional capabilities for performing a distributed transaction due to the possibility to execute a transaction both with user participation or without them based in information about a mobile device. 13 cl, 1 dwg


An ever-increasing demand for chamois leather provides enhanced business opportunities for the leather industry. The long oxidation time required for oil-tanned leathers and conventional processing techniques pose a major limitation for wide-scale manufacture of chamois leathers, though chamois making ensures higher value return compared to conventional finished leathers. Ozonation as a mean for accelerated oxidation has been attempted in this work. Two approaches viz. ozonation of oil and post-ozonation of oil-treated skins have been studied in detail. The studies indicate that ozonation of oil-treated skins can reduce the time required for chamois making by many folds without any impairment in quality of leathers.


SAR images of the sea often show backscatter patterns linked to the horizontal structure of the Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layer (MABL) at the interface with the sea surface. In general, their dimensions are spread over a wide range of length scales, presenting spatial periodicity as well as intermittence. With the aim to isolate such backscatter structures, the two-dimensional Continuous Wavelet Transform (CWT2) analysis has been applied to SAR images of the sea. The CWT2 analysis permits to highlight the backscatter cells associated to the structure of MABL, as well as to evidence the structure of the atmospheric gravity waves occurring at the lee side of islands and coast. The cells detected in the range 0.3km ¥ 4km are directly associated to the wind spatial structure deriving, in turns, from the turbulent characteristics of the wind ∞ow. They have an elliptic shape, with the major axis along the (aliased) wind direction. Those with size falling inside the spatial range 4km ¥ 20km describe, instead, the atmospheric gravity waves structure (if present) and the structures linked to the wind shading. The technique developed is the background for several applications: it has been used to compute the wind flelds without any a priori information, as well as to study the inner structure of the Langmuir atmospheric circulation. Other applications could be on the detection of sea surface oil slicks.


In recent years various engineering software-based biomechanics analysis provides scientific basis for the sports training and injury treatment. The orthodontic treatment of the lumbar spine falls back on the doctor's work experience and lacks reference standards and personalized treatment. This paper so proposes a ProE environment biomechanics analysis. Using the interactive medical imaging control system(Mimics) to read the CT scanning images, through setting threshold extraction of bone tissue, and then to regional growth, we first build human body bone 3D model. Then we output the STL forma, convert it to editable form of entity through the Solidworks, export the PRT format file, and import the ProE data modification. Finally in ProE mechanical module,we simulate the process of fixed orthodontic treatment, analyze the stress distribution, and concluded a series of related data, which provides reliable data for clinicaltreatment.


We introduce a free software package that provides' an accurate solution for the input admittance of a prolate-spheroidal monopole antenna, fed through a ground plane by a coaxial line. The results can be used as a benchmarking and validation tool for finite numerical solution algorithms.


Two of the poems in Serglige Con Culainn present a number of difficulties. They have been translated by O'Curry, Atlantis, i, 389; ii, 113; D'Arbois de Jubainville, L'Epope'e Celtique en Irlande, pp. 191, 207; and these translations have been consulted. The passages are not included in Thurneysen's translation (Sagen aus dem alten Irland, p. 81). In preparing an edition of the text, I have had to attempt a fresh interpretation. The punctuation here is that of the Ms Reference numbers in the notes are to the edition of LU by Best and Bergin.


The 1988 Brazilian Constitution, which established the formal transition to democracy, sanctioned the decentralization of policymaking and established mechanisms for citizens to participate in the formulation, management, and monitoring of social policies. Hundreds of thousands of interest groups worked throughout the country as the constitution was being drafted and collected half a million signatures to demand the creation of participatory democratic mechanisms. Underpinning such demand was the belief that by opening spaces for citizens to participate, the policymaking process would become more transparent and accountable and social policies would better reflect the needs of the citizens. This legal foundation promoted the development of an extensive institutional framework for participation by citizens, including management councils, public hearings, conferences, participatory budgeting, and deliberative mechanisms within regulatory agencies. Of the plethora of participatory mechanisms in Brazil, participatory budgeting and management councils gained the greatest momentum in the 1990s. These two participatory mechanisms are linked to the executive branch and stress transparency, local control, and the redistribution of resources to underserved areas.


AIM
To raise clinical governance issues by drawing on a Health Education Authority-sponsored review of the style, form and effect of a smoking cessation service in north west Lancashire. This service operated for five years before the government's decision to set up smoking cessation services.

METHOD
A postal survey was undertaken of 800 clients.

RESULTS
193 people responded. Of these, 132 (68 per cent) claimed to be helped by the service. Proactive telephone contact, carbon monoxide monitoring, the six-week course, nicotine replacement therapy, and reading materials were well received. Thirty six per cent of the respondents were not smoking at the time of the survey.

CONCLUSION
Nursing staff are increasingly expected to provide smoking cessation support. The government is funding this work and monitoring the number of clients helped, rather than the quality of the service. However, in terms of clinical governance, the quality of the service is crucially important.


As major activities in distance learning courses, online discussions play an important role in student learning. Currently, both asynchronous learning courses and some primarily face-to-face courses at New Jersey Institute of Technology require online discussions. Does this requirement improve the students' perceived learning? An exploratory study conducted in Spring 2002 drew responses to a post-course questionnaire designed to explore this issue from 116 students in two undergraduate courses and one graduate course. A set of items designed to measure perceived learning from online discussions forms a reliable, unidimensional index for this construct. The results indicate that online discussions do improve students' perceived learning. Variations among instructors or courses are associated with differences in perceptions of student motivation, enjoyability, and learning from online discussion. Through open-ended questions, some student concerns about online discussions are identified. In the last section, some implications for improving online discussions, and future research plans are presented.


Present and future world shortages and increasing
petroleum costs have stimulated the search for alternate
renewable and nonrenewable energy sources. Sugarbeets (Beta
vulgaris L.) and sugarcane (Saccharum app.) have high potential
as a feedstock for conversion to alcohol as a practical renewable
energy source. Sugarbeets have many desirable characteristics
such as: storage of 40 to 50% of their dry matter
as fermentable sugars (6, 7, 15); a small nitrogen (N) requirement
per unit of sugar produced (2, 5, 7); a range of related
Beta vulgaris genotypes which may be used to increase yield
potential (7, 8); use of by-products as a cattle feed or conversion
to methane (6, 7); and wide adaptation within the U.S.
(19). They can also be stored up to 6 months in cool areas,
all of which make them a primary feedstock source for alcohol
production.


The RNA degradosome is built on the C‐terminal half of ribonuclease E (RNase E) which shows high sequence variation, even amongst closely related species. This is intriguing given its central role in RNA processing and mRNA decay. Previously, we have identified RhlB (ATP‐dependent DEAD‐box RNA helicase)‐binding, PNPase (polynucleotide phosphorylase)‐binding and enolase‐binding microdomains in the C‐terminal half of Vibrio angustum S14 RNase E, and have shown through two‐hybrid analysis that the PNPase and enolase‐binding microdomains have protein‐binding function. We suggest that the RhlB‐binding, enolase‐binding and PNPase‐binding microdomains may be interchangeable between Escherichia coli and V. angustum S14 RNase E. In this study, we used two‐hybrid techniques to show that the putative RhlB‐binding microdomain can bind RhlB. We then used Blue Native‐PAGE, a technique commonly employed in the separation of membrane protein complexes, in a study of the first of its kind to purify and analyse the RNA degradosome. We showed that the V. angustum S14 RNA degradosome comprises at least RNase E, RhlB, enolase and PNPase. Based on the results obtained from sequence analyses, two‐hybrid assays, immunoprecipitation experiments and Blue Native‐PAGE separation, we present a model for the V. angustum S14 RNA degradosome. We discuss the benefits of using Blue Native‐PAGE as a tool to analyse the RNA degradosome, and the implications of microdomain‐mediated RNase E interaction specificity.


We propose a method of object recognition using the knowledge of the object world described in a form of a frame structure. The hierarchical frame structure consists of two levels, an outline image level and an aspect graph level. Using this database, we can recognize input as an object that has the largest degree of similarity between input edge image and outline images and/or aspect graphs in the database. Firstly, we calculate-the degree of similarity between the input image and images in the database on the outline level in order to narrow down the candidates. Next, we calculate the degree of similarity between the input image and the candidates in the database on the aspect level. In this point, it is available to recognize objects on high recognition rates and high speed. In the case that the object world consists of five kinds of chairs composed by polygonal surfaces, we show some experimental results.


This work reports some new progress of rock slope seismic response monitoring results in the area of Mountain Dong and Mountain Shizi (Qingchuan county),


that makes up the legal traditions of Indigenous people"(2). Jagodinsky herein makes several important interventions in the field of Indigenous and Western legal history. Her focus on territorial and state legal systems, rather than the federal records that are most often consulted in Indigenous historiography, opens questions about how access to land was facilitated outside of reservation boundaries. Historians of gender, borderlands, and colonialism will all find this work important in its careful investigation of the relationships between intimate local dynamics and state and federal laws. Jagodinsky's vivid case studies will provide invaluable teaching tools to generate nuanced and engaging conversations around how individuals negotiated and challenged various legal orders and historic change. Her writing is at times very dense with detail, but by working through this density, the reader is rewarded with a rich picture of the interconnected personal and political relationships that influenced each of her case studies. The extraordinary Twanas, Klallam, Salish, and Surem women with whom Jagodinsky opens her book encountered shape-shifting beings and were able to interpret the words of warning a talking tree brought to their communities. Likewise, the women to whom Jagodinsky introduces us played vital roles in "encountering and engendering change and conflict" (2) as they faced threatening and violent agents of change in their own lives. They returned to their children, their communities, and their lands bearing new strategies for survival.


Two isolates of maize dwarf mosaic virus originating from maize (MDMV(M)) and Johnson grass (MDMV(J)) were distantly related to an Australian and a Californian strain of sugar-cane mosaic virus (SMV). MDMV(M) was shown to be distantly related serologically to a Californian strain but not to an Ohio strain of MDMV; MDMV(J) was not shown to be related serologically to either the Californian or the Ohio strain of MDMV. MDMV(M), MDMV(J), and the Australian SMV produced similar symptoms on sweet corn (Zea mays var. saccharata (Sturtev)), which under glasshouse conditions included an initial necrotic phase not previously described for MDMV. The three isolates showed different characteristics when purified from sweet corn by an identical procedure. The yields of MDMV(M) and MDMV(J) were higher than that of SMV, and these two isolates produced strong zones in density gradients whereas SMV produced a very weak zone. The normal length of MDMV(M) was 773 ± 6.35 mµ and that of MDMV(J) 778 ± 6.35 mµ and the particles of both were uniform. By contrast the particles of SMV were very uneven in length; the most common length was 650–750 mµ, but many longer and shorter particles were observed.


Managing the interconnection interface between the competitive and regulated sectors is crucial for the liberalization of infrastructure services. Interconnection is one of the most important elements of telecommunications policy in a liberalized environment and is needed to achieve equitable and sustainable expansion of infrastructure services in the poorest countries of the world. It also represents a critical challenge for regulators in developing countries needing assistance to introduce the needed changes. The purpose of this paper is to show how interconnection regimes can be adapted to the African specificities in a context of convergence and increased competition. It analyzes how interconnection regulation in Africa has been defined at the onset of the convergence phenomenon and explores the issues related to new technologies (for example Internet protocol [IP] telephony) and interconnection regulation policies.


Instantons are certain configurations of the Yang–Mills potentials Aμ(x) satisfying the equations of motion D μ F b μν = 0 in euclidean space, i.e. in imaginary time. The solution has been found by Belavin, Polyakov, Schwartz and Tiupkin in 1975 [1]; the name "instanton" has been suggested by 't Hooft in 1976 [2], who also made a major contribution to the investigation of the instantons properties. In QCD instantons are the best studied non-perturbative effects, leading to the formation of the gluon condensate [3] and of the so-called topological susceptibility needed to cure the U(1) paradox [2, 4]. The QCD instanton vacuum has been studied starting from the pioneering works in the end of the seventies [5, 6]; a quantitative treatment of the instanton ensemble, based on the Feynman variational principle, has been developed in ref. [7]. The most striking success of the QCD instanton vacuum is its capacity to provide a beautiful mechanism of the spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking [8, 9, 10]. Moreover, the instanton vacuum leads to a very reasonable effective chiral lagrangian at low energies, including the Wess–Zumino term, etc., which, in its turn gives a nice description of nucleons as chiral quark solitons [11]. It should be stressed that literally speaking instantons do not lead to confinement, though they induce a growing potential for heavy quarks at intermediate separations [12]; asymptotically it flattens out [5, 13]. However, it has been realized a decade ago [8, 9, 14], that it is chiral symmetry breaking and not confinement that determines the basic characteristics of light hadrons (one would probably need an explicit Lectures at the Enrico Fermi School in Physics, Varenna, June 27 – July 7, 1995


A serious constraint in multilevel inverters is the capacitor voltage-balancing problem. The unbalance of the different DC voltage sources of the three-level Neutral Point Clamping Voltage Source Inverter (NPC-VSI) constituted the major limitation for the use of this power converter. To remedy to this problem, a new control solution to compensate the unbalanced DC voltages for the three-level NPC VSI is presented. It provides a fast and flexible control of the inverter capacitor voltages, leads to a simpler implementation, and present high equalization efficiency. Simulation results show the effectiveness of our methods.


Study of radiation properties of mismatched microstrip termination is carried out in warm ionized electron plasma medium. Linearised hydrodynamic theory coupled with vector wave technique is used to investigate radiation patterns and radiated power of a microstrip mismatched termination in one component electron plasma media for different plasma to source frequencies .These properties are used to compare the performance of an open circuit discontinuity with those of matched microstrip termination. Matched terminations are found more suitable for applications at higher frequencies than an open circuit discontinuity in the plasma medium though in free space they are less suitable.


Active PMOS loads with common mode feedback to stabilize the bias points are employed in the Gilbert mixer loads to increase the mixer gain. Good device matching and the deep trench isolation technique in the SiGe HBT technology can improve the port‐to‐port isolations. A 16 dB conversion gain, IP1dB = −21 dBm and IIP3 = −11 dBm using 0.35 μm SiGe BiCMOS Gilbert downconversion micromixer is demonstrated when RF = 5.2 GHz and LO = 5.17 GHz with −66 dB LO‐IF, −52 dB LO‐RF, and −24 dB RF‐IF isolations. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 49: 450–451, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.22152


Salamanca lies on the right bank of the river Tormes, a tributary of the Douro, on the northern sub-plateau of the Iberian peninsula (fig. 1). Although hardly mentioned in Roman historical sources, it is a reference point for work on Roman territory because the surveyor Frontinus (De Agrorum Qualitate [ed. Thulin 1971] 1–2) used Salmantica (in Lusitania) and Palantia (in Citerior) to exemplify ager per extremitatem mensura comprehensus, the system of land organization characteristic of stipendiary cities. Frontinus was writing in Flavian times, but the creation of ager mensura comprehensus in Lusitania occurred in the Augustan period, as is confirmed by remarkable epigraphic documentation. In N Lusitania, a total of 11 boundary-stones (termini Augustales) are known, nine from the reign of Augustus (and two of these provide explicit reference to Salmantica) and two from that of Claudius. The dates provided by Augustus' tribunicia potestas allow us to date the surveying operations delimiting the urban territories to between A.D. 4–5 (the inscriptions from Peroviseu and Ul) and A.D. 5–6 (the inscriptions from Sao Salvador, Ledesma, Ciudad Rodrigo, and the new one from Jarandilla de la Vera). The Augustan ager mensura comprehensus may have conditioned the model of the subsequent rural settlement by creating a framework for territorial occupation being organized around the villa from the Flavian period on. The villa would dominate the rural countryside, until it disappeared around the first decades of the 5th c. as part of a process that can be associated with the breaking down of imperial authority and the arrival of the Germanic peoples in the year 409. Almost nothing is known about Salamanca's territory during the Islamic occupation until the first official repopulation took place under the king of Leon, Ramiro II, in 939–49. The lack of attested settlements in the Douro valley between the 8th and 10th c. is a key question for the organization of the border area between the Islamic state of Al-Andalus and the kingdom of Leon, but scholars generally reject the thesis formulated in 1966 by C. Sánchez Albornoz, which tended to present the lands of the Douro valley as practically depopulated.


Objectives: A recent entry into the silicone gel-filled breast implant market from Motiva Implants (Establishment Labs Holdings Inc., NY, USA) contains a radio frequency identification device micro-transponder (RFID-M), known as the Q Inside Safety Technology, as an added safety feature embedded in the shell of its breast implant. This RFID-M device allows for the rapid unique identification of the implant. Concern for imaging voids due to the presence of the RFID device during MRI screening scans have arisen given its metallic components. Our investigation aims to determine whether the Q Inside Safety Technology RFID-M device in the Motiva Implants Limits the visualization of breast tissue in conventional breast imaging modalities. Methods: Seven patients with Motiva Implants were referred to dedicated diagnostic breast imaging centers for evaluation of their prostheses and surrounding breast parenchyma between January and May 2018. Imaging indications included routine evaluation of implant integrity, evaluation of significant breast symptoms, oncologic follow-up, and breast cancer screenings. Results: Under mammography, the Motiva Implants have a similar contour and mobility to other commonly used implants. The RFID-M is not visible and produces no artifact, allowing for proper visualization and screening of all visualized parenchymal tissues. Under ultrasound, the Motiva Implants are well-visualized in all patients. The RFID-M was not visible in vivo. No related ultrasound artifact was apparent within the lumen or behind the implant as shown in Figure 2(a). Five patients received MRI. The breast parenchyma and axillae were well-visualized in all 5 patients. The RFID-M was found to produce a "butterfly-shaped" susceptibility artifact that projects into the lumen of the breast implant and causes image distortion in some of the surrounding soft tissues and chest wall posterior to the implant. Conclusion: Aside from making its presence evident inside the implant, the Q Inside Safety Technology RFID-M does not interfere with the mammographic or sonographic exam, its results, or any consequent diagnosis made via their analysis. In the same respect using optimized MRI sequences to evaluate patients we were able to obtain satisfactory visualization of breast tissue in patients with the new Motiva Implants, and recommend using optimized study protocols for both early cancer detection and assessment of the implant's integrity.


This paper deals with an evaluation of the use of the arithmetic Fourier transform (AFT) in fast and accurate measurement of the analyzed signal amplitude. The approach in the frequency domain is preferable to that in the time domain, owing to its ability to give information about a number of parameters in addition to the r.m.s. values of the voltage and current, such as the fundamental components, fundamental phase angles and harmonics. The disadvantage of using the usual FFT techniques, relevant to the large amount of computation involved (especially when the length of the analyzed sequencies is not a power of two), is reduced when the proposed AFT technique is used in the computation process. Then, using the proposed procedure, one can obtain a very fast, relatively low-cost, and accurate measurement with respect to that of the FFT. Several numerical results proved these interesting conclusions.


1 The effects of L‐640,035 (3‐hydroxymethyl‐dibenzo [b,f] thiepin‐5,5‐dioxide) have been studied on pulmonary smooth muscle contraction in vitro and in vivo. 2 When studied in vitro on guinea‐pig tracheal chains, L‐640,035 produced significant shifts in the dose‐response curves to a prostaglandin (PG) endoperoxide analogue (U‐44069) (pA2 7.0), PGF2α (pA2 5.9) and PGD2 (pA2 6.5). L‐640,035 produced no significant shift in the dose‐response curves to leukotriene D4 or histamine and produced a small but statistically significant shift in the dose‐response curve to 5‐hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT) (pA2 5.2). With the exception of PGF2α, Schild analysis did not in general indicate competitive inhibition. The main metabolite of L‐640,035, L‐636,499, also produced significant parallel shifts in the dose‐response curves to U‐44069 (pA2 6.0) and PGF2α (pA2 6.0), but with some reduction in the maximal contraction. 3 When L‐640,035 was administered intravenously to guinea‐pigs, significant inhibition of increases in pulmonary resistance or insufflation pressure induced by U‐44069 (ED50 0.16 mg kg−1), leukotriene D4 (ED50 0.25 mg kg−1) and 5‐HT (ED50 3.4 mg kg−1) but not histamine (ED50> 10 mg kg−1) was observed. 4 When L‐640,035 was administered intravenously to dogs a significant inhibition of increases in pulmonary resistance induced by U‐44069 (ED50 0.85 mg kg−1) but not histamine (ED50> 30 mg kg−1) was observed. 5 When L‐640,035 was administered by the intraduodenal route to dogs at doses of 3 and 10 mg kg−1 significant inhibition of increases in pulmonary resistance induced by sodium arachidonate (3 mg kg−1 i.v.) was observed with a duration of action of > 255 min. 6 It is concluded that L‐640,035 is a novel, relatively selective, and orally active antagonist of the actions of contractile prostanoids on pulmonary smooth muscle.


We extend the global L1 estimates proved by Bourgain and Brezis and Lanzani and Stein for the de Rham complex on RN to the setup of local L1 estimates for the differential complex associated to an involutive elliptic structure spanned by a family of linearly independent smooth complex vector fields.


Background: Clinical Echocardiograms prioritize high spatial resolution over temporal. This allows for better visual diagnosis, yet it restricts the use of time-shifted based techniques such as radiofrequency-based speckle-tracking, which require higher frame-rates. Electromechanical Wave Imaging (EWI) is a high frame-rate ultrasound-based technique relying on axial incremental strain estimation, successfully shown to non-invasively map the transmural electromechanical activation in all four cardiac chambers in vivo [1]. Previous studies have explored the frame rate (FR) limitations upon determining the optimal strain estimation method [2]. However, the impact of the acquisition FR on EWI mapping has not yet been investigated. Exploring EWI frame rate limitations is critical for assessing EWI future integration in the clinic.


Two new species of the genus Stenus Latreille (subgenus Stenus s. str.) are de- scribed: Stenus (s. str.) affinisecretus, sp. n., fromBeijing, and S. (s. str.) guandi- ensis, sp. n., from Shanxi, China. These two new species were collected in the mountain areas. Important morphological characters, like those of hind wings, 8th and 9th abdominal sternites of male, and the aedeagus are illustrated for the new species. All the types are deposited in the Institute of Zoology, Chinese


The emission spectrum between 4000 and 5000 A obtained by Horani, Leach and Rostas by controlled energy electron excitation of H2S is shown to belong to H2S+. The decrease and subsequent increase of the bending vibrational intervals in the A 2 A 1 state of H2S+ and D2S+ indicates a barrier to linearity of approximately 4600 cm-1. A preliminary rotational analysis of the spectrum leads to the following molecular parameters for the ground state: r 0″ = 1·358 A, valence angle 92° 54′. A detailed comparison of the optical and photoelectron spectra has been made and selection rules for the photoelectron spectra are presented. It is shown that in order to understand the vibronic patterns of both types of spectra it is necessary to consider in detail Renner-Teller vibronic interaction. A barrier to linearity in the 2 A 1 state of H2S+ alone is insufficient to account for the interesting change in the spectrum of the 2 A 1-1 A 1 transition at energies corresponding to the potential maximum.


A series of eight addition polymides (aspartimides) was prepared in which the imide and amino groups were attached to the ends of aromatic residues containing two or four phenylene rings. The co-monomers (bis-maleimides. BMIs, and diamines) were purified using column chromatography before being fully characterized by spectroscopic techniques. The thermally induced Michael addition and polymerization reactions of the blended co-monomers were monitored using differential scanning calorimetry (Dsc) at several heating rates to enable the kinetics of the processes to be investigated. The thermal stabilities of the thermoset products of these aspartimides were evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) was employed to test the physical properties of the neat resins.


Introduction Platydeoxia orthopnoea is a rare syndrome characterised by desaturation and dyspnoea on movement from standing to supine in the presence of an intra-cardiac shunt. The pathophysiology is poorly understood. Methods We report a case with patent foramen ovale (PFO). Cardiac catheterisation and 4D-flow magnetic resonance (MR) were performed (Philips Achieva 3T, 6-channel array, retrospective ECG and respiratory gated TFE, spat res: 3 mm3, temp res: 50–55 ms, 20 phases). Pathline analysis was performed with GTflow (v2.0, Gyrotools). Results A 65 year-old man presented with desaturation during anaesthetic induction for anterior vitrectomy. He was asymptomatic. He had Type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and centripetal obesity (BMI 38). Pulse oximetry showed saturations of 92% (standing) and 80% (supine). Supine pO2 was 5.9KPa. Spirometry was normal and CT excluded arterio-venous malformation. TOE demonstrated a tunnel-type PFO with spontaneous right to left shunt. At catheterisation (Table 1), right and left atrial pressures were normal (6 and 8 KPa). There was no pulmonary hypertension. On PFO balloon occlusion, pulse oximetry showed saturations of 97%. 4D-flow MR demonstrated reversal of the usual right atrial vortex. Inferior vena cava flow intersected with superior vena cava flow in a perpendicular fashion and was directed towards the PFO (Figure 1). The usual anticlockwise left atrial vortex was absent with a small clockwise vortex seen in the region of the right upper pulmonary vein, entraining the PFO flow. Amplatzer PFO device closure normalised saturations in both upright and supine positions. Abstract 120 Figure 1 Right atrial flow (anterior aspect) in a) control showing usual forward turning right atrial vortex and in b) subject showing perpendicular arrival of IVC flow. Reversal of vortex and laree shunt across PFO Abstract 120 Table 1 Saturations at cardiac Discussion This case is one of a handful reported and the first to begin to define the pathophysiology of this condition. Despite suboptimal 4D-flow MR due to body habitus and breathing pattern, we demonstrate disturbance of the usual flow patterns that facilitate substantial shunting across the PFO. Whilst the positional component needs further investigation, we hypothesise that the relationship between the inferior vena cava and right atrium may contribute.


Multigene molecular analysis (nrITS, nrLSU, tef1 , rpb2 ) of Amanita species of section Validae including Italian and French specimens of A . citrina var. intermedia indicates that the taxon is not conspecific with A . mappa (= A . citrina ) and deserves to be upgraded to the rank of autonomous species. An in-depth description of the taxon, a comparison with allied species, and a key to the Amanita species of section Validae series Mappae in Europe, are provided.


W. Humboldt interpreted the language not only as an activity, but also as a system. That is why one cannot oppose him to F. de Saussure who has emphasized the systematic nature of language. But W. Humboldt accentuated understanding language as an activity. It has allowed him to elaborate such an onomasiological model of language relevant to the modern linguistic theories.


A monomer 4,4'-bis(β-hydroxyethyl)biphenyl (2BP) was synthesized by the Williamson reaction from 2-chloroethanol and 4,4'-biphenol. Then, the novel dendritic liquid crystal macromolecule (DLCM) containing biphenyl structure was synthesized with 2BP and 1,3,5-benzenetrimethylacylchloride as monomers by dispersion method. The structures of 2BP and the DLCM were characterized by FT-IR and 1H-NMR. The thermal stabilities of he DLCM were measured by TGA and DSC. The results showed that the DLCM had good thermal stability and the DLCM may have a higher phase inversion temperature.


A dual-beam along-track interferometric synthetic aperture radar that is entirely self-contained within an aircraft pod has been developed by the University of Massachusetts to study sea surface processes in coastal regions. The radar operates at 5.3 GHz with a bandwidth of up to 25 MHz. System hardware is described. Initial test flights aboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's WP-3D research aircraft were performed to evaluate system performance over land and water surfaces. Imagery were collected for fore and aft squinted beams, though no interferometric data were collected. Notable look-angle dependences are observed in the sea surface normalized radar cross section under very low wind conditions.


Image processing techniques are important algorithm both in applied mathematics and various aspects of computer science. The aim of this paper is to present the algorithm composing an image from the parts. We consider two cases. First, when the image is divided only vertically, and second, when the image is divided vertically and horizontally. We discuss our algorithm and also present appropriate statistics associated with the program's running time.


The topic of the bachelor thesis is to point out the influence of activities and processes in stores on general efficiency of store management. The first chapter focuses on storage and its functions and progress of activities in store. Second chapter describes stock theory and its management. The second part of the thesis includes own research in Tescoma s.r.o., identification of the problem processes and places in store and own proposals of improve-ments for more effective store management.


This article uses critical theory and questions of representation to explore the meaning of photographs of the Holocaust and their place within public culture.


Serviceability and post-event functionality of reinforced concrete bridge structures is greatly influenced by concrete durability, resistance to cracking and deformation recovery. Steel fiber reinforced concrete displays improved toughness and resistance to cracking. Plastic deformations of steel fibers provide significant energy dissipation. Deflection hardening behavior of steel fiber reinforced concrete mixtures leads to tighter cracks, which inhibits the penetration of harmful solutions into the concrete. However, steel fibers experience permanent deformations upon yielding and cannot provide self-centering and crack-closing properties. In this study, the use of randomly distributed shape memory alloy (SMA) fibers in concrete is studied. Five types of beam specimens with the dimensions of 76 mm × 76 mm × 292 mm are prepared for flexural tests. The first beam specimen is a plain concrete beam that serves as benchmark. The second specimen is a steel fiber reinforced concrete beam and includes 0.6% of steel fiber by volume. For the other specimens, 25%, 50% and 100% of steel fibers respectively are replaced with the NiTi SMA fibers. The SMA fibers possess a roughened surface for improved bond behavior. Three point bending tests are conducted on all specimens under cycling loading. An acoustic emission system was used to determine energy release levels during concrete cracking and fiber pullout. An optical Digital Image Correlation method is also used to measure full-field deformations and track the damage evolution on the surface of the specimens. Test results are analyzed in terms of tensile strength capacity, mid-span deflection, and crack width for each specimen.


Experience has shown that the outcome of large and expensive validation studies on alternative methods can be compromised if their managers do not insist that optimised test protocols and proof of their performance are submitted before the start of the formal validation study. One way for the sponsors of validation studies to confirm both the likely relevance of a method for its stated purpose and its readiness for validation would be to require a prevalidation study before formal validation was contemplated. This process would involve the developers (or other proponents of the method) and selected independent laboratories in protocol refinement (Phase I) and protocol transfer (Phase II). The optimised protocol would then be assessed in a protocol performance phase (Phase III), which would involve the testing of a relevant set of coded test materials and an evaluation of a proposed prediction model. In certain circumstances, a successful outcome of Phase III might be sufficient for promotion of the regulatory acceptance of the method. Normally, however, the method would proceed to a formal validation study. The European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods, a recognised validation authority, now proposes to introduce this prevalidation scheme into its validation strategy.


Background: Previous researchers have investigated the mechanical and neurophysiological effects of manual mobilization, however little research has been done on muscle tone and muscle stiffness.
Objective: To compare the effects of posterior-anterior (PA) mobilization with weight bearing on sling and conventional PA mobilization on the bed.
Design: Randomized controlled trial (single blind)
Methods: The subjects were 16 male university students and randomized to sling mobilization group (SMG, n=8) or conventional mobilization group (CMG, n=8). SMG received PA mobilization using a sling and CMG received traditional mobilization on the bed during lumbar mobilization.
Results: Both left and right muscle tones of SMG increased, but left muscle tone of SMG were increased and right muscle tone was decreased after intervention. In addition, both left and right muscle stiffness of SMG were also increased, however left muscle stiffness of SMG was increased and right muscle stiffness was decreased. The muscle tone and muscle stiffness of SMG were higher than those of DMG, especially the right side was statistically significantly higher. Extension of SMG, extension and flexion of CMG were increased statistically significantly except for Flexion of SMG (p<.05). There were no significant differences between the groups in Extension and Flexion.
Conclusions: This study suggests that lumbar spine PA mobilization using sling is beneficial in improving muscle tone, muscle stiffness, and trunk movement.


In view of the security risks and centralized structure of traditional intelligent transportation system, we propose a novel scheme of secure data sharing and customized services based on the consortium blockchain (DSCSCB). The ciphertext-policy attribute-based proxy re-encryption algorithm has the function of keyword searching by dividing the key into an attribute key and a search key, which not only solves the problem that proxy re-encryption algorithm cannot retrieve data, but also realizes data sharing and data forwarding. Moreover, the algorithm effectively controls the access permission of data, and provides a secure communication environment for the vehicular ad-hoc network (VANET). Service sectors, such as insurance companies, the traffic police and maintenance suppliers, obtain the corresponding ciphertext and then apply the smart contract to provide customized services for the onboard unit after decryption. Security analysis and performance evaluation demonstrate that our scheme not only meets the requirements of data sharing in the security and confidentiality, but also has obvious advantages in the overhead of computing and communication.


Background:  A new formulation of doxorubicin (pegylated liposomal doxorubicin) has been developed to attenuate the systemic side effects produced by this agent. Although pegylated liposomal doxorubicin has a much lower risk for cardiotoxicity, it has been associated with cutaneous side effects that differ from, and may also be more frequent than, those produced by the free form of the drug.


In all facets of animal welfare, as in human health and quality of life, the unambiguous and valid measurement of the key attributes is of critical importance. Welfare is a complex construct and in this paper we present a methodological framework for the development of a composite animal welfare scale based on psychometric and metrological principles for scale creation developed in human medicine and Psychology. We indicate how these principles can be applied and how the resulting scale would then be validated and tested.


Spring is a joyous time, decked out in the bright colours of the many flowers and the soft greens of young shoots.


In connection with the Shimura correspondence, Shintani [6] and Niwa [4] constructed a modular form by the integral with the theta kernel arising from the Weil representation. They treated the group Sp(1) × O(2, 1). Using the special isomorphism of O(2, 1) onto SL(2), Shintani constructed a modular form of half-integral weight from that of integral weight. We can write symbolically his case as "O(2, 1)→ Sp(1)" Then Niwa's case is "Sp(l)→ O(2, 1)", that is from the halfintegral to the integral. Their methods are generalized by many authors. In particular, Niwa's are fully extended by Rallis-Schiffmann to "Sp(l)→O(p, q)".


Corruption is created by the influence of outside social environment and other factors,and it also has some relation to the subjective understanding and the mental state of the behavior.Corrupting quality of some public powers is the biggest motive of corruption.Therefore,this paper will discuss the problem of corruption from the reasons and the main performance of corrupting quality of some public powers.


In the previous papers,1,2) we reported a distinct increase in the content of sulfhydryl (SH) group in a protein fraction from kidney of mice which were administrated with cadmium for a short time. This evidence raised a question how much SH group increases in the above protein fraction when mice were administrated with a high dose of cadmium for a long time. Female DDD •~ BALB strain mice weighing 21±2 g were divided into two


Scattering of light is one of the commonest of all phenomena, which does not in the least imply that it is one of the most commonplace. Even its practical importance entitles it to high respect. We are often told that were it not for scattering, the sky would not be blue; the sun and the stars would stand out amazingly brilliant against a background black as coal. It is probable, however, that if scattering were suddenly to be suspended, the disappearance of the sky would be one of the least of our worries. Everything else would disappear, except what was self-luminous. The visible world would consist of the sun, the other stars, and flames, some electrical discharges, the filaments of incandescent lamps, and some substances glowing feebly with fluorescence or phosphorescence. Nothing else could be seen except as a silhouette, apart from objects so translucent that they could be viewed as a stereopticon slide against a flame. Happily no such calamity impends; and we may unconcernedly consider the theoretical importance of the process, which is great. As some might say, the scattering of light is one of the battlegrounds between the undulatory and the corpuscular theories. Metaphors of combat are however not appropriate; it is necessary to reconcile the theories, not to smash one or the other. Now it happens that some of the phenomena of scattering may be interpreted by the one theory, and some by the other; and some can be explained by either, which is most auspicious; for if this can some day be said of all the phenomena of light, the goal of our desires will have been attained.


Vacuolar invertases play a vital role in the progress of cassava tuber roots starch accumulation. In order to study the regulating mechanism of cassava vacuolar invertases, the promoter of cassava vacuolar invertase 2 (MeVINV2) was isolated using the PCR amplification approach, starting with a part of coding sequences. Sequencing result showed that 47 bp MeVINV2 gene CDS sequence and 1242 bp potential promoter sequence was obtained. PlantCARE analysis revealed that the MeVINV2 gene promoter contains typical eukaryotic elements CAAT box and TATA box, and also several light-responsive elements and stress-responsive elements. These cis-acting regulatory elements might be associated to the vacuolar invertase gene function of cassava starch accumulation and biological stress defense.


Carbon aerogels prepared at different carbonization temperatures and with varying mesopore volumes were used as supports for Pt catalysts to study the n-C4H10/H2 reaction. Mean Pt particle size depended on the mesopore volume of the support, showing a linear decrease when the mesopore volume increased. The turnover frequency (TOF) for hydrogenolysis was much higher than for isomerization in catalysts supported on carbon aerogels obtained at 900–950 °C. However, both TOF values were similar in catalysts supported on the carbon aerogel obtained at 500 °C. TOF for hydrogenolysis and isomerization were related to the mean Pt particle size in catalysts supported on carbon aerogels obtained at 900–950 °C. In addition, both reactions showed a compensation effect between the activation energy and pre-exponential factor, indicating that they have the same intermediate, i.e., the chemisorbed dehydrogenated alkane.


In order to improve efficiency and comfort of color blindness and color weakness users' interaction in network cultural diffusion and reach the humane care of accessible visual design,starting from the cognition of color emotion of color blindness and color weakness users,the association relationship between six groups of emotion words and colors is analyzed through the two-way research between emotion and color induction.Based on the association relationship,accessible color with emotional interaction is redesigned by taking the "360 Safe"software interface as an example.The result of usability testing as the basis comparison of the original and redesigned interface is analyzed and exploration of color accessible interaction in network environment is conducted.


The use of pesticides dominates agriculture today, but unfortunately poses several threats to the environment and humans, through bioaccumulation and biomagnification. This research tested the efficacies of Salvia officinalis subsp. lavandulifolia and Salvia officinalis subsp. major aqueous extracts against Botrytis cinerea in order to curb chemical control and subsequent reduction in their threats. The leaves of Salvia officinalis subsp. lavandulifolia and Salvia officinalis subsp. major were collected in July and September 2019 and shed-dried. Then 90 ml hot distilled water was added to10 g of the crumbled leaves from each sample, left for 24 hours and the filtrate was used to prepare two different media concentrations: CC1 containing 99 ml PDA (i.e. Potato Dextrose Agar) and 11 ml extract (or ion-exchange water as control 1); and CC2 containing 88 ml PDA and 22 ml extract (or ion-exchange water as control 2). The 10 ml from each mixture (CC1, CC2 and the controls) was used as the growth media in 5 replications. Each Petri dish was centrally inoculated with 9 mm 2 B. cinerea mycelia, and the area of colony was taken. All the extracts effectively inhibited the growth of Botrytis cinerea , with Som2 showing the highest inhibition. In Salvia officinalis subsp. lavandulifolia , Sol1 (July harvested) showed higher inhibition (53.90%) compared to September harvested Sol2 (40.78%) in CC2 at 3 days post inoculation (PI), while in Salvia officinalis subsp. major , Som2 (September harvested) showed higher inhibition (15.01%) compared to July harvested Som1 (0.04%) in CC1 at 7 days PI. Generally, CC2 showed higher inhibition compared to CC1. Mindegyik keverékből (CC1, CC2 és a kontrollok) 10-10 ml-t használtunk tenyésztő tápközegként 5 ismétlésben. Minden Petri-csésze közepébe beoltottunk 9 mm 2 területű Botrytis cinerea micéliumot és a telep területét vizsgáltuk. Valamennyi kivonat hatásos volt a Botrytis cinerea szaporodása ellen, közülük a Som2 mutatta a legnagyobb gátló hatást. A Salvia officinalis subsp. lavandulifolia Sol1 (júliusban betakarítva) magasabb gátlást mutatott


Lucerne is one of the most valuable forage species because of its high productivity and nutritional traits. However, the knowledge of spatio-temporal variability and environmental controls of its growth generated from the simultaneous study of several sites and throughout several years is extremely scarce. Five-year biomass data were analyzed from four rain fed sites located across a climatic and edaphic gradient in Argentina. The aims proposed were to characterize annual and seasonal lucerne growth, to analyze environmental controls of spatial and emporal growth, and to compare water use efficiency (WUE) among sites. Annual growth differed significantly among sites, ranging between 7,514 and 14,262 kg DM/ha. This range at the spatial scale was mainly explained by variations in annual rainfall and WUE among sites. Seasonal growth depended on incident radiation and actual evapotranspiration.  Interannual variability of lucerne growth was explained by precipitation occurred during the growing season in the driest sites, on sandy soils with less water retention capacity. Knowing the sources of variability of lucerne growth, would allow developing more efficient livestock management due to less uncertainty on the forage production dynamics.


Monitoring vital signs helps evaluate health status and provides essential information about abnormal conditions. A pragmatic solution to measure both the respiration rate and heartbeat rate noninvasively is reported. The respiration rate is primarily estimated by FFT based power spectrum analysis and secondarily by the Burg method. The former provides high computational efficiency, and the latter offers enhanced robustness. The complexity increase is carefully controlled by clear switching rules between the two methods. Based on reliable respiratory rate estimation, the heartbeat rate is separated from the respiratory harmonics via a statistical operation by exploiting the ratio of candidate heartbeat peaks and respiratory frequency. Experimental tests on various people using a Gaussian pulsed based sensor show the effectiveness and accuracy.


Experiments were conducted at the California Air Resources Board Haagen-Smit Laboratory to understand changes in vehicle emissions in response to stricter emissions standards over the past 25 years. Measurements included a wide range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for a wide range of spark ignition gasoline vehicles meeting varying levels of emissions standards, including all certifications from Tier 0 up to Partial Zero Emission Vehicle. Standard gas chromatography (GC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HLPC) analyses were employed for drive-cycle phase emissions. A proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometer measured time-resolved emissions for a wide range of VOCs. Cold-start emissions occur almost entirely in the first 30-60 s for newer vehicles. Cold-start emissions have compositions that are not significantly different across all vehicles tested and are markedly different from neat fuel. Hot-stabilized emissions have varying importance depending on species and may require a driving distance of 200 miles to equal the emissions from a single cold start. Average commute distances in the U.S. suggest the majority of in-use vehicles have emissions dominated by cold starts. The distribution of vehicle ages in the U.S. suggests that within several years only a few percent of vehicles will have significant driving emissions compared to cold-start emissions.


Analysis of 576 geo-referenced surface soil samples collected using stratified random sampling techniques from 64 mandals of Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. The pH of the soils was found to be in the range of 4.5 to 8.9 and majority of them (53%) were alkaline in nature. The EC of the district soils was normal and was in the range of 0.10 and 1.66 dSm. Fifty five percent of soils analyzed from Chittoor district were found to be medium in organic carbon content (0.5 to 0.75%) and 43% registered low organic carbon content. The nutrient index rating for OC, therefore, was found to be medium (1.78). All the thematic maps related to studying P, EC and OC were prepared in a GIS environment and presented


Soft tissue metastases from left adrenal cortical carcinoma in a 30-year-old white man were localized on a gallium scintigram six weeks following left adrenalectomy.


High‐spatial‐resolution functional MRI (fMRI) can enhance image contrast and improve spatial specificity for brain activity mapping. As the voxel size is reduced, an irregular magnetic fieldmap will emerge as a result of less local averaging, and will lead to abnormal fMRI signal evolution with respect to the image acquisition TE. In this article, we report this signal turbulence phenomenon observed in simulations of ultrahigh‐spatial‐resolution blood oxygenation level‐dependent (BOLD) fMRI (voxel size of less than 50 × 50 × 50 µm3). We present a four‐level coarse‐to‐fine multiresolution BOLD fMRI signal simulation. Based on the statistical histogram of an intravoxel fieldmap, we reformulate the intravoxel dephasing summation (a form of Riemann sum) into a new formula that is a discrete Fourier transformation of the intravoxel fieldmap histogram (a form of Lebesgue sum). We interpret the BOLD signal formation by relating its magnitude (phase) to the even (odd) symmetry of the fieldmap histogram. Based on multiresolution BOLD signal simulation, we find that the signal turbulence mainly emerges at the vessel boundary, and that there are only a few voxels (less than 10%) in an ultrahigh‐resolution image that reveal turbulence in the form of sparse point noise. Our simulation also shows that, for typical human brain imaging of the cerebral cortex with millimeter resolution, TE < 30 ms and B0 = 3 T, we are unlikely to observe BOLD signal turbulence. Overall, the main causes of voxel signal turbulence include a high spatial resolution, high field, long TE and large vessel. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


significant others with mostly a positive reception in the eyes of their fans – functioning more like imagined figures. Fans willingly sustain artificial relations, created through imaginaries, becoming parts of fictional structures. In this article I will try to shed light on some of the compensation mechanisms present in the fandom groups of popular music.