ABSTRACT Dickeya dadantii is a Gram-negative bacterium that causes soft rot diseases in a variety of plants. This pathogen secretes pectate lyase (Pel) enzymes to degrade the plant cell wall, a process controlled by the bacterial second messenger cyclic diguanylate monophosphate (c-di-GMP). VfmH is a Fis-family response regulator of the Vfm quorum sensing system, which has been previously reported to positively regulate pel transcription. Our results demonstrated that VfmH upregulated the production of Pel at low c-di-GMP levels, which was suppressed by c-di-GMP via deleting gene egcpB, encoding a phosphodiesterase that degrades c-di-GMP. Multiple sequence alignments between FleQ, a known c-di-GMP binding protein, and VfmH revealed several potential c-di-GMP binding motifs. We further validated these motifs via single amino acid substitutions. Indeed, derivatives of VfmH, including VfmHR195A, VfmHR279A, and VfmHR344A, abolished the c-di-GMP binding ability and the corresponding regulation in Pel. We found that VfmH exhibited ATPase activity, and this could be hindered by c-di-GMP binding. Interestingly, our results showed that VfmH interacted with CRP, suggesting that the cyclic AMP (cAMP) signaling pathway is also involved in the VfmH-mediated Pel regulation. Taken together, our study suggested that D. dadantii amalgamates both c-di-GMP and cAMP signaling networks along with the Vfm quorum sensing pathway to control Pel. IMPORTANCE Bacteria respond to environmental changes and adapt to host systems. The response regulator VfmH of the Vfm quorum sensing system regulates a crucial virulence factor, pectate lyase (Pel), in Dickeya dadantii. At high c-di-GMP concentrations, VfmH binds c-di-GMP, resulting in the loss of its activation property in the Pel and virulence regulation in D. dadantii. VfmH binds to c-di-GMP via three conserved arginine residues, and mutations of these residues eliminate the c-di-GMP-related phenotypes of VfmH in Pel synthesis. Our data also show that VfmH interacts with CRP to regulate pelD transcription, thus integrating cyclic AMP and c-di-GMP signaling pathways to control virulence in D. dadantii. We propose that VfmH is an important intermediate factor incorporating quorum sensing and nucleotide signaling pathways for the collective regulation of D. dadantii pathogenesis. Bacteria respond to environmental changes and adapt to host systems. The response regulator VfmH of the Vfm quorum sensing system regulates a crucial virulence factor, pectate lyase (Pel), in Dickeya dadantii. At high c-di-GMP concentrations, VfmH binds c-di-GMP, resulting in the loss of its activation property in the Pel and virulence regulation in D. dadantii. VfmH binds to c-di-GMP via three conserved arginine residues, and mutations of these residues eliminate the c-di-GMP-related phenotypes of VfmH in Pel synthesis. Our data also show that VfmH interacts with CRP to regulate pelD transcription, thus integrating cyclic AMP and c-di-GMP signaling pathways to control virulence in D. dadantii. We propose that VfmH is an important intermediate factor incorporating quorum sensing and nucleotide signaling pathways for the collective regulation of D. dadantii pathogenesis.


It has been suggested that qq production followed by decays q..-->..qomega-tilde (with omega-tilde..-->..enu-tilde,e..nu..) and q..-->..qgamma-tilde might fake the top-quark signal in e+2-jet events from W..-->..tb-bar production (with t..-->..e..nu..b) at the CERN pp-bar collider. We exclude this supersymmetry possibility; it does not reproduce the full set of narrow peaked distributions characteristic of the W..-->..tb-bar signal. The UA1 data favor the W..-->..tb-bar interpretation over this supersymmetry mechanism.


The invention discloses an infrared detector with a graphene-based sandwich type infrared absorption layer and a manufacturing method for the infrared detector. The graphene-based sandwich type infrared absorption layer comprises a heat-sensitive layer, wherein the upper part of the heat-sensitive layer is covered by a graphene film; and a Si3N4 film is attached to the lower part of the heat-sensitive layer. Infrared rays have three ways to reach the heat-sensitive layer: part of the infrared rays are reflected back to a graphene layer, part of the infrared rays are absorbed by the heat-sensitive layer to generate heat, and the residual infrared rays penetrate through the heat-sensitive layer and are irradiated to the Si3N4 film. According to the infrared detector, the infrared rays reflected and transmitted from the heat-sensitive layer are enabled to be reflected back to the heat-sensitive layer again as far as possible to form a cavity structure with a "greenhouse effect".


In this note we prove the following result. THEOREM. For any finite group G and any prime number ρ Φ 2 there exists a finite nilpotent group Ρ of class 2 and exponent ρ whose automorphism group Aut Ρ has a factor group isomorphic to G. This theorem solves Problem 4.38 in [1]: "To describe the composition factors of the automorphism groups of finite nilpotent groups of class 2 and prime exponent" (V.D. Mazurov). An analogous result for groups of exponent ρ was obtained earlier by Heineken and Liebeck [2]. PROOF. 1°. If Kis a vector space over the field ofp elements and F A V is the exterior square of it, then the set


This work deals with the modeling and simulation of non-Newtonian jet dynamics as it occurs in fiber spinning processes. Proceeding from a three-dimensional instationary boundary value problem of upper-convected Maxwell equations, we present a strict systematic derivation of a one-dimensional viscoelastic string model by using asymptotic analysis in the slenderness ratio of the jet. The model allows for the unrestricted motion and shape of the jet's curve, and its deduction extends the hitherto existing uniaxial asymptotic approaches. However, the system of partial differential equations with algebraic constraint has a varying character (hyperbolic, hyperbolic–elliptic, parabolic deficiency). Its applicability range turns out to be limited depending on the physical parameters and the boundary conditions (i.e. singular perturbation). Numerical results are discussed for the hyperbolic regime of gravitational inflow–outflow set-ups which become relevant in drawing and extrusion processes. The simulations are performed with a normal form total upwind scheme in space and an implicit time-integration ensuring convergence of first order.


It is necessary to develop a mobile water production system in order to provide stable water supply in case of disasters such as floods or earthquakes. In this study, we developed a modular mobile water production system capable of producing water for various uses such as domestic water and drinking...


In this study, the authors propose a backstepping-based, distributed formation control method that is stable independent of time delays in communication among multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Centralised formation control of UAVs requires each agent to maintain a separation distance from other agents, which burdens the communication network of the UAVs. To overcome this problem, the authors consider a distributed control scheme wherein each agent updates its attitude and position based on the state information gathered through its neighbours. Instead of directly controlling the thrust generated by the propellers, they partition the mathematical model of the UAV into two subsystems, a linear attitude control loop and a non-linear position control loop. A backstepping-based outer position controller is then designed that interfaces seamlessly with the inner attitude controller of the cascaded control system. The closed-loop stability is established using a rigorous Lyapunov–Krasovskii analysis under the influence of distributed network time delays. Using the directed graph topology and a distributed backstepping structure, it is shown that the stability criterion is delay-independent. The proposed control algorithms are verified in simulation and then implemented in hardware, and actual flight test experiments prove the validity of these algorithms.


This study tests several specific predictions derived from three general core hypotheses of intercultural relations (multiculturalism, contact, and integration hypotheses). The participants were 405 migrants from Guinea-Bissau (51 percent women). Their average age was 38 years. The average length of stay in Portugal was 18 years. Data collection involved the completion of questionnaires to measure multicultural ideology, security, cultural identity, contact, perceived discrimination, acculturation strategies, mental health problems, sociocultural adaptation, and tolerance. In concert with the multiculturalism hypothesis, security and cultural identity positively predicted multicultural ideology. The contact hypothesis was partially confirmed given that intercultural contact did not predict perceived discrimination, although contact predicted national identity. Regarding the integration hypothesis, integration strategy predicted psychological and intercultural adaptations, while the predictors of sociocultural adaptation were assimilation and marginalization. Hence, the integration hypothesis obtained partial support for migrants from Guinea-Bissau residing in Portugal. Finally, some implications of the findings are discussed. This study contributes to extending the integration hypothesis to a recently suggested new form of adaptation, intercultural adaptation. Feelings of being secure in the larger society and one's identity contributes to higher acceptance of diversity.


Leaf venation about 13 taxa of Korean Euphorbia L. was investigated to estimate its taxonomic significance. Subgenus Chamaesyce was distinguished from subgenus Esula by palmatoid type of secondary vein divergence at leaf base, narrow gaps among three traces at leaf base and fusion of marginal ultimate vein. E. pekinensis, E. fauriei and E. jolkini of sect. Tulocarpa in subgenus Esula were different from the other taxa by the massive size of mid vein and incomplete development of areoles. Divergence angles of secondary veins in E. ebracteolata and E. pallasii of sect. Tithymalus and E. lucorum of sect. Tulocarpa were nearly uniform, upper sencondary veins in E. jolkini of sect. Tulocarpa were more acute than lower, but in the other taxa, upper secondary veins were more obtuse than lower. E. helioscopia of sect. Helioscopiae in subgenus Esula and taxa in subgenus Chamaesyce were grouped by serrulate of leaf margin, but E. maculata was distinguished from E. humifusa and E. supina by projection of last vein to serration. Also, the phylogenetic trend of leaf venation was inferred by palmatoid or pinnate type of secondary vein divergence at leaf base, fusion of marginal ultimate vein and serrulate of leaf margin. As above results, leaf venation of Korean Euphorbia was found to be a good character in delimiting above sections or some species.


An analysis of collective excitations of stripe domains is presented which is similar to that used with magnetostatic waves in single‐domain films. The analysis is valid when both the wavelength and film thickness are large compared to the stripe width. It is shown that the backward wave character of the waves results from the anisotropic nature of the effective susceptibility of the film obtained by averaging over many domains. Specifically, the susceptibility components parallel to the wall motion are found to be positive and constant whereas the perpendicular component is frequency dependent and can be negative. Expressions are also given for the electromagnetic fields associated with the waves.


Patients with follicular lymphoma or diffuse large B-cell lymphoma with a low peripheral blood natural killer cell count at baseline had shorter time to progression.


Abstract Several case histories regarding design and construction of roads, utilities and structures founded on or through deep peat deposits and discontinuous permafrost are presented. The case histories describe various approaches of dealing with soft and thaw unstable ground in Anchorage, Alaska.


Objective To explore the effects of Spirulina on endotoxin,TNF-α,SOD,MDA and pxGHS in rat acute hepatic injury.Methods Rat model was conducted using Wistar rats.The rats randomized into four groups:KB,NS,GANLIXIN(GLX) and spirulina.The quantitative analysis of intestinal flora was conducted.Endotoxin and TNF-α were determined by immunology.SOD,MDA and pxGHS were also analysed.Results Spirulina had effects to reducing ALT,AST,and could also module intestinal flora.Compared with the model groups,contents of endotoxin and TNF-α were obviously lower in spirulina group than those of GLX group(P0.05).Spirulina could significantly strengthened SOD,pxGSH activity and reduced contend of MDA.Conclusion The results indicated that Spirulina has effects to protecting hepatic function by the pathways of prebiotic-endotoxin-TNF-α and antioxidation.


Nanotechnology components in automobiles are already on the market and are presently developed to create significant improvement to comfort, safety and saving of resources. Several examples underline the role of nanotechnology in cars. By the introduction of nanocomposites and nanostructured materials improvements of the fuel cell technology as well of fossil fuel injection are demonstrated for powertrain components. Nano-materials with higher hardness, stiffness and lighter weight yield advantages for a lighter car body as well as for windows. Furthermore improved solar cells with nanodots on the car body offer solar cooling and back feed of the solar energy into the car's battery, finally the thermoelectric conversion of the waste heat in cars is discussed.


The training of diagnostic problem solving capabilities is the aim of many case based training systems, e.g. for medical students. They follow the approach of problem based learning. This faces the students with a problem exceeding their capabilities and thus induces an information need. This paper examines different ways of accomplishing this need by generating hypermedia documents and enabling intelligent access to static documents.


There are significant limitations to the tools currently used to monitor clinical status and treatment response in late-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Standard-of-care imaging is generally performed every few months, and emerging assays such as tumor mutational burden have yet to be clinically validated. Most of these tools are expensive, further limiting their use. We are exploring a promising new biomarker, high molecular weight cell-free DNA (hmw cfDNA, predominantly longer than 300 bp), which we assay using proprietary ACE (Alternating Current Electrokinetics) technology directly in plasma. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that changes in the level of hmw cfDNA in cancer patients correlate with traditional, imaging-based clinical assessments. We collected longitudinal blood specimens from subjects diagnosed with stage III and stage IV NSCLC and being treated with various therapies (chemo, immuno, targeted) at multiple sites across the US. Specimens were obtained within nine days of routine imaging and were processed to plasma prior to testing. For this analysis, using our hmw cfDNA assay and orthogonal PCR assays, we obtained validated results on samples from 62 subjects which included a total of 117 "deltas", defined as the difference in hmw cfDNA levels between consecutive blood draws. The correlation between these deltas and clinical assessments, which were made independently by the physician responsible for the subject's routine care and by a third-party radiologist, was determined. In post-hoc analysis of these results, we found significant correlation between deltas and clinical assessments across classes of therapies, according to receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis. This dataset produced an area under the ROC curve (AUROC) of 0.696, with a 95% confidence interval of 0.594 - 0.797. The time intervals between imaging dates varied, due to common practice being followed by physicians, and we found that exclusion of longer time intervals resulted in a progressive improvement in the correlation between hmw cfDNA delta and clinical assessment. Analyzing results with time intervals of less than 120 days, similar to NCCN guidelines, resulted in an AUROC of 0.784 (95% CI of 0.673 - 0.880). Analysis of data from a small subset of subjects (N=11) on immune checkpoint inhibitors resulted in an AUROC > 0.8. These results suggest that hmw cfDNA is a promising biomarker for monitoring treatment response of NSCLC patients, including those on immunotherapy. The ease and lower cost associated with obtaining, processing, and testing samples using this assay would enable it to be employed on a more frequent basis, and it would therefore complement current technologies based on imaging and sequencing. Additional studies to refine the application of this assay and to determine its impact on clinical outcomes will further inform its future use. Citation Format: Robert Kovelman, Patrick F. Desmond, Natalie J. Kennel, Juan P. Hinestrosa, Ellen B. Christie, Delia Ye, Michelle M. Nguyen, Alfred D. Kinana, Mark S. Schechter, David Chu, Chirag M. Shah, Osama Hlalah, John E. Doster, Rajaram Krishnan. Correlation of levels of cell-free DNA in plasma with imaging-based assessment in Stage III/IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1350.


A study of the simultaneous heat and mass transfer from a single sphere to a turbulent air stream has been made. The aim of the investigation is to evaluate the effect of mass transfer on the rate of heat transfer. Results are compared with pure heat transfer data under similar conditions as well as those obtained by the evaporation of liquids from porous spheres.

On a fait une etude du transfert simultane de chaleur et de masse d'une sphere simple a un courant d'air turbulent. Le but de l'etude etait d'evaluer l'effet du transfert de masse sur la vitesse de transmission de la chaleur. On a compare les resultats avec ceux du transfert d'une chaleur pure dans des conditions semblables ainsi que dans des conditions qu'on obtient par l'evaporation de liquides a partir de spheres poreuses.


AbstractBed-load sediment transport is important yet difficult to measure in large, sand-bed rivers. Prior work established in theory and validated in a flume study a method known as integrated section surface difference over time version 2 (ISSDOTv2), which computes bed-load transport using sequential three dimensional (3D) bathymetric profiles. The same work identified a source of systemic error leading to an underprediction of computed transport rates. This paper demonstrates how the systemic error can be removed from ISSDOTv2 calculations to produce a more accurate dune transport value. This is demonstrated by analytic and geometric examples, and with field data from the Missouri River at Kansas City. The results of these analyses indicate that field data do exhibit the systematic error and that it is possible to extrapolate a corrected dune bed-load transport rate from field data obtained at different measurement intervals. Additionally, error bounds on this corrected value can be set. Independent va...


How to effectively mitigate the bias of feedback in recommender systems is an important research topic. In this article, we first describe the generation process of the biased and unbiased feedback in recommender systems via two respective causal diagrams, where the difference between them can be regarded as the source of system-induced biases. We then define this difference as a confounding bias and propose a new perspective on debiased representation learning to alleviate it. Specifically, for the case with biased feedback alone, we derive the conditions that need to be satisfied to obtain a debiased representation from the causal diagrams. Then, we propose a novel framework called debiased information bottleneck (DIB) to optimize these conditions and then find a tractable solution for it. The proposed framework constrains the model to learn a biased embedding vector with independent biased and unbiased components in the training phase, and uses only the unbiased component in the test phase to deliver more accurate recommendations. We further propose a variant of DIB by relaxing the independence between the biased and unbiased components. Finally, we conduct extensive experiments on a public dataset and a real product dataset to verify the effectiveness of the proposed framework.


Lifestyle is one of the factors that influence consumer behavior. The increase in spending on the consumption of food and beverage in Indonesia shows changes in people's lifestyles, including college students who like eating out. Food consumption is closely related to the eating mindset and preferences of someone. This study aims to analyze college students' preferences of foods and beverages; analyze the student's eating mindset and analyze the correlation between college students' eating mindset and preferences of foods and beverages in Bandar Lampung City. This research used a survey method. The data was collected from May to July 2020 (the Covid-19 pandemic period). The sampling technique used was quota sampling and the number of samples was 500 college students in Bandar Lampung City. The primary data collection was carried out using an online questionnaire. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and Kendall's Tau correlation test. The results showed that: (1) college students' preference of beverages was higher than foods and based on the variety, the highest preference of main course/meal was noodles, the snack was pempek and beverages were bottled mineral water; (2) the college student's eating mindset about the benefits of eating is good enough, but the consumption is still rice oriented and (3) eating mindset about the benefits of eating dimensions has a significant negative effect on the preferences of college students in Bandar Lampung City for meals made from rice and flour, and snacks made from flour and sago. College students' knowledge of food and nutrition, and also local food diversification needs to be improved to achieve the goal of food diversification.


The year 1907 was an important one for John Sloan, as he executed a substantial body of paintings in preparation for a major exhibition the following year. In key works from that period, Sloan peopled the urban scenes for which he is best known with figures and objects that refer back to the medium of painting. These motifs are given added meaning in their relation both to the urban crowd and to newly emergent entertainments like the moving pictures. Insight into the broader aims of Sloan's artistic project is drawn from his commercial illustration work as well.


Based on the Ziyang Section of Tuojiang River Basin in the water function zoning four units and seven sub-units have been determined.Applying one-dimensional water quality model to calculate the water environmental capacity can provide evidence for making industrial planning and water pollution control.The results showed that the COD and NH3-N environmental capacities of the Ziyang section in Tuojiang River Basin were 28 270.17 t/a and 1 225.67 t/a respectively.The environmental capacity of COD and NH3-N were mainly assigned in the main stream,and the environmental capacity of upstream was higher than that of the down stream.


Aim: To assess the expression of Myb in the saliva and salivary gland tissues of patients suffering from salivary gland tumors to find out its ability to differentiate between salivary gland carcinomas and benign tumors. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective study comprising 70 patients with salivary gland tumors classified into two equal groups: 35 patients had benign tumors and 35 patients had malignant salivary gland carcinomas. Expression of Myb level in the saliva and salivary gland tissues of the patients was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and detected by immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis. For parametric data, Student's t test was used, and for nonparametric data Mann–Whitney U test was used. However, qualitative data were presented as frequencies and percentages. Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test, when applicable, was used for the comparisons. ROC (receiver-operating characteristic) curve was constructed to determine the cutoff values of Myb for differentiation between the groups. Results: There was a statistically significant difference (P = 0.029) of Myb level in saliva and tissue in the malignant group in comparison to the benign group. Myb ELISA test in salivary gland tissues at a cutoff value of 355 mg/g could discriminate between benign and malignant salivary gland tumors with an 88.9% sensitivity, 86.7% specificity, and accuracy amounting to 91.8%. At a cutoff value of 78.9 mg/mL, Myb ELISA test in saliva could discriminate between benign and malignant salivary gland tumors with an 85.6% sensitivity, 79.7% specificity, and accuracy amounting to 83.4%. In tissues, Myb detection by IHC is significantly more diagnostic than by ELISA. Conclusion: Myb expression by ELISA was markedly observed in salivary gland tumors especially malignant carcinoma. Therefore, it can be used as a simple primary marker for the detection of salivary gland tumors in saliva or tissue biopsy. Myb expression evaluation by ELISA can differentiate between malignant and benign salivary gland tumors. The level of Myb detected in saliva can furnish an early diagnosis of salivary gland cancer as well as a noninvasive aid to monitor recurrence of malignant salivary gland lesions.


To the Editor:— Dr. Alvan L. Barach's superb and erudite answer in the Questions and Answers section, on page 398 ofThe Journalof April 29, 1961, on asthma and wind instruments is fine as far as it goes. However, one important aspect is not mentioned. This is that in the presence of infection the performance of the Valsalva maneuver or any other experiment which increases the pressures in the upper respiratory tract is quite conducive of otitis media. This can be likened to descent from high altitude, in which patients with upper respiratory infections have more trouble than on the ascent with decreasing pressures.


vs. a systematic review trials', Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is indicated for haemody-namicallysignificant coronary artery disease in the presence of limiting angina or angina equivalent when symptoms are inadequately controlled by optimised medical therapy, 1 and second generation drug eluting stents (DES) with a strut thickness >70 l m are the current standard of care. Whilst PCI is an effective treatment, patients may experience recurrent ischaemic events, including angina or an acute coronary syndrome. 2 Although there is a wide differential diagnosis, 2 target lesion failure due to neointima formation and, rarely, stent thrombosis, is an avoidable complication. The stent can be causally-implicated, and advances in stent technologies, include reducing the strut thickness, are intended to limit these adverse events. Ultrathin-strut thickness (<_70 l m) represents one of the latest advances in stent technology, and evidence of clinical effectiveness compared to second generation DES is necessary to support a change in clinical practice.


This paper deals with
the development of an asymptotic theory for large systems of
interacting cells in a vertebrate. Macroscopic diffusion and
evolution equations are derived from the microscopic behavior
represented by a class of nonlinear kinetic equations obtained as
a generalization of the Boltzmann equation in mathematical
biology. The analysis shows how the time-scaling plays a crucial
role in the derivation of different type of equations. The
application, developed in the second part of the paper refers to a
model of progressing tumor cells in competition with the immune
system. The asymptotic analysis is addressed to derive the
mathematical framework of macroscopic equations to describe the
evolution of solid tumors in "vivo" or in "vitro" environments.


Proton magnetic resonance of a number of polyamides has been investigated in the 80–410°K. range. Line width and second moment vs. temperature plots for dry specimens of poly(hexamethylene adipamide) and poly(hexamethylene sebacamide) are found to exhibit two transition regions. Saturation with H2O or D2O lowers the temperature of the principal line-narrowing process for the above two polymers as well as for poly(decamethylene sebacamide) and shifts part of the second-moment transition which occurs above room temperature to lower temperatures; in both cases H2O has a more pronounced effect than D2O. Exchange of the protons, presumably on the amide groups, for deuterium leads to small decreases in line width and second moment at temperature in and below the main transition. N-methylation of poly(decamethylene sebacamide) up to 58% causes marked shifts of the principal line-narrowing process and NMR second moment transition to lower temperatures. The NMR data are found to be in qualitative agreement with dynamic mechanical measurements on similar samples.


AIDS is Acquired Immune Deciency Syndrome. It is a serious illness that slowly attacks and destroys the body's Immune system making it vulnerable to infections and cancers which normally do not affect healthy people. The exact limits of incubation period for AIDS are not known. The incubation period is the time limit between infection with HIV, and the development of an AIDS dening condition. Based on the available records, it can be a period between ve months from the time of HIV infection to 15 years and even more. This is because HIV virus causing AIDS was discovered about 15 years ago. One may be in a better position to provide more accurate time period after passing through say, another decade of ghting the HIV virus. In the opinion of Frumkin and Leonard a median incubation period, longer than 10 years would indicate a decline in progression to AIDS. There are several reasons why progression of disease could decline in the near future. Treatment improvements in antiretroviral therapy, and prevention of opportunistic infection could inuence the progression of disease. Modications of behaviours that decrease the chances of encountering unidentied factors that might accelerate that activity of HIV, improved medical care, and the evolution of HIV to less pathogenic strains are also possible. At present it is difcult to detect an increasing median incubation period to AIDS, although it is possible that with time, any, or all of these different forces may contribute to substantial increase in the time from infection to clinically apparent disease. The researcher adopted descriptive research design. Data was collected from 40 respondents through systematic random sampling. The primary data for this study was collected with help of the interview schedule. The secondary data was collected from the books and journals for reference. The major ndings will be discussed in the full paper.


Abstract : The noise of a single-stream circular jet and a coaxial jet with coplanar nozzles of 2.5 area ratio has been measured under simulated flight conditions. The majority of tests were conducted with the single-stream jet and primary section of the coaxial jet at a nominal temperature of 880 K. The data have been used to quantify the effect of jet temperature and were combined with measurements from an earlier test series to establish a prediction method for the effect of flight on the noise of single-stream subsonic jets. This method is based on jet noise theory modified by experimentally derived constants. For coaxial jets it is concluded that the noise reductions, which are independent of the secondary stream velocity, are predicted to an acceptable degree by the method suggested for unheated single-stream jets.


Displacement prediction of reservoir landslide remains inherently uncertain since a complete understanding of the complex nonlinear, dynamic landslide system is still lacking. An appropriate quantification of predictive uncertainties is a key underpinning of displacement prediction and mitigation of reservoir landslide. A density prediction, offering a full estimation of the probability density for future outputs, is promising for quantification of the uncertainty of landslide displacement. In the present study, a hybrid computational intelligence approach is proposed to build a density prediction model of landslide displacement and quantify the associated predictive uncertainties. The hybrid computational intelligence approach consists of two steps: first, the input variables are selected through copula analysis; second, kernel-based support vector machine quantile regression (KSVMQR) is employed to perform density prediction. The copula-KSVMQR approach is demonstrated through a complex landslide in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area (TGRA), China. The experimental study suggests that the copula-KSVMQR approach is capable of construction density prediction by providing full probability density distributions of the prediction with perfect performance. In addition, different types of predictions, including interval prediction and point prediction, can be derived from the obtained density predictions with excellent performance. The results show that the mean prediction interval widths of the proposed approach at ZG287 and ZG289 are 27.30 and 33.04, respectively, which are approximately 60 percent lower than that obtained using the traditional bootstrap-extreme learning machine-artificial neural network (Bootstrap-ELM-ANN). Moreover, the obtained point predictions show great consistency with the observations, with correlation coefficients of 0.9998. Given the satisfactory performance, the presented copula-KSVMQR approach shows a great ability to predict landslide displacement.


A conceptual framework is advanced that determines world biodiesel prices, the policy parameters in the country establishing the price, and the binding mandate or tax exemption. The effect of a tax credit differs with international trade compared to traditional closed economy analysis. The U.S. 'splash & dash' program, with its $1/gallon tax credit, had minimal impacts on European Union (EU) biodiesel producer profits. Reduced world oil prices and EU tax exemptions, as well as increased rapeseed oil prices, are shown to have reduced the profitability of EU biodiesel production. EU imports from the United States can be beneficial for EU taxpayers, fuel consumers, and U.S. biodiesel producers. Copyright 2011, Oxford University Press.


We stage a dialogue between two areas of growing interest in HCI: making cultures and research through design. Both have only recently gained momentum, and so each of their proponents are demarcating--often too sharply--who and what is to be included in their programs to legitimate their work as a concern of and contribution to HCI. Drawing from diverse engagements with making and research through design, the panelists and discussant will explore positions concerning the relationship between research, design, and making. An underlying goal of the panel is to revisit the inclusionary and exclusionary impulses central to the necessary activities of research agenda formation, theory and methodology construction, and legitimation for both making and research through design.


The Year 12 Science and Maths Academy at Flinders (SMAF) is a pilot program based on a partnership between the university and seven schools in southern Adelaide. The program is designed to improve academic achievement in physics, chemistry and specialist mathematics, and to support students' subsequent transition to university. The SMAF provides a sophisticated and secure learning environment for school-aged students, as well as the opportunity for them to experience and preview university life. The chance for interactions with other like-minded students and Flinders University student mentors, in the adult learning environment of a university, provides students with new opportunities to understand their subjects and insights into future pathways, and inspires them to achieve their best.


In this paper, a new two dimensional (2D) analytical model of the single gate (SG) silicon-on-insulator (SOI) tunnel field effect transistors (TFETs) is presented. The parabolic approximation technique is used to solve the 2-D Poisson equation with suitable boundary conditions. Analytical expressions for surface potential and electric field are derived. The validity of the proposed model is tested for device scaled to 18-nm length and the analytical results are compared with TCAD simulations.


Summary. The effect of PGF-2\g=a\ on LH release in immature ewes was studied. One intramuscular injection of PGF-2\g=a\induced LH release 36\p=n-\72 h after treatment in 3/4 ewes. The LH variations were not associated with changes in the plasma concentration of progesterone and oestrogens. These results suggest that the LH release in immature ewes is due to PGF-2\g=a\ acting at central structures.


Several factors affecting the theoretical performance limits of active logic devices are discussed, including the theory of relativity and the negentropy principle of information. The foregoing are employed to analyze a hypothetical optimal switching element, and a relationship between maximum operating speed and device temperature is determined assuming a simple model for heat transfer. The results indicate that there are two critical points on the curve: one at which device temperature becomes greater than ambient, and heat transfer by conduction is dominant, and a second where heat transfer by radiation becomes dominant. For the model assumed, these occur at about 1013and 1014ops/sec, respectively. At the second, the device temperature is approximately 104degrees K. The foregoing results are then applied to Josephson Junction devices, and a maximum speed for such devices is estimated.


Since 2003,the establishment of college physics quality course has gained experience,yet needed improvement.We should organize significant interaction activity,optimize resources organizational form,perfect contents,change evaluation mode,strengthen process evaluation and network sharing and keep renewing resources to further strengthen the establishment of the course.


INTRODUCTION
The course of consecutive COVID-19 waves was influenced by medical and organizational factors.

OBJECTIVES
to assess the outcomes of in-hospital COVID-19 cases within the first three waves of the pandemic.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
A retrospective medical record analysis of all COVID-19 patients admitted to the University Hospital (UH) in Krakow, the reference COVID-19 hospital in Lesser Poland, between March 1' 2020 - May 31' 2021 was performed. The waves were defined as 1 - 3, respectively: March-July 2020, August 2020 - January 2021, February 2021 - May 2021. Patient's characteristics and outcomes of waves 1-3 were compared.

RESULTS
Data analyses included 5191 COVID-19 patients. We defined differences in age (mean [SD] were 60.2 [17.3] years. Vs. 62.4 [16.8] years vs. 61.9 [16.1] years respectively for wave 1 vs 2 vs 3, P = 0.003); gender distribution (proportion of women: 51.4% vs. 44.2% vs. 43.6%, P = 0.003); inflammatory markers and oxygen saturation (the lowest and the highest for wave 1, respectively, P <0.001). The hospital death rate in subsequent waves was: 10.4%, 19.8%, 20.3%; P <0.001. Despite similar patients' characteristics, the length of the hospital and Intensive Care Unit stay was shorter for wave 3 compared to wave 2. The risk factors for in-hospital death were: advanced age, male sex, cardiovascular or chronic kidney disease, higher C-reactive protein level and hospitalization during the 2nd or 3rd waive.

CONCLUSIONS
We identified differences in patient's clinical characteristics and outcomes between consecutive waves, which probably reflect changes in terms of COVID-19 isolation policy, hospitalization indications and treatment strategies.


Globally, cervical cancer is a kind of common malignant tumor second only to breast carcinoma for women. In China, the morbidity has been dramatically rising with a trend that the patients are younger and younger. Each year, about 30 thousand Chinese females died for this disease. Screening, early detection and treatment are very important in reducing the morbidity and mortality. In this paper, we will classify the segmented single cervical exfoliated cell nuclei using BP neural network. By extracting an optimized feature parameter subset of the numerous candidate parameters of the nucleus with the principal component analysis (PCA) method, the highly statistical correlation between feature parameters that may exists is removed, and the runtime efficiency of the computer aided screening system has been greatly improved, which also leads to a more satisfying recognition result.


In this introduction to the tutorials I will give a brief sketch of the place of Brandom's ideas in the network of "classical" authors, focusing on some of the central tenets introduced by Making it Explicit (MIE), which antecedes the ideas developed in Between Saying and Doing (BSD). I give here a schematic presentation with some references to pages in MIE and BSD.


Maxillary sinus squamous cell carcinoma is an invasive tumour that is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage, where the majority of patients have a very low prognosis and survival rate. We present a case of maxillary sinus carcinoma that affected the entire orbit, resulting in proptosis of the eye and nasal cavity. The patient was recommended for palliative treatment due to the high degree of its involvement and proximity to vital structures. It manifests with very mild to no signs, resulting in a late diagnosis. As a result, physicians must be mindful of maxillary sinus pathologies to make an early diagnosis. Paranasal sinuses are air-filled spaces located close to vital structures such as visual organs and the face. Maxillary, ethmoidal, frontal, and sphenoidal are the 4 paranasal sinuses that are named according to the bones in which they are situated. Nasal cavity and paranasal air sinus malignancies are uncommon. According to the literature, paranasal sinus malignancies account for less than 1 % of all human malignancies and 3 % of the total malignancies of the head and neck region. However, the maxillary sinus is the most frequent site of origin of primary malignant tumours amongst the paranasal sinuses.1 we need to raise general awareness among the oral stomatologists as Asian countries report a very high incidence of maxillary sinus carcinoma.2 The incidence of malignancies in maxillary sinus is high (60 % - 70 %) and less in the nasal cavity (12 % - 25 %), the Ethmoid (10 % - 15 %) and very rare in sphenoid / frontal sinuses (1 %).3 Further, not only the malignancies of maxillary sinuses are common, but they also incur the worst prognosis. Maxillary sinus carcinomas have very few symptoms and are similar to those of chronic paranasal sinusitis. They usually present themselves as locally advanced diseases. 4,5 Paranasal sinus malignancies are difficult to diagnose in the early stages and 90 % of cases are reported in T3 / T4 advanced stage.6 Environmental factors such as industrial pollutants, dust, smoke, and adhesives are the leading causes for the development of disease.7 Thus, sinonasal malignant tumours are rare and pose a challenge in diagnosis as well as treatment. Therefore, maxillofacial specialists should be aware of the signs and symptoms of this rarely occurring disease. This article presents a rare case of a 45-year-old female who reported to our OPD with a complaint of swelling in the right zygomatic area and proptosis of the right eye.


INTRODUCTION: The proximal humerus is one of the most common sites for osseous sarcoma and osteosarcoma. Current reconstruction approaches after tumor resection include a cemented allograft-prosthesis composite, osteoarticular allograft, and modular tumor prosthesis. Although endoprostheses have been reported to have relatively lower complication rates, reconstruction of the humerus after tumor resection continues to be a challenge because of several common complications such as proximal migration, subluxation, nonunion and aseptic loosening of the stem. Obtaining proper off-the-shelf components for pediatric patients is especially challenging because most standard components are sized and shaped for the more common adult cases. Additive manufacturing (AM), commonly referred to as 3D printing, has the ability to produce complex and property tailored geometries, which can be used to make patient-specific implants that could reduce postoperative complications. While currently reported efforts have focused on AM patient-specific implants for maxillofacial, hip and knee joint replacements, and dental surgeries, there have been no reported study on AM reconstruction of proximal humerus tumors after resection. The aim of this study is to develop a systematic procedure for the design-analysis-AM of patient-specific prosthesis for the proximal humerus after tumor resection.


Direct ground-based optical imaging of planets in orbit about nearby stars may be accomplished by spectral differential imaging using multiple passband acoustooptic filters with a CCD. This technique provides two essential results. First, it provides a means to modulate the stellar flux reflected from a planet while leaving the flux from the star and other sources in the same field of view unmodulated. Second, spectral differential imaging enables the CCD detector to achieve a sufficiently high dynamic range to locate planets near a star in spite of an integrated brightness differential of 5 x 10 to the 8th. Spectral differential imaging at nearby diffraction limited imaging conditions with telescope apodization can reduce the time to conduct a sensitive planetary search to a few hours in some cases. The feasibility of this idea is discussed here and shown to provide, in principle, the discrimination and sensitivity to detect a Jovian-class planet about stars at distances of about 10 parsecs. The detection of brown dwarfs is shown to be feasible as well.


Barley is one of the founder crops of old world agriculture and was one of the first domesticated cereals. It is fourth largest cereal crop after maize, wheat and rice in the world with a share of 7 per cent of the global cereal production. The crop is considered as poor man's crop and better adaptable to problematic soils and marginal lands. It is not only useful for malting, feed and food purposes but also its β-glucans is helpful in lowering the risk of cardio-vascular diseases. Prior to the inception of AICRP on Barley, pure line selections in the indigenous land races were employed, which resulted in the development of several barley varieties like NP 13, NP 21 (New Pusa), C 251, K 12, K 18, K 24 (Kanpur, UP), BR 22 & BR 32 (Sabour, Bihar), T4, T5, C 138 and C 164 (United Punjab). The All India Coordinated Barley Improvement Project (AICBIP), involving ICAR and SAU centers was initiated in 1966-67 to do the collaborative research. During the IXth five year plan, both barley and wheat coordinated projects were merged and combined programme was named as "All India Coordinated Wheat and Barley Improvement Project" in 1997 and this arrangement is being continued since then. Keeping in mind the priorities as abiotic, biotic stress, dual, malt and food purposes, a total of 122 barley varieties and 15 genetic stocks, agrotechnologies and disease and pest management strategies have been developed from the barley improvement programme and are described in this review article.


The world of a child as a topic gave birth to a number of Mussorgsky`s decisions concerning figurative modes, music style systems, principles of composition and music poetics. The master captured the microcosm of passions, that originally inhabit the soul of a child, and his works presented an embodiment of the deep, ontological nature of any human personality with its typical mixture of good and evil. In his musical works about children the composer also showed us some fundamental laws of psychology: some child entertainments, that are not quite harmless, conceal future repulsive character traits of an adult; and evident aggressiveness of a person is often a result of a former child having been unjustly insulted. All this makes it possible for us to speak of Mussorgsky as a composer and a child psychologist.


The Criminal Code of Russian Federation( Crc) has specifically formulated rules on release from criminal responsibilities in Chapter 11 and yet with an open ending such as it has failed to include situations for minors who have been applied to educational reform thus been released from criminal responsibility.This paper aims to cover the following aspects as the release from criminal responsibility upon volunteer repentance,economic cases on release from criminal responsibility and release for reconciliation with the victim.The analytical emphasis is on the application condition and legal ground so as to explore fallacies in legislative techniques and demonstrate problems in application of law.


IPAT is a web based application allowing tourism businesses to enter monthly performance data and to quickly download reports comparing their performance with other tourism businesses across a range of sectors. This case emphasises the benefits of keeping the design of applications as simple as minimum specifications allow, and the value of documentation in ensuring that projects survive changes in staffing and management.


Right atrial electroanatomical mapping may be combined with SoundStar 3D diagnostic ultrasound catheter (EAM‐ICE) as a zero‐fluoroscopy procedure for radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA). We aimed to evaluate the efficiency and safety of zero‐fluoroscopy transseptal puncture guided by EAM‐ICE and fluoroscopy combined with intracardiac echocardiography (F‐ICE) in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF).


How can a university stimulate knowledge creation in light of competing sources of knowledge? This paper directed at practitioner in research support and university management addresses this question with the concept ambidextrous personal networks that centres the relationships of researchers. It suggests to encourage researchers of a university to maintain a balance between two types of relationships. Innovation-oriented relationships denote relationships with persons from disciplines other than those a researcher was trained in and with practitioners of industries that are close to the researcher's discipline. These relationships prompt innovative knowledge. Refinement-oriented relationships, in contrast, are relationships with researchers from the same discipline. These relationships prompt refined knowledge. Ambidextrous personal networks are implemented through the university's organizational form, which is the ensemble of rules and activities that provide researchers with basic guidelines for acceptable behaviour. To support the implementation, a framework that covers key dimensions of an organizational form – boundary-crossing relationships, formal organization, activities, workforce composition, and organizational culture – is outlined.


ZnO was deposited on Corning glass using an equimolar aqueous solution of zinc nitrate hexahydrate and hexamethylenetetramine by Aqueous Chemical Growth. The morphological characteristics of the as-grown ZnO structures can be varied by adjusting the precursor solution concentration and solution temperature. An increase in the precursor solution concentration induces a modification in the ZnO morphology from sub-microrod to flower-like and microrod structures. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)


The product is a complete semiotic system for transmitting the message and expressing the meaning of the object.Hermeneutics is the subject to analyze the understanding and language communication.The aim of this subject is to make the communication and understanding between different people become more comfortable.This paper discusses the product semantics by the theory of understanding and message expression.The idea of designer and the context of use are combined to develop the hermeneutic situation,by understanding the physiological status,psychology and behavior,from the aspect of language situation in hermeneutics.Therefore,the philosophy is applied in the product design.


Although gallbladder cancers are rarely seen, the mortality rates are high. Pure squamous cell cancer, which is one of the most rarely seen cancer types in the gallbladder, originates from the squamous metaplasia which forms following chronic irritation in the mucosa. The majority of cases are generally at the inoperable stage when diagnosed as they have been followed up for long-term cholelithiasis. The case is here presented of a 59-year old female who underwent surgical and medical treatment for a bladder tumour 10 years previously and although gallbladder stones were determined at that time, as she was asymptomatic, surgery was not recommended, then with the progression of time, gallbladder squamous cell carcinoma developed.


Baitul Hikmah Library had been the peak of the advancement of knowledge for 508 year. It was the center of academy, translating, book publishing, discussing and the center qf stars observing. The book collections were also various. The arrangement and management of the collections were done very well because this library s building consisted of rooms and collections arranged based on their kinds and types. Besides, it had binded catalogue. The personnels of the library consisted of the director, translators, supervision editors, librarians, teaching staff, scientists, assistants, porter, and book, "couriers". To preserve the collections, at that time, some actions were done such as rewriting, rebinding and completing missing pages.


We report on the fabrication and electrical characterization of MIM capacitors using as dielectric a thin porous anodic alumina layer between two Al films. The Al2O3/Al stack is grown electrochemically by partly anodizing an Al film on Si, while a top Al film is then deposited on the aluminum oxide and patterned in order to define the capacitor area. The obtained MIM capacitors exhibit at the same time large capacitance density (above ~5 fF/μm2), low leakage current density (below ~10-9 A/cm2 at 2 V), and good thermal stability of operation, demonstrated by an a coefficient that changes by less than 10% for temperature changes of the order of 100 K. The temperature stability is further demonstrated by the low leakage current density (below ~7 × 10-9 A/cm2) even at temperatures as high as 420 K.


An ultra performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization triple-quadruple tandem mass spectrometric(UPLC-ESI MS/MS) method has been established for the simultaneous determination of 8 estrogens,including octylphenol,4-nonylphenol,bishphenol A,diethylstilbestrol,estrone,17β-estradiol,17α-ethinylestradiol and estriol,in aquatic products.The estrogens were extracted twice by ethyl acetate and cleaned up on a HLB solid phase extraction column.The extract was evaporated to dryness under nitrogen,and redissolved in methanol-water(1 ∶9,by volume).The separation of 8 estrogens was carried out by a ACQUITYTM BEH C18 column(100 mm×2.1 mm i.d.,1.7 μm) using methanol(A) and 5 mmol/L ammonium acetate-0.1% formic acid(B) as the mobile phases.The target compounds were confirmed and quantified by MS-MS under multiple-reaction monitoring(MRM) mode with external standard method.Extraction and chromatographic conditions were optimized and the best separation was obtained.Under the optimal conditions,the limits of detection(LODs) ranged from 0.1 μg/kg to 0.3 μg/kg,and the average recoveries of 8 estrogens at spiked concentration of 0.3-5.0 μg/kg were in the range of 81%-108%.The relative standard deviations(RSDs) ranged from 6.7% to 11.4%.The method was effective,simple and sensitive,and was suitable for the determination and confirmation of estrogens in aquatic products.


The invention concerns a ring (4) for fastening a pipe (1) to a tubular body (2). According to the invention, the ring comprises two rigid sectors (5) that are coupled to each other by at least one elastically deformable annular portion (12), the two sectors and the portion being a single part, each sector (5) having an inner face (6), protruding from which at least one anchoring stud (7) extends radially, intended to be received in a housing correspondingly provided in a wall of the pipe, each anchoring stud (7) comprising two grooves (9) extending circumferentially to either side of said anchoring stud. The invention also concerns connection means comprising such a ring.


As an essential trace mineral,zinc plays an important role in the growth and production of dairy cows.In this paper,absorption and metabolism of zinc,effects of zinc on production,reproduction,and immunity,factors affect zinc absorption in dairy cows were reviewed.


Since February 2020, a number of EU Member States and Schengen associated countries have declared emergencies and introduced epidemiological measures. These included restrictions on freedom of movement: border closures, temporary internal border controls or temporary bans on all non-essential travel. The author argues that since the Member States had recently used border restrictions to restrict the (visible) migration, border restriction as means fighting the (invisible) pandemic is only another precedent on behalf of Member States' unwillingness to preserve freedom of movement when it contradicts internal policies, and underlines the need for Schengen's reform. The article argues that although justifying derogations from the principles of border-free area is in the hand of the Member States, the lack of coordination has created the exact the same situation as during the migration crisis. Though the reintroduced border restrictions of 2015 targeted irregular migrants, the present ones affected EU citizens, too. The research aims to analyze the means and margins that the situation created by the pandemic contrasts to the restrictive border measures introduced during the migration crisis. The final research objective is to emphasize the need for cooperation in this policy field and the need of an integrated approach.


In regions where soils are seasonally or perennially wet, subsurface drainage represents an essential water management practice. Two hydrological models with different modeling approaches as well as different dimensional and spatial scales, DRAINMOD (1D, lumped and field-scale) and CATHY (3D, spatially distributed and watershed-scale), were compared in terms of their performance to predict tile-drain flow and to simulate evapotranspiration (ET) under field conditions. Two metrics were defined to assess the capacity of the models to represent the soil water dynamics: relative errors in simulating peak flow and drainage volume. Using different hydraulic conductivity scenarios, both models provided similar results. For the total predicted/observed tile-drain flow comparison, the two models yielded very similar results. In terms of coefficient of determination (R2) and Nash–Sutcliffe model efficiency (NSE), their performances were low in simulating tile-drain flows for dry periods (low observed tile-drain flow). During periods with higher observed tile-drain flow, the performance of both models was good (R2 > 0.75 and NSE mostly > 0.60), but DRAINMOD produced better results than CATHY did. The two models had similar ET values (R2 > 0.80). Regarding the impact of the hydraulic conductivity of each soil layer on subsurface drainage outflow, this study showed that the soil layer below the tile-drain system was the most influential for the two models.


This paper aims at providing project office managers or portfolio-level decision-makers with an integrated methodology to guide the portfolio selection process. The issue is to define a selection algorithm which is simultaneously built on a sound theory and remains practically manageable. The originality is to integrate project interdependencies at different levels, both in the objective function (both inputs and outputs) and in the definition of new constraints that ensure the portfolio balance and effectiveness. The portfolio construction problem is formalised and resolved with constraint satisfaction problem techniques. We show on a numerical fictitious example that results are significantly different considering or not project interdependencies. Some portfolios may be declared unfeasible and excluded from decision alternatives, and key values, like global revenue, may drastically change because of synergies or cannibalisations between projects. Our approach improves the performance of portfolios and increases the accuracy forecast between the expected outcomes and the actual ones, since interdependencies are modelled in a way which is closer from reality.


In mobile computing environment,one of the important factors to ensure cache validity is maintaining cache coherency.In this paper,we analyzed the traditional cache coherency scheme,and described a cache scheme based on peer mobile client,which applied the new concept on the time stamp scheme based on windows.This made every mobile client to be a temporary virtual server to send out caching information.The simulated experiment showed that the proposed technique was effective in improving the mobile cache hit ratio and maintained cache coherency to a certain extent.


Phocomelia is a severe and a rare form of limb defect in which the limbs are not formed completely. It affects the growth and development of musculoskeletal system leading to grossly underdeveloped or absent limb. It may be inherited as autosomal-dominant or recessive-disorder. We are presenting two cases of phocomelia, Case 1: A 28-year-old primigravida presented to our hospital with the history of irregular menstrual cycles for which she was advised ultrasound-pelvis which revealed a 21-week 6-days fetus. An antenatal-ultrasound was performed to rule of anatomical anomalies which showed symmetrical shortening of all four limbs with no other congenital anomalies. Because of her irregular cycles, the patient was unaware of her last-menstrual date and she reports spontaneous conception and also gives a history of first-degree consanguineous marriage. Due to the lack of significant history or any other associated symptoms, our case did not fit into any syndromic phocomelia and appears to be the result of sporadic phocomelia involving all four limbs or an isolated limb. Case 2: An ultrasonogram was done at 12 weeks 2 days gestational age in 24-year-old with obstetric history of Gravida-3 Para-1 Abortion-1 who presented to our hospital for regular first-trimester antenatal check-up. Ultrasound finding showed absent left radius and ulna with the deformed hand attached to the left humerus. Both patients had no family history of any congenital anomaly or infections during pregnancy, no history of any drug intake or exposure to fertilizers or pesticides. There is no relevant medical or surgical history.


In this study, nano Fe°-impregnated biochar (INPBC) was prepared using pruning residues and one-pot synthetic method and evaluated its performance as an amendment agent for the stabilization of arsenic-contaminated soil. For the preparation of INPBC, the mixture of pruning residue and Fe (III) solution was heated to 220°C for 3hr in a teflon-sealed autoclave followed by calcination at 600°C under N2 atmosphere for 1hr. As-prepared INPBC was characterized using FT-IR, XRD, BET, SEM. For the stabilization test of as-prepared INPBC, As-contaminated soils (Soil-E and Soil-S) sampled from agricultural sites located respectively near E-abandoned mine and S-abandoned mine in South Korea were mixed with different of dosage of INPBC and cultivated for 4 weeks. After treatment, TCLP and SPLP tests were conducted to determine the stabilization efficiency of As in soil and showed that the stabilization efficiency was increased with increasing the INPBC dosage and the concentration of As in SPLP extractant of Soil-E was lower than the drinking water standard level of Ministry of Environment of South Korea. The sequential fractionation of As in the stabilized soils indicated that the fractions of As in the 1st and 2nd stages that correspond liable and known as bioavailable fraction were decreased and the fractions of As in 3rd and 4th stages that correspond relatively non-liable fraction were increased. Such a stabilization of As shows that the abundant nano Fe° on the surface of INPBC mixed with Ascontaminated soils played the co-precipitation of As leaching from soil by surface complexation with iron. The results of this study may imply that INPBC as a promising amendments for the stabilization of As-contaminated soil play an important role.


The ever increasing density of integration makes the NoC a relevant communication design paradigm even for FPGAs. But NoC are always designed without considerations of applications and programming models, like busses and crossbars. Dealing with parallelism is still challenging. One way is to take into account the parallel programming model and application field in the design of the NoC, to reduce the semantic gap between application and implementation. In this paper we present a NoC and a design flow which target the implementation of streaming applications, e.g. image and video processing. The NoC topology is described as a matrix of routers (maybe a sparse matrix) mapped on a matrix of FPGAs for prototyping, which brings up a hierarchical dimension. Besides, the NoC has been developed in conjunction with a streaming programming model expressed with a subset of System C language. This allows optimizing the NoC by implementing the communication and synchronization primitives'mechanisms of the programming model directly in hardware: the size of such a router connected to 4 processing elements is about 2000 CLB from Xilinx FPGA, which is comparable with the size of a single processor. The design flow automates the implementation of an application expressed with a System C subset to a NoC based architecture.


Future three-phase ac-dc converter systems ideally allow for bidirectional power flow, provide high-frequency isolation, and feature buck-boost capability. Further, high efficiency and high compactness and the applicability of standard half-bridge and/or three-phase full-bridge (B6) semiconductor arrangements are crucial aspects. This Paper proposes a novel converter concept that employs B6-type circuits on the input and on the output side and a low-complexity Discontinuous Conduction Mode (DCM)-type or a Dual Active Bridge (DAB)-type modulation strategy, thereby enabling single-stage isolated three-phase ac-dc power conversion with sinusoidal grid currents and controlled dc output voltage. The converter operation is detailed on the switching-frequency and on the grid-frequency time scale and verified by means of circuit simulations. The converter control characteristic and the main power component stresses are discussed and design guidelines for a 6.6 kW prototype system with an expected efficiency $\eta > 98\%$ are presented. Finally, an outlook on future research related to the practical realization and advanced modulation of the topology is provided.


100101, China Abstract: To evaluate the climatic and ecological impacts of anthropogenic activities in global change research, it is essential to reconstruct historical land use and land cover change on regional and global scales. In this study, we reconstructed cropland areas for 54 provinces within the European part of Tsarist Russia (ETR) over the periods of 1696–1914 using historical data, including cropland area, population, grain consumption, and grain yield per unit area. The main results are as follows. (1) Total cropland areas and fractional cropland areas of ETR for 8 time sections during 1696–1914 were reconstructed, the former increased from 31.98×10 4 km 2 to 147.40×10 4 km 2 , and the latter increased from 7.89% to 29.20%. The per capita cropland area decreased from 0.0246 km 2 to 0.0113 km 2 during 1696–1914. (2) Cropland expanded from the central and southwestern ETR to the black soil region, surrounding area of the Volga River, Ukraine region, the new Russia region, the vicinity of Ural, and north Caucasus region. (3) The expansion of territory, increase and migration of population, policies related to agricultural development and foreign trade, and the impacts of climate change were the reasons for the changes in cropland within ETR from 1696 to 1914. (4) In 1914, the cropland area and fractional cropland area of each province varied from 0.16×10 4 km 2 and 0.76% to 5.65×10 4 km 2 and 76.68%, respectively. (5) The comparisons show that the cropland areas of ETR in this study for 1696–1914 are higher than those in the HYDE 3.2 dataset. The main reason for this finding might be the underestimation of per capita cropland areas in the HYDE 3.2 dataset, which values remained at approximately 0.01 km 2 from 1700


Objective To investigate the relationships between the serum levels of resistin and insulin resistance( IR) among pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus( GDM) in mid-pregnancy and its role in the progress of GDM. Methods A total of 98 GDM pregnant women( 24-28 weeks) were enrolled as GDM group,and 95 healthy pregnant women( 24-28 weeks) at the same period were enrolled as control group. The serum levels of resistin,fasting blood glucose( FBG) and fasting insulin( FINS) of all pregnant women were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay( ELISA),glucose oxidase method and electrochemiluminescence immunoassay,respectively. The home model insulin resistance index( HOMA-IR) was calculated. The difference of serum resistin and IR levels in the 2groups were compared. The correlations between serum resistin and IR levels were analyzed. Results The serum levels of resistin,FBG,FINS and HOMA-IR in GDM group were( 19. 74 ± 6. 89) μg /mL,( 5. 35 ± 1. 23) mmol /L,( 21. 77 ±7. 83) mU /L and 5. 24 ± 2. 65,and those in control group were( 15. 62 ± 4. 19) μg /mL,( 4. 34 ± 0. 43) mmol /L,( 17.81 ±4.92) mU/L and 3. 43 ± 1. 00( P 0. 05). The serum levels of resistin were positively correlated with HOMA-IR( r = 0. 459,P 0. 05). Conclusions The serum levels of resistin are closely correlated with HOMA-IR.Resistin probably plays its role in the progress of GDM.


There is a general perception that terminology constitutes an intractable obstacle to the use of African languages in highfunction domains such as science and technology, engineering, medicine, etc. It is with a view to enhancing specificity which facilitates better communication that one of such domains (health) was chosen for this study. Specifically, the study looked at cases of semantic extensions and mismatches that lead to vagueness medical discourse in Tiv speakers (Tiv, a language spoken in Bem P. Ianna Department of Languages and Linguistics, Nasarawa State University, P.M.B 1022, Keffi, NIGERIA Email: firstname.lastname@example.com Received 8 August, 2017; Revised 3 September, 2017; Accepted 13 September, 2017 Copyright © 2017 Language Research Institute, Sejong University Journal of Universal Language is an Open Access Journal. All articles are distributed online under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. 62 A Knowledge-based Approach in the Conceptualisation of Disease Terms in~ Benue, Taraba, and Nasarawa States of Nigeria). Focus group discussions and translation exercise were employed to carry out the study which revealed, as expected, cases of semantic extensions and mismatches in the discourse of the research subjects. For example, cases of semantic extensions were noticed when preclinical students conceptualised diseases through the use of terms with narrower semantic coverage at some point, and wider coverage at another. Also cases of mismatch were seen. Both point to the imperative of engagement with disciplinary knowledge structures for the creation of better designations for concepts leading to greater clarity.


Surface texturing on the lubricated bearing has proven to enhance the hydrodynamic performance. The present work explores the influence of texture parameter as well as the Reynolds number on the tribological performance using computational fluid dynamic (CFD) approach. The inclusion of cavitation model in the analysis of lubrication performance is of particular interest. It is shown that the cavitation has a significant effect on the hydrodynamic pressure, and thus the cavitation model should be considered in analysis. Moreover, in this study the optimal relative texture depth is discussed in more detail regarding with the cavitation effect.


A Vehicular Ad-Hoc Network (VANET) is a form of Mobile Ad-Hoc Network (MANET), which enables communication between vehicles and nearby roadside infrastructure through a wireless sensing device installed in vehicles. In VANETs and MANETs, the topology of network changes very often, therefore implementation of efficient routing protocols is very important problem. In VANETs, the mobility pattern of nodes is restricted along roads and is affected by movement of neighbour nodes. In this paper, we present a simulation system for VANET called CAVENET. In CAVENET, the mobility patterns of nodes are generated by one-dimensional cellular automaton. We implemented three routing protocols on CAVENET (AODV, OLSR and DYMO) and investigated their performance. We considered as evaluation metrics for simulation goodput and Packet Delivery Ratio (PDR). The simulation results have shown that DYMO protocol has better performance than AODV and OLSR protocols.


The characteristics of the quality of multi-layer vacuum ion-plasma coatings Ti-TiN such as roughness and adhesion strength are investigated. It is shown that additional ion bombardment promotes the production of high-quality coatings. Ion bombardment has a significant effect on the state of the surface layer of the metal. In the process of ion bombardment, conditions are created for the formation of active adsorption centers and the formation of a fine-grained structure, nanoscale grains and layers.


ABSTRACT
 Didi Aris Patrya, 8215099317; The Influence of Service Quality to The Frontliner and Customer Satisfaction with Corporate Image at PT Bank Negara Indonesia (Persero) Tbk Sub-Branch Office Cileungsi Bogor. Skripsi, Jakarta: Study Program of S1 Management, Faculty of Economics, Universitas Negeri Jakarta, Desember 2011.

This study aims to the determine the influence between the quality of service frontliner (X1)and customer satisfaction (X2) with corporate image (Y) at PT Bank Negara Indonesia (Persero) Tbk Sub-Branch Office Cileungsi, Bogor. This study used survey methods, sampling, and questionnaire to 182 respondents
are a user of the product BNI Taplus at PT Bank Negara Indonesia (Persero) Tbk Sub-Branch Office Cileungsi, Bogor. The company is moving in the field of banking services. Location of the study was conducted at PT Bank Negara Indonesia (Persero) Tbk Sub-Branch Office Cileungsi, Bogor. Analysis of this research is an descriptive analysis and accomplished using the statistical application SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Science) version 17.0 for data processing. The results of this study showed a significant influence between of service quality independent variable (X1) and corporate image at PT Bank Negara Indonesia (Persero) Tbk Sub-Branch Office Cileungsi Bogor dependent variable (Y), a significant influence between customer satisfaction independent variable (X2) and corporate image at PT Bank Negara Indonesia (Persero) Tbk Sub-Branch Office Cileungsi Bogor dependent variable (Y), and a significant influence between of service quality independent variable (X1) and customer satisfaction independent variable (X2) simultaneously with corporate image at PT Bank Negara Indonesia (Persero) Tbk Sub-Branch Office Cileungsi Bogor dependent variable (Y). This evident from the results of testing with regression analysis that: (1) The quality of service have effect on the corporate image at PT Bank Negara Indonesia (Persero) Tbk Sub-Branch Office Cileungsi Bogor for 22.4%, (2) Customer satisfaction have effect on the corporate image at PT Bank Negara Indonesia (Persero) Tbk Sub-Branch Office Cileungsi Bogor for 18.4%, (3) The quality of service and customer satisfaction have effect on the corporate image at PT Bank Negara Indonesia (Persero) Tbk Sub-Branch Office Cileungsi Bogor for 32.1%.

Keywords: Service quality, Customer satisfaction, Corporate image


ABSTRACT Variation in species composition, distribution and abundance of macrophytes in the Malilangwe reservoir, a tropical African reservoir, was investigated at four sites in three seasons; March (hot-wet season), June (cool-dry season) and September (hot-dry season) over a nine-month period. Thirteen macrophyte species, representing nine families, were recorded during the study period. Submerged macrophytes had a patchy distribution and the mean transect cover per species was below 3% with the exception of Ceratophyllum demersum and Potamogeton pusillus. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) identified four distinct macrophyte groups closely associated with the three seasons; hot-wet, cool-dry and hot-dry and environmental factors; pH, dissolved oxygen, phosphorus and water level. Change of seasons and subsequent fluctuations in water levels resulted in changes in macrophyte community structure from the dominant emergent macrophytes (Cyperus involucratus, Panicum repens, Ludwigia stolonifera, Phragmites mauritianus and Schoenoplectus corymbosus) in the hot-wet season to submerged macrophytes (Najas horrida, Potamogeton crispus, Potamogeton pusillus, Potamogeton tricarinatus and Persicaria decipiens) in the hot-dry season. Although changes in water level variations seemed to influence macrophyte structure and composition changes, further research is needed to evaluate to what extent water level fluctuations interact with other seasonal factors acting independently.


Cavitation breakdown at various liquid temperatures is one of the major problems encountered in the operations of centrifugal pumps. There are a number of practical cases where the pumps operate at high temperature or near the saturation temperature of the liquid. A detailed understanding of the factors affecting the breakdown of cavitation is essential for accurate performance prediction and design. The purpose of this paper is to present results of a cavitation breakdown investigation which are both experimental and theoretical. The present model based on Rayleigh-Plesset expression for bubble dynamics. The predicted model includes many important parameters controlling the cavitation breakdown such as bubble dynamics, flow rate, rotational speed, temperature and thermodynamics properties of water and the gas pressure inside the cavity. The present model has been tested against extensive present and earlier published experimental results in centrifugal pumps at various operating water temperatures and operating conditions. The comparison between the predicted breakdown blade cavitation number with the present and previous published experimental results showed a surprisingly good agreement. This agreement means that the roles played by many important parameters are consistent with the present model. Therefore, the present model represents an addition to knowledge in this aspect which could help the centrifugal pump user and designer to predict the breakdown cavitation performance at various operating conditions.


The reductive metabolism of 2-amino-4-(5-nitro-2-furyl)-thiazole (ANFT), a rat urinary bladder and forestomach carcinogen, was examined in vitro using rat liver tissues. ANFT was reduced by rat liver microsomes or cytosol on anaerobic incubation with reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate. The intermediate(s) produced during the microsomal reduction bound to microsomes and to exogenously added proteins or yeast transfer RNA (tRNA). The binding to tRNA was a function of the concentration of tRNA, microsomes, reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, and ANFT. At optimal conditions, up to 10 nmol [2-14C]ANFT metabolite(s) were bound per mg tRNA. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, chromatography, and sensitivity to RNase treatment of the adduct revealed covalent binding between [2-14C]ANFT metabolite(s) and tRNA. Similar covalent binding was observed with proteins. On microsomal reduction of [2-14C]-ANFT, about 7% of the reduced metabolite was bound to a trichloroacetic acid-insoluble fraction, most of which was associated with proteins. Addition of mercaptoethanol, dithiothreitol, reduced glutathione, iodoacetamide, N -ethylmaleimide, or p -chloromercuribenzoate to the incubation mixture significantly reduced the amount of protein binding, suggesting an involvement of sulfhydryl groups in binding. These data demonstrate that reactive intermediate(s) are generated by anaerobic incubation of ANFT with rat liver microsomes. It is suggested that the binding might involve interaction between the nitroso or N -hydroxylamino intermediate(s) and susceptible target sites in yeast tRNA or proteins.


Following work of Bugeaud, Corvaja, and Zannier for integers, Ailon and Rudnick prove that for any multiplicatively independent polynomials, $a, b \in {\mathbb C}[x]$, there is a polynomial $h$ such that for all $n$, we have
\[ \gcd(a^n - 1, b^n - 1) \mid h\] We prove a compositional analog of this theorem, namely that if $f, g \in {\mathbb C}[x]$ are nonconstant compositionally independent polynomials and $c(x) \in {\mathbb C}[x]$, then there are at most finitely many $\lambda$ with the property that there is an $n$ such that $(x - \lambda)$ divides $\gcd(f^{\circ n}(x) - c(x), g^{\circ n}(x) - c(x))$.


Hereditary renal hypouricaemia (HRH) is a genetic disorder commonly associated with exercise-induced acute kidney injury (AKI). We report the case of a 19-year-old man who was admitted to hospital with exercise-induced AKI and who was subsequently shown to have HRH. We believe this to be the first description of a case of HRH co-presenting with rhabdomyolysis.


A thermometer is an important tool to ensure an adequate hamburger cooking temperature, however, cross-contamination resulting from previously used thermometers may be possible. Therefore, thorough cleaning of thermometers is essential. The objective of this study was to compare thermometer cleaning methods for reduction of attached Escherichia coli O157:H7. Cleaning techniques were designed to simulate methods used in homes such as rinsing with water, and/or wiping with paper towels were compared with rinsing with 70% alcohol. Paper towels (three treatments: dry, wetted with water, and wetted with 40% alcohol), commercial disinfectant towel, and three types of rinse solutions (ambient temperature water, warm water, and 70% alcohol) were used to clean contaminated thermometer stems. Single-step cleaning methods and two-step cleaning methods (rinsing followed by wiping with a paper towel or wipe) were evaluated. The efficacy in removing E. coli O157:H7 by cleaning method was as follows: dry paper towel = wet paper towel < cold water < alcohol towel < disinfectant towel < 70% alcohol < warm water. Combined cleaning methods were more effective at removing attached E. coli O157:H7 than were single-step methods. Washing with warm water or 70% alcohol solution, combined with wiping with a paper towel, resulted in elimination of E. coli O157:H7 in most cases. In conclusion, warm or hot water washing followed by wiping with a paper towel is recommended to sanitize thermometers after use.


often have had to choose between a theology of shallow liberalism and new orthodoxy's theology of crisis and despair. Raven thinks that in the early Christian faith there is a theology, the grace of Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, which forms the basis of the Christian pacifist's answer to modern war. Specifically the author notes that there are numerous passages in the New Testament which appeal to the Christian to make Christ his example. This proves that the New Testament Imitatio Christi was not "a devotional aspiration but an admitted obligation" (p. 29). To be like Christ means that there can be no compromise on the issue of war. This position may cost much, but any discipleship worthy of the name must have room for martydom. Though the author adds nothing new to the field and the lectures are somewhat sketchy the book presents a real challenge to the serious Christian. Henlee Barnette


Abstract An intentional approach to coping is outlined addressing the issue of what persons want to achieve in coping with emotions. Four dimensions of coping intentions are proposed: Problem solving, regulating emotional distress, protecting self-esteem, and managing social interactions. Special reference is given to presentational intentions defined as attempts to communicate self-images. Guided by a specificity view of emotion anxiety- and anger-related coping reactions and intentions are described. The theoretical approach is illustrated by an exploratory study in which verbal scripts for a social anxiety and an anger episode were used. One hundred and two male and female students reacted to the episodes by reporting their emotional responses, coping reactions, and coping intentions. The results indicate marked differences in coping reactions and intentions between the two emotions. Demonstrating resistance turned out to be the pronounced theme in coping with anger, while smoothly preserving a favorab...


Scaling properties of an interface representation of the critical contact process are studied in dimensions 1 3. Simulations confirm the scaling relation βW = 1−θ between the interface-width growth exponent βW and the exponent θ governing the decay of the order parameter. A scaling property of the height distribution, which serves as the basis for this relation, is also verified. The height-height correlation function shows clear signs of anomalous scaling, in accord with López' analysis [Phys. Rev. Lett. 83, 4594 (1999)], but no evidence of multiscaling. PACS numbers: 64.60.Ht, 05.40.-a, 05.10.Ln, 05.90.+m Typeset using REVTEX


Factors affecting the energy consumption of a pilot-scale spray dryer have been studied. The feedstock employed was instant coffee solution (50–150 gl−1). Its feed rate ranged from 0.83 to 1.9 mls−1 and the inlet air temperature from 473–533 K. The specific energy consumption E s (3,000–5,500 kJkg−1) decreased with increasing feed rate and temperature difference across the dryer and increased with solids concentration. Values of E s obtained were consistent with Baker and McKenzie's[ 10 ] adiabatic dryer model. The thermal loss factor η decreased with increasing evaporation rate. Attempts to correlate product moisture content with the operating variables met with limited success.


Scenario plan to extend and restore marsh boundaries to the 2008 extent. Roughly 38% of the former marsh extent. Scale 1:810,000. Map extent (NSWE): 32 17'04", 30 30'59", 46 15'42", 47 59'14".


In allusion to machine photoelectric integration product toolpresetter,the paper mainly introduces its function,structure and working principle.According to the toolpresetter's current using condition at home and abroad,the paper summarizes some problems existing in the appearance,structure,software and control system,meanwhile points out the direction of development for the toolpresetter.


The objective of this study was to identify indicators of malingering in forensic neuropsychological assessment by identifying response patterns in neuropsychological tests. The sample was composed by 56 subjects diagnosed with a cranioencephalic trauma. All subjects were in a situation of monetary reward if incapacity was proven. The instruments used were the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), the Trail Making Test (TMT), the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), and a legal process data file. Approximately 30% of the studied sample was identified as probable malingerers. This percentage is consistent with the literature. We identified a high level of homogeneity of psychological symptoms and socio-demographic features in the group of subjects with indicators of malingering and in the group without such indicators. These results reinforce the necessity to develop efficient methods to detect malingering.


The article presents comparative analysis results for the state of the business environment for innovation transformations in the Russian economy by comparing Russia's positions with those held by world powers in leading international ratings that characterize conditions for economic growth and quality of economic growth. The article shows data pointing to positive changes in the country's competitiveness and its critical lag in terms of global leadership in high-tech markets and labor productivity. In the article, the authors assess the condition and development trends in the national innovation ecosystem, with close attention paid to the analysis of interaction among major venture market participants, the discovery of factors, which encourage and prevent its development. The authors emphasize that major industrial groups are introverts when executing domestic technology projects and ignoring their opportunities of breaking onto the venture market. The authors accept arguments in favor of choosing major industrial enterprises as targets of innovation policy as producers of faster and more tangible innovation results. They substantiate whether the development of Russian industrial enterprises under the Industrie 4.0 model is adequate, describe tools, measures and the best practices to bring innovations to the industrial sector. They draw a conclusion that the Russian industrial sector's innovation development is possible and urgent as a factor of solidifying the country's economic strength.


BACKGROUND
Despite reporting lower levels of alcohol consumption, people with lower socio-economic status (SES) experience greater alcohol-related harm. Whether differential biases in the measurement of alcohol use could explain this apparent paradox is unknown. Using alcohol biomarkers to account for measurement error, we examined whether differential exposure to alcohol could explain the socio-economic differences in alcohol mortality.

METHODS
Participants from eight representative health surveys (n = 52 164, mean age 47.7 years) were linked to mortality data and followed up until December 2016. The primary outcome was alcohol-attributable mortality. We used income and education as proxies for SES. Exposures include self-reported alcohol use and four alcohol biomarkers [serum gamma-glutamyl transferase (available in all surveys), carbohydrate-deficient transferrin, alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase (available in subsamples)]. We used shared frailty Cox proportional hazards to account for survey heterogeneity.

RESULTS
During a mean follow-up of 20.3 years, totalling 1 056 844 person-years, there were 828 alcohol-attributable deaths. Lower SES was associated with higher alcohol mortality despite reporting lower alcohol use. Alcohol biomarkers were associated with alcohol mortality and improved the predictive ability when used in conjunction with self-reported alcohol use. Alcohol biomarkers explained a very small fraction of the socio-economic differences in alcohol mortality, since hazard ratios either slightly attenuated (percent attenuation range 1.0-12.1%) or increased.

CONCLUSIONS
Using alcohol biomarkers in addition to self-reported alcohol use did not explain the socio-economic differences in alcohol mortality. Differential bias in the measurement of alcohol use is not a likely explanation for the alcohol-harm paradox.


In the Chinese historical tradition,in which the Confucian school's thoughts of morality and ethics were the whip hands,people tended to cast their hopes of country-governing on the moral behaviors of the governors,so the achievements of the governors were mainly based on the moral measures,thus forming the political culture of morality ethicsorientation,in which a person was always blamed in the respect of morality.On a certain aspect,Li Shangyin's historical poems showed that the traditonal political culture of morality ethicsorientation had its own internal cold soberness and consliousness,as well as inevitable disability and help lessness.


Slope winds along with valley winds and mountain-plain winds are responsible for dispersion and transport of air pollutants over mountainous areas since these thermal circulations may dominate the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL), especially during fairweather conditions. To study the surface energy balance, estimate the mass balance and effects of climate change, we also need a good understanding of the atmospheric boundary layer over glaciers or ice caps. As we know, downslope winds (katabatic winds) are a common feature over all sloping terrain at high latitudes due to low solar radiation. Motivated by these effects related to slope winds, many field experiments, theoretical and numerical research have been performed. Such experiments include "Vertical Transport and MiXing" (VTMX) field experiment (Monti, et al., 2002), Pacific 2001 Air Quality Field Study (Reuten et al., 2002), measurement campaign taken over the sloping ice surface of the Vatnajökull in Iceland (Oerlemans et al., 1999; Van Der Avoird and Duynkerke, 1999), and so on.


A diagnostic method is proposed for the study of kinetic processes. This method is based on the relationship between the power of the third harmonic of a probe beam and the populations of resonant vibrational levels. The results are reported of experiments involving a determination of the rate of the intermolecular V–V' relaxation in CF3I–CD4 gas mixtures. It is reported that the rate of relaxation increases on increase in the degree of vibrational excitation of the molecules. The advantages of the double infrared–third-harmonic-generation resonance method are considered.


A series of 1,2,4-triazinyl thiosemicarbazides, triazoles and N-benzylidene derivatives have been synthesized by condensation of 5,6-diphenyl-1,2,4-triazin-3-yloxyacetyl hydrazine with aromatic aldehydes and aryl isothiocyanates. Subsequent ring closure of thiosemicarbazides yielded the triazoles. All the compounds were subjected to in vitro testing of cholinesterase inhibitory action. Percentage inhibition was found to be moderate to good in a few of the compounds.


The fatigue life and fretting characteristics of aluminum alloy 5754-O self-piercing riveted lap joints have been investigated experimentally and analytically. The experimental program involves a set of 27 cyclic tension tests on three different joints consisting of either 1 mm, 2 mm or 3 mm-thick sheet specimens. In most cases (85%), fatigue cracks are found to initiate on the faying surface of the upper sheet, adjacent to the hole, and at an angular location that lies on the sheet loading axis towards the loading end. Three-dimensional finite element analysis of the three joints has also been performed. Computed distributions of local stresses and rivet-sheet slips are interpreted in terms of experimental observations of fatigue life, crack initiation location and fretting damage observations. Significantly, the calculations provide a rationale for the surprising crack initiation location.© 2002 ASME


"Fillers", example "um" in English, have been linked to the "Feeling of Another's Knowing (FOAK)" or the listener's perception of a speaker's expressed confidence. Yet, in Spoken Language Processing (SLP) they remain unexplored, or overlooked as noise. We introduce a new and challenging task, that is the prediction of FOAK, which we think has widespread applicability, given the increasing popularity of automatic processing of educational and job interviews, reviews and speeches. We design a set of filler features based on linguistic literature, and investigate their potential in FOAK prediction. We show that the integration of information related to implicature meanings allows an improvement in the FOAK model and that the different functions of fillers are differently correlated with confidence.


Solar irradiance component measurements have been made in six narrow wavelength bands with a multi-filter rotating shadow band radiometer (MFRSR) at several locations in the eastern and western United States since about 1991. From these measurements, aerosol optical depths and the diffuse-to-direct irradiance ratios for each wavelength are derived. The time series of these quantities are compared and contrasted for the eastern and western locations. Because the measurements began around the time of the Mt. Pinatubo eruption in June 1991, the aerosol optical depths (AOD) from each location have a significant stratospheric component due to volcanic aerosol at the beginning of the time-series, which decreases in time to near background levels in 1995. The AOD time-series is further modulated by a highly variable, seasonal boundary layer aerosol component. Moreover, the decaying Mt. Pinatubo aerosol component also exhibits a seasonal dependence, which makes separation of the stratospheric and tropospheric components from these measurements alone a challenging problem. The wavelength behavior of stratospheric and tropospheric AODs have different seasonal dependences, implying different processes are active for the formation and growth of aerosol in the two atmospheric regions. While seasonal patterns of AOD are similar (early summer maximum and winter minimum) between easternmore » and western locations, they differ in magnitude (not surprisingly) and, to some extent, in wavelength dependence.« less


The effects of catalyst concentration on the synthesis of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs) using ferrocene as catalyst and palm oil as bio‐hydrocarbon source in thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method were studied. The CVD reaction took 30 minutes followed by 10 minutes annealing process at various ferrocene concentration; 0.66, 1.33, 2.66, 3.99, 5.33, 6.66 and 7.99 wt% at fixed synthesis temperature 750 °C. The VACNTs were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and Raman spectroscopy. The growth rate, the diameters, and the degree of crystalinity of the VACNTs were found to be dependent on the catalyst concentration.