Death and dying are unexceptional; everyone who ever was, and all of us now, will succumb, all to be counted among death's conquests. Literature, good and bad, abounds with death. It is the staple of the thriller, the dark edge to stories for children, and is the shocking denouement of many a tale. Death is central to much of literature. As a device it can summon up and help explain many of the tangled and complex emotions that make us human. Within medicine, death is an equally pivotal player; however, its presence is something generally felt, not articulated. Death may well be there in the subconscious of all the players of real hospital dramas unfolding around us. It will be in the minds of the patients as they prepare themselves for admission and of their loved ones left behind to worry, and it will be a dark fear for many of the doctors who care for them. Yet despite death's ubiquity and the certainty of its arrival, it remains a mystery, our fears left unspoken. In many ways, death can be seen as the last taboo. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross writes of it as "a dreaded and unspeakable issue to be avoided by every means possible in our modern society" (Kübler-Ross, 1975, p. 40). This can be most striking of all in the doctor–patient setting, and there are many reasons why this is sometimes the hardest place to confront death. This essay explores some aspects of death and dying faced by doctors in caring for the sick and looks at ways in which literature may illuminate the nature of death, as it provokes some of humanity's darkest thoughts and profoundly difficult questions. As Skelton notes, "Literature as a discipline aims just as certainly as science does to understand the worlds in which we live and to interpret our own role as participants in the human condition" (Skelton, 2003, p. 213). So, from what may initially seem an unlikely pairing, we discover that when the different views of medicine and literature are converged, perhaps together they allow the most profound gaze of all into the human condition.


The floe size distribution (FSD) is important to the physical and biological processes in the marginal ice zone (MIZ). The FSD is controlled by ice advection, thermodynamics (lateral melting), and dynamics (winds, tides, currents and ocean swell). These thermodynamic and dynamic conditions are different between the western Arctic (e.g., Chukchi and Beaufort Seas) and the eastern Arctic (e.g., Fram Strait). For example, the MIZ in the western Arctic is strongly influenced by a warm ocean due to enhanced sea-ice albedo feedback, while the MIZ in the eastern Arctic is strongly influenced by ocean swell. We hypothesise that this regional difference can affect the FSD differently between the two regions. To address the hypothesis, we analysed the FSD data derived the images from MEDEA and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) TerraSAR-X in Chukchi Sea, East Siberian Sea and Fram Strait. Our results show that the FSD in Chukchi Sea the most dynamic as it contains a larger percentage of smaller floes and undergoes a greater interannual variability in the FSD compared to East Siberian Sea and Fram Strait. In particular, the FSD in Chukchi Sea shows a notable change before and after 2012. This change is likely attributed to the severe storm occurred in early August 2012 and the presence of thinner ice in this region.


Background/Aim: To determine the associations of different prenatal factors with the development of non-syndromic cleft lip or/and palate (NSCL/P), as there are still no consensus to the risk factors of NSCL/P.


This article concerns a long term in situ monitoring of an existing district heating (DH) that is supplied by gas boilers equipped with heat recovery system and a borehole heat exchanger field connected to a heat pump (HP). The original goal of this concept is to be able to stop the gas boilers during summer and use only the HP for DH heat supply. The monitored annual energy flows of the system show that gas supplies 94% of the DH energy demand, while geothermal energy supplies 1.5% and electricity 4.5%. In fact, HP heat source is mainly waste heat from the gas boiler (82%) and only 18% from geothermal energy. In reality, the gas boilers are not stopped in summer because several issues associated with heat demand (domestic hot water - DHW) were underestimated: i) DHW demand is not a base load, in fact it has three characteristic loads peak ii) Legionella bacteria management and its associated high temperatures cannot be underestimated; iii) DH substations architecture is key to achieve temperature levels in the DH that are compatible with the HP operation iv) lower flow rate in DH compared to flow rate in HP condenser leads to decrease in HP production. Finally, a numerical model allowed to analyse different scenario from the following was observed: firstly, the DH extension significantly increases gas needs, which in turn increases waste heat recovered from gas, which is then used instead of geothermal energy; secondly, resizing of the HP power enables an increase of geothermal energy of +270 MWh/yr, meaning that geothermal energy has the potential to cover 16% of the annual heat demand. This research, based on long term in situ monitoring, allows acquiring knowledge on energy innovation when applied in real field conditions: this knowledge is further developed via a feedback process between academics and field workers.


Under cu r ren t condi t ions , l i m i t a t i o n s on enrollment i n co l leges of engineering a r e a f a c t and a necess i ty . While s e t t i n g numerical limits i s rel a t i v e l y easy, the establishment of c r i t e r i a f o r t he r e t en t ion , r e j ec t ion , o r expulsion of indivdua l s tudents is d i f f i c u l t and dependent on a wide v a r i e t y of s o c i a l , i n t e l l e c t u a l , economic, and e t h i c a l conditions and assumptions.


In this paper, a novel wideband phased antenna array with low-profile and low scattering characteristics is proposed. This antenna array can be approximately regarded as closely connected by adjacent magnetic dipole of connected slot elements. Simulated results show that the array can achieve 4:1 bandwidth (0.5-2 GHz) while scanning up to ±60° in the E-plane and ±45° in the H-plane for VSWR<3. The resistive electromagnetic metamaterial loaded on the radiation layer of the antenna can significantly reduce the out-band scattering in the broadband range, without affecting the radiation performance of the antenna itself.


Nicotine is the principal harmful substance in tobacco leaves,smoke and tobacco waste.The catabolic plasmid pAO1 of arthrobacter nicotinovorans was studied based on molecular biology and biochemical work.The general outline of nicotine catabolism,the gene structure of nicotine catabolism,and the key enzyme were revealed with sequence analysis of pAO1.The progress was summarized on the key enzyme and gene involved in microbial degradation of nicotine,equally the exploitation and utilization of the nicotine degradation genes was suggested.


Objective:To explore relationship between syndrome elements and dyslipidemia ofhypertensive patients.Methods:We adopted symptoms and signs of307 patients with primary hypertension, including low and middle danger group(122 cases) and high and super high danger group(185 cases), the syndrome elements were abstracted according to the scale about Diagnostic Citeria ofSyndrome Differentiation ofStroke and blood fat was measured simultaneously, then correlative analysis was done.Results:Fire and stagnant blood dominated in one single syndrome element ofhypertensive disease, and the combination ofphlegm and deficiency ofqi, fire and stagnant blood were common in the two groups above respectively in two syndrome elements;asthenic yin causing predominant yang and stagnant blood were positively correlated with total cholesterol and triglyeride respectively(P0.01 or P0.05) .Conclusion:Fire, stagnant blood, phlegm and deficiency ofqi were often involved in the syndrome elements ofhypertensive disease;the level ofasthenic yin causing predominant yang and stagnant blood may heighten total cholesterol and triglyeride.


This paper studies the secrecy energy efficiency problem for a massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) relaying system. Specifically, the imperfect analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), i.e., ADCs with limited resolution, are employed at the relay, which will cause quantization noise. For the relay strategy, we adopt the amplify-and-forward (AF) relaying protocol. Meanwhile, a null-space artificial noise (AN) is also injected by the relay. To measure the quantization noise, we use the additive quantization noise model (AQNM), which models the quantization error as independent Gaussian noise. Based on this model, the ergodic secrecy rate of the considered relaying system is studied. To maximize the ergodic secrecy rate, we study the power allocation problem at the relay, which allocates power between the forwarded signal and the null-space AN. With the derived optimal power allocation parameter, we then focus on the secrecy energy efficiency, that is, the secrecy rate normalized by the total power consumed at the relay. By using a reasonable energy consumption model, the energy consumption of the ADCs and the transmit power are both included. Numerical results are provided to show that low-resolution ADCs with quantization bits being one or two can achieve the highest secrecy energy efficiency. In addition, higher-resolution ADCs are preferred when the number of antennas becomes smaller.


A dynamic model of a complete 7-stand hot strip finishing mill process has been developed as a simulation tool for improving control performance by means of application of modern control theories and new control strategies. The dynamic model consists of 7 finishing mills, 6 looper systems and the massflow and thickness control systems. The simulation model is initially used to optimize thickness control parameters


A weighted norm inequality for a homogeneous singular integral with a kernel belonging to a certain block space is proved. Also, some applications of this inequality are obtained. Our results are essential improvements as well as extensions of some known results on the weighted boundedness of singular integrals.


The inverse amplitude method is analyzed to two-loop order in the chiral expansion in the case of {pi}{pi} scattering and the pion form factors. The analysis is mainly restricted to the elastic approximation but the possible extension to the inelastic case is also discussed in some detail. It is shown how the two-loop approach improves the inverse amplitude method applied to one-loop order in the chiral expansion. For both {pi}{pi} scattering and the pion form factors, it is in fact found that the inverse amplitude method to two-loop order agrees remarkably well with the experimental data up to energies where inelasticities become essential. At somewhat lower energies, the two-loop approach compares well with the one-loop approximation, and in the threshold region they both agree with chiral perturbation theory. This suggests that the inverse amplitude method is indeed a rather systematic way of improving chiral perturbation theory order by order in the chiral expansion. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}


The objective of this study was to investigate risk in orthodontic treatment by review of literature about orthodontic treatment , devide the risk or side effect in two categories intra- oral risk and extra- oral risk Result showed that orthodontic treatment had risk effect but not severe , many problem can prevent and solve , so the most important was orthodontist must give good oral health care,oral hygiene instruction so patient must be relized and care himself between treatment.


Purpose – This paper aims to explore the way that the intellectual structure of the SCM discipline has been shaped over the last 20 years. The discipline is represented by the papers that are published in a network of ten leading academic journals in the field. As the SCM literature has grown, the analysis of the way that the characteristics of this network of journals have changed over time enables the identification of salient challenges facing SCM theory and practice for the new decade.Design/methodology/approach – A combination of social network and citation analyses among the selected journals is applied. Citations between and within journals are collected and analysed using social network analysis metrics, that assess the communication patterns between and among the journals, the cohesion of the network and the role that each of the journals has performed (and is acquiring) in the dissemination of knowledge.Findings – The analysis reveals that the current structure of the network of journals is char...


Humankind has constantly been mobile for differing reasons and in constant degrees. This article looks at some of the background into the evolution of cultural diversity and multiculturalism. Both tenns are used interchangeably throughout this work. The policy of multiculturalism or cultural diversity is based on the concept of rights and respect for the diversity of cultures that exist.


In this paper, the Wiener polynomial 𝑾 𝒏 (𝑮; 𝒙) for some graphs such as complete, bipartite and star graphs are studied. The Wiener polynomial for Steiner n-distance of Corona and Complement graphs are derived. An attempt is made to obtain the Wiener polynomial for Steiner n-distance of Prism graphs.


Hastings et al. identified and reported four types of coping namely through factor analysis of Brief Cope such as: (1) Active avoidance coping strategies: Individuals who use these coping strategies take active attempts to avoid a stressor and escape from effects [3,4]. These coping strategies include, substance use coping to cope with distress feelings, disengagement of behavior to lessen efforts to deal a stressor, self-blame that hinders the healing process, venting of emotions to ventilate the feelings of discomfort and distraction to get him engaged in alternate activities to take mind off a problem. (2) Problem focused coping strategies: Problem focused coping is to focus on dealing with a stressor or unforeseen circumstance effectively. People usually apply these strategies to deal with problems such as work and family problems. Problem focused coping strategies include planning that involves thinking about how to cope with a stressor, which steps to take, and how to handle an issue, active coping is used to remove a stressor and its impacts, Instrumental social support is to seek assistance, advice and information from others, use of emotional social support is to get moral support, understanding and sympathy from others. (3) Positive coping strategies: Positive coping strategies include positive reframing to handle emotional complications, the use of humor is used as a belief to improve self-esteem, reduce stress, psychological symptoms inculcated from negative life events and acceptance to accept the reality of a stress inducing situations and to get him/her engaged in different activities to deal circumstances and social as well as support. (4) Religious/denial coping strategies: Religious coping is used by an individual in a stressful situations and denial is used to avoid the stressful situation and a refusal to accept that a stressor exists.


Susan Whitfield, Silk, Slaves, and Stupas: Material Culture of the Silk Road . Berkeley: University of California Press, 2018. 376 pp., 8 color photos, 10 color maps. ISBN 9780520281783. $85.00.

Susan Whitfield's book offers a history of cultural exchange in premodern Afro-Eurasia through ten key objects, beginning with earrings and ending with slaves. It is less a continuous narrative than a collection of cross-referenced essays on materials, technologies, styles, beliefs, and ideas that embody or concrete, in one way or another, pivotal moments of cultural encounter. Spanning East Asia to Western Europe over more than a millennium and engaging nine separate media with as many distinct contexts of use and patterns of circulation, this study vastly exceeds current disciplinary and field categories. Inevitably, it relies significantly on secondary studies in English and specialist interlocutors acknowledged by Whitfield throughout the text. The major exception is the sections involving Chinese history, Whitfield's (and the present reviewer's) primary field of specialization. The wager in venturing so far beyond standard field boundaries is nothing short of fundamentally reappraising Afro-Eurasian cultural history and, moreover, challenging the idea that at the root of modern categories for human belonging such as ethnicity and nationality are self-contained cultures with discrete histories by which we should or can carve up the globe. To effect such a reappraisal, Whitfield, like proponents of the material turn across the humanities, explicitly seeks to challenge the authority of texts.

Whitfield's investment in broad, heterogeneous representation emerges in her careful selection of the book's ten key objects. The first chapter addresses a pair of earrings made of gold, jade, and other semiprecious stones from a ca. second-century BCE tomb. This first, catalyzing object already evinces, Whitfield demonstrates, mature forms of exchange between two rival empires, the Xiongnu and the Han. Taken seriously as historical documents, the earrings sharply counter the bias in textual records toward conflict and ecological division between imperial China and its steppes neighbors, the latter of whom in this case did …


Bovine plasma medium (BPM), based on bovine blood plasma that can be heat-sterilized, is described. Bovine plasma solution (BPS) was prepared by mixing 300 ml of bovine plasma with 300 ml of distilled water. The solution was adjusted to pH 11 and was sterilized in an autoclave at 121°C for 15 min. The sterile BPS was then mixed with a sterile solution of glucose, minerals and yeast extract. The final pH after mixing was about 6.4. The individual effects of minerals and yeast extract were also tested. The microorganisms used to test the medium were L Oplantarum, L. casei, L. bulgaricus and L. acidophilus. The efficiency of the new medium was compared with commercial MRS and no differences in the growth of the different Lactobacilli were observed. It was concluded that a new, low cost, practical medium could be developed for the propagation of Lactobacilli.


CCD time-series observations of the central region of the globular cluster NGC 3201 were obtained with the aim of performing the Fourier decomposition of the light curves of the RR Lyrae stars present in that field. This procedure gave the mean values, for the metallicity, of [Fe/H]ZW = 1:483 ± 0:006 (statistical) ±0:090 (systematic), and for the distance, 5:000±0:001 kpc (statistical) ±0:220 (systematic). The values found from two RRc stars are consistent with those derived previously. The differential reddening of the cluster was investigated and individual reddenings for the RR Lyrae stars were estimated from their V I curves. We found an average value of E(B V ) = 0:23 ± 0:02. An investigation of the light curves of stars in the blue straggler region led to the discovery of three new SX Phe stars. The period-luminosity relation of the SX Phe stars was used for an independent determination of the distance to the cluster and of the individual reddenings. We found a distance of 5.0 kpc.


In this article, the author highlights ways that children's authors may be censored by educational publishers, trade publishers, and even award committees.


PURPOSE: To obtain the subject adhesive containing no solvent and useful for film laminated matter by mixing a hydroxyl group-containing ingredient and an isocyanate group-containing ingredient together. CONSTITUTION: (A) A component with a hydroxyl value of 50-130 and an average functionality degree of 2.2-2.6 which is formed of (a) 80-95wt.% (hereinafter referred to as %) hydroxyl group-contained oligourethane with a hydroxyl value of 15-75 and a urethane group content of 0.6-5% obtained by reacting a polyetherester glycol having a molecular weight of 1000-2500 and an ester group content of 4-18% with diisocyanate, and (b) 5-20% hydroxyl group- contained component with an average functionality degree of 3 or more, an average molecular weight of 200-1000, and an average hydroxyl value of 200-800 which is formed of a mixture of a polyether (ester, a polyetherurethane, and a polyol, 30% or more of the hydroxyl group being formed of a primary hydroxyl group, is mixed with (B) a reaction product with an isocyanate content of 6-13% which is obtained by reacting a polyetherester glycol having a molecular weight of 1000-2500 with diisocyanate. COPYRIGHT: (C)1990,JPO


Typical pearlescent pigments consist of transparent scaly substrates coated with thin metal oxide layers. The combination of calcium-aluminum-borosilicate platelets with multilayer metal oxide coating technology allows the development of effect pigments with outstanding chroma and color travel properties. To match highly attractive and exceptional optical effects in color and care cosmetics, special color mixing rules have to be respected.


This work proposes a simple method named AbaniCO2 to unify the concept internationally used for estimating carbon footprint (CFP) a concept that does not have a universal accepted definition. The method organizes the different existing views in three major perspectives simplifying the understanding of the conceptual framework of the CFP and the analysis of the methodological complexities to consider in the process of adoption. First, the paper clarifies certain concepts that show the many factors that provoke the present situation of confusion and the lack of interest for adopting the CFP in the sustainable management of emissions of a company or a product, mainly in the Latin-American countries and in medium and small size enterprises. AbaniCO2 is the result of the systematization of previous works by the authors is in a simplified representation, in the form of a hand fan, of the different methodological streams that are nowadays available to quantify the CFP. The methodology consists of six clearly defined steps, starting with the definition of the objective behind the decision of adopting the CFP and ending with the algorithm of calculation to obtain a value for the CFP. It is concluded that AbaniCO2 simplifies the methodological complexities and reduces the existing barriers for the comprehension and managerial decision making about CFP adoption for the sustainable management in enterprises, organizations, and products.


SU Moying, of Sheke Village, S h e k e To w n s h i p , Lanxian County, Shanxi Province, has been teaching in the countryside for 20 of her 48 years. She is


The importance of agromyzid leafminers in the genus Lir iomyza in the Pacific Basin has increased significantly since 1980. This change in pest status has been associated with the introduction of Lir iomyza trifo/ii and L. sativae to many Pacific islands ranging from Ha waii to Guam above the equator and French Polynesia to New Cale donia below. These species are predominantly pests of vegetable and ornamental crops. On most vegetable crops the leafminers only affect the non-marketable, leafy portions of the plant, reducing photosynthetic capability. Relatively high populations can be tolerated without eco nomic damage, so the potential to control Liriomyza through natural enemies is high. Numerous parasitoid species have been introduced for Liriomyza control in Hawaii. These include the effective species Chrysocharis os cinidis, Chrysonotomyia punctiventris, Ganaspidum uti/is, and Halti coptera circu/us. An indigenous species, Dig/yphus begini, also occurs in Hawaii. Those providing high levels of control in Hawaii have been introduced into Guam, Pohnpei and Tonga. Research in Hawaii indi cates that multiple natural enemies are needed to produce Liriomyza control in a range of crops. Parasitoid presence and effectiveness can differ significantly between crops, with from 6 to 12 species occurring in particular crops. One of the most significant species introduced to Hawaii is Ganaspidium utilis, which quickly made an impact on leaf miner densities, successfully competing with previously established par asitoids. Strains of Dig/yphus begini, highly resistant to pesticides, have been found in Hawaii and laboratory selection has increased resistance in Ganaspidium utilis. Research is proceeding on the use of entomo pathogenic nematodes against Liriomyza.


It is the chiefly point of preventing recidivism by law to legislate Preventing Recidivism law. On the other hand, the whole system of preventing jobs can be controlled orderly through legislating the law under the situation of market economy. Preventing recidivism law is conducive to distinguish the different functions among different social factors during the course of preventing recidivism. Consequently, all sorts of effort would be gathered for controlling possilble crowd of recidivism.


A novel air gap magnetic field electromagnetic modulation permanent magnet motor with a double squirrel cage structure is a novel direct drive motor for directly realizing low-speed and high-torque output by means of electromagnetic modulation of high-speed air gap rotation magnetic fields, and can be applied to the transmission field of wind power generation, electric vehicles, ship drive and the like needing direct drive. The permanent magnet motor is characterized by comprising a stator with 2ps poles, an electromagnetic modulation hollow double squirrel cage rotor and a permanent magnet rotor with 2pr poles, wherein the stator, the electromagnetic modulation hollow double squirrel cage rotor and the permanent magnet rotor are of a radially concentric structure and have two air gaps respectively corresponding to two air gap rotation magnetic fields with different synchronous speeds. When running, three-phase symmetric alternating current flows through a stator winding 3 in the stator core 4 to generate the high-speed air gap rotation magnetic fields with fewer 2ps poles, the high-speed air gap rotation magnetic fields are modulated into high-order harmonic rotation magnetic fields with more 2pr poles by squirrel cages 13 of the hollow double squirrel cage rotor through electromagnetic modulation, and accordingly, the permanent magnet rotor is driven at a low speed and a high torque.


AIM: To investigate the correlation between gammaglutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GTP) expression in the primary HCC and post-resection recurrence and its biological behaviors.METHODS: Forty consecutive patients having curative resection for HCC were included in this study. The primers for reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RTPCR) were corresponding to the 5'-noncoding human γ-GTP mRNA of fetal liver (type A), HepG2 cells (type B),and placenta (type C). Both the cancer and non-cancerous tissues of the resected liver were analyzed. The correlations between the expression of γ-GTP and the clinicopathological variables and outcomes (recurrence and survival) were studied.RESULTS: Those with type B γ-GTP mRNA in cancer had significant higher recurrence rate than those without it (63.6 % vs 14.3 %). Both those with type B in cancer and in non-cancer died significantly more than those without it (45.5 % vs 0 % and 53.6 % vs 0 %, respectively). By multivariate analysis, the significant predictors of recurrence included high serum AFP (P=0.0108), vascular permeation (P=0.0084), and type B γ-GTP mRNA in non-cancerous liver (P=0.0107). The significant predictors of postrecurrence death included high serum AFP (P=0.0141),vascular permeation (P=0.0130), and daughter nodules (P=0.0053). As to the manifestations (recurrent number ≥2, recurrent extent≥2 segments, extra-hepatic metastasis, and death) in recurrent patients, there were no statistical significant differences between those with type B in the primary tumor and those without it. The difference between those with type B in non-cancerous liver and those without it also was not significant.CONCLUSION: Patients of HCC with type B γ-GTP mRNA both in cancer and in non-cancerous tissue had a worse outcome, earlier recurrence, and more post-recurrence death.


Students completed surveys at the beginning and end of a sophomore-level course on research and statistics. We hypothesized that the course would produce advances in knowledge of research and statistics and that those changes would be accompanied by more favorable attitudes toward the subject matter. Results showed that knowledge did increase significantly, but 4 of 6 attitude measures showed no change. Two attitude measures (perceived utility of research and statistics) showed significant declines. These results demonstrate the independence of knowledge and attitudes and show that attitudinal change is not monolithic. We argue that students' misconceptions about research might underlie the declines in perceived utility of research and statistics.


Abstract A unifying probabilistic framework is developed to analyze and compare the impact of the psychological biases of overconfidence and underconfidence on managerial perceptions about the expected value, overall risk, downside risk, value-at-risk and expected shortfall of decision-making economic variables. The results depict that overconfident managers overestimate their expected values and underestimate downside risk, VaR and ES of decision-making variables. Underconfident managers, on the other hand, underestimate their expected values and overestimate downside risk, value-at-risk, and expected shortfall.


Recently, virtualization is becoming the critical issue in the cloud computing due to its advantages of resource utilization and consolidation. In order to efficiently use virtualization services, several issues should be taken into account, including data reliability, security, and performance. In particular, a high write bandwidth on the virtual machine must be guaranteed to provide fast responsiveness to users. In this study, we implemented a way of visualizing comparison results between the block write pattern of KVM-based virtual machine and that of the real machine. Our final objective is to propose an optimized virtualization environment that enables to accelerate the disk write bandwidth.


TOPKAPI is a physically based distributed rainfall–runoff model derived upon the assumption that the horizontal flow at a point in the soil, over the slopes and in the channel network can be approximated by means of a kinematic wave model. The TOPKAPI model combines this kinematic approach with a digital elevation model (DEM)‐based description of a basin. Similarly to what is done in the finite element approach, the basic model equations are derived by integrating in space the point process equations up to a finite dimension, the pixel, thus converting the original kinematic partial differential equations into a cascade of finite dimension non‐linear reservoir ordinary differential equations. These new equations are 'structurally similar' for all the processes (flow in the soil, over the slopes and in the channel network) and are shown to be representative of the original equations at the new finite pixel scale. With a view to assessing the quality of the approximation, the paper presents a comparison study in which a quasi‐analytical approach based upon the characteristic kinematic wave solution of the original equations is compared to the solution provided by the non‐linear reservoir finite scale approximation. The test is first applied to a simplified theoretical case in order to show the quality of the approximation at small scales. Successively it is applied to two real‐word cases: the Upper Reno catchment based on 400 × 400 m2 pixels and the Sieve River catchment using 1 × 1 km2 pixels.


The future of Wisconsin's estimated 742 million ash trees (5 million of which are in urban settings composing 20 percent of Wisconsin's urban forests) is being considered based on the presence of the emerald ash borer. Part of this discussion includes the stem volumes of these ash trees.


In this word we reflect about ways of link cultural studies and chronicle, for this we make a synthesis about this movement meant, as well some of its features, mainly how social communication academic field have been affected. At second part, we describe as same way, chronicle and some of its feature. Thirdly we consider some problematic field, we are trying to address a debate about ways of link our main two concepts, which implies jeans for defining scientific language and interdisciplinary discussion among sociology, communication and literature studies


In this paper , we present the findings of a research which has two objectives: firstly, it record ed 12-13 years old (7th grade) students' mental representation regarding the vision of non-luminous objects, and, secondly, it emphasized on the relative cognitive fields. The research was done  through interviews of 107 urban area students in Greece. The students were asked to explain how objects become visible, stressing the following themes: T he manner in which our eyes help us see the objects, whether natural or artificial light helps us see the objects and in what way, and if the object s emit light. The data analysis  led to the recording of the students' basic mental representation on the one hand, while on the other hand emphasized the reemission or reflection of light by the luminous objects as a basic mental representation. From the research results, it can be concluded that through a teaching intervention based on mental representation we can foster and enhance scientific thinking and learning about light and vision.


Neutrinos continue to exhibit a number of unexplained features and unknown properties. Amongst these, the question of the neutrino restmass remains to be one of the most challenging problems of nowadays physics. Thus far, only upper limits on neutrino masses have resulted from direct measurements as well as from searches for neutrino oscillations. Neutrinos provide instant information on the solar fusion reactions. The reasons for the short‐age by a factor of three in the high energy portion of the solar neutrino flux observed in the Davis experiment are unknown at present. The ''European Gallex Collaboration'' will perform a solar neutrino experiment aiming at the low energy portion of the solar neutrino spectrum, which is directly related to the known solar luminosity. The new experiment due to the large distance involved will be highly sensitive to neutrino masses.


Neuroactive steroid family includes molecules synthesized in peripheral glands (i.e., hormonal steroids) and directly in the nervous system (i.e., neurosteroids) which are key regulators of the nervous function. As already reported in clinical and experimental studies, neurodegenerative diseases affect the levels of neuroactive steroids. However, a careful analysis comparing the levels of these molecules in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and in plasma of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients is still missing. To this aim, the levels of neuroactive steroids were evaluated by liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry in CSF and plasma of male adults affected by Relapsing‐Remitting MS and compared with those collected in control patients. An increase in pregnenolone and isopregnanolone levels associated with a decrease in progesterone metabolites, dihydroprogesterone, and tetrahydroprogesterone was observed in CSF of MS patients. Moreover, an increase of 5α‐androstane‐3α,17β‐diol and of 17β‐estradiol levels associated with a decrease of dihydrotestosterone also occurred. In plasma, an increase in pregnenolone, progesterone, and dihydrotestosterone and a decrease in dihydroprogesterone and tetrahydroprogesterone levels were reported. This study shows for the first time that the levels of several neuroactive steroids, and particularly those of progesterone and testosterone metabolites, are deeply affected in CSF of relapsing‐remitting MS male patients.


A parameter set expressing the potential response used to simulate evapotranspiration was inferred from pooled data of leaf-level stomatal conductance in the Far East. We used Jarvis-type parameterization, which consists of restriction terms of light, air dryness, temperature, and soil water. Two parameter sets, pooled common (PC) and within-site (WS)


Abstract 4407 (Purpose) Prior investigations have looked for trends and patterns in post-transfusion erythrocyte alloantibody formation (e.g., Walker et al., Tormey et al., and Hoeltge et al.). While anti-E has consistently been one of the most frequently observed alloantibodies following transfusion, the relative frequency of other antibodies is variably reported. In fact, some authors have reported no relationship between transfusion and alloantibody prevalence (Coles et al. and Domen et al.). Different outcomes might be attributed to antibody detection methods, cohort size, and cohort composition by race (including differences in the racial composition of donor and patient populations). As yet, the significance of gender has not been explicitly investigated in a large cohort of transfused vs. non-transfused patients. This study reports gender differences in erythrocyte alloantibody formation in a nation where blood donor and patient populations are phenotypically similar and relatively homogeneous. (Methods) In response to an open invitation made in November, 2008, 25 Japanese institutions contributed data on 248,785 patients (male:female=1:1.19). Each institution reported results from the previous 3 years. Patients known to have been transfused were placed in the transfused group, whereas patients known not to have been transfused were placed in the non-transfused group. Patients for whom transfusion history was uncertain were excluded. Erythrocyte alloantibodies against D, C, c, E, e, f, Ce, P1, M, N, S, s, Mia, Lea, Leb, Jka, Jkb, Jk3, Fya, Fyb, K, k, Kpa, Kpb, Jsa, Jsb, Dia, Dib, Lua, Lub, Xga and H were analyzed. A patient investigated multiple times was counted as one case. Multiple antibodies in one patient were separately summarized. Antibody incidence was calculated as the percentage of patients in each group with the corresponding antibody. (Results) Erythrocyte antibodies were detected in 3,554 patients (1.43% of all patients, 1.32% of males and 1.52% of females). Including 655 patients with antibodies reported by four more institutions, a total of 4,219 patients with at least one antibody were analyzed. From these, anti-E was observed in 34.7% and 41.3% of male and female transfused patients vs. 8.0% and 21.9% in those not transfused, respectively. Anti-Dia was observed in 3.5% and 4.8% of male and female transfused patients vs. 2.7% and 2.8% in those not transfused. Jka was observed in 2.6% and 4.7% of male and female transfused patients vs. 0.4% and 0.1% in those not transfused. Anti-E+c was observed in 6.6% and 8.4% of male and female transfused patients vs. 0.4% and 2.3% in those not transfused. Emergence of anti-E, anti-Dia and anti-Jka following transfusion was significantly different between males and females (p Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


This review surveys the diversity of natural products (NPs) derived from terrestrial plants, micro-organisms, marine organisms and fungi used in the treatment of various diseases. A wide spectrum of compounds derived from these sources has been found to have many applications in the fields of medicine, pharmacy, and general biology. The enormous structural diversity of NPs and their medicinal significance has led researchers to predict that screening natural resources will generate new 'lead' compounds. It is well established that structural analogs with greater pharmacological activity and fewer side effects can be generated by molecular modification of the functional groups of such lead compounds. The compounds derived from various NP sources have been a basis for the development of clinically important agents active against various diseases, including taxol, vinblastine, vincristine, and topotecan, which are important anticancer agents in widespread clinical use. A number of other promising agents such as flavopiridol, combretastatin, betulinic acid, and silvesterol are in clinical or preclinical development. A large number of anti-infective agents in clinical use are also derived from NPs.


The electronic structure and dielectric response of 25% and 50% Hf substituted zirconia (ZrO2) are determined, using first-principles density functional theory calculations based on pseudopotentials and a plane wave basis. It is found that Zr0.75Hf0.25O2 is more promising with higher dielectric response compared to pure ZrO2, the dielectric constant increases further upon introduction of oxygen vacancies. In contrast, Zr0.5Hf0.5O2 shows a decrease in the response compared to pure ZrO2. The IR-active phonon modes cause enhanced response in 25% Hf substituted ZrO2 and the material remains insulating making it promising for applications such as a gate oxide material.


This paper presents integrated antennas, which can fulfill both the functions of an antenna and a power combiner, thus reducing the circuit loss. This will be useful for linear amplification using nonlinear components systems, where the circuit-level power-combiner losses degrade overall efficiency. Two antennas, which use a single-layer structure and a multilayer structure, respectively, are designed. Both antennas achieve good impedance-matching characteristics under both even- and odd-mode excitations. The single-layer antenna has a narrow bandwidth, and the even-mode radiated power at boresight is 33 and 26 dB lower than that of the odd-mode radiated power at the E- and H-plane, respectively, thus demonstrating the effective suppression of even-mode radiation. The other antenna using multilayer structure achieves a broad-band bandwidth (S/sub 11/<-10 dB) of 15.5% and 8% under the odd- and even-mode excitation, respectively. Across the bandwidth, broadside radiation patterns with low cross-polar levels (<-21 dB) are achieved under the odd-mode excitation, while the even-mode radiation is also suppressed.


The equipment improvement program, a SEMATECH initiative to help improve the US semiconductor industry's efficient use of capital equipment, is described. This program focuses on continuous performance improvement of existing equipment to meet current and future manufacturing requirements with the goal of extending their useful life by a generation. Working hand-in-hand with suppliers, these programs are aimed at improving equipment reliability, throughput, and yield, thereby decreasing process step costs. Issues related to the industry's growth, strategic direction, cost of capital, and capital productivity are explored.<<ETX>>


An experiment on introduction and afforestation of Eucalyptus dunnii was conducted at the relatively high altitude of northwest mountainous areas in Xianyou County,Fujian Province.The hybrid of E.veneer and E.grandis,E.grandis and hybrid of E.grandis and E.camaldulensis were chosen as control in the experiment. The results showed that E.dunnii had a relatively good mass growth and cold resistance.E.dunnii could be basically adapted to site condition at the areas with the altitude over 500 m.The annual average height,diameter at breast height(DBH),and volume-increment of whole stand of 2~3-year E.dunnii forest could reach 2.6~3.3 m,3.5~4.0 cm and 8.2~23.6 m3/hm 2 respectively,exceeded the mass growth value of Fujian provincial standard for short rotation industrial plantation of E.veneer and E.grandis×E.urophylla.The E.dunnii is suitable for afforestation in the areas with site type of grade 2 or over grade 2 and altitude of 700 m or less.


The aseptic status of microalgaes is regarded as the further research base of physiological and genetic characteristics of microalgaes.The research development of aseptic purification technique of microalgaes in recent years was introduced,including pouring and streaking plate technique,centrifugal washing technique,dilution and filting method,radiation technique,capillary isolation technique,antibiotics technique,chemical disinfectant technique,and the technique based on the utilization of the other properties of microalgaes.


This paper reviews and clusters the literature on "parallel learning structures" into three broad categories, explores the underlying theories of various positions, and proposes directions for futu...


The syntheses of eight of the title compounds are described. The compounds possessed activity comparable with that of the previously tested 2-substituted phenyl analogs in the carrageenan-induced rat paw edema test.


Numerous experiments have shown that strain broadening caused by dislocations can be well described by a special logarithmic series expansion of the Fourier coefficients of Bragg reflection peak profiles. In the present work it will be shown that this formalism can be incorporated into the classical methods of Williamson-Hall and Warren-Averbach. The new procedures are suggested to be called modified Williamson-Hall and modified WarrenAverbach methods, respectively. Based on the examples of a submicron grain size copper specimen and a ball-milled iron powder sample it is going to be shown that the modzjied methods can yield physically well justified data for particle size, dislocation densities and twinning and faulting.


AbstractBy selling, working, playing, socializing and relaxing in the space around their homes, the working-class Latinos of East LA have developed a residential vernacular that represents their struggles, triumphs and everyday habits.


ABSTRACT Capital adequacy in the financial services industry has been a matter of concern for managers and regulators over the years. The topic became even more important during the deregulation era, which commenced in the early 1980's. This paper is directed towards capital management in a small but significant sector of the financial industry, credit unions. Focus groups, personal interviews, and a survey of credit union managers throughout the United States form the basis of data reported in this paper. Ten independent variables, based on financial ratios and relationships of credit union operations, have been analyzed. Five of these ten variables have been identified as being statistically significant. The following ratios are deemed by respondents to be most important in determining their institutions optimal capital/asset ratio policy during the 1990's. They are: total loans/total assets, real estate loans/total loans, unsecured and credit card loans/total loans, the operating expense ratio and the delinquency ratio. Two multiple regression equations form the basis of a model that operating managers could use to set target goals of gross and net capital /asset ratios for their credit unions. The equations were tested using 1996 credit union balance sheet and income statement data. More than 70 percent of gross capital/asset ratios fell within the range of 8.5 to 11.5 percent, while net capital/asset ratios were between 7.5 and 10.5 percent. Credit union executives should manage operations to "optimize" their specific ratios within these ranges. Only extraordinary circumstances would warrant being above or below these levels over a five-year time horizon.Capital adequacy in the financial services industry has been a matter of concern for managers and regulators over the years. The topic became even more important during the deregulation era, which commenced in the early 1980's. This paper is directed towards capital management in a small but significant sector of the financial industry, credit unions. Focus groups, personal interviews, and a survey of credit union managers throughout the United States form the basis of data reported in this paper. Ten independent variables, based on financial ratios and relationships of credit union operations, have been analyzed. Five of these ten variables have been identified as being statistically significant. The following ratios are deemed by respondents to be most important in determining their institutions optimal capital/asset ratio policy during the 1990's. They are: total loans/total assets, real estate loans/total loans, unsecured and credit card loans/total loans, the operating expense ratio and the delinquency ratio. Two multiple regression equations form the basis of a model that operating managers could use to set target goals of gross and net capital /asset ratios for their credit unions. The equations were tested using 1996 credit union balance sheet and income statement data. More than 70 percent of gross capital/asset ratios fell within the range of 8.5 to 11.5 percent, while net capital/asset ratios were between 7.5 and 10.5 percent. Credit union executives should manage operations to "optimize" their specific ratios within these ranges. Only extraordinary circumstances would warrant being above or below these levels over a five-year time horizon.


A voltage control unit for a spherical sector analyzer used in the energy analysis of scattered ions is described. Three modes of operation, namely, automatic, manual, and computer control is possible. The unit is directly calibrated in terms of the scattered energies which is displayed on a liquid crystal unit. The scanning time in the auto mode is adjustable from 1 to 999 s in 1‐s steps for any selected energy range. A 0–10‐V recorder output is available regardless of the energy window selected. The basic operation and the functioning of the various components are explained with the help of block diagrams and a final evaluation of the system is given. Complete circuit diagrams are available from the Physics Auxiliary Publication Service (PAPS) of the American Institute of Physics.


Objective: 1) Study the association between orexin and orexin receptor genes mutations and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. 2) Examine the effects of the identified significant mutations on the gene transcription. Method: Prospective genetic association study. It was conducted between April 2008 and March 2010. Seventy obstructive sleep apnea patients and seventy control subjects were enrolled. Tertiary university hospital. PCR amplification followed by sequencing for Orexin Gene and TaqMan SNP Genotyping Assay for Orexin Receptor Genes was done for all participants. Results: A novel single nucleotide deletion (IVS1+188delG) was found in one patient. An intronic mutation (rs9902709) was identified in the Orexin gene with significant difference between patients and controls when using dominant model (P = .04). A new mutation in the intron of Orexin gene was identified with significant difference between patients and controls as regards (P = .02). By examining Splicing Site Programs, this mutation showed change of the splice donor site in some of them or change of the score in others. No significant changes between patients and controls as regard Orexin receptor genes abnormalities were detected. Conclusion: The plasma levels of Orexins have been previously evaluated in obstructive sleep apnea patients with contrary findings. This study identified two intronic mutations in the orexin gene with significant difference between patients and controls. These results suggest that orexin gene mutations may be involved in pathogenesis of obstructive sleep apnea.


Abstract Extract Spontaneous glomerulonephritis has been considered an uncommon and ill-defined disease in domestic animals (Jubb and Kennedy, 1970). In a survey of 236 cases of nephritis in horses, cattle, sheep, pigs and dogs, Langham and Hallman (1941) detected primary glomerular abnormalities in only 7. However, recent studies incorporating electron microscopic, or immunofluorescence examination, or both, of renal tissue suggest that glomerulonephritis is not uncommon. During the past 5 years it has been reported in sheep (Angus et al., 1973), dogs (Krohn et al., 1973) and cats (Slauson et al., 1971; Farrow and Huxtable, 1971), and in 6 of 45 horses examined at a commercial slaughterhouse in the U.S.A. (Banks and Henson, 1972).


The beit midrash (study hall) of the Rabbis was composed solely of male scholars,1 and Talmudic narratives that present us with scenes of female penetration into the inner circles of this male preserve are highly irregular. The Talmudic narrative set forth below is singular in that the reader is shown a spontaneous feminine sortie, exceptional in its emotional and symbolic force, directly into the very heart of this closed male world.2 This narrative from the Babylonian Talmud (Bava Batra 9a-b) opens with the citing by the Amora Rabba of an aggadic teaching that he had heard from a Rabbi with the strange appellation of "ila [a suckling]3 who


The study and simulation of blood flow in the cardiovascular system (CS) have many applications such as pathologies studies, surgical planning, and design of medical devices. The blood flow in the CS can be considered as a fluid dynamics problem, and in the optimal case, a coupling between fluid and solid dynamics, named Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) problems. Firstly, this work focuses on solving different fluid dynamics problems using usual stabilizations for the Galerkin method in order to solve the Navier-Stokes equation. A comparison using CPU time and error for different levels of mesh refinement is made as a way to evaluate and explore the FEniCS library and the function of each stabilization term. This method may be used to perform blood flow simulations using a rigid wall domain assumption. However, some authors say that blood velocity and pressure in large arteries are greatly influenced by vessel wall dynamics. By this reason, in the second part of this work, it was used the Coupled Momentum Method of Fluid-Structure Interaction (CMM-FSI,) to solve blood flow problems in large arteries. The CMM-FSI simplifies the fluid-structure coupling process when using a finite element formulation due to be based on a strong coupling of degrees-of-freedom of the fluid and the solid domains. It could be made by coupling the vessel wall deformation at the variational level as a boundary condition for the fluid domain and by keeping the same description of motion (Eulerian) in both domains, and with a fixed mesh. One of the positive parts of CMM-FSI is that it demands a lot less computational effort, mainly for 3D models, than usual arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian methods. On the other hand, this method claims that the polynomial approximation of the pressure and velocity elements must be the same order. Thus, a stabilized finite element formulation is used. All numerical implementation is done using Python and FEniCS, a finite element library. Constitutive relationships of Newtonian fluid and thin-walled structure are considered. A comparison is made with Poiseuille's blood flow theory and also with a rigid wall assumption. The impacts of choosing a rigid wall assumption or a deformable model are evaluated with hemodynamics parameters, as pressure peaks in diastole and systole and blood flow wave velocities. Finally, the CMM-FSI is used to perform a blood flow simulation in an idealized common carotid with stenosis. The results obtained in this work are consistent with the literature.


We have recently proposed and demonstrated a new device concept, "Si-based single-dopant atom device", consisting of only one or a few dopant atoms in the channel of Si field-effect transistors. The device characteristics are determined by a dopant, which is mediating electron or hole transport between source and drain electrodes. In this paper, our recent results on electronic and photonic applications are introduced. Furthermore, single-dopant images obtained by a scanning probe microscope are also presented.


THERE HAS been a great increase in postgraduate educational activity in this country, as well as in America, over the past few years. In this country postgraduate educational programmes are being organised in a number of hospitals, and the district hospitals often lead university hospitals in this field. This paper seeks to outline and discuss the programme of one district hospital, with special emphasis on the part played by the junior staff. Junior staff training falls into three groups. First, meetings or lectures specially designed for their training; second, meetings organised to appeal to all grades of medical staff; and third, apprenticeship training.


The paper discusses a way to improve the reliability design of the air pressure control system electric drive in the cockpit by electric drive components failure mode and effects analysis in the design development process. Possible options for the system's electric drive implementation have been investigated in terms of their reliability indicators. Components are selected, the failures of which have the greatest impact on the electric drive design reliability. The electric drive improved design is proposed.


The invention relates to a cooling system for a nozzle (1) of post-combustion, said nozzle (1) comprising a primary gas duct (2) allowing a primary flow of gas, a secondary air duct ( 3) allowing a secondary flow of air, said secondary air duct (3) surrounding said primary gas duct (2) and separated from it by a protective thermal shroud (4), the secondary air duct (3 ) having a downstream end (3a) of the flaps (5) surrounding an output section of the primary gas duct (2). According to the invention, the cooling system comprises, in the secondary air duct (3), at the downstream end (3a) of the latter, a protective thermal shell (7) having a diaphragm (8) providing ventilation of the nozzle (1).


There are, however, a few discrepancies in focus from one author to the next. Although all of the essays provide some biographical information on their subjects, some, such as Fraser's, are largely biographical; others, such as Rothman's heavily footnoted essay, offer theory-based insights into why women held more prominent positions in certain areas of professional musical theatre during particular periods of the twentieth century. Similarly, Coleman's essay adopts the anecdotal tone of a biography, while Dace uses biographical material only as support for her theoretical framework. Thus, while the volume is generally accessible, the uneven style of the collected essays raise questions about the book's intended audience. In addition, some of the authors are less fastidious than others; for example, although Gary Konas notes that Betty Comden died in 2006, he later speculates on whether The Will Rogers Follies will be Comden and Green's last musical together (109). This and other similar oversights tend to diminish a reader's confidence in a scholar's work.


Management has gone through many stages and has always existed in practice until it reached its modern scientific understanding. The need for industrialization has increased for environmental, social and economic activities due to the increase in the world population and urbanization. Thanks to the developing technology, meeting the expectations for faster and flexible production of industrial products with a good management; It is essential for the reduction of environmental, social and economic problems. The importance of project management has been increasing day by day because each project in the building industry is unique. In this regard, the impact of Industry 4.0, which reflects an era filled with technological applications that break new ground in many fields, is an important research subject. In this study, firstly, literature research was conducted on the transformations that Industry 4.0 brought with it. Then, in order to reveal the effect of these transformations on project management factors, management factors were explained and an analysis was performed on the returns of industry 4.0. It is predicted that using Industry 4.0 technologies in project management factors will bring real-time solution suggestions to problems and ensure successful project management. The data obtained is intended to guide the project stakeholders and contribute to the field.


Full-wave numerical approaches for the analysis of leaky modes propagating in Electromagnetic-Bandgap (EBG) waveguides composed by multilayered arrays of two-dimensional (2D) cylindrical inclusions have been proposed. A first method based on the lattice sums technique for periodic structures with inclusions of circular section has been suitably adapted to the analysis of modes with complex propagation wavenumbers. The self-contained formulation uses a fast and accurate calculation of the lattice sums, which allows for an appropriate choice of the spectral determination for each spatial harmonic. A further full-wave modal method based on the Fourier Series Expansion in conjunction with perfectly matched layers (PMLs) has been developed, which can take into account cylindrical inclusions with arbitrary geometry of the transverse section. Real and imaginary parts of the propagation wavenumber are calculated with the two proposed approaches for a typical EBG waveguide and a very good agreement is observed in a wide frequency range.


Sanitation systems have vast differences among the countries as well as among different regions within the country. In Sri Lanka, over 90% of buildings rely upon onsite sanitation systems and most popularly with water sealed latrines connected to septic tanks or cesspits, however, the sanitizing the septage or nightsoil is required further treatment before disposing of or reuse. The filled cesspits/septic tanks are simply emptied using the suction trucks by the local authorities. Since the septage is removed from the site, the whole system can be named as partial onsite sanitation system (POSS). The practical problems that POSS may lead to are discussed throughout the paper using two case studies in Sri Lanka. Methodology follows both quantitative and qualitative social research techniques such as structured interviews with operators, downstream community, and health and sanitary workers, and collecting data on influent and effluent characteristics. Quantitative data were analyzed and interpreted using descriptive statistics. This paper provides a description of the complex issues that may stem out of POSS and possible factors for the sustainability of such systems. It is found that community participation, knowledge on sanitation, and institutional commitment were required to sustain the system which were lacking in two cases studied. It is advisable to develop programs and strategies to build up the capacity of local authorities to manage the sanitation systems and even to raise the awareness of community for good care of the onsite components. Key words: Nightsoil; Partially onsite sanitation system; Sanitation; Septage; Septic tanks. DOI: 10.4038/tar.v22i2.2823 Tropical Agricultural Research Vol. 22 (2): 144-153 (2011)


That the earlier method of value of negative-sequence current module and zero-sequence current module divid positive-sequence current module delayes longer time sometimes is indicated.The paper proposes a method of ratio of value of negative-sequence current module and zero-sequence current module dividing positive-sequence current module in order to quickly identifies asymmetry fault during power swing.The paper uses a double sources electrical network as an example,and a research of comparing the proposed method with the ealier method for the delay of enabling relay protection is established.The result indicates that the proposed method has much more short delay than ealier method in bulk circumstances except for individual.It suggests that a new synthesis criterion of two methods for enabling relay protection may be more availabile,both of one acts and the relay protections are enabled.In this way,the speed of enabling relay protection would be advanced enormously during power swing blocked.


EAST-ADL is an architecture description language developed for specifications of automotive embedded systems at multiple abstraction levels. Based on the best practices in model-based system develo ...


Microstructural evolution during the devitrification of amorphous tantalum thin films synthesized via pulsed laser deposition was investigated using in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) combined with ex situ isothermal annealing, bright-field imaging, and electron-diffraction analysis. The phases formed during crystallization and their stability were characterized as a function of the chamber pressure during deposition, devitrification temperature, and annealing time. A range of metastable nanocrystalline tantalum oxides were identified following devitrification including multiple orthorhombic oxide phases, which often were present with, or evolved to, the tetragonal TaO2 phase. While the appearance of these phases indicated the films were evolving to the stable form of tantalum oxide—monoclinic tantalum pentoxide—it was likely not achieved for the conditions considered due to an insufficient amount of oxygen present in the films following deposition. Nevertheless, the collective in situ and ex situ TEM analysis applied to thin film samples enabled the isolation of a number of metastable tantalum oxides. New insights were gained into the transformation sequence and stability of these nanocrystalline phases, which presents opportunities for the development of advanced tantalum oxide-based dielectric materials for novel memristor designs.


From very early on the servus was allowed the right to live with his immediate family, that is, with his wife and small children. The laws of the eleventh and early twelfth centuries only sought to control relationships between the free and the servile—nowhere did they restrict unions among the servile people themselves. In fact these laws really only concerned the relationships between a freeman and another lord's ancilla.1 In terms of unions between servi and ancillae, very little is said. György Györffy argued that the first mention of such a servile household was found in the second book of Stephen I's laws. The law called for the establishment of one church for every ten villages. Each village was to provide 'two mansi and the same number of mancipia' (duobus mansis totidemque mancipiis).2 Györffy argued that the author of the law was following the convention of the court scribes of Otto III in using the term mancipium to mean 'family'. He also claimed that Chapter 5 of Stephen's second book provided even more proof that 'family' was intended by the term.3 Chapter 5 declared that anyone who attempted to manumit another's servi would have to pay the owner of the liberated servi for his loss. In full, it reads:


We examine the evolution of European Union's trade regionalism across the Mediterranean in the context of the trade openness implications of the Prebisch-Singer hypothesis. We outline the impact of the 1995 Barcelona convention's free trade agreement on trade openness convergence between the northern and southern Mediterranean counterparts, using a series convergence tests, accounting for endogeneity and instrumenting with spatial geographic matrices. The majority of southern Mediterranean partner countries reverse their convergent trade openness path, following the European Union's 1995 free trade initiatives, ratifying Prebisch-Singer's hypothesis.


A dimensional measurement system also doing a tracking of objects movements is presented here. Especially, the method presented here permits to directly get the level curves of an object. It's an extension of the measurement methods by collimation, coupled with the use of a structured lighting with signature, formed of several luminous plans competing in a unique line. This line defines a set of points of the space at a fixed distance Z0 of the measure head. The place of the points of the object where the lighting is reduced to a unique line is the searched level curve. The introduction of an asymmetry in the structure of the lighting permits to know the way as well as an approximate value of the value of the gap to the level curve of the position of the point of the illuminated object. The realized experiences permit to place the performances of such a system, and give the field of future applications.


Objective:To investigate the expression of metabotropic glutamate receptor 7 subtype(mGluR7)and proliferating cell nuclear antigen(PCNA)in the subventricular zone in adult rats following focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion,and to explore its role in neurogenesis.Methods:Forty-two male Sprague-Dawley rats(weight range:280~300 g) were used in this study,and all animals were randomly devided into control group(sham operated)and middle cerebral artery obstruction(MCAO) groups with reperfusion for 6 h,24 h,72 h,7 d,14 d and 28 d respectively.The model of acute reperfusion injury after cerebral ischemia in rat was made by right middle cerebral artery occlusion.All animals were allowed 2 h ischemia and sacrificed after different durations of reperfusion.The expression of mGluR7 and PCNA was detected with an immunohistochemical approach.Results:Compared with the control group,the number of mGluR7 immunoreactive cells in the subventricular zone at 24 h after reperfusion in the ipsilateral(ischemic) side started to increase significantly(P0.05)and peaked at 72 h.However,at 28 d after reperfusion,the number of mGluR7 labeled cells decreased to basal level.Meanwhile,the number of mGluR7 labeled cells in the contralateral(non-ischemic) side increased significantly at 72 h after reperfusion(P0.05).Additionally,the mGluR7 labeled cells were also detected in dorsal caudate putamen,lateral septal nucleus,endopiriform nucleus and some areas of cerebral cortex.A significant increase in numbers of PCNA immunoreactive cells was found in the ipsilateral subventricular zone at 72 h(P0.05)and with a peak at 7 day(P0.01)after reperfusion,then the number descended but still higher than that of basal level.The number of PCNA labeled cells in the ipsilateral side increased significantly at 72 h and 7 d after reperfusion(P0.05).Conclusion:The study implies cerebral ischemia could upregulate the expression of mGluR7 and promote the proliferation of nervous stem cells in the subventricular zone following ischemia.mGluR7 could be involved in the neurogenesis following transient focal cerebral ischemia.


Multi-dimensional data is being generated at an ever increasing rate in practically all modern applications. The development of techniques and tools to extract useful information out of such data is one of critical challenges to be tackled in the 21st century. Visualization is one popular technique for achieving effective data exploration by exploiting the visual perception abilities of domain experts. Visualization involves the graphical presentation of data and information for the purposes of communicating results, verifying hypotheses, and qualitative exploration. In this demonstration, we present our solution to particular challenges we have been tackling in this area in the context of our XMDVtool project, a multi-year effort funded by NSF. These include multivariate data visualization to facilitate outlier and pattern discovery via a variety of displays, visual interaction tools, scalability of these visualization techniques to large data sets, interaction with commercial database technology and, more recently, extensions to handle data of very high-dimensionality.


regarding muscle quality, is calculated from the computed tomography attenuation value of skeletal muscle. Despite growing literature supporting an association between preoperative sarcopenia or myosteatosis and survival outcomes among patients treated with radical surgery for different malignancies, such as ovarian and colorectal cancer, their role among patients undergoing radical cystectomy for bladder cancer is still poorly addressed. In their single-center retrospective study, Yamashita et al. analyzed a cohort of 123 patients to assess the prognostic role of sarcopenia and myosteatosis in predicting survival outcomes after radical cystectomy for bladder cancer. Nutritional status was computed by one experienced radiologist blinded to patients' outcomes. On multivariable analyses, both sarcopenia and myosteatosis were independent predictors of poor cancer-specific survival (P < 0.01 and P = 0.04, respectively), whereas sarcopenia was further associated with decreased overall survival (P = 0.02). These findings suggest incorporating nutritional status into preoperative prognostic stratification models to improve survival outcomes after radical cystectomy for bladder cancer. The authors should be praised for their contribution to the ongoing debate; however, the lack of a univocal threshold value for muscle depletion prevented from properly generalizing these findings. Taken together, the present study should be interpreted as a useful starting point for additional research effort in this field. Chiara Lonati M.D. and Marco Moschini M.D., Ph.D. Department of Urology, Luzerner Kantonsspital, Lucerne, Switzerland, and Department of Urology, Spedali Civili of Brescia, Brescia, Italy firstname.lastname@example.com


In contrast to interpolatory basis functions, the projection of a given field onto hierarchical vector basis functions is rather difficult and could be costly if not done with some effort at efficiency. The lack of any interpolatory points for the hierarchal basis functions is the underlying reason for the necessity of a more involved method compared to that for interpolatory basis functions. We present a method to project an arbitrary given field onto hierarchical vector basis functions that is an extension of a projection method proposed in an earlier paper by Webb. The main improvements of the new procedure are its ability to project a given field residing in a volume onto the vector basis functions of an arbitrary order as well as its ability to handle an arbitrary geometrical element mapping scheme that enables the use of tetrahedrons with curvilinear faces. The procedure is efficient in that it projects the field by solving a series of small and easily manageable systems of equations. Moreover, the memory requirement is kept low by utilizing universal matrices that can be reused throughout the computational domain.


Theoretical calculations have been carried out on a series of quinazolines including monomethyl and monomethoxy-substituted compounds. The electron densities, bond orders, electrophilic and nucleophilic superdelocalisabilities, and energy changes were obtained for several structures. These structures were considered as steps in the protonation and hydration of the quinazolines which normally occur under acidic conditions. Comparison of the calculated terms and pK values gave reasonable correlations for each step in this process. The best relationships were the electrophilic superdelocalisability at the nitrogen in position 1 of the neutral compound with the pK for monoprotonation, and the nucleophilic superdelocalisability at position 4 of the diprotonated compound with log K for the hydration process. These data as well as the overall equilibrium pK values can most readily be interpreted in terms of a stepwise process involving two subsequent protonations of the quinazoline structure followed by hydroxylation of the 4 position.


The article describes the development of a universal power supply and an in-situ impedance spectroscopy unit for plasma electrolysis research. Schematic solutions are based on the analysis of current-voltage and frequency response characteristics of the plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) process. The power supply has a modular structure, remote PC control and high power factor. Its flexible internal structure allows studies of the plasma electrolysis in DC, bipolar and unipolar modes with broad variation in the pulse frequency, magnitude and duty cycles. The software part of the equipment allows the power supply control, registration of instantaneous values of current and voltage from the sensors, and necessary mathematical calculations. The in-situ impedance spectroscopy unit is operated in a step-sweep frequency mode, and it helps in diagnostics of the equivalent circuit of the PEO process. The calibration results of the power supply and the impedance spectroscopy unit show the recommended frequency range for equipment application from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. The equipment was tested during PEO of titanium and zirconium alloys, and it showed the effectiveness of the proposed research methodology.


M. D., and McCoy, S. J. Responses of benthic calcifying algae to ocean acidification differ laboratory and field settings. – ICES Journal revised  October ; accepted  October . Accurately predicting the effects of ocean and coastal acidification on marine ecosystems requires understanding how responses scale from laboratory experiments to the natural world. Using benthic calcifying macroalgae as a model system, we performed a semi-quantitative synthesis to compare directional responses between laboratory experiments and field studies. Variability in ecological, spatial, and temporal scales across studies, and the disparity in the number of responses documented in laboratory and field settings, make direct comparisons difficult. Despite these differences, some responses, including community-level measurements, were consistent across laboratory and field studies. However, there were also mismatches in the directionality of many responses with more negative acidification impacts reported in laboratory experiments. Recommendations to improve our ability to scale responses include: (i) developing novel approaches to allow measurements of the same responses in laboratory and field settings, and (ii) researching understudied calcifying benthic macroalgal species and responses. Incorporating these guide-lines into research programs will yield data more suitable for robust meta-analyses and will facilitate the development of ecosystem models that incorporate proper scaling of organismal responses to in situ acidification. This, in turn, will allow for more accurate predictions of future changes in ecosystem health


In this paper an improved receiver for MC-CDMA, which uses Independent Component Analysis (ICA), is presented. The proposed method, called MMSE-ICA is a combination of MMSE equalization, followed by ICA as an improving step. The method can recover the distorted MC-CDMA symbols in a frequency selective fading channel efficiently. The effect of Carrier Frequency Offset (CFO) which in turn degrades the performance of MC-CDMA systems, is also considered and it is shown that the proposed method can compensate it effectively. The improvement in system's performance is also confirmed via computer simulations.


This paper studies the causal effect of educational attainment on the experience of intimate partner violence and attitudes toward intimate partner violence in Malawi. Using data from the Demographic Health Survey, this paper takes advantage of the implementation of the Universal Primary education reform in Malawi in 1994 as a natural experiment. Exploiting differences in program exposure by district and age to determine treatment status, this paper uses a difference-in-difference and instrumental variable approach to model the relationship between educational attainment and the experience of and attitudes toward intimate partner violence. The result suggests that women exposed to the Universal Primary Education reform are more likely to justify intimate partner violence and experience sexual violence, and at the same time they are less likely to experience control behavior from their spouse.


Yearbook is a kind of material reference book that is compiled the important document information of each passing year. Most of yearbooks are the form of clauses and sub - clauses due to their characters and functions. The explication genre is accurate, concise and simple, it is different from other similar literary forms.


Optimisation of vlsi architecture in wireless sensor network (WSN) scheme for fusion centre to detect the faults of sensor nodes via efficient collaborative sensor fault detection (ECSFD), these scheme identifies the sensor node fault percentage and its efficiency of the particular sensor node. In real world most of the applications of WSN are based on ASIC and the standalone devices. So this optimized efficient collaborative wireless sensor fault detection scheme is less expensive area of the chip is very less and fast in performance. Index Terms — Wireless sensor network, Collaborative sensor fault detection, Efficient collaborative sensor fault detection, Fusion centre, Fault detection.


Open MRI is apparatus whose gantry is wide and open. Open MRI with 0.2T to 0.4T has been popular in conventional clinical use. Higher static magnetic field has become common not only on conventional (closed) MRI but also on open MRI. Actually, 1.2T open MRI with super conducting magnet is recently available in USA. Many advanced imaging functions and clinical applications are now available on open MRI. Fundamental image quality is also improved. Interventional MRI (iMRI) that is therapy under MR imaging can take advantage of easy access to subject in open MRI and has been discussed widely as open MRI becomes common. In this paper, characteristics of open MRI and the new trend of technology are demonstrated. Also, study of iMRI is described.


This chapter is concerned with the experience of wearing homemade clothes in contemporary British culture, and the way in which such items affect the process of identity construction. There is a lack of academic knowledge in this area; fashion theory rarely discusses homemade clothing, while craft theory primarily focuses on the process of making, rather than the use of finished items. The research involved a review of literature on fashion, making and identity, combined with primary research. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven female amateur knitters, aged between 43 and 66, as the initial stage of a qualitative design research project investigating amateur making as a potential strategy for sustainable fashion. These accounts are supported by over fifty comments about wearing homemade clothes, gathered at a drop-in knitting activity. In our post- traditional world, identities are always evolving. Rather than occupying fixed roles associated with work, religion and class, we reflexively construct our identities through leisure and lifestyle. We do this through dress, using the constant shifts of fashion and the meanings associated with clothes. We also construct our identities through the activities in which we engage, such as amateur fashion making. What happens when we come to wear the items we have made? These items lack the meanings associated with brands, and the sanctioning influence of industrial manufacture. Instead, they are subject to the multiple meanings of the homemade. This research shows that homemade items can be seen romantically, as garments made with love, associated with positive self-sufficiency and hip 'indie' culture. Conversely, we can observe the stigma of the homemade, of ill-fitting and badly- made items associated with poverty and old-fashioned values. Given these conflicting meanings, it is unsurprising to find that many amateur makers have ambivalent feelings about wearing their homemade garments.


Successful design of control systems depends mainly on a system model to achieve accurate control performance. The complexity of thermal systems, such as an air-conditioning system, makes it extremely difficult to obtain an exact system model to improve control quality. Thus, for tuning PID controllers to complex system dynamics, most systems under control are often approximated by a first-order lag plus deadtime system. PID controller tuning always involves a trade-off between performance and robust stability. This paper describes tuning PID controllers using optimization, subject to constraints on derivatives of control input, and considering model uncertainty caused by changes in system dynamics. Graphs by which optimal PID parameters can be obtained are presented as functions of a normalized deadtime and a perturbation of system parameters. To evaluate control performance, disturbance suppression and reference tracking properties are presented and compared to those by the partial model matching method and the H∞ compensator designed for the same system. Moreover, to avoid making the control system sensitive to measurement noise, a PI controller with a relaxation filter is newly developed. It is found that there is very little difference in control performance between the PI controller and the H∞ compensator.


A constant-temperature bath having excellent control and stability characteristics has been constructed. A molten 50-50 wt% mixture of sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite, vigorously stirred, was used as the bath liquid. An electronically balanced Wheatstone bridge, operated in conjunction with a platinum resistance thermometer, controlled the bath temperature; a second resistance thermometer served to monitor the temperature. Temperature fluctuations of ±0.025° C at 400° C were observed over a period of 500 h, but control to ±0.01° C could be attained for shorter periods of time.


Sedentary reef-organisms such as sponges, colonial coelenterates, bryozoans and compound ascidians produce repeated modules (aquiferous systems, polyps, zooids) as they grow. Modular construction alleviates constraints on biomass imposed by mechanical and energetic factors that are functions of the surface area to volume ratio. Colonies thus may grow large whilst preserving optimal modular dimensions. Among corals, optimal polyp size is smaller in the more autotrophic than in the more heterotrophic species. Modular construction allows flexibility of growth form, which can adapt to factors such as water currents, silting, light intensity and proximity of competitors. Modular colonies have great regenerative capacities, even separated fragments may survive and grow into new colonies. All fragments from a parental colony are genetically identical and large branching corals frequently undergo clonal propagation through fragmentation during storms. Soft corals can also fragment endogenously. By spreading the risk of mortality among independent units, the generation and dispersal of fragments lessens the likelihood of clonal extinction.

In spite of their ability to propagate asexually, most benthic colonial animals also reproduce asexually. The selective advantages of the genetic diversity among sexually produced offspring seem not to be linked with dispersal, but probably lie in the biological interactions with competitors, predators and pathogens in the parental habitat. Age at first sexual maturity and the proportional investment of resources in sexual reproduction are related to colonial survivorship. Small branching corals on reef flats grow quickly, attain sexual maturity within 1–4 years, planulate extensively, but reach only small sizes before dying. Massive corals are longer lived and have the opposite characteristics of growth and reproduction.

Most sessile reef organisms compete for space, food or light. Faster growers can potentially outcompete slower growers, but are often prevented from doing so by several forms of aggression from competitors and by the damage inflicted by storms. Competitive interactions among sedentary organisms on coral reefs are unlikely to be linear or deterministic, and so the co-existence of diverse species is possible.


The objective of the present study is an attempt at viewing the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war from the point of view of the Russian Federation's (also Russia's) neo-imperial policy. In order to tackle the research problem effectively, the following questions will be discussed: What are the reasons for Russia's revisionism in international politics? What motivates Russia to apply revisionism towards the West in its foreign and security policies? What will be the outcome of the revisionism for Ukraine, Europe, and Russia itself? Does the Ukrainian conflict constitute the end of the post-Cold-War period of Russia- the West cooperation? Is the Ukrainian conflict a symbolic end of the post-Cold-War world order? Will Russia succeed in revising the post-Cold-War world order and USA's dominance? Is Ukraine a hostage in the game between Russia and the West? Is the armed conflict destroying Russia's plot for the reintegration of the post-Soviet space, whose pivot revolves around Ukraine? Will Russia, as a result of the Ukrainian war, become a regional and even a global superpower?


The thermal properties including volumetric heat capacity, thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, and diurnal and annual damping depths of 10 representative soil series of Korea were calculated using some measurable soil parameters based on the Taxonomical Classification of Korean Soils. The heat capacity of soils demonstrated a linear function of water content and ranged from 0.2 to 0.8 cal cm -3 ℃ -1 for dry and saturated medium-textured soil, respectively. A small increase in water content of the dry soils caused a sharp increase in thermal conductivity. Upon further increases in water content, the conductivity increased ever more gradually and reached to a maximum value at saturation. The transition from low to high thermal conductivity occurred at low water content in the soils with coarse texture, and at high water content in the other textures. Thermal conductivity ranged between 0.37×10 -3 cal cm -1 s -1 ℃ -1 for dry (medium-textured) soil and 4.01×10 -3 cal cm -1 s -1 ℃ -1 for saturated (medium/coarse-textured) soil. The thermal diffusivity initially increased rapidly with small increases in water content of the soils, and then decreased upon further increases in the soil-water content. Even in an extreme soil with the highest diffusivity value (1.1×10 -2 cm 2 s -1 ), the daily temperature variation did not penetrate below 70 cm soil depth and the yearly variation not below 13.4 m as four times of damping depths.


The paper focuses on the results obtained by investigating the clinical course of osteoarthritis and concomitant atherosclerosis. There has been demonstrated the close correlation between the clinical manifestations of joint affection, oxidant stress activity, patient's immune status and considerable effect of atherosclerosis on the course of the disease.


The isosynthesis reaction of CO and H 2 over ZrO 2 has been studied. A previously proposed mechanism has been used to fit experimental data. The reactions have been verified by monitoring the incorporation of 13 C-labeled oxygenated compounds into the isosynthesis products and the presence of two chain growth steps has been used to explain the deviation of the product distribution from a typical Schultz-Flory distribution


A study was conducted in brinjal to identify superior parental combination and to estimate the magnitude of heterosis for yield and its eleven yield components. 48 F1 hybrids generated following line x tester mating design comprising of 12 lines and 4 testers and were evaluated in a randomized block design with three replications at Vegetable Farm of Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Kumarganj, Faizabad (Uttar Pradesh). The analysis revealed that Sel-4 was the best general combiner among the lines and IC-90099 was the best general combiner among the testers. There was high heterosis response in most of the hybrids which supports the role of non-additive gene effects. Among the crosses, DBL-24 x PPC showed high sca effects for yield although the parents were poor general combiners. The maximum heterosis for total yield per plant over better parent was exhibited by the cross KS-314 x IC-90099 (94.72%) followed by KS-314 x PPC (85.10%). Indirect selection for traits such as plant height, long and medium styled flowers per clusters, fruits per plant, fruit length, fruit diameter and primary branches per plant could be done in order to achieve higher yield through heterosis breeding. The present study reveals good scope for isolation of pure lines from the progenies of heterotic F1s as well as commercial exploitation of heterosis in brinjal.


Toshihiko Izutsu (1914-1993) is among the few 20 th Century scholars who attempt to derive ethical principles of Islam from the Qur´En by applying semantic analysis of Qur´Enic terms/concepts. Can his approach contribute to the development of an Islamic science in general, and of Islamic economics in particular, especially in the endeavour to establish the ethical principles of Islamic economics? In this paper, we scrutinise Izutsu's two works on God and Man in the Quran (2002) and Ethico-Religious Concepts in the Quran (2004) to derive relevant Islamic values from the Qur´En that could form the ethical base of Islamic economic theories as well as policy prescriptions. In particular, the concept of man as khalEfah-Nabd is seen as having significant ethical implications on how economics and economic decision-making would be developed.


Objective [WTBZ]To discuss means of ecosystem cure in infusorial vaginitis and to protect the balance of vaginal microecosystem and get twice the result with half the effort in treatment. Methods 114 outpatients of infusorial vaginitis were choosed,two groups distributed with randomcity,57 cases with singular as the observation group and another 57 cases with even-numbers as the control group.Suppository with drugs were used in observation group,twice p.d.and lotion of drugs were external used with spouse.Other traditional troche were used with control group,thrice p.d.for coule at one time,and local with 1/5 000 potassium permanganate washed and a troche put,once p.d.. Results Curative effect in boservation group notable higher than that in control group ( P 0.01). Conclusion Clinic effect of this study with ecosystem cure for vaginal microecosystem was very marked in little.


The purpose of this note is to introduce the notions of generalized w-closed set and generalized w-open set in w-spaces. In fact, every w-open set is generalized w-open in a given w-space. We study some basic properties of such the notions and the conditions of W -continuous functions which preserve generalized w-closed sets or generalized w-open sets. AMS Subject Classification: 54A05, 54B10, 54C10


In Large Transportation Projects (LTPs) estimation of the duration provided in the tender and initiating phase is often contradicted in the executing phase, due to a mix of technical and contractual problems arising during the project's execution. This paper presents research that applies a statistical approach to this problem and, determining the key features of a LTP and a set of historic data coming from the railway field, presents a quantitative solution. The first part of the paper makes an analysis of existing literature on this topic, then the methodology is discussed. In the second part, a statistical model is presented, to show how the set of identified relevant variables are used to estimate the duration according to project features avoiding other goals, such as political goals of cutting the project duration. In fact, the common sense of technical advisers is that the duration of a project is often given by non-technical goals, but the drivers are more often referred to a specific deadline such as elections or large public events (World Cups, Universal Exposition etc.), asking to cut and cut time and, as a result, projects become more expensive, hard to manage, and face technical problems in the operating phase. In the third part, this method is calibrated on a set of inputs coming from real railway LTPs of the last ten years. The aim of this paper is to let the decision makers know that, given a new project, the past experience says that it will have a given duration according to its features, and to ask for a shorter project duration would be risky and cause project failure, or let the project cost rise. It also allows for defining a guideline to determine which contractual form is the best according to the project.


In this paper, ultrafine α′ Fe(N) powder was prepared by ball mill method for 13h between α Fe and urea N content in the α′ Fe(N) phase was 8.8at% The saturation magnetic moment density σ s was 242.7emu/g. The powder samples were heated at temperatures of 160℃ for 4h in vacuum.The α′ Fe(N) phase partially transformed to α″ Fe 16 N 2 phase.Then σ s of the powder samples reached 252.0emu/g The sample was estimated to contain 21% α″ Fe 16 N 2 phase which its σ s reached 287.3emu/g.Thermal analysis experiments showed that α′ phase convert the α″ phase at 150℃~200℃


Plants are sessile organisms and as such must have mechanisms to deal with both abiotic and biotic stresses to ensure survival. The term "abiotic stress" includes many stresses caused by environmental conditions such as drought, salinity, UV and extreme temperatures. Due to global climate change it is predicted that abiotic stresses will increase in the near future and have substantial impacts on crop yields (Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change; http://www.ipcc.ch). Therefore, understanding abiotic stress responses and the connection between such responses and agronomically important traits is one of the most important topics in plant science. Often plants will experience more than one abiotic stress at a time, making it difficult to determine the effect of a single stress under field conditions. Therefore, much of the progress in understanding plant defence signaling and response has come from laboratory studies, especially those using the model plant species Arabidopsis thaliana, which belongs to the family Brassicaceae.