ABSTRACT The trans-Golgi network (TGN) acts as a sorting hub for membrane traffic. It receives newly synthesized and recycled proteins, and sorts and delivers them to specific targets such as the plasma membrane, endosomes and lysosomes/vacuoles. Accumulating evidence suggests that the TGN is generated from the trans-most cisterna of the Golgi by maturation, but the detailed transition processes remain obscure. Here, we examine spatiotemporal assembly dynamics of various Golgi/TGN-resident proteins in budding yeast by high-speed and high-resolution spinning-disk confocal microscopy. The Golgi–TGN transition gradually proceeds via at least three successive stages: the 'Golgi stage' where glycosylation occurs; the 'early TGN stage', which receives retrograde traffic; and the 'late TGN stage', where transport carriers are produced. During the stage transition periods, earlier and later markers are often compartmentalized within a cisterna. Furthermore, for the late TGN stage, various types of coat/adaptor proteins exhibit distinct assembly patterns. Taken together, our findings characterize the identity of the TGN as a membrane compartment that is structurally and functionally distinguishable from the Golgi. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper. Highlighted Article: The TGN displays two sub-stages of maturation: 'early TGN', when retrograde traffic is received, and 'late TGN', when transport carriers are produced. At the late TGN, various coat/adaptor proteins exhibit distinct assembly dynamics.


In view of toxicity and durability concerns, the adoption of lead based-PSCs (perovskite solar cells) for commercial uses is severely restricted. Due to their potential for excellent power conversion efficiency (PCE) as well as simplicity of fabrication, photovoltaic(PV) cells based on perovskite are currently pushed to the cutting edge of thin-film PV investigation and advancement. Pb or Sn-based common perovskite substances have been utilized for the production of cells. In such cases, Sn-based inorganic PSCs can be essential for the development of outstanding-performance PSCs. Here, demonstrate a theoretical investigation of a lead-free, environmentally friendly, and reliable CsSnCl3-based PSC. In this study, a device modeling CsSnCl3-based PV cells is carried out using SCAPS. The bulk defect density of active layer (CsSnCl3) is changed from 1012 to 1017 cm-3. According to the overall results, the PV metrics are maximized when the flaw density of CsSnCl3-based PSC is lower. In cases where defects are at their lowest (1012 cm-3), the enhanced PV values are as follows: 30.01% PCE, 1.35 VOC, 26.31 mA/cm2 JSC, and 84.35% FF make up the measured values. These findings highlight the importance of reducing the bulk defect density of CsSnCl3 based PSCs for achieving high efficiency. With further research and development, lead-free perovskite solar cells based on CsSnCl3 active layers could provide a cleaner and more sustainable alternative to traditional lead-based PSCs.


The anisotropy in the elastic properties of K4LiH3(SO4)4, single crystal is well studied by ultrasonic Pulse Echo Overlap [PEO] technique. The phase transition studies above room temperature were investigated by the temperature variation studies of elastic stiffness-constants in the range 300–420 K using PEO and found change of slope of the curves C44 and C66 at 340 K and weak elastic anomalies have been observed around 400 K.


I read with interest Dr. Tyndall's recent commentary in CMAJ ,[1][1] which calls for the use of a regulated, low-barrier distribution of pharmaceutical-grade opioids to address the immediate challenges extant to today's opioid overdose epidemic. Of concern, however, is the statement that "the


A systematic study of dynamic response of the inner solar corona is made within the context of two-dimensional, time-dependent plane hydromagnetics. The governing equations are written in r-phi coordinates (i.e., in the solar equatorial plane), and numerical solutions are obtained by introducing an impulsive temperature enhancement within a rectangular region (i.e., ''box'') in an initially isothermal corona in magnetohydrostatic equilibrium. Effects of the magnetic field configuration are illustrated for initially open (radial) and closed (azimuthal) magnetic fields by comparison with the nonmagnetic response. The channeling or blocking effects by the magnetic fields on the mass motion of solar plasma as the consequence of the evolution of fast and slow mode MHD shock waves are demonstrated. Some physically significant applications of the results, useful for the interpretation of observations, are discussed. It is noted, for example, that coronal transients observed in white light probably occur within essentially radial field topologies.


Highly esteemed throughout the Arab world, in Iraq poetry is considered to be the foremost art. While Iraqis have not been known to excel in such literary forms as the novel, the short story, or the stage play, they have produced many fine poets during this century. These include Al-Jawahiri, the greatest poet of the classical school, and Nazik A-Malaika, the most prominent Arab woman poet. Among the modern poets are such outstanding writers as Modhaffar Al-Nawab, Kadhem Al-Sarnawi, Saadi Yusif and Abdul Wahab Al-Bayati.


Combining with the locale situation,using high voltage standard electric capacity and high voltage dielectric loss bridge,and using indirect comparison method make locale error verification of 750 kV voltage transformer.Solves the hard problems of transportation and locale hoisting for the traditional 750 kV standard voltage transformer,provides the convenience for checking,accepting and testing the equipment of 750 kV substation.


Owing to the relatively or highly concentrated equity structure of overseas corporations and the further extension of ownerships relationship of state-owned multinational corporations,the overseas companies' principal-agency problem is featured by double and stacking types.On the basis of the characteristics,the paper builds the double and stacking principal-agency theory and applies it to analyze corporate governance of overseas firms belonging to state-owned multinational corporations.The research shows that the key premise and basis of improving corporate governance of overseas firms belonging to state-owned multinational corporations depends on the effective transmission mechanism of principal-agent chain and the definition of principals and agents at all levels.On the basis of the optimization of the structure and mechanism of corporate governance,the paper illustrates tow roads to reduce the corporate governance cost,namely form the angle of controlling or major shareholders against the managers and from the angle of the medium or small shareholders against their agents,and defines the reasonable rent quantity that the controlling or major shareholders should be given through the analysis model.


We extend the methodology for inference in SVARs identified with sign restrictions developed by Rubio-Ramirez et al. (2010) to also allow for zero restrictions. Then we use this methodology to answer the following questions: Are optimism shocks an important source of business cycle fluctuations? Are deficit-financed tax cuts better than deficit-spending to increase output? These two questions have been previously studied in the literature and the answers have been quite definite. Unfortunately, we show that these sharp conclusions are due to shortcomings in the current methods used for inference since none of the existing methods correctly draws from the posterior distribution of structural parameters conditional on the sign and zero restrictions holding. Our methodology properly draws from this posterior distribution. Once draws are correctly done, it is very hard to support that either optimism shocks are an important source of business cycle fluctuations or deficit-financed tax cuts work best at improving output as the literature has previously claimed. Our method is not only correct but also faster than current ones. ∗Corresponding author: Juan F. Rubio-Ramirez , Economics Department, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708; 1-919-660-1865. We thank Paul Beaudry, Deokwoo Nam, Andrew Mountford, and Jian Wang for sharing supplementary material with us, and for helpful comments. We also thank the support and help of Gratula Bedatula. Without her this paper would have been impossible.


Currently, there have been many studies on digital twin models and analysis algorithms for power application scenarios. These studies mainly focus on building digital twin models for static power equipment and existing historical data. With the positive development of China's economic situation, the number of electricity customers continues to grow, and the scale of corresponding power supply facilities and equipment is also expanding. Accordingly, digital twin models built for static power grid equipment and facilities and power grid structures have to be updated to meet new model application requirements. To address this issue, this paper proposes an intelligent adaptive digital twin model reconstruction method for distribution networks, which reconstructs and optimizes existing digital twin models and reduces the cost of model construction. Reconstruction of the digital twin model for distribution network equipment requires first extracting the basic data of the distribution network equipment, including equipment nameplates, geographic information, and point cloud scanning data. Then, by using the equipment as the identifier, multi-source heterogeneous data across topics are fused. Finally, based on probabilistic and statistical methods, the data structure within the model is reconstructed and optimized for grid business data requests.


Performance management is an essential part of network management. Part of the performance management application is the task of monitoring network resources and periodically transmitting the performance statistics from all the managed nodes in the network to the operation and management center. As networks increase in size and complexity and provide a richer set of services, network operators demand more performance statistics to help them manage their networks. These demands in return increase the burden of the periodic transmission task on the network resources. In this paper we will show that most of the daily performance data of a node within a wireless network follows a consistent pattern with minor changes from one day to the next. Using this behavior, we introduce an algorithm that would reduce the amount of data transmitted daily by 53% with no loss of information and by 63% with a 10% threshold on information loss. Our work has been applied to a commercially deployed wireless network.


East Asia is today one of the most powerful regions worldwide in terms of innovation, economic and industrial growth. And as such, it has taken its business models, industrial processes, and technology to Latin America, notoriously increasing economic relations. However, Latin American countries have been mostly on the recipient side, perhaps because there is a limited understanding of their Asian counterparts. East Asian Studies provide important knowledge for Latin American specialists on economics and business, improving Latin American business theory, models, and economic relations between regions. Following Michel Foucault's ideas about the archeological method to understand the context in which a discipline is born, this article follows documentary research and summarizes the similarities and differences between the economic contexts of these regions at the beginning of the Cold War and at the beginning of the 21st century to establish the relevance for understanding East Asian economic and business models. Then, it reconstructs the development of East Asian Studies as an academic area worldwide and its standing in Latin America, highlighting how the political and economic context has influenced its emergence and topics of research. Finally, it reflects on the contributions that can reciprocally be made between the East Asian studies in Latin America and a Latin American School of Business Thought.


At the nanoscale, accurate control and position sensing are recurrent issues conditioning advances of technologies and instruments in diverse fields of application. Recent advances were reported that combine optical microscopy and computer vision for noncontact and multiaxis position sensing of end-effectors with a high accuracy. This article contributes to this domain by introducing a microencoded target aimed to high accurate (<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$x,y,\theta$</tex-math></inline-formula>) measurements over an extended range. The microencoded target is designed to allow linear phase measurements, leading to high accuracy in position sensing, and unambiguous binary encoding leading to absolute position determination. In this way, ultimate performances and allowed measurement ranges are independent of each other and a current zone of observation can be registered with respect to the whole encoded area with an extra-large range-to-resolution ratio. Experiments reported in this article demonstrate a precision below 1 nm in lateral position and of <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$4\cdot 10^{-6}\,\text{rad.}$</tex-math></inline-formula> in rotation with an encoded target of more than <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\text{11}\times \text{11 cm}^\text{2}$</tex-math></inline-formula>. The device demonstrated can be either inserted into experimental setups to allow accurate position control or used to calibrate in-plane displacements of one to three degrees of freedom actuators.


This chapter traces the origins and development of the civil law legal tradition, which assigns to judges only a mechanical, highly constrained form of decision-making. The civil law legal tradition is characterized globally by a historical reliance on Roman law; a modern rationalist code and no body of judge-made case law under the code; textualism and formalism; and the absence of jury trial and an inquisitorial approach to civil and criminal procedure. The civil law tradition allows judicial review, which has been seen as being inherently political, to be exercised soley by a separate institution, called a Constitutional Court, which alone interprets and enforces the Constitution and which is de facto the most important court in the country, even though de jure there are coequal courts of cassation and councils of state. Traditionally, judges received little social deference and were low on the hierarchy of status in civil law countries, whereas scholars and codifiers came first. The civil law legal tradition conceives of the separation of powers in a very wooden, ahistorical way that precludes judges from ever making policy by deciding administrative law and constitutional law cases. It was therefore necessary to create powerful constitutional courts as a specially chosen fourth branch of government in order for judicial review to work in civil law countries. The chapter conclude by looking at the court systems in civil law countries, which typically have three supreme courts: 1) a constitutional court; 2) a court of cassation; and 3) a council of state.


The extracellular domain of a receptor tyrosine kinase has opposing effects on dimerization depending on whether ligand is present. Repulsive Potential Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) consist of an extracellular region that binds to ligand, a single-pass transmembrane region, and an intracellular tyrosine kinase domain. Activation of RTKs requires receptor dimerization followed by ligand binding, which is thought to stabilize the dimer and alter its structure and activity. However, dimerization of RTKs can occur in the absence of ligand; indeed, some mutations in certain RTKs result in ligand-independent dimerization and activation. The contributions of the various extracellular domains of RTKs to ligand-independent receptor dimerization are unclear. Chen et al. used their quantitative imaging Förster resonance energy transfer technique to monitor ligand-independent dimerization of fluorescently tagged fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) in plasma membrane–derived vesicles from transfected cells. They found that the extracellular domain, which is known to contribute to ligand-dependent dimerization, inhibited ligand-independent dimerization of the receptor. Thermodynamic analysis showed that the magnitude of this inhibitory effect was similar in extent, but opposite in effect, to that of activating mutations of FGFR3. Together, these data highlight the dual nature of the extracellular domain of FGFR3, which promotes RTK dimerization in the presence of ligand but inhibits dimerization when ligand is absent. Dysregulation of the ligand-independent dimerization of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), which is the first step in the activation of RTKs, leads to various pathologies. A mechanistic understanding of the dimerization process is lacking, and this lack of basic knowledge is one bottleneck in the development of effective RTK-targeted therapies. For example, the roles and relative contributions of the different domains of RTKs to receptor dimerization are unknown. Here, we used quantitative imaging Förster resonance energy transfer (QI-FRET) to determine the contribution of the extracellular domain of fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) to the dimerization of the receptor. We provide evidence that the contribution of the extracellular domain of FGFR3 to dimerization is repulsive in the absence of ligand and is on the order of ~1 kcal/mol. The repulsive contribution of the extracellular domain is similar in magnitude, but opposite in sign, to the contribution of pathogenic single–amino acid mutations to RTK signaling, and is therefore likely to be important for biological function. Together, these results highlight the fine balance in the domain interactions that regulate RTK dimerization and signaling.


What are the constituents of a winning team? Research by Torun Dewan and David P Myatt provides a unique perspective


Using twelve different parametrized pocket formulae fusion barrier heights and positions are calculated and confronted with available experimental data. All different parametrized pocket formulae are able to reproduce fusion barrier heights and positions within ±10% and ±20%, respectively. Our detailed study investigate that the parametrized pocket formulae based on models such as Bass 1980, Winther 1995, Prox 1988, and Royer 2001 reproduce the barrier heights nicely as compared to other formulae available in the literature.


A two-cavity configuration was introduced in order to increase the number of operating frequencies and to decrease their frequency intervals in a multi-frequency gyrotron. Each cavity has a series of oscillation modes, which can be chosen with the cyclotron frequencies of injected electron beams. The experimental observations have shown that the different oscillation modes for each cavity can be selectively excited according to the changes in the magnetic field strength in the cavity. The frequency step tuning with fundamental harmonic oscillations in a frequency range from 180 to 220-GHz has been demonstrated. The obtained results suggest a further multiple-frequency operation is possible with multiply connected cavities.


the the development and of electromobility. performance, it is essential the cell internal physico-chemical and the battery cells are it to experimentally the


A discretization method for the range of values of a multidimensional random variable is considered. Its dependence on the volume, dimension of the initial information and the type of probability density is inves-tigated. The obtained results are compared with the Scott rule for a multidimensional random variable with a normal distribution law.


The advent of 5G and its ever increasing stringent requirements for bandwidth, latency, and quality of service pushes the boundaries of legacy Mobile Network Operators' technologies. Network Function Virtualization is one promising attempt at solving those challenges. At its essence, NFV is about running network functions as software workloads on commodity hardware to optimize deployment costs and simplify the life-cycle management of network functions. However, with the advent of open source cloud native tools and architectures, early VM-based NFV designs may need to be upgraded to better benefit from new trends. We propose to review current NFV management solutions and a definition of the cloud native toolbox in the context of NFV. We then present a cloud native software platform allowing MNOs to expose their assets: networking resources, mobile services, and cloud computing to Over-The-Top players: 5GaaS. We also introduce our open source Cloud Native VNF API design as an application of the proposed design principles and describe from a standard perspective the feasibility of our prototype.


As outlined in our January 16, 2013 editorial, "The Case Report Redefined with JBJS Case Connector ," one important role of the JBJS Case Connector is to alert the orthopaedic community about a potentially problematic device or therapy. When two or more such cases with similar mechanisms appear, we will identify the procedure or implant as a "watchable" intervention.

While this system is not statistically conclusive and may or may not be supported by other published case reports or registry data, the intention is to sharpen the focus of clinicians on the potential for similar problems and thereby enhance clinical outcomes and patient safety. The "Watch" designation may also encourage others to report related difficulties and enlist the orthopaedic community to either demonstrate that these are isolated, unrelated cases or sharpen the focus further by rigorously evaluating the intervention. Where appropriate, we may identify brand, model, or implant-lot specifics.

The dual-mobility approach to total hip arthroplasty is intended to provide improved stability along with two additional characteristics that are absent in many fixed-implant designs: increased range of motion and low component wear. Surgeons seem especially interested in dual-mobility devices for patients who need revision for recurrent dislocation, and that is the most common application in Europe, where dual-mobility prostheses have been used since the 1970s.

However, these devices are new to the orthopaedic community in the U.S. The first U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved dual-mobility hip implant was introduced by Stryker in February 2011 and is indicated for both primary and revision applications. Recent reports of early intraprosthetic dislocation have prompted us to issue this "Watch."

Dual-mobility components essentially consist of a small metal femoral head embedded in a larger polyethylene ball, both of which are mobile within a metal acetabular cup. This is a reversal of the usual …


Sir .—I read with interest the letter by Schmidt et al (Journal1981;135:376-377), because I recently studied a case of chronic granulomatous disease that had a diagnostic difficulty of a somewhat different nature. Report of a Case .—A 2-year-old boy was diagnosed as having chronic granulomatous disease based on the clinical pattern of recurrent staphylococcal infections since birth, including impetigo three times and a left anterior cervical abscess. He also had had pneumonia, but no organism was isolated on lung needle biopsy. The quantitative nitro blue tetrazolium test (NBT) showed a resting value of 0.027 and phagocytic value of 0.039 (normal, resting, 0.100 ± 0.075; phagocytic 0.300 ± 0.050). The bactericidal assay showed a marked inhibition in the intracellular killing of Staphylococcus aureus 502-A. Long-term prophylaxis with sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (Bactrim) has kept the patient free of infection. At 3 years of age, a positive Gowers' sign and pseudohypertrophy of the calves


Fluorescence spectroscopy is the most sensitive optical detection technique used with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Fluorescence of a molecule can occur naturally or can be achieved by labeling the molecule with a fluorescent tag in a derivatization reaction. A classic application of such a derivatization is for amino acid analysis. The chemical modification can be performed in an automated way prior to the chromatographic separation (precolumn)1 or after the separation (postcolumn).2


A basic goal of operation management is to successfully complete the life cycle of power systems, with optimum output against minimal input. This document intends calculating both, the performance and the life cycle cost of a gas turbine fitted with an inlet air cooling mechanism. Correspondingly, both a thermodynamic and an economic model are drawn up, to present options towards computing the cooling loads and the life cycle costs. The primary observations indicate that around 120MWh of power is derived from gas turbine power plants incorporating the cooling mechanism, compared to 96.6 MWh for units without the mechanism, while the life cycle cost is lower for units incorporating the cooling process. This indicates benefits in having the mechanism incorporated in the architecture of a gas turbine.


At present, the needs and expectations of people to medical and health services changed with their concept and way of life on the health changing. However, in medical education, professional knowledge has been emphasized while humanities quality has been neglected, this results in the lack of the sense of caring patients in medical students, and indifference and neglection of duty when they treat patients. Meanwhile, with stronger utility and less dedication. These made the relationship between doctor and patient more nervous. Therefore, it is neccesary to integrate humanities education and professional education through penetrating humanities quality into the process of professional learning. Only thus, physicians can be cultivated with superb technology and humanities wisdom, and with both ability and political integrity. Medical Immunology is the frontier of life science, is one of the subjects as a bridge connecting basic medicine and clinical medicine. Medical Immunology is also a main course with rapid development of theory and experiment. In the paper, we discussed the integration between humanities quality education and professional education in medical Immunology teaching in the different links including theory, experimental teaching and assessments and so on, and we further explore d the effective pathway for humanities quality education, and provided useful support for enhancement of medical students' humanistic quality.


Biotechnology has become an indispensable tool for the production of fine chemicals. The choice of route, chemical or biotechnological, for the manufacture of a given fine chemical is crucial. In general terms, biotechnology is the method of choice for large molecules with a high degree
 of functionalisation and multiple stereocentres. Most of LONZA's biotechnological bioprocesses for the production of fine chemicals are whole cell processes using microorganisms which form very specific enzymes. Process improvement at LONZA is discussed in this paper on three
 levels: upstream processing, biotransformation/biosynthesis, and downsteam processing.


The interaction between kinetics and mass-transfer effects is determined by the flow regime in liquid−liquid multiphase microreactors. The operating conditions under which the various flow regimes such as slug flow and stratified flow occur in liquid−liquid systems has not been extensively studied and is not well-understood. The effect of operating conditions on slug length for instance is not well-known. The present study focuses on microreactors fabricated in Perspex (poly(methyl methaacrylate) (PMMA)), which are essentially microchannels with a rectangular cross-section. Experiments are carried out for a wide range of flow rates, channel sizes, and fluid systems with varying properties. Two different kinds of flow regimes, slug flow and stratified flow, are experimentally observed, and these are predicted using numerical simulations. We divide the space of operating conditions (the two liquid flow rates) into different regions such that in each region the flow regime is distinct. The dependence of slug...


OBJECTIVE
In treatment of binge eating, measures of self-concept, eating self-efficacy, and social support were examined at 0, 6, and 18 months to determine if improvements in these variables were associated with reductions in binge eating severity.

METHOD
Obese adult females (N = 125) were treated for 6 months, with 12 months of maintenance meetings. The Binge Eating Scale (BES), Tennessee Self-Concept Scale (TSC), Dieter's Inventory of Eating Temptations (DIET), and a social support measure (SocSup) were used.

RESULTS
Over the first 6 months, improvements in BES were associated with improvements in the TSC and DIET. Over 18 months, improvements in BES were associated with improvements in the TSC, DIET, and SocSup.

DISCUSSION
Therapy for binge eating should result in improvement in self-concept and eating self-efficacy, as well as reductions in binge eating. This study showed that self-concept and eating self-efficacy were associated with improvement in binge eating severity. The association with social support did not appear until long-term follow-up. Improvement in self-concept and eating self-efficacy may be processes leading to clinical improvement in this eating disorder, or they may result from changes in binge eating.


A dispensing device consisting of a programmable dispensing mechanism adapted to receive a sealed or resealable container (62) containing multiple doses of material to be dispensed, and including a mechanism (12) mechanically operated that, when actuated, It makes a measure of the material doses to be dispensed from the material container, and a mechanism (70) locking, when actuated, locks the device against the further dispensing of a dose of material until released in accordance with a program desired dispensing, and wherein the container and dispensing mechanism are provided with means (84) which check the authenticity container placed in the dispensing, characterized mechanism for releasing the locking mechanism can be effected by remote control.


This article proposes an adaptive state of health (SOH) estimation method for lithium-ion batteries using machine learning. Practical problems with feature extraction, cell inconsistency, and online implementability are specifically solved using a proposed individualized estimation scheme blending offline model migration with online ensemble learning. First, based on the data of pseudo-open-circuit voltage measured over the battery lifespan, a systematic comparison of different incremental capacity features is conducted to identify a suitable SOH indicator. Next, a pool of candidate models, composed of slope-bias correction (SBC) and radial basis function neural networks (RBFNNs), are trained offline. For online operation, the prediction errors due to cell inconsistency in the target new cell are then mitigated by a proposed modified random forest regression (mRFR) based ensemble learning process with high adaptability. The results show that compared to prevailing methods, the proposed SBC-RBFNN-mRFR-based scheme can achieve considerably improved SOH estimation accuracy (15%) with only a small amount of early-age data and online measurements are needed for practical operation. Furthermore, the applicability of the proposed SBC-RBFNN-mRFR algorithms to real-world operation is validated using measured data from electric vehicles, and it is shown that a 38% improvement in estimation accuracy can be achieved.


Recently, deep learning has become the mainstream solution to solve specific emitter identification (SEI) problems. However, because large amounts of labeled signal samples cannot be obtained in noncooperative scenarios, the performance of deep learning-based data-driven methods for SEI was limited. As a result, a novel SEI method targeted on few-shot was proposed in this study. First, the received signal was preprocessed based on variational mode decomposition and the Hilbert analysis to obtain the Hilbert time-frequency spectrum. Subsequently, a classification neural network model was built and trained with a small number of Hilbert time-frequency spectrum samples through meta-learning. This model could identify specific emitters with limited training samples. The experimental results showed that this method accomplishes network training with as few as 80 training samples while obtaining a good level of generalization and effectively identifying different emitter individuals. In addition, this method exhibits a strong robustness to noise by maintaining an identification accuracy of more than 80% in channels with low signal-to-noise ratios. Finally, the proposed method demonstrated better identification performances than other existing methods with its capability to effectively solve SEI problems in the few-shot scenario.


Becoming a member of parliament (MP) in Solomon Islands brings with it access to substantial financial resources, and national elections herald a time of intense politicking as aspiring MPs jockey for office and the accompanying benefits (Batley 2015). While there appears little risk of generalised election-related violence, there is always potential for localised conflict. In the past, disgruntled candidates have damaged polling stations and supporters have engaged in brawls. Following the 2014 election, a boat used by politicians from a particular political faction was damaged by gunshots just before a parliamentary vote to form government. The May 2018 Gizo-Kolambangara by-election was notable for its intensive campaigning. Historically, elections in Solomon Islands have seen high turnover rates with around 50 per cent of incumbent MPs losing their seat (Wood 2015). This has bolstered a perception that politics in Solomon Islands is inherently unstable and meant that observers have looked to elections for signs of political stabilisation. The 2014 national election was an electoral outlier for its significantly lower incumbent turnover rates, with 74 per cent of sitting MPs returned. It is unclear why this occurred, but it may have something to do with the large constituency development funds provided to incumbent MPs during the previous parliament. For the coming election, sitting MPs will have had access to about US$1 million a year (Batley 2015). To put this in perspective, the median electorate in 2014 had just 5,391 registered voters. Many MPs have used these weakly regulated funds to try to consolidate their power. It will be interesting to see if this provides an incumbent advantage, with lower parliamentary turnover becoming the new normal. The 2014 elections saw only one woman elected — Freda Tuki. She was joined by Lanelle Tanangada following the Gizo-Kolombangara by-election. Tuki eventually lost an electoral petition in October 2018, which led to her losing her seat. But with both women in parliament (two out of 50 MPs), Solomon Islands had more women MPs than at any point previously. Whether women will do as well, or even improve their representation, in the 2014–18 parliament remains to be seen. Expectations of a more moneyed politics suggest it will be difficult for women to overcome already significant structural barriers.


Well ordered and uniform porous oxide film was prepared by electrochemical anodic oxidation on the surface of Ti-Al powder alloy,using hydrofluoric acid and chromyl acid as electrolyte. The surface morphology and phases of oxide films were characterized with field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM),X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS). The effect of electrolyte and oxidation voltage on the morphology of porous films was also investigated. The formation mechanism of porous oxide film was explored by electrochemical technology. Experimental results show that porous oxide film would not form in HF electrolyte without the addition of CrO3,contrarily serious corrosion will happen on the alloy surface. Both HF concentration and oxidation voltage affect the morphology of oxide film. Well ordered oxide porous film can be obtained in solution containing 0.2% HF(mass fraction),the average diameter of pores is ~50 nm. The porous film is regular when oxidation potential is 10 V,while the pore structure may be destroyed with the increasing of potential. The porous oxide film is mainly composed of amorphous TiO2,Al2O3 and small amount of crystalline Ti2O as well as Al. The growth of porous film experiences three stages:formation of barrier layer,initial formation of porous layer and stable growth of porous layer.


Twelve Yorkshire boars were randomly assigned to one of two temperature controlled chambers to determine the influence of elevated ambient temperature on reproductive performance. Heat stressed boars were exposed to 34.5 -+ 1.0 C for 8 hr and 31.0 + 1.0 C for 16 hr daily for 90 days. Control boars were maintained at 23.0 -+ 1.0 C throughout the experimental period. Semen was collected twice weekly to determine sperm output and quality. Semen volume and gel weigh per ejaculum were not altered during elevated ambient temperature. However, sperm motility and percent normal cells with non-aged acros'omes decreased and the percentage of abnormal cells and cells with aged acrosomes increased by the second week of treatment. Sperm output was reduced in stressed boars during weeks two through six of treatment. Only 28.6% of 77 gilts bred with semen from stressed boars conceived compared to 41.2% of 88 gilts bred with control semen. At day 30 + 3 of pregnancy, embryonic survival was 71.2 + 3.7% in gilts bred with semen from control boars and 48.5 + 5.2% for gilts bred with semen from stressed boars. (


A guided vehicle is mainly divided into four subsystems: the airframe, guidance and control, motor (or propulsion), and payload. Thus, it is a very rich field for the research and interplay of different disciplines with pertinent technologies. Consequently, the first problem facing the designers is to select the technology appropriate for a new vehicle development and for the creation of the conceptual design. In addition, they have to be absolutely sure that the systems they design and develop represent not only the maximum performance for the money invested but also that the type of performance obtained is really needed by the customer. One of the important systems is the guidance and control (the nerve center or backbone) of a vehicle where it is necessary to discuss different design and analysis aspects in addition to analyzing and defining the problems of design and their solutions to cope with different sources of uncertainty. The analysis of the guidance system should include the evaluation of the types of guidance errors and the mathematical methods or tools which exist to evaluate and minimize these errors. The control system synthesis and design should be accomplished using the up-to date techniques such as optimal/adaptive robust techniques in addition to techniques for predicting the system stability and proper system responses. Determination of the sources of errors and their propagation through the system are of fundamental importance in setting design specifications and achieving a well balanced design. Overall evaluation is to be conducted using numerous simulation techniques and test facilities to verify the design, predict performance, define zones of effectiveness, and analyze preand post-flight results. Due to the extremely high cost of developing and testing prototype concepts for each of the very large number of possible guidance and control concept combinations, the use of simulation through mathematical techniques is absolute necessity. The results of simulation are then realized and evaluated against the performance requirements. Therefore, this paper is devoted to present the design process in a stepwise approach and to clarify the different disciplines that have to work together towards the production of a guided vehicle starting by the customer requirements and mission. In addition, it is complemented by a comprehensive study of a hypothetical guided vehicle covering both technical and managerial aspects especially those concerning the guidance and control problem. This work solidifies the interplay between different disciplines and will be beneficial for those working in the field especially young researchers and designers.


Objective To observe the clinical effect of ethacridine lactate with amniotic cavity injection combined with foot bath of traditional Chinese medicine in the labor induction of midpregnancy.Methods 150 cases of healthy pregnant women voluntarily required induced abortion were randomly divided into the control group(n=75) and the treatment group(n=75) from January 2010 to November 2012.The control group was injected 100 mg ethacridine lactate into amniotic cavity as usual while the treatment group was given foot bath of traditional Chinese medicine on the basis of use of drug in the control group.Success rate of induced labor,time of induced labor,bleeding,tissue residue,postpartum pain of body were observed between the two groups.Results Success rate of induced labor in the treatment group was higher than that in the control group,time of induced labor in the treatment group was shorter than that in the control group,bleeding of the treatment group was fewer than that of control group,the incidence rate of postpartum pain of body in the treatment group was lower than that in the control group.Conclusion The use of the ethacridine lactate injected into amniotic cavity and foot bath of traditional Chinese medicine was applied in in the labor induction of midpregnancy,and it can improve success rate of induced labor,shorten time of induced labor,reduce the bleeding and decrease postpartum pain of body.


systems of recruitment, placing a premium on exploiting the seafaring community. Superstition and faith were closely aligned in the minds of Reformation sailors, but while older accounts stress their maritime identity Patarino argues for a wider cultural connexion. The culture of coastal communities was not separate, even if it was different. Fury provides a striking insight into seamen's diet, which was strikingly traditional, and the impact such habits had on health care. While major trading concerns like the East India Company and Merchant Adventurers built up useful medical knowledge on critical complaints like scurvy and calenture on long voyages, small traders and coasters were less troubled. The state lacked the economic resources and bureaucratic strength to match the work of the large companies. Again and again the discussion of key themes develops from one or two older texts, works that pioneered new archives, notably the High Court of Admiralty, while some well-known quotes appear in two or three papers. The book develops from those older texts, much of the new work being based on the detailed examination of national and local records, building up the sense of community and individual through the archive. While it is not a textbook the coverage is comprehensive and, in combination with an excellent bibliography and deep engagement with the extant literature English Seamen will be the baseline for future researchers in this field. aNdRew LaMBeRT KINGS cOLLeGe LONdON http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00253359.2013.767549 © Andrew Lambert


#### Summary points

Fifteen per cent of patients with diabetes will develop a foot ulcer in their lifetime. Foot complications (box 1) account for more hospital admissions than any other complication of diabetes, with considerable morbidity and mortality.1 People with diabetes are eight to 24 times more likely than those without diabetes to have a lower limb amputated.2 Around 85% of these amputations could be avoided by early detection of foot complications, timely intervention, involvement of a diabetic foot care team, good diabetes control, and patient education.3 4 Although we review the various complications separately, patients often have multiple problems.

#### Sources and selection criteria

We searched Medline and PubMed from 1995 to 2009, focusing on evidence based publications on the diabetic foot and randomised trials for treatment of diabetic foot complications. We supplement these sources with our own knowledge of the literature and selected reviews.

#### Box 1 Foot complications in diabetes5

In 1989 the St Vincent Declaration set out the aim of reducing lower limb amputations …


The present invention discloses a zero emissions glass industry wastewater treatment process, the waste water into the glass through the wet desulfurization system, the heat of the furnace flue gas waste direct evaporation. The present invention is the conventional use of precious recuperative steam evaporator using waste water of flue gas waste heat directly to the waste water evaporation, the high heat transfer efficiency, there is no problem plug fouling, to waste water, flue gas treatment bidirectional, by Waste effect.


Proper understanding of the implication of the metaphors in business english is very essential to translate the abstract and complicate meaning of metaphor in business english and to reduce the pragmatic mistakes in the transcultural communication. This paper is to use the sememe analysis to do the interlingual comparison from different aspects in order to find out the most appropriate target languages for the source ones.


Law schools formerly conceived their mission more narrowly than they do today. The primary goal was to train students to think like lawyers. This is no longer viewed as the only objective. Law schools must also impart professional skills so that students will know how to act like lawyers. The creation of an advanced course on corporate restructuring law illustrates how substantive legal knowledge, legal skills and professional identity can be developed through the use of simulations. The course used two linked simulations: first, a multiparty chambers application for an extension of a stay of proceedings and other relief under the CCAA; and second, the negotiation of a plan of arrangement culminating in a meeting of creditors in which the plan is accepted or rejected.


CdSe quantum dots (QDs) with several different ligands were prepared by ligand exchange reactions of trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO)/trioctylphosphine selenide (TOPSe) passivated QDs with an excess of new ligands, such as pyridine, 4-picoline, thiophenol, 4-(trifluoromethyl)-thiophenol, and tris(2-ethylhexyl)phosphate. We find that 85~90% of ligands passivating the surface of the QDs are the newly introduced capping species and 10~15% are native TOPO/TOPSe ligands, reflecting the incomplete exchange of the QD surface. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and quantitative proton NMR measurements show that on average only 30% of surface cadmium atoms are passivated by TOPO/TOPSe. Approximately 1/3 of these native ligands occupy sites too strongly bound to be replaced by ligand exchange reactions.


Comparisons between the Black Forest region of Germany and the Sierra Nevada foothills in the USA show considerable parallels in the relationship between livestock raisers and society. This becomes evident by sketching the historic course of interactions between society and pastoralism as well as the present situation. The authors emphasize that purely economic or ecological studies of pastoralism are not sufficient to explain the characteristic features of livestock farmers. In both countries a specific livestock farming culture can be characterized by team spirit, a desire for independence from the outside world, ranch fundamentalism, and a special relationship with nature. This set of values and attitudes should be considered whenever dealing with pastoralism, whether in a scientific, political or everyday context.


Meeting the increasing global energy demand in a sustainable way is a major challenge for humanity. One of the solutions in the transportation sector is ethanol, which is currently the only economically viable direct fuel substitute. In addition to the first-generation technology, which provides the vast majority of production, better results can be continuously realized by using advanced technologies. This study aims to investigate the economic aspects and sustainability issues of ethanol production with a systematic literature review. During the selection process, 64 studies from a total of 16,141 identified articles were analyzed in-depth. There is a consensus that first-generation production methods cannot result in a long-term solution. However, advanced technologies are currently immature, and ethanol production is more expensive with them. The use of wastes/residues and coproducts can improve both the economic outlook and sustainability of the advanced technologies. Overall, the newer generations of technological advancements are constantly improving the environmental performance, whereas the economic performance is deteriorating. Considering low oil prices (0.36 USD/L), none of the ethanol production methods can be competitive on a purely cost basis. This increases the importance of coproducts (further processing and more valuable coproducts). Regarding sustainability, a complex analysis is essential, which must cover at least the environmental, social, and economic aspects. At the methodology level, a complex life cycle analysis seems to be the best tool, as it can take into account these relevant aspects (environmental, economic, and social).


The Knowledge-Incentive Trade-off: Understanding the Relationship between Organization Design and Innovation APPENDICES INTRODUCTION This appendix document contains additional methodological and results details beyond those presented in the main paper. The additional methodological details pertain to how the key analysis variables are developed, additional information on the qualitative analysis included in the paper and the full sample of firms included in the study and those interviewed. The additional results details provide more information on the change in sample structural variables over time, qualitative interview outcomes, matching approaches used, robustness checks and analysis of knowledge and incentives mechanisms.


School,family and society are three components of constructing socialization education.The organic combination of the three could get double results with half the effort.The paper discusses from four aspects under new circumstances,explores how to construct schools for parents as the important point,impels management of moral education effectively and pushes all-round quality education.


This paper presents the design of a cradle for mounting solar energy concentrator dishes. The cradle is strong and provides unobstructed space to amount a well braced dish. It will survive high winds without being driven to a stow position. The axes of rotation of the dish pass near the plane of the edge of the dish to reduce wind-induced torques in the drive system. Large radius tracks are attached to both the dish and cradle so the gear train on the drive motors can be simple and inexpensive. The cradle is a strong gimbal mount built of 12 structural members in the form of three tetrahedra. It provides a polar axis mount for the concentrator dish. All forces parallel to the polar axis are delivered to the earth at the end of the cradle closest to the equator.


Background. Bacterial translocation (BT) has been suggested to be responsible for the high incidence of infections occurring after small-bowel transplantation (Trp). Nitric oxide (NO) and apoptosis could affect cell demise. The aim of this study was to asses whether supplementation of University of Wisconsin (UW) solution with NO donors and apoptosis inhibitors can abolish BT in Trp. Methods. The following experimental groups were studied: sham, Trp, intestinal transplantation, Trp+spermine NONOate (NONOs), and Trp+NONOs+caspase inhibitor Z-Val-Ala-Asp(Ome)-fluoromethylketone (Z-VAD-fmk). Histologic analysis, caspase-3 activity, DNA fragmentation, and BT from graft to mesenteric lymph nodes, liver, and spleen were measured in tissue samples after transplantation. Results. During intestinal transplantation, apoptosis and necrosis were increased, showing graft injury and high levels of BT. The rats treated with NONOs showed a histologic protection of transplanted graft and a decrease in BT despite caspase-3 and DNA fragmentation-inducing effects. Administration of caspase inhibitor Z-VAD to NONOs-treated rats reversed the NO apoptosis-inducing effects and showed the lowest levels of BT in all tissues. Conclusions. Exogenous administration of NO associated with the inhibition of apoptosis maintains the graft in optimal conditions in terms of BT and improves the histology of the graft after intestinal transplantation in rats.


La valutazione nella definizione di un programma di interventi per lo sviluppo (di Sergio Bruno e Alessandra De Lellis) - ABSTRACT: This article criticises the analytical basis and the use of cost benefit analysis on several (though non exhaustive) grounds, but above all for its intrinsic inability to deal with problems of development; this depends on the assumption of marginality and independence of projects. Development and change require instead complementary, system-relevant actions, well coordinated among agents and through time. On such a basis, a link is established between the projects aimed at fostering a development process and the activity of development programming. By associating analytical considerations drawn from bounded rationality and empirical suggestions deriving from companies' practices, several proposals are developed, concerning useful procedures for connecting sequentially projects and programs; such procedures - which exploit the experience made in the management of the European structural funds - allow not only a better coordination among involved agents, but to capture and use the learning phenomena that are generated by the processes of change and are at the roots of further development.


Triangles are the simplest non-trivial subgraphs and triangle counting is used in a number of different applications. The order in which vertices are processed in triangle counting strongly effects the amount of work that needs to be done (and thus the overall performance). Ordering vertices by degree has been shown to be one particularly effective ordering approach. However, for graphs with skewed degree distributions (such as power-law graphs), ordering by degree effects the distribution of work; parallelization must account for this distribution in order to balance work among workers. In this paper we provide an in-depth analysis of the ramifications of degree-based ordering on parallel triangle counting. We present approach for partitioning work in triangle counting, based on cyclic distribution and some surprisingly simple C++ implementations. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach, particularly for power-law (and social network) graphs.


RF sputtered films of Fe x Si 1-x , where x \approx .7 , deposited on YZ-LiNbO 3 , have been used for magnetically variable surface acoustic wave devices. A 1 micron thick film one cm long in the SAW propagation direction had a relative SAW velocity change of 0.02% at 63 MHz and 0.05% at 189 MHz for applied fields of less than 50 Oe after annealing at 200°C for 30 minutes. Magnetic properties (M-H loops and magnetostriction) of the films were measured and correlated with the SAW properties.


The invention relates to a device for accumulating flat materials in flexible strip form, comprising an accumulator box (11) having a bottom (14) on which the strip accumulates, at least during accumulation stages, between two end walls (12) and between two side walls (30) that extend so as to face edges of the strip. The accumulator device includes at least one of the following means: rollers (20) mounted idle close to the bottom and on which the strip rests during accumulation stages; an air-flow means (21) for establishing a flow of air within the box towards the bottom of the accumulator box; a vibrator means (31) for vibrating at least one of the side walls; and adjuster means(41,42,43) for adjusting spacing between the side walls.


Decoloration of dyeing industry wastewater containing acid dyes or mixed reactive dye by using magnesium salt is studied. The effects of pH value and magnesium salt dose on decoloring efficiency are investigated. Also, the decoloring efficiency of magnesium salt and ferrous salt is compared. The results showed that the magnesium salt has an excellent performance in decoloration of wastewater. The decoloring rate of more than 91% is achieved under the appropriate conditions of pH=11 and magnesium salt dose of 600 mg/L. It shows that magnesium salt is a safe, nontoxic, harmless environmental friendly green water treatment reagent.


In this study, a model has been developed, calibrated, validated, and verified for rigid airfield pavements constructed at the National Airport Pavement Testing Facility. After the model had been validated and verified, it has been used to predict the performance of the pavement under two different wheel loading configurations, the Airbus A320 and the Boeing B737. Based on the analysis, it was determined that these two wheel configurations cause significantly lower stress and strain responses in the pavement than the dual tandem configuration. It was also determined that the dowel joints transfer more load between adjoined slabs under these wheel configurations, than the field tested configuration.


There follows a summary of the proposed variants, and a re~h~ determination of the visible area or viewshed from a view of their sensitivity to database error. Finally, a discusviewing point looking out on a landscope is a widely availa- sion of how these variants may be used to respond to the ble function in a GIS. A reconsideration of the oueries which queries is presented. ma; be made of the viewshed, however, reveal; that often the function does not address them correctly. This has led to the specification of alternative viewshed functions intended to give flexible outcomes which can be used to respond to the queries directly. The alternatives include the horizons viewshed, the local offset viewshed, the global offset viewshed, and reverse viewing versions of all three. Applications of these alternative viewshed functions to answer queries about the landscape and the view which the binary viewshed is not able to respond to either precisely or flexibly are examined.


A system is described for the generation of real time quasi three-dimensional animated television images. The technique utilized is a composite of the "multi-plane" cartoon animation technique and three-dimensional object projection techniques using polygonal patch representations of objects. The hardware environment consists of a hierarchical memory structure utilizing shift register "background" planes and a fast random access main image "foreground" plane. The foreground plane has a variable "depth" with respect to the background planes. Perspective relations in the image structure are maintained in real time with only infrequent updating of the background data.


In order to achieve long-term autonomy in the real world, fully autonomous agents need to be able to learn, both to improve their behaviors in a complex, dynamically changing world, and to enable interaction with previously unfamiliar agents. This talk begins by presenting layered learning, a hierarchical machine learning paradigm that enables learning of complex behaviors by incrementally learning a series of sub-behaviors. Layered learning was the key deciding factor in UT Austin Villa's recent RoboCup 3D simulation league championship. The talk then introduces ad hoc teamwork as an emerging multiagent learning challenge. Ad hoc teamwork is based on the premise that as autonomous agents become capable of long-term autonomy, they will increasingly need to band together for cooperative activities with previously unfamiliar teammates. In such "ad hoc" team settings, team strategies cannot be developed a priori. Rather, an agent must learn to cooperate with new teammates on the fly. This talk reports on both theoretical and empirical ad hoc teamwork results, including from recent "pick up" RoboCup robot soccer competitions.


A small 1.5 kW off-line switch-mode rectifier has been developed for use in 48 V or 24 V rack power systems. The convection cooled rectifier is only 143 mm wide, 260 mm high, and 250 mm deep, and weighs only 6 kg. Two-thirds of the rectifier volume is heatsink. This has been achieved by using relatively high switching frequencies, 200 to 450 kHz for the main isolating converter and 70 kHz for the sinewave input current boost converter. Sinewave input current maximizes the use of standby generator capacity and minimizes main noise injection into the telecommunication network. The switch-mode components are housed on one printed circuit board, allowing easy access to all componentry for service. All user-required adjustments are accessible via holes through the rectifier front panel and can be adjusted without removing the rectifier from the rack.<<ETX>>


In late February 1929, a letter from Margaret Sanger reached Lillian Wald's desk at 265 Henry Street in lower Manhattan. Wald, the founder of public health nursing in the United States, had previously employed Sanger as a visiting obstetrical nurse. Sanger's decision to write to Wald stemmed from her first-hand experience of Wald's clientele and philosophy of public health nursing, which had also provided a significant catalyst for Sanger's establishment of the organization that would eventually become Planned Parenthood. Her brief note asked Wald for her name as a patron of a dinner to benefit the Birth Control and Research Clinic. Carefully adding the caveat that "[t]he use of [Wald's] name [did] not entail any further obligation,"1 she tempered her request but sought to capitalize upon Wald's considerable sociopolitical cache. Though Wald graciously complied, she expressed her distinct preference that Sanger "please have that as a personal matter—not as a Henry Street Settlement one."2 Wald personally supported Sanger's campaign for women's access to contraception, but carefully dissociated her settlement house and public nursing service from officially affiliating with the fight for birth control. She approached this thorny issue differently from women like the lapsed Catholic Sanger and the Jewish anarchist Emma Goldman, who came from working-class families and represented competing voices within the movement's radical wing during its incipient stages. Instead, Wald drew from the maternalist model of social reform that she learned from her mother and aunts throughout her formative years in a middle-class acculturated Jewish home in Rochester, New York. Maternalism, premised on an essentialist conception of women as intrinsically predisposed to


Over the past 20 years, there have been great strides made to identify individuals who may have experienced an mTBI, as this can be difficult in many cases where there is a sparse case history and vague symptoms, both of a general and visual nature. Hence, there has been the advent of more accurate, precise, objective and quantitative clinical and laboratory approaches for the detection and diagnosis of mTBIrelated vision problems [2,3]. This has included:


Inquiry-based learning was explored in an introductory mechanics course through the assignment of weekly tasks where students analyzed their surroundings within the context of the course curriculum. The deliverables for each assignment consisted of a photograph or video and a textual description. Submissions were collected first using course management software and later on the micro-blogging platform Twitter. Performance for each student was assessed using both course examinations and a concept inventory quiz. Based on these results it was found that students in the treatment group did not perform significantly better than students in the control group. However, the use of Twitter in the course was found to have benefits in terms of real-time student interaction and immediate instructor feedback.


This paper is pertained with the problem of admissibility analysis of uncertain discrete-time nonlinear singular systems by adopting the state-space Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy model with time-delays and norm-bounded parameter uncertainties. Lyapunov Krasovskii functionals are constructed to obtain delay-dependent stability condition in terms of linear matrix inequalities, which is dependent on the lower and upper delay bounds. Finally, numerical examples are provided to substantiate the theoretical results.


The modernization is the widespread current of the social development of mankind nowadays,which every nation impossibly place oneself out from.Modernization firstly originated from Western Europe,then spreaded to North America and Middle and East Europe,lastly,expanded to the whole world.After the reformation and open policy,along with the Chinese modernization progress continuously going forward,research work which focused on western countries' modernization progress stringed out rapidly.France and China Both are big country of agriculture.objectively to re-know and re-evaluate this kind of French modern-ization mode,which is a kind of inner-living modernization mode,can help us completely know the road of developed countries' modernization and can give us some reference bearing for our country's modernization construction greatly.


When the assumption of multivariate normality is violated or when a discrepancy function other than (normal theory) maximum likelihood is used in structural equation models, the null distribution of the test statistic may not be χ2 distributed. Most existing methods to approximate this distribution only match up to 2 moments. In this article, we propose 2 additional approximation methods: a scaled F distribution that matches 3 moments simultaneously and a direct Monte Carlo–based weighted sum of i.i.d. χ2 variates. We also conduct comprehensive simulation studies to compare the new and existing methods for both maximum likelihood and nonmaximum likelihood discrepancy functions and to separately evaluate the effect of sampling uncertainty in the estimated weights of the weighted sum on the performance of the approximation methods.


I recently read the article in which Harper, Stalker, Palmer, and Gadbois conducted a qualitative study titled, Experiences of Adults Abused as Children After Discharge From Inpatient Treatment: Informal Social Support and Self- Care Practices Related to Trauma Recovery. They investigated individuals' opinions of experiences they found helpful and unhelpful in their recovery from the distressing effects of childhood sexual and physical abuse (2005). I found this article interesting and critically important in the world today.


This report is an overview of the biotic and abiotic ecological factors, including human activities, that affect forage production on forest and rangeland ecosystems. Also discussed are forage production models and how forage quantity and quahty can control animal production.


Purpose
This study aims to investigate whether organizational complexity (hereafter firm complexity) increases audit report lag (ARL) in a unique environment of GCC countries.

Design/methodology/approach
The research study uses a panel data set of 6,084 firm-year observations of nonfinancial firms from GCC economies from 2009 to 2022. First, the study uses an ordinary least square estimator to examine the association of firm complexity with ARL. Second, for robustness purposes, the study applies the propensity score matching technique.

Findings
This research study finds that the firms' complexity increases ARL. Supporting the argument that auditors respond to firm complexity with increased effort, the authors find a positive relation of firm complexity with ARL. This relationship is augmented by auditor change, auditors' tenure, auditor-qualified opinion and adoption of IFRS. In addition, the authors also find that Big-4 and audit firm industry specialization curtail the positive impact of firm complexity on ARL.

Research limitations/implications
Firms in the GCC have less time to complete their audit and complex firms are likelier to have bigger ARLs. This study provided evidence regarding the curtailing effect of audit quality in GCC. Our findings suggest policymakers and reformers choose improved audit quality to reduce the possibility of larger ARL.

Originality/value
This study enriches the scholarship by presenting a mechanism for reducing the ARL of complex firms through higher audit quality. This study contributes to agency theory by emphasizing audit quality's important role in emerging markets.


In order to concentrate coal slurry from a plurality of mine faces being pumped through a plurality of individual pipes, a shallow sump is formed by digging a trench along a mine tunnel and the individual pipes empty into the sump. The product, such as coal, is allowed to settle to the bottom where it is picked up and pumped out of the mine at a controlled concentration, thereby improving the pumping efficiency of the pipeline system.


Objective: Q-TER is a multicomposite water-soluble formulation of CoQ10; in particular, Q-TER consists of a mixture of maltodextrin, acting as a carrier, of CoQ10 molecules of sucrester, which serves as bioactivator. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of Q-TER in subjects with chronic sensorineural hearing loss. Method: A total of 80 patients affected by chronic sensorineural hearing loss were included. The patients were divided, at random, into 2 numerically equal groups (A and B). Group A underwent therapy with Q-TER, 160 mg, once a day for 30 days; group B received placebo, once a day for 30 days. Results: Before, at the end, and 6 months after the end of the treatment, all patients underwent: pure tone audiometry, transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEAOE) and otoacoustic products of distortion (DPOAE), auditory brainstem response and speech audiometry. Compared with group B, at the end of the treatment in group A the pure tone audiometry showed a significant (P < .05) improvement of the audiometric thresholds at the 1.000, 2.000, 4.000, and 8.000 Hz. This improvement was confirmed by the data obtained with the speech audiometry and in the last check. We found no significant differences in the others parameters and in group B. Conclusion: It is quite early to be enthusiastic. There must be more studies with controlled results. However, this kind of therapy for chronic hearing loss seems to be interesting, especially to stop hearing decay. It is also remarkable that good results are found one month after the beginning of the treatment.


Since previous research on the relationship among Online Consumer Review (OCR), ratings, gamification, and online purchasing decisions had mixed results, this study involves trust as a mediating variable, which has never been explored in previous research, to explore online consumer reviews, ratings, and gamification in increasing trust of Muslim Millennials for online purchasing decisions. Investigating Muslim millennials in Central Java and Yogyakarta, 114 questionnaire results were analyzed using Structural Equation Model. The results showed that OCR and ratings affect Muslim Millennials' online purchasing decisions at Shopee, while gamification cannot affect them. Trust in this research model could not affect purchasing decisions. Thus, the trust could not be a mediating variable. The results of this study will be useful for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and the online shop's development team to maintain the image of an online store.


Introduction. Oral mucosal infections occur more often in patients with diabetes mellitus type 1 than in healthy population. Aim. The aim of the study was to analyze factors contributing to diseases of the oral mucosa and gums in diabetic children. Material and methods. Study group: 41 children with diabetes type 1 (18 boys and 23 girls of 5.33-17.83 years, mean age 12.92 ± 3.02); control group included 39 children (19 boys and 20 girls aged 4-17.75 years, mean age 11 ± 3.82). Dental examinations were performed to assess oral hygiene status (OHI-S), the state of oral mucous membrane, gums (GI) and teeth (DMFT/dmft). Material was collected for bacteriological and mycological examination and for evaluation of the physical and chemical properties of saliva. Laboratory rated exponents for control of diabetes were performed. Results. No differences were found in the percentage of Candida spp. between study group and control. Gingivitis was observed with comparable frequency in both groups. The percentage of children with no signs of gingivitis was significantly higher in the control group (20 vs. 33%), while mild gingivitis was more often observed in children with diabetes (68 vs. 46%). Candida spp. infections were more frequent in children with elevated HbA1c. Cheilitis and atrophic glossitis were more often reported for diabetic children. HbA1c level positively correlated with atrophic glossitis, gingivitis, cheilitis and the presence of Lactobacillus acidophilus. Conclusions. Metabolic disorders characteristic for diabetes favor the emergence of oral mucosa and gum diseases. No differences in the incidence rate for fungal gingivitis were observed between diabetic children and controls which may be attributed to more frequent pediatric and dental inspections associated with special care and monitoring of diabetic children.


Cretaceous volcanism in the coastal region of southeastern China was characteristized by occurrenceof bimodal volcanics consisting of basalts and rhyolites, the geneses of which are still controversial. Based on the factthat their isotopic compositions are similar but the Sr content of the former is much higher than that of the latter, thispaper discusses the respective sources of the two end-member rocks, and concludes that basalts were derived fromthe subduction-related enriched upper mantle wedge and their isotopic compositions had not been affected by crustalassimilation, whereas rhyolites were formed by remelting of the old metamorphic basement, but they were mixed upwith the underplating basaltic magmas to various degrees so that their Sr isotopic compositions varied significantlyfrom the sources and tended to be homogeneous to the latter.


The article is devoted to reflexive Muntz spaces M
 Λ
 ,
 p
 of L
 p
 functions with 1
 <
 p
 <
 ∞
 . The Stieltjes transform and a potential transform are studied for these spaces. Isomorphisms of the reflexive Muntz spaces fulfilling the gap and Muntz conditions are investigated.


In semi-arid regions, agricultural production systems depend greatly on irrigation and encounter increasing challenges (depletion of natural resources, high volatility in market prices, rise in energy costs, growing uncertainty about climate change). Modeling farming systems and how these systems change and adapt to these challenges is particularly interesting for policy makers to better assess their flexibility and resiliency. To understand the ability of farming systems to adapt, it is essential to consider the entire decision-making process: from long-term decisions at the farm scale to short-term decisions at the plot level. To this end, the thesis conceives a flexible and resilient agricultural production system under a context of water scarcity and climate change. It provides a step-by-step methodology that guides data acquisition and analysis and model design. It proposes a simulation model NAMASTE that simulates the farmers' decisions in different time and space scales, represents the interactions between farmers for resource uses and emphasizes the feedback and retroaction between farming practices and changes in the water table. The model was initially developed to address critical issues of groundwater depletion and farming practices in a watershed in southwestern India. Its structure, frameworks and formalisms can be used in other agricultural contexts.


ASFINAG is responsible for all planning, financing, construction, maintenance, operation and toll collection for the entire Austrian highway and expressway network approximately 2,135km of roadway including 160km of tunnels and 2010km of bridges. The construction programme for the current period, which runs through 2013 and has been confirmed by the overseer of ASFINAG, provides for about 7.8 billion Euro in investments into the expansion of the Austrian high-speed roadway network. Simultaneously there is a need for expanding the existing roadway network as well as construction of new highway and expressway sections due to ever increasing traffic volume. ASFINAG Bau Management GmbH is planning and constructing both new high-speed roadway sections and second tunnel tubes for existing tunnels such as the section between Mixnitz and Bruck/Mur on the expressway S35 which is currently being completed. The Austrian high-speed road network is operated by means of control centres, such as the control centre at Bruck, which are staffed round the clock. The construction of such control centres is overseen by the ASFINAG Bau Management GmbH.


Background: Protein Data Bank (PDB) is the most popular structure database that contains experimentally determined three-dimensional (3D) structures of biological macromolecules and small molecules. The rich features of PDB are keyword assisted advanced text search, structure search by sequence alignment, sequence motif search, ligand to target-ligand complex search through SMILES substructure search, JSON API query search, structure alignment, structure quality assessment, genome viewer, and 3D structure viewer. It is widely used in molecular modelling and computer-aided drug design. PDBcle is a simple tool to extract chain sequence of protein/nucleotide and 3D structure of protein/ nucleotide/ ligand from the PDB. Objectives: To construct an online tool for separating molecule-wise chain sequence and structure of polymers and non-polymer structures in a macromolecule. Moreover, the separated sequences and structures are produced to moleculespecific standard file format. Methods: The graphical web-interface of PDBcle tool has been designed using PHP, CSS, and pure JavaScript. Parsing the atomic coordinate records and sequence records from the PDBML/XML file and/or PDBx/mmJSON file through the API of PDB was done through PHP server script. Findings: The PDBcle tool retrieves and generates separate structure/sequence files for each amino acid/RNA chain, and pair of chains for DNA base pairs with/without ligand complex from the PDB. The ligand molecules are separated and sorted from the chains and produced to an SDF file. Applications: PDBcle tool is publicly accessible at https://www.biogem.org/tool/pdbcle/.
Keywords: PDBcle; PDB; PDB Chain and Ligand Extractor; PDB Sequence Extractor; PDBML


Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is widely used in the medical field, especially for detecting serious abnormalities affecting the organs of the human body, such as tumors. Automatic detection of tumors needs high‐performance recognition techniques. In this paper, we have developed a new automatic method based on the multisegmentation of brain tumor region. We used an improved region‐growing algorithm, which is based on quasi‐Monte Carlo and expectation maximization methods to define the desired classes. Several metrics were calculated to evaluate the performance of our technique. The fully automatic multisegmentation approach, developed in this study, showed good performance, and it can offer a new option to replace conventional techniques used for tumor detection in MRI images.


A Microstrip Patch Antenna (MPA) has been fabricated using a Conducting Polymer (CP), Polypyrrole (PPy) as radiating patch on a transparent 3mm thick Plexiglas™ substrate. The bulk DC conductivity of the PPy patch is 2000 S/m and its thickness 120 µm. The MPA was designed for operating at 2 GHz. A similar antenna with Copper (Cu) patch on Plexiglas™ was also fabricated for validating the simulation of PPy antenna and comparing its performance. The results show that the PPy antenna reaches a gain of 5.01 dB at 2.18 GHz as against 6.26 dB at 2.2 GHz for a corresponding Cu patch antenna. The conduction efficiency of Cu-patch antenna is around 80% while that of PPy-patch antenna is around 60%. The results suggest that it might be possible to use CPs in other passive microwave circuit applications.


Background and Aim: There is little histologic data concerning effects of nasal decongestants on respiratory tract. We aimed to put forth the effects of mostly used ingredients of nasal decongestants on trachea and lower airways of rats. Materials and Method: Foursix months old 60 male rats were randomly categorized into 6 groups. Experimental drugs were applied to the same nostril twice daily for 8 weeks (Xylometazoline, Benzalkolyum, EDTA, Sorbitol and combined drug solution). Normal saline solution (NaCl %0.9) applied for the controls. At the end, trachea and both lungs were dissected and kept in formaldehyde for histopathologic evaluation. Results: Inflammation and bronchial edema were most common findings. All rats in sorbitol group had increased numbers of type 2 pneumocytes. Eighty percent of BAC group had increased numbers of type 2 pneumocytes. Spillover of tracheal epithelium was seen mostly in sorbitol, EDTA and combined drug groups (60%, 87.5%, 50% respectively). Bronchial smooth muscle hypertrophy was seen mostly in BAC and EDTA group (70%, 62.5% respectively). Number of goblet cells showed significant difference between controlcombined drug (p=0.025) and control-BAC (p=0.001) groups. Conclusion: Nasal decongestants might have adverse effects such as increased airway inflammation, edema, type 2 pneumocyte numbers and epithelial desquamation mostly.


The paper analyzes the structure contribution of primary industrial output and efficiency taking Shanxi as an example,and believes that the optimal adjustment of the structure should be valued so as to promote the development of primary industry in Shanxi.


In order to quickly design the best injection-production parameters according to geological conditions of reservoir,one block of Henan oilfield for instance is taken. Firstly,it determined the sensitivity among four main controlling factors that are reservoir thickness,permeability,the viscosity of crude oil and the half length of crack by conducting orthogonal experiment. Secondly,it designed the optimal injection intensity,injection rate,production intensity and soaking time by establishing theory model of different main controlling factors combination,drew corresponding charts through polynomial regression interpolation. The results showed that,the viscosity of crude oil is the main factor that influences the effect of huff and puff,therefore,the charts can be classified according to the viscosity of crude oil and different charts on permeability and thickness can be drawn. When optimizing injection intensity,the increased ratio of oil- steam should be higher than the limit ratio of oil- steam. The field staff can quickly determine the best injection-production parameters through these charts.


The emerging problem of ocean acidification provides a clear signal that we need to think and act differently about our stewardship of the ocean, its resources, and the services it provides to society. No longer can we afford to address environmental problems in the ocean on a reductionist, caseby-case basis, because the number of problems requiring attention has grown so large that the problems now are stacked one on top of another. Moreover, many of these problems are growing rapidly; for example, the contemporary rate of ocean acidification exceeds that at any time in the past 300 million years. Nor are these environmental problems independent of each other: the problems interact via synergies and feedbacks that can amplify or dampen the problems' effects on ocean systems. Uncertainties abound in terms of rates, interactions, and outcomes, and are magnified by the number of variables changing in concert. Clearly, we need to embrace holistic thinking about resource management in the ocean in order to sustain the properties and functions we derive from it. Systems science offers one means of thinking holistically about ocean systems and its inherent complexity, interconnectedness, and dynamism. Indeed, the existing concept of marine ecosystems is based in systems science, as is the concept of marine social-ecological systems, and systems thinking underlies much of contemporary ocean science. Systems thinking is especially appropriate to the problem of ocean acidification because of its dynamic nature, association


This case study examines the activities of a physician with Alzheimer's disease, his procedures used to help retain personal memories and his sharing of the memory saving techniques with other people diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Detailed, specific and practical methods of memory retention are provided. This report is based upon in-depth interviews with the patient's children and an examination of the physician's daily journal.


Engine fault diagnosis method based on modified ATR2 neural network, by using caution and adjustment factor-the method of double factors, the relearning process of known fault pattern was controlled, and the network was in the condition of continuous learning and optimization. Some relative condition patterns of a certain engine were used to train ART2 net. All vibration signals in every mode were dissolved with db4 wavelet packet. And then taking use of wavelet parameters, the energy vector of each frequency was calculated. After normalization, the characteristic vector in this pattern was acquainted. This net only studies such sample that its similarity exceeds adjustment factor and this would enhance the precision of recognition.


This study investigated the effect of surface films, retarding near-surface flows, on the destabilization of the surface of a conducting fluid in an electric field. It was assumed that the properties of the film itself do not change in an electric field. To conduct the investigation the spectrum was obtained of waves propagating over the surface of an electrically conducting viscous liquid covered by an elastic film with dielectric properties in the case where the field is applied in the direction normal to the surface.


The closed-loop real-time feedback control requires the forward kinematics analysis, which has not been solved completely in the field of parallel robots. A system of high degree univariate polynomial equations of the analytical forward kinematics analysis of 6-UPS parallel manipulators (6-UPS) can be obtained by eliminating variables. Also they can be analyzed by adding at least 2 extra displacement sensors. Although with this progress, it is still not capable to be applied to the real-time closed-loop feedback control. In order to achieve the closed-loop feedback control with high performance, a new analytical algorithm is proposed. In the new algorithm, only one displacement sensor is installed in the center of 6-UPS to obtain the seventh rod length, the elements of rotation matrix based on quaternions are replaced by new symbols, and the 11 compatible equations can be solved by reducing the degree twice and then raising the degree of the equations' variables combining with algebraic elimination methods. The analytical forward kinematics solutions of 6-UPS, which is needed by the closed-loop real-time feedback control system, are obtained in the end. Taking advantages of the proposed method, the singularity problem is solved and the multi-solution problem is also solved because unique position and orientation can be obtained. Finally, one numerical example is presented and the result is verified. Results indicate that the proposed forward kinematics algorithm is both correct and effective.


An 84-year-old man presented with three-week history of painless ptosis of the right eye. About three months ago he had an attack of iritis which was attended to by an ophthalmologist and treated successfully. Otherwise there were no other associated symptoms, either prior to or after the onset of ptosis. About nine years ago he was found to have hypertension during the evaluation of a transient ischaemic attack. At presentation he was taking sotalol, nifedipine and warfarin, which he has been taking for the last nine years. Until the onset of ptosis he was still playing golf regulary. Physical examination revealed an elderly gentleman, in good general health, who had walked independently into the clinic. He had complete ptosis of his right eye (figure 1) with complete palsy of cranial nerves III, IV and VI on the right side. His right pupil was dilated and not reacting to light, either directly or consensually. There were no other neurological signs and rest of the examination was unremarkable. The nasal passage was clear and a right antral washout performed under local anaesthesia was also normal for cytology and culture. Chest X-ray, full blood count, clotting profile and routine biochemistry, including random glucose, was normal. A computed tomography (CT) scan was unhelpful in arriving at a diagnosis. Subsequently a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan (figure 2) was done which showed the lesion. During the process of investigations he was admitted with general deterioration and died before any treatment could be offered to him.


Based on Gadgil and Solbrig's (1972) ideas concerning the distribution of resources between the reproductive and vegetative tissues, it is predicted that the ratio of reproductive biomass/total biomass (reproductive effort) will decline with the increasing successional maturity of the community. This prediction was confirmed in field studies utilizing four species of goldenrods. The distribution of resources among the various vegetative tissues should depend on the nature of the limiting factor and the growth form of the dominant plants competing for this limiting factor. Thus, it is predicted that the ratio of stem biomass/total biomass will decline and that of leaf biomass/total biomass will increase for light-limited plant populations as the growth form of competitors changes from being one of the same stature (herbs with herbs) to being one of greater stature (herbs with trees). These two predictions are likewise confirmed in goldenrods. The problem of how these differences in the distribution of resources among tissues are maintained in closely growing populations of a single species was examined. It was found that populations of a given species bloomed at different times, thus reducing the gene flow between these populations. This indicates some degree of isolation which could allow for the maintenance of ecotypic variation.


In view of the status que of the basic knowledge and ability of engineering students in local universities and the diversified social needs for talents,the mode of cultivating application-oriented engineering talents was studied and the plan for the reform of the curriculum and practical training was discussed.Taken into consideration,the reality of local universities,the idea for enforcing the cultivation of practical competence of students and the guarantee for the establishment of the cultivation mode for application-oriented engineering talents was proposed,in an attempt to provide reference for other universities of the same kind.


In this paper, we study optimal power allocation for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) nonorthogonal multiple access (NOMA) systems when a layered transmission scheme is employed. An approach to maximize the sum rate of MIMO-NOMA with layered transmissions is proposed once we show that the sum rate is concave in allocated powers to multiple layers of users. We also derive a closed-form expression for the average sum rate when statistical channel state information (CSI) is available at a transmitter, which allows us to allocate powers to multiple layers for the maximization of the average sum rate. We find lower- and upper-bounds on the average sum rate, from which it is shown that the scaling property of MIMO-NOMA with layered transmissions also holds as conventional MIMO does (i.e., the average sum rate grows linearly with the number of antennas).


The authors give the results of treatment in 128 patients with operable triple-negative breast cancer (BC). All the patients underwent surgical intervention, the volume of which depended on the stage of the disease. The efficiency of adjuvant and neoadjuvant chemotherapy, as well as pre- and postoperative radiotherapy was evaluated. The side effects of different treatment options were analyzed. Five-year relapse-free and overall survival rates were traced in this patient group. It is concluded that the used procedures of combination treatment for operable triple- negative BC are highly effective.


Soil salinity is of great concern for agriculturalists as crop production is affected drastically. Understanding the biochemical changes that occur due to salt stress can help scientists decipher approaches to combat it. Ground nut is an important cash crop grown in Gujarat, a state with the longest coast line in India. Increase sea water ingression into land has detrimental effect on groundnut productivity. Salt stress in plants results in various changes, chief among which are a disruption in the oxidant/antioxidant balance. This balance is maintained due to the activity of enzymes like peroxidase, catalase and the extent of damage can be gauged by assessing the levels of hydrogen peroxide. In this study we report the biochemical changes seen in enzymes peroxidase, catalase and also monitor the levels of hydrogen peroxide at different concentrations of


The ambiguities of the "journey westward" contemplated by Gabriel Conroy at the conclusion of "The Dead" have produced competing interpretations of that story's representations of Irish nationalism ("The Dead" 224). This essay explores James Joyce's engagement with Irish national prospects by examining his indebtedness to the very different American version of a journey westward in Bret Harte's Gabriel Conroy (1876)—a novel whose language the Irish writer explicitly echoes in the final story of Dubliners. Harte's novel, through what Eve Sedgwick helps define as its "gothic" features, offers a critique of the project of American westward expansion embodied in the annexation of Texas and in the ideology of Manifest Destiny. Joyce appropriates Harte's spectral landscape of the American West in order to convey his sense of the failure of an Irish nationalist project in "The Dead"—only later to evoke the same landscape again in order to suggest that project's potential success in Ulysses. The Irish author's interest in the American West was closely connected to his reading of Irish history. In an early meditation on the American continent, Joyce imagined the course of that nation's westward movement as a violent process of war, subjugation, and domestication. Obliquely he describes that process as the erasure of animal "races" from the American landscape, while other more willing creatures submit to domestication:


This study focuses on KSPPS BMT NUS Kc. Cileunyi, a cooperative operating in the field of savings, lending and financing  based on Sharia principles. Currently, the accounting for late payment fines of members of this cooperative is still done manually. To increase the efficiency and accuracy of recording this information, we  designed an overdue fine collection information system based on Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 and Microsoft Access 2007 as the database system. This research method includes interviews, observations, and document reviews. We applied a waterfall  development approach when designing this system. Search results at KSPPS BMT NU Sejahtera Kc. Cileunyi emphasized that the process of recording monies collected from overdue fines still relies on a manual system. Therefore, we designed a new system based on Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 and Microsoft Access 2007 as the database. This system will help managers easily record the late payment fines of cooperative members. In addition, the system is expected to generate more accurate and efficient cash  reports of late payment fines that  can be presented to regulators for further assessment. By implementing this system, it is hoped that KSPPS BMT NUS Kc. Cileunyi can improve his financial management in a more professional manner.


The purposes of this work were to study comprehensively properties, like the density and the velocity distribution of neutral and ionized atoms from the vapor generated in the ablation of a tungsten target by a HyBrID copper laser, and to get some insight concerning the electric charge reduction mechanism and the droplets and cluster formation in the vapor. This information is important to the obtainment of a neutral monatomic vapor stream for thin film deposition and photoionization applications. Three techniques for vapor plume characterization were developed and tested: the PVDF sensor, the Langmuir probe and the ion-gauge probe. The first two are simple and effective to determine the velocity distribution of a monatomic stream, giving the translational temperature and plume drift velocity.


Procedures for laboratory care and management of the wild rodent Calomys callosus Rengger, 1830, are described. This domesticated strains is named "Canabrava". Observations show that C. callosus can be considered a suitable species to be extensively used as laboratory animal. Its breeding has many advantages: easy handling, high productivity, year-long breeding activity and resistance to commom laboratory animal infections. In addition C. callosus has a very convenient body size, allowing its housing in small space.


mpression in a 0.3-llm CMOS triple-well, double-metal technology operates at 150 MHz from a 0.9- V power supply and consumes 10 mW, only 2% power dissipation of a previous 3.3- V design. Circuit techniques for dynamically varying threshold voltage (VT scheme) are introduced to reduce active powel' dissipation with negligible overhead in speed, standby power dissipation, and chip area. A way to explore VDD - Vth design space is also studied.


A sample of books aimed at renewing the reading habits of our keyboarding youngsters by capitalizing on their interest in and fascination with computer technology.