In 4th Oct. 2007, the Political Leaders of South and North Korea had summit-level conference and published their memorandum. The memorandum will contribute political stabilization of korean peninsula and economic cooperation between South and North Korea. North Korea has enacted the "Law for Economic Cooperation between South and North Korea", in order to attain close economic cooperation and assistance from South Korea. However the Law has not yet satisfactory outcome, because of some problematic contents in the Law. Firstly, the Law has no favored treatment on the business of South Korea, whereby korean corporations had no merit doing business in North Korea. Therefore I suggest to promulgate "The Law for the Protection of Korean People doing business in North Korea". Secondly, the attaining approval of business from authorities concerned in North Korea is very difficult. Moreover the capital invested in North Korea could not be protected because of legal problems on the ownership of lands and buildings in North Korea. So epoch-making legislations in North Korea to protect the ownership of lands and buildings of korean corporations are necessary. Thirdly, the corporate governance of joint venture in North Korea has much problems. The decision rule in the board meeting of joint venture is unanimous. Under the unanimous rule, the board of directors of joint venture cannot make out any good programs about the business activities in North Korea, because of any one member blocking the decision unreasonably. The decision rule in north korean joint venture should be changed into majority rule in near future. Fourthly, under the "Law for Economic Cooperation between South and North Korea, the labours should be employed among residences of North Korea through authorities concerned. And for the dismissal of the labours, joint venture should report and get approval from the labor unions, without consideration of the circumstances surrounding the dismissal of labors. The system of dismissal of labors in North Korea is quite different from that of South Korea. So in North Korea under reasonable conditions, joint venture should dismiss labors without approval of labor unions, as is the case of South Korea.


Two relatively straightforward techniques are outlined for determining spacecraft potentials in the limit of a 'thick sheath' surrounding the spacecraft. A statistical model of the various features of the geosynchronous environment based on ATS-5 and ATS-6 data and an analytic model capable of detailed simulation of the low energy geosynchronous environment are also discussed. The results from these two environmental models are then combined with the charging models in order to provide estimates of the relationships between the geomagnetic index and spacecraft potential. The results are compared with actual potential measurements from ATS-5 and ATS-6.


MORPHOLOGICAL STUDIES OF THE FEMALE BLADDER NECK WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO ROENTGENOGRAPHY Hajime Furumoto From the Department of Urology, School of Medicine, Kanazawa University (Director: Prof. K. Kuroda) For the purpose of studying the form of the female bladder neck together with its sphincteric function, the author observed 38 normal cases and 158 abnormal ones which have diseases of the lower urinary tract, by means of roentgenography of the bladder neck and urethrocystography (emptying picture, contraction picture and injection picture), and then compared the radiological findings with the endoscopic findings and the histological findings. 1. As for many diseases, each radiographic appearance of the internal urethral orifice and trigone was observed in the picture of 15 seconds after injection, above all it is remarkable that the relief shadow was found in urethrocystitis. 2. In the picture of two minutes after injection, the rest of contrast medium in the bladder neck suggests organic diseases and sphincteric dysfunctions of the bladder and urethra, and there fore it has a great diagnostic value. 3. By using rcentgenography of the bladder neck, the female bladder neck was classified into four types in anteroposterior position, and four types in oblique position. 4. In the picture of two minutes after injection, the appearance of the ampulla of the urethra was classified into four types by the difference of tension at the external sphincter. 5. As the result of fluoroscopy as for the normal female, it has been proved that the external sphincter plays the leading part in the sphincteric mechanism of the bladder and urethra. 6. As for the cases of urethrocystitis, a comparative study of the change of the bladder neck was made before and after therapy by means of the emptying urethrocystography and the endo scopic and histological examinations, and the interesting findings were obtained.


Review on the book: History of the Ural Literature. XIX century: in 2 volumes. / Edited by Prof. Е. C. Sozina. М.:Izdatel'skii Dom YaSK, 2021. 1439 p.:illustrations. In Russian.


Barrier synchronization constructs are placed between phases of parallel programs to ensure correctness in the execution – by preventing threads from proceeding to the subsequent phases of the program before all threads have completed the preceding stage(s). Upon release, threads leaving the barrier at the same time cause sudden change in activity that can potentially lead to voltage emergencies in the form of timing errors, due to electrical properties of power delivery network. In this paper, we demonstrate how approximation through barrier relaxation – i.e., letting threads proceed past barriers without waiting for the others, and thereby preventing abrupt activity changes – can help prevent voltage emergencies.


Fertilizer and other inputs are traditionally applied uniformly within a field. However, most fields contain two or more soils with different crop yield potentials. This study was conducted to 1) measure crop yield differences between contrasting soils within fields, and 2) compare the economics of Farming Soils, Not Fields, where contrasting soils in a field receive different versus uniform rates and formulations of fertilizer. Relative amounts of straw production and straw:grain ratios on contrasting soils were also compared, as was grain yield, test weight, and protein of spring wheat and spring barley cultivars. Grain yield, test weight, and returns over variable costs varied greatly among soil units within fields in crop yield variability studies (P < .05). Other soil fertility studies indicated that returns were $4 to $23 per hectare greater for the soil treatment than for the field treatment in 5 of 6 fields, but overall, the returns were not significantly different. However, a recommended fertilizer treatment was not always the optimum treatment. In three fields, additional returns of $54 to $79 per hectare resulted when optimum soil treatments were applied rather than the field treatment. The data reveal the importance of appropriate crop yield goals, accurate soil tests, and reliable fertilizer recommendations when developing a strategy for generating greater returns by Farming Soils, Not Fields, than applying a uniform rate and formulation of fertilizer in a field. Soils produced varying amounts of straw within many fields in crop residue studies, and straw:grain ratios also differed among soils. Soils influenced straw production of different spring wheat and spring barley cultivars, as well as grain yield, test weight, and protein. A draft procedure for varying inputs within fields is presented. This procedure could be applied commercially, after some modification. FARMING SOILS, NOT FIELDS: VARYING FERTILIZER AND CULTIVARS WITHIN FIELDS TO INCREASE PROFITABILITY AND ENHANCE ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY


Figure 5 An illustration of the idea behind the "virtual" stations. To determine traveltimes along great circle paths from each event, we offset station locations slightly along one array. Virtual point 'C' is the same distance from the event 'Q' as real point 'A'. Because the angle between 'QC' and 'QA' is less than 2 degrees, the paths are assumed to be coincident. Each virtual RISTRA station then corresponds to a CD-ROM station providing a single inter-array traveltime measurement. Introduction


The synthesis of digital circuits is a basic skill in all the bachelor programmes around the ICT area of knowledge, such as Computer Science, Telecommunication Engineering or Electrical Engineering. An important hindrance in the learning process of this skill is that the existing educational tools for the design of circuits do not allow the student to validate if his design satisfies the specification. Furthermore, an automatic feedback is essential in order to help students to fix incorrect designs. In this paper, we propose an online platform where the students can design and verify their circuits with an individual and automatic feedback. The technical aspects of the platform and the designed verification tool are presented. The impact of the platform on the learning process of the students is illustrated by analyzing the student performance on the course where the platform has been used. Results on the utilization of the platform versus the success rate and marks in the final exam are presented and compared with previous semesters.


The objective of this study was to complete an economic analysis of pitting and chisel plowing mechanical treatments that are commonly used to reduce clubmoss (Selaginella densa Rydb.) on sandy and loamy range sites in the Dry and Moist Brown Soil Zones, and the Dark Brown Soil Zone, rangelands in the Northern Great Plains in Saskatchewan,Canada. However, economic feasibility of treatment varies and a number of factors affect the final results. This study showed that net present values for chisel plowing were negative, indicating that this treatment is not economically feasible on any range site in all soil zones at either 8% or 10% interest rate. Results for pitting suggest that it is more desirable on economic grounds than chisel plowing. Recovery of total costs of disking on a loamy range site occurred at 10 and 11 years post treatment in the Dark Brown Soil Zone, 12 and 14 years in the Moist Brown Soil Zone, and 15 and 22 years in the Dry Brown Soil Zone at discount rates of 8% and 10%, respectively. It is questionable whether beneficial effects of disking or chisel plowing on herbage production exceed 10 years. Range managers considering disking or chisel plowing to reduce clubmoss on rangeland and improving forage productivity will find the net present value, internal rate of return, and the predicted number of years to make economically prudent decisions.


This paper introduced the main characteristics of gas sensor and the application of optical fiber sensing technology in gas detection, compared with the advantages and disadvantages of several kinds of optical fiber gas sensors, a new type opening gas sensor based on spectrum absorption principle is designed, forecast the development direction and broad prospect of optical fiber gas sensor.


"There is a large body of literature on the determinants of regional variation in new firm formation. In contrast there are few articles on the spatial differences in new firm survival. Using panel data we analyse both items for 74 western German regions over a ten-year period. The positive relationship between entry and exit which is often stated suggests a negative correlation between entry and survival. On the other hand, however, it seems convincing that regions with high birth rates should also have high survival rates, because a favourable environment for the founding of new firms should also be encouraging for the development of these firms. However, an analysis of both rates for 74 western German regions over a ten-year period reveals the existence of a negative relationship in general. This means that the survival rates are below average in regions with high birth rates. Despite this overall correlation, however, it is shown that the spatial pattern of a combination of both rates is complex, and all types of possible relationships exist. With a multivariate panel analysis we study the factors that influence regional birth and survival rates using the same set of independent variables. It is shown that in the service sector most variables literally work in opposite directions in the birth and survival rates models. But this does not hold for the manufacturing sector. This can be rated as evidence for the 'supportive environment thesis'. The reason for this is a completely different outcome of the estimated birth rates models for both industry sectors, whereas there are only minor differences in the estimated survival rate models. We can therefore deduce firstly that the two industries have different requirements for their 'seed bed' but not for their further successful development; and secondly, that the spatial structures which increase the number of newly founded businesses in the service sector are detrimental to the survival rates of newly founded firms." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))


Timely and accurate measurements of forest parameters are critical for ecosystem studies, sustainable forest resources management, monitoring and planning. This paper presents a processing chain for individual tree segmentation over large areas with airborne LiDAR 3D point cloud and very high resolution (VHR) optical imagery. The proposed processing chain consists of forest stand level delineation with optical imagery, individual tree segmentation with Canopy Height Model (CHM) derived from LiDAR point cloud, rough characterization of trees at forest stand level, and point clustering of individual tree with an Adaptive Mean Shift 3D (AMS3D) algorithm. The processing chain is developed with the expectation of supporting operational forest inventory at individual tree level. Experiment is conducted using LiDAR data acquired in Ventoux region, France. Results suggest that the proposed processing chain can be successfully adopted for individual tree characterization over large areas with different forest stands.


We consider the motion of a rigid body with one fixed point in a homogeneous gravitational field. We assume that the ellipsoid of inertia of the body about the fixed point is an ellipsoid of revolution. We study the orbital stability of plane periodic motions of the body. In the unperturbed motion, the body oscillates or rotates around the axis of symmetry, which is always horizontal. The oscillation amplitude or the rotation frequency of the body is arbitrary. We show that the problem depends on the following two parameters: the ratio of the nonequal principal moments of inertia and the energy constant in the unperturbed motion, which determines the oscillation amplitude or the rotation frequency. In the plane of these parameters, we construct orbital stability and instability domains in the first (linear) approximation. We also perform nonlinear analysis of orbital stability in the stability domains in the first approximation and on their boundaries.


This Article was published by African Journal of Food Science Vol. 6(5), pp. 111-116, 15 March, 2012 Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/AJFS DOI: 10.5897/AJFS12.007 ISSN 1996-0794 ©2012 Academic Journals


By analyzing the randomness characteristics of wind power,photovoltaic power and power load,the randomness characteristics can be divided into regular and stochastic disturbance components.And then the model of energy storage system and the optimal control model of micro-grid based on stochastic simulation method are established.The operation modes including parallel mode and island mode are also studied.Through the case analysis,wind and photovoltaic power output profiles and the power load profiles are obtained.Based on these profiles,the optimal control simulation is implemented and a good optimization effect is achieved.So,the feasibility of the control strategy is verified.


ABSTRACT The in vitro activities of fluconazole or voriconazole plus terbinafine were evaluated against 20 Candida isolates by the checkerboard, time-kill, and Etest methods. Synergism (C. albicans, C. glabrata, and C. tropicalis) and indifference (C. krusei) were observed. Correlation among methods was good. The Etest is a suitable method to determine drug interactions.


A person's behavior in a group, particularly whether and when he attempts to lead it, is strongly affected by whether he is self-oriented, interaction-oriented, or task-oriented (Bass, 1960). This position is supported by the work of McClelland, Atkinson, et al. (1953) ; French (1956); and Fouriezos, Hutt and Guetzkow (1950). Task-oriented members are described as most attracted to a group by expectations of task success and its rewards. They are individuals who would be reinforced primarily by task effectiveness. They are likely to be concerned about getting the job done, solving the group's external problems, and working with persistence on the barriers preventing the group from obtaining success in its endeavors.


The pulsed laser photolysis, time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence technique has been implemented in a CRESU (Cine′tiquedeRe′actionenEcoulementSupersoniqueUniforme) apparatus to measure the rates of the association reactions of CH radicals with N2 and CO at 53 K and five different densities of the carrier gas Ar. The pressure-dependent rate constants have been combined with those reported previously for the temperature range 202⩽T/K⩽584 (R. A. Brownsword, L. B. Herbert, I. W. M. Smith and D. W. A. Stewart, J. Chem. Soc., FaradayTrans., 1996, 92, 1087) to yield, via a global fitting procedure, the following expressions for the two rate constants in the limit of low pressure: These expressions are very similar to those deduced previously by Brownsword etal., demonstrating that the analysis of rate constants for association reactions by the methods proposed by Troe (J. Chem. Phys., 1977, 66, 4758) can be applied over a wide range of temperature. These low temperature kinetic data, especially those for CH+N2, have some relevance to the chemistry of the atmospheres of some planets and planetary moons.


This paper presents the basic principles of solar cells/ panels and explores its different models, such as single and double diode models. The main purpose of this research is to confirm that the principle of multi-junction solar cell (MJSC) operation to improve the conversion efficiency. To perform this simulation, single and double diode models have been developed. The process was ultimately utilized to find the influence of irradiance and temperature in electricity generation. In addition, the ideality factor and the impact of resistance on conversion efficiency also have been investigated. Maximum power point tracking (MPPT) method was used and optimized to improve the MJSCs performance for conversion efficiency improvement. The I-V and P-V curves show that double diode model produced more accurate results than the single diode model. The MJSCs expand the band gap and reduce the temperature influence in simulation to increase the energy conversion efficiency using the optimized MPPT method.


The roller brake tester is widely used in the current domestic vehicle inspect station to measure the brake performance of automobiles. The measure capability problem of roller brake tester had discussed and estimated generally in some paper. This paper try to expound the thorough theories analyzes, explaining the influence to the ability of the roller brake tester taken by every kind of related factor. It is the first time to put forward the concept of "active level binding force" and "passive level binding force". Besides it analyzed the function of some additional measure in practical application. Without any additional measures, it is limited in some degree to measure the brake force of the front-axle by the roller brake tester. The biggest brake force of the front-axle measured is roughly in 0.6-0.65G practically. The ratio of the brake force to the static load in the front-axle in modern car can often be over 100%. Therefore, the biggest brake force of the front-axle measured by the tester maybe far smaller than the real value without any additional measure. I To increase the additional weight of front-axle is a effective method of improving the measure's capability. That is because the measurable brake force is in direct proportion with the weight pressed on the tester rollers. Theoretically, if the additional weight is heavy enough, the biggest brake force of the front-axle can be measured certainly. When the non-measuring wheel (rear wheel) presses on the striate steel plate, the level binding force output passively. It only appears after the car body trend to move backward. At this time, the data of the level binding force is smaller and its data scope is smaller too. So the influence on the measure ability is also limited. The measure capability is approximately in the scope of 0.6-0.7G with the passive level binding force adopted . When the non-measuring wheel had tensed by the steel cable or fixed by the triangle block, the level binding force can bind actively and the brake force measured will increase prominently. Theoretically, the maximal practical brake force of the front-axle can be measured if the active binding force is enough.


The streets of Washington, D.C., and Seattle may have been controlled last spring and fall by a new breed of antiglobalization progressives, but the old-fashioned, conservative anti-internationalists continue to hold sway among American policymakers. Although the United States has accepted the North American Free Trade Agreement and participation in the World Trade Organization, it has spurned important multilateral regimes relating to arms control, the environment, war crimes, human rights, and other emerging global issues.


Alloy is a declarative specification language suitable for modeling structurally rich systems. It provides a relational first-order logic augmented with built-in operators for transitive closure, set cardinality, and integer arithmetics. The Alloy Analyzer automatically analyzes Alloy models by bounding the size of the modeled system. Therefore, although capable of finding counterexamples, it cannot prove the model correct. In this thesis, an interactive first-order theorem prover, namely the KeY system, is used to provide such proving capability. Alloy specifications are translated to KeY's first-order logic. For this purpose, a relational first-order theory is defined that resembles the relational calculus offered by Alloy, and supports most of the language features including all relational, set, and numerical operators. Unlike the Alloy Analyzer that bounds the size of a model's instances, our translation allows instances to be infinite. We prove that our translation is correct for the Alloy kernel, a subset of the Alloy language for which a formal semantics is available. A translated Alloy model is loaded in the KeY system for proving. KeY's automatic proof search strategy is extended to allow efficient relational reasoning. We evaluate our approach by several experiments. As a case study, we prove Dijkstra's solution to the dining philosophers problem.


Citizens live within their unit's belief systems and superstitions. Truth is derived from family narratives, stories spun by old friends, outbursts from neighbours, barbers, religious figures, and priests. Certainty and comfort come from living in these spaces. But there is a wider world out there with characters doing things that conflict with routine. Higher education illuminates this realm. Legal education predicts what authorities will do about their antics and, while this is a laudable undertaking in the abstract, legal education should do more. It should arm the next generation with tools to cope with cultural ruptures, social confusion, dislocations, avatars, and violence in cyberspace. This article strings together some ideas, insights, and proposals to deal with these challenges.


Conventional direct lift control (DLC) design in carrier landing is not accepted by pilots since it is not fully decoupled and has heavy control burden. Nevertheless, when using dynamic inversion, developed in recent years as the baseline control framework, the control architecture can dynamically decouple control state channels and simplify control logic. In this study, the incremental dynamic inversion control (INDI) method is used to realize the DLC of the carrier-based aircraft precision landing control law and compare the dynamic inversion control (NDI). Meanwhile, the robustness of the INDI control framework is analyzed. A landing simulation system is completed to verify that using the NDI/INDI+DLC framework can fully exploit and reflect the advantage of DLC in carrier landing. The results show that the proposed NDI/INDI+DLC, i.e., the precision landing control architecture, can use the rapidity of DLC to correct minor errors of landing and improve landing accuracy quickly. At the same time, decoupling of DLC based on INDI can also reduce the complexity of the landing operation and improve the landing success rate.


Theoretical approaches and experimental work in the design of multiple pulse sequences in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) are the subjects of this dissertation. Sequences of discrete pulses which reproduce the nominal effect of single pulses, but over substantially broader, narrower, or more selective ranges of transition frequencies, radiofrequency field amplitudes, and spin-spin couplings than the single pulses they replace, are developed and demonstrated. 107 refs., 86 figs., 6 tabs.


Performance of insulating spacers in SF/sub 6/-N/sub 2/ gas mixture will be an important design factor in deciding the choice of spacer materials. In this study, 5 different polymers have been comparatively evaluated for surface flashover strengths in SF/sub 6/-N/sub 2/ gas mixtures of different proportions. The effect of AC, DC and combined AC/DC voltages on these spacer materials has been discussed. Compatibility of two different materials in terms of flashover behavior is also discussed. Though cycloaliphatic resin spacers show good performance, other spacer materials have distinct advantages in terms of surface tracking, bulk failure, and breakdown under combined and composite AC/DC voltages.


Reasonable social fluxion is the basis of harmonious society.In the process of building a harmonious society,vocational education and social fluxion should promote mutually.Through enlarging higher education enrollment opportunity and providing social training,reasonable social fluxion is expected to be promoted.Through "optimizing" and "improving" of higher education to realize social fluxion,which is beneficial to enlarge requirement of higher education in order to promote sustainable development of higher vocational education.


Traditional hydroturbine governing systems are mainly based on PID regulators. Because of the indeterminacy, nonlinearity, and time-varying parameters of the controlled plant, it is difficult to obtain satisfactory system performance for all running conditions. To overcome this drawback, in this paper, we introduce an intelligent integral strategy which is realized by fuzzy logic and the output of which is used to modify the integral gain of the PID regulator. Simulation proves that the method proposed here is not only easy to implement, but also gives a good performance when the plant's key parameters change within a large range.


The Message Passing Interface (MPI) standard and its implementations (such as MPICH and OpenMPI) have been widely used in the high-performance computing area to provide an efficient communication infrastructure. This paper investigates whether MPI can be adapted to the data intensive computing area to substantially speed up Hadoop and MapReduce applications, by reducing communication overheads. Three specific issues are studied. First, is the potential for reducing communication overheads significant, if MPI is used? Second, what are the main technical challenges to adapt MPI to Hadoop? Third, what are the minimal extensions to the MPI standard that can help alleviate the challenges while promise to significantly improve performance? To answer the first question, we identify important and basic communication primitives in both MPI and Hadoop, and make fair comparisons of their performance through experiments. The results show that the potential for improvement could be high. To answer the second and the third questions, we analyze the Hadoop code base to identify communication related programmers' needs. Furthermore, we propose a minimal interface extension to the MPI standard (only one pair of library calls are added), which capture the key-value pair nature commonly found in data intensive computing. This extension is implemented in a prototype library called MPI-D. Benchmark tests based on simulation show that Hadoop augmented with MPI-D could significantly speed up MapReduce application performance.


The article focuses on the impact of aid on growth by using a new approach in the aid-effectiveness literature related to the composition of foreign aid. We present a model of the impact of aid on growth in an aid-recipient economy to derive a reduced-form growth equation, which is subsequently estimated by using time- series data for India over the period 1970-92. The paper improves upon earlier work in the area of aid effectiveness by focusing on a neglected, though important issue, namely the aid-disaggregation and the way it affects the empirics of aid effec tiveness. Disaggregated aid data has been constructed by the OECD to test the rel evance of the aid-disaggregation hypothesis to aid effectiveness for India. Furthermore, the paper employs modern time-series econometric analysis based on general-to-specific modelling and co-integration to shed more light on a highly debatable topic. The empirical results obtained seem to suggest that the composi tion of aid matters for deriving robust conclusions on aid effectiveness in the case of India; at the same time, they seem to call for further work in this promising area within the context of more individual country studies.


PURPOSE: Functional soft union cloth using natural material textured yarn as a warp thread is provided to reduce manufacturing cost by producing a product massively without additional facility. CONSTITUTION: Functional soft union cloth using natural material textured yarn as a warp thread includes constituent fabric and raw yarn. The constituent fabric is evenly coated with a functional agent with the thickness of 0.1μm ~ 25μm. The weight ratio of the raw yarn is 95 wt% ~ 99.5 wt%. The functional agent of 0.1 wt% ~ 20 wt% is included in the raw yarn. A natural dyeing material having various shapes and colors are gained by weaving the raw yarn.


This paper conducts an empirical survey on the interpersonal relationship and the personality traits of vocational students and comes to the result as the followings: vocational students' personality traits have a better prediction effect on their ability of interpersonal communication.Therefore,various training of the interpersonal relationship will help the cultivation of good personality.The psychoticism needs more skill training of making friends,the neuroticism should pay more attention to the manners of dealing with persons,and the extraversion should focus on associating with different sex.


The change trend of agro-climatic resources in Dongling District of Shenyang in the past 58 years were analyzed.The results showed that the annual sunshine hours reduced 309 h,climatic jump had an average reduction of 170 hours.April~July was the main stage of reduced sunshine hours.The annual average air temperature increased 1.5 ℃,jump had an average increase of 1.1 ℃.The average maximum temperature increased 1.2 ℃,the average minimum temperature increased 1.5 ℃.In the process of warming,the lowest air temperature had the largest contribution.The first half year was the main body of warming,with the increase of 2.2 ℃.The annual precipitation reduced 155 mm.The average precipitation reduced 53 mm before and after climatic jump.The wet years were reducing and the drought years were on the rise.The spring precipitation had a slight increase and the su mmer precipitation had the reduction of 95 mm,the fall precipitation reduced 50 mm and the precipitation in winter was on the flat.


This thesis investigates emblem use exploratory in parent-child interaction. Emblems are conventional gestures with a verbal equivalent. The aim of this study was to answer if emblem use facilitate ...


This paper reviews our microfluidic approaches for multiplexed immunochemical assays. In particular, topics will be focused on the multiplexed sensing and detection based on the behaviors of immunocomplexed microbeads under magnetophoresis or optoelectrofluidics environment as a new platform for protein sample manipulation and detection. In addition, a microfluidic immunohistochemistry platform will be addressed to give a new insight of biofunctional microfluidics in pathological analysis of breast tissue from patient samples.


In \cite{FKW} Katznelson and Weiss establish that all sufficiently large distances can always be attained between pairs of points from any given measurable subset of $\mathbb{R}^2$ of positive upper (Banach) density. A second proof of this result, as well as a stronger "pinned variant", was given by Bourgain in \cite{B} using Fourier analytic methods. In \cite{M1} the second author adapted Bourgain's Fourier analytic approach to established a result analogous to that of Katznelson and Weiss for subsets $\mathbb{Z}^d$ provided $d\geq 5$. We present a new direct proof of this discrete distance set result and generalize this to arbitrary trees. Using appropriate discrete spherical maximal function theorems we ultimately establish the natural "pinned variants" of these results.


In the above paper [1] , the affiliation of Qinlong Huang was incorrect. It should read "He is currently an Assistant Professor with the School of Cyberspace Security, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, and an Associate Director of the National Engineering Laboratory for Disaster Backup and Recovery, China."


Cattle diet can impact manure quality and quantity, but has minimal impact on methane production from anaerobic digestion of manure. Quality of manure, measured as organic matter (OM) content, does affect methane production and is largely impacted by the environment cattle are housed in and methods used to collect manure. In three anaerobic digestion trials, as the amount of ash contamination of manure increased, or OM content of manure decreased, OM degradation and methane production decreased. The OM within beef cattle manure was 51-66% degraded within digesters. Methane production from beef cattle manure was 0.112-0.187 L CH4/g OM fed to digesters. Less than 10% of the ash within high-ash manure (85% ash), representative of open lot feedlot cattle manure, remained in digesters when a cone-bottom tank was used for digestion. With adequate daily cleanout of ash from digesters, open-lot beef cattle manure can be used for anaerobic digestion.


In the early nineteenth century merchants, shopkeepers, and commercial artists in the United States created a new genre in pictorial advertising, one that featured consumers taking pleasure in the act of shopping. These images were both an innovation in advertising and a new way for Americans to understand the role and identity of consumers in their nation. Rejecting the early republican frameworks of political and household economy, these advertisements promoted the pleasures of consumption as a positive good for the nation, an idea that ultimately underpinned a twentieth-century reorientation of the American economy around the figure of the consumer.


A self-insulating wall body of a combined mold shell for a frame-structure building is composed of a polyphenyl granule concrete plane insulation board, a reinforcing mesh, a thermal insulator, a connection sleeve, a fixed bolt, a connection fixing plate, a casting inspection hole, and insulated foam concrete. The self-insulating wall body has lightweight performance, thermal insulation performance, heat-insulating property, sound insulation performance, bearing property, seismic resistance and the like and has the advantages that the cost is reduced; the product performance is improved; the energy source is saved; the environmental pollution is removed; the service life is prolonged; the weight is reduced; the sections of a spandrel girder and a column are reduced; the physical performance requirement on the wall body material for saving 65% or more energy are met; the construction speed is improved; the labor intensity of a worker is reduced, and the self-insulating wall body is easy to butt with the existing energy-saving building by adopting a thermal insulation construction method.


The sensitivity analysis plays a significant role in structural optimization, and repetitive calculations are necessary for the analysis procedure. A reanalysis approach of frequency response funct...


An estuary area is a typical ecosystem where a vast array of fish breed to enlarge populations. These regions are made productive by organic material in the form of foodstuff, while receiving sunlight sufficient enough to illuminate the brackish waters. These zones must be protected due to their fertile waters and surrounding fertile land. Estuary areas are threatened by nearby landfill and waste debris along and upstream of the river, which consequently contaminate the estuary zone. Socio-economic conditions of the community also affect the sustainability of the estuary. In this case, the Socio-Economic Spatial Model, based on Geographical Information System (GIS) and trade off analysis, were used to elaborate the ecosystem sustainability in the Cimandiri estuary, West Java. This research also uses the temporal analysis of land use change upstream and monitors the community activity around the estuary. The research showed a change in the spatial and temporal land use consequently altering the watershed and the socio-economic analysis showed the community use of the estuary as unsustainable for the region and ecosystems within.


On the basis of 16 bit digital signal processing TMS320VC5402,the system of speech information sampling is designed and the memory of digital speech signal is realized.The design of hardware and the program flow chart of the system are proposed.The band-pass filter,the up-and-down band of which can be adjusted,is used to reduce the noise.The characteristic of high frequency is improved by the pre-emphasis technic.The capacitance of memory may be changed according to the practice need.


The design of scalable parallel simulation codes for complex phenomena is challenging. For simulations that rely on PDE solution on complex three-dimensional (3D) geometries, all the components ranging from the initialization phases to the ultimate linear system solution must be efficiently parallelized. In this paper we address the solution of 3D harmonic Maxwell's equations using a parallel geometric full multigrid scheme where only a coarse mesh, which resolves the object geometry, has to be supplied by an external mesh generator. The electromagnetic problem is solved on a refined mesh that complies with the discretization constraint that links the mesh size and the wavelength. The mesh hierarchy is built in parallel using an automatic mesh refinement technique, and parallel matrix-free calculations are performed to process all the finer meshes in the multigrid hierarchy. Only the linear system on the coarse mesh is assembled and solved by a parallel sparse direct solver. We illustrate the numerical ro...


The Tilting Lock is an innovative solution for locations where road traffic crosses marine traffic overhead by a bridge. The occurrence of traffic jams at a bridge during the passage of vessels can be reduced by the construction of a Tilting Lock. By 'submerging' the vessels in the Tilting Lock underneath the bridge, the Tilting Lock increases the available air draft for vessels. Due to the Tilting Lock, vessels can pass a fixed bridge span underneath without hindrance for the road traffic on top of the bridge. The main challenge of the Tilting Lock is the large depth that is required for the implementation of the Tilting Lock. Due to the circular shape of the Tilting Lock, excavations are required up to 30 meter below the current bottom surface of the Haringvliet estuary. These large excavations will interfere with the pile foundation of the Haringvliet bridge piers. In the case study, the feasibility of the excavations that are required for the Tilting Lock was evaluated.


Background. To describe utilisation of health care services and motives for consultation in Primary Care in the native and the immigrant population, and comparethis with the perception of primary care professionals.
Methods. Data was collected on health care activity during the year 2006 for all people registered (N=86,966) in the 6 basic health care zones with the highest proportion of immigrants (14.4%) and on the following variables: country of origin, age, sex, year of inscription in the public health service. The health card and OMI-AP programme databases were used. A qualitative methodology of focus groups and in-depth interviews was employed.
Results. Seventy-two point four percent of immigrants requested care from the primary care professionals in 2006, of whom 50% proceeded from Ecuador and 70% were between 25 and 44 years old. Eighty-two percent of the natives made consultations and required more referrals to specialised care than the immigrants of the same age group. The most frequent consultation with natives and with immigrants was "acute respiratory infections" (7 to 23% according to age group). The second most frequent with immigrants was "administrative problems". The consultations with immigrants were not related to preventive aspects such as smoking and there were more consultations (p>0.001) for gynaeco-obstetric episodes (10.7%) and those related to work (19%) or psychosomatic problems (8.5%). The perception of the primary care professionals was that the immigrants carry out more consultations than the natives and generate a certain "disorder" in the clinic.
Conclusion. Immigrants use healthcare services less than the native population. Nonetheless, this fact is not perceived in this way by the primary care professionals. Fewer preventive activities are carried out with immigrants, who suffer from more labour and psychosomatic problems.


Heavy-duty commercial electric vehicle (HDEV) charging stations, such as for freight trucks, must handle large peak power demands. Installing on-site energy storage can reduce the peak charging demand to avoid expensive and oversized utility-managed distribution equipment. To ensure optimal design of charging infrastructure, the trade-off between energy storage size and grid equipment ratings should be considered. This paper presents a bi-level multi-objective optimization framework to discover Pareto optimal designs, under the constraint of optimally sized power electronic converters and realistic power loss models. Under these considerations, the bi-level approach can greatly simplify the design process by breaking up charging station optimization into a system-level problem and multiple converter-level problems. Using industry-based HDEV arrival times and charging conditions, this bi-level approach is demonstrated for a 9port charging station. The resulting Pareto front showcases equipment sizing trade-offs that are necessary for informed charging infrastructure development decisions. The bi-level optimization Pareto front is compared the Pareto fronts of traditional, fixed efficiency converter models.


BACKGROUND: Identification and treatment of type II and type III injuries, combined with the need for accurate reduction of these fractures to assure stability of the knee postoperatively, make arthroscopic examination critical in the successful treatment of these fractures .Several recent reports describe techniques and experiences with arthroscopic fixation of type III fractures using sutures or hardware. The purpose of this prospective study was to review an arthroscopic technique using screw or suture Fixation for repair of types III fractures of the tibial eminence and evaluate patient outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a study of 19 patients with Meyers and McKeever type III fractures of the tibial eminence treated with arthroscopic pull out suture or screw fixation. We recorded range of motion, lachmann test, anterior drawer test and Lysholm knee score .Five women and 14 men comprised the study group.10 patients underwent pullout suture technique while 9 patient underwent screw fixation Average age was 26 years (range, 15 to 45 Years). Mean follow-up time was 15 months (range, 4 to 26 months). RESULTS: At last follow-up evaluation, mean Lysholm score was 94.2 for suture fixation group and 86.1 for screw fixation group. In general, the best outcomes were seen in younger patients. Significant differences were seen in outcomes with regard to fixation type with pull out suture fixation giving better results. Complication in form of knee flexion deformity, hardware problem and chronic pain was more with screw fixation. CONCLUSION: We found that displaced tibial eminence fractures using arthroscopic suture fixation provides better results with most patients returning to their previous activity levels. Keyword: Meyers and McKeever type III fractures, Screw Fixation, Lachmann test Arthroscopic Fixation Of Avulsion Fractures 61 Int J Res Med. 2013; 2(3);60-63 e ISSN:2320-2742 p ISSN: 2320-2734 compare the results of technique for surgical treatment of types III fractures of the tibial eminence and to present patient outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS For this prospective study we selected 19 patients both male and females who sustained fractures of the tibial eminence and were treated with arthroscopic fixation from Jan.2009 to Dec.2012 at the department of orthopaedics, L. N. Medical College and research centre-Bhopal. We routinely approach the fixation of these types of fractures arthroscopically, using either suture or screws. Inclusion criteria were presence of an acute injury, radiographic findings of a displaced eminence Fracture. Physical examination findings included presence or absence of effusion or pain, range of motion, and Lachman tests, and collateral ligament stability. Standard x-rays were done MRI done only in 6 cases. Radiographs and magnetic resonance images (MRIs) were studied for the presence of meniscal or ligament damage or bone contusion, and for fracture classification. Fractures were classified according to the Meyers and McKeever fracture classification system. Surgical Technique Spinal anaesthesia was used in all cases. The hematoma was washed out until visibility improved. After the pathology was visualized, an anteromedial portal was established after localization with a spinal needle. An arthroscopic probe was used to manipulate the fragments and to begin debridement of clotted blood. A 4.5-mm synovial resector was used to further debride the region and to remove clot and loose pieces of cancellous bone from the bed. The probe was reinserted through the anteromedial portal, and a reduction was attempted. If interposition of the intermeniscal ligament prevented complete reduction, the probe was used to pull the ligament anteriorly and ACL guide was used through an accessory medial portal to maintain reduction. In cases in which the ligament blocked reduction and could not be mobilized effectively, it was resected allowing reduction without obstruction. A 2mm K-wire was placed percutaneously from a medial midpatellar position and was used to fix the fragments in a reduced position. If the fragment was not comminuted and was large enough to hold a screw without breaking, fixation was achieved with one or two 4.0-mm cannulated screws. These were placed from a superomedial position through a midpatella portal with a percutaneous technique. If the K wire was in good position, it served as the guide pin for the cannulated screw. If not, a second wire was placed using intensifier. 1 In pull out Suture method fixation was obtained by passing a K-wire percutaneously through a midpatella portal, the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tibial tunnel guide was used to pass a wire up through the anteromedial tibial metaphysis through the lateral side of the frag fragment.. A suture passer was passed up the hole and a No. 5 Ethibond suture was delivered into its loop through the anteromedial portal and pulled out the anteromedial tibia A second wire was passed starting 1 to 2 cm medialto the first hole on the tibial cortex, entering the knee at the medial side of the fragments. Suture passer was advanced through the hole into thejoint. The other end of the No. 5 Ethibond suture wasdelivered into its loop through the anteromedial portaland pulled out the tibia). A crochet hook was passed into the subcutaneous tissue through one of the suture holes, hooking the opposite suture, and pulling it out the same hole. A knot was tied and passed through the skin hole and subcutaneous tissue and secured onto the tibial cortex over a endobutton or suture disk providing firm fixation of the fracture fragment in its bed. 5


Reform has become as much a hallmark of American education as tests and textbooks. Ever since schooling developed into a central feature in children's lives and an undeniable force in shaping the opportunities of adults, making schools "better" has been a preoccupation of policy makers. Despite a seemingly unending parade of ways to improve instruction and periods of intense interest in significantly changing classroom practice, relatively few educational reforms have had long-lasting effects or done much to distinguish the classrooms of the early 21st century from the classrooms of the early 20th century. The limits of educational reform, evident in the "apparent uniformity of instruction over time" and "the apparent invulnerability of classrooms to change" (Cuban, 1984, pp. 1, 2) have long been a concern of Larry Cuban's scholarship. He has emphasized the institutional contexts in which teachers work, the tradition-bound nature of schools, and the exclusion of teachers' voices from reform movements. To the extent that instructional change has taken place, according to Cuban's pathbreaking How Teachers Taught (1984), it has been the result of "situationally constrained choice," as teachers have acted on their own beliefs about teaching while navigating limits imposed by the organization of schools and classrooms. Reformers often have touted technological innovation as the key to transforming classroom practice. In Teachers and Machines: The Classroom Use of Technology Since 1920 (1986), Cuban examined forms of educational technology that preceded the computer. In this analysis of the use of radio, film, and television by teachers, Cuban discerned a cyclical pattern to the introduction of technology into schools. This cycle was marked by expenditures by school boards—with little


Instance based ontology matching is a new approach which uses the extensions of concepts to solve matching problems. Instance matching is the task of recognizing similarity between instances with different ontology descriptions for the same real world objects. It is crucial in this ontology matching area like other data integration issues, and the quality of its algorithm can extremely affect the performance of this way of matching because it can change the overlap of extensional information; that is, common instances of concepts among different ontologies. In this paper, we propose a distributional instance similarity measure and study how the choice of this measure improves the quality of instance mapping in ontology matching scenario.


Regulation of articular cartilage homeostasis is a complex process in which biologic and mechanical factors are involved. Hyperactivation of Wnt signaling, associated with osteoarthritis (OA), could jeopardize the protective anabolic effect of physiological loading. Here, we investigated the role of excessive Wnt signalling in cartilage molecular responses to loading.Human cartilage explants were harvested from hips of donors without OA. The Wnt agonist CHIR99021 was used to activate Wnt signalling 24 hours before cartilage explants were subjected to a loading protocol consisting of 2 cycles of 1 hour of 10% compression at 1 Hz, followed by 1-hour free swelling. Mechano-responsiveness was evaluated using the expression of type II collagen, aggrecan and MMP-13. Expression of known target genes TCF-1 and c-JUN was evaluated as positive control for Wnt and mechanical stimulation, respectively.In the absence of loading, CHIR99021 decreased the expression of the cartilage anabolic genes type II collagen and aggrecan, and increased the levels of MMP-13, corroborating that Wnt hyperactivation disrupts cartilage homeostasis. In the absence of Wnt hyperactivation, the applied loading protocol, representative for a physiologic stimulation by mechanical loading, led to an increase in type II collagen and aggrecan levels. However, when cartilage explants were subjected to mechanical stimulation in the presence of CHIR99021, the expression of cartilage anabolic genes was decreased, indicating changes to the cells' mechano-responsiveness. Interestingly, mechanical stimulation was able to reduce the expression levels of MMP-13 compared to the condition of CHIR stimulation without loading.Hyperactivation of Wnt signaling switches the anabolic effect of physiologic compressive loading towards a potential catabolic effect and could contribute to the development and progression of OA.


Abstract— Suspensioris of aerobic and anaerobic yeast were subjected to ultraviolet radiation (principally 254 mµ) under closely comparable experimental conditions, and changes in the level and in the temperature dependence of their catalase activity were determined. Qualita tively, the effects of U.V. on the enzyme of the anaerobic cells were similar to those on that of the aerobic cells. The effect of U.V. on the anaerobic catalase differed from that on the aerobic enzyme in the following respects: I, a considerably greater dose of U.V. was necessary in order to attain the maximum activity and the minimum activation energy of the enzyme‐substrate system; 2, a far greater dose was required before appreciable photoinactivation of the maxi mally active enzyme occurred; 3, photoinactivation proceeded at less than one‐half the rate; 4, the u.v.‐induced increase in the catalase activity of the suspension was virtually complete before appreciable reduction in activation energy occured. The first three of these differences were interpreted in terms of a model, which pictures the anaerohic catalase as being tightly bound to an intracellular chromophore group.


It is a problem for whole society great concern to graduates employment currently.There are the same employment problems in pastoral areas in Xinjiang.There are many reasons bring Kazakh graduates' employment problems of returning to hometown,economic,social and others and so on.Therefore,some talents from the rural and pastoral areas move to the cities.In addition,Kazakhstan "return" immigration policy attracts many students to Kazakhstan.Therefore,Kazakh graduates' employment problems of returning to hometown not only affecting the local social stability and development but also could be a potential factor for cross-border ethnic issues.It is worth to study and attention for us.


60 patients undergoing abdominal surgery under continuous epidural anesthesia were allocated randomly to receive epidurally Saline (group Ⅰ), Morphine 4mg(group Ⅱ) or combination of morphine 4mg and droperidol 2. 5mg (group Ⅲ) before surgery. The results showed that patients received epidurally morphine or combination.of morphine and droperidol can achieve satisfactory postoperative analgesia. Epidural administration of combination of morphine and droperidol not only improved postoperative analgesia of morphine, but also reduced significantly epidural morphine related side effects.


This paper elaborated how to establish the parameter database of laser cutting based on the analysis of how to get the process-parameter in laser cutting. And briefly introduced the databases of laser cutting based on fuzzy relations and WEB. It provided the basic for realizing the automation in laser cutting.


The ion-molecular models in the neutralizing background are proposed as a reference system for the description of the equilibrium properties of metal-polar liquid solutions. The analytic solution of the mean spherical approximation obtained by us previously for the ion-dipole system in a neutralizing bacmound (I0) is used to study the structure of sodium-ammonia solutions. It is shown that the struciure of ammonia is close-packed and ohanges little with ion concentration. The shape of the ion-ion distribution function changes from solvation behaviour with Debye-like asymptotics at low ion concentration to density ordering in the metalic region.


Soil samples contaminated with Aroclor 1260 were analyzed for microbial PCB dechlorination potential, which is the rate-limiting step for complete PCB degradation. The average chlorines per biphenyl varied throughout the site suggesting that different rates of in situ dechlorination had occurred over time. Analysis of PCB transforming (aerobic and anaerobic) microbial communities and dechlorinating potential revealed spatial heterogeneity of both putative PCB transforming phylotypes and dechlorination activity. Some soil samples inhibited PCB dechlorination in active sediment from Baltimore Harbor indicating that metal or organic cocontaminants might cause the observed heterogeneity of in situ dechlorination. Bioaugmentation of soil samples contaminated with PCBs ranging from 4.6 to 265 ppm with a pure culture of the PCB dechlorinating bacterium Dehalobium chlorocoercia DF-1 also yielded heterologous results with significant dechlorination of weathered PCBs observed in one location. The detection of indigenous PCB dehalorespiring activity combined with the detection of putative dechlorinating bacteria and biphenyl dioxygenase genes in the soil aggregates suggests that the potential exists for complete mineralization of PCBs in soils. However, in contrast to sediments, the heterologous distribution of microorganisms, PCBs, and inhibitory cocontaminants is a significant challenge for the development of in situ microbial treatment of PCB impacted soils.


Summary

The procedure of Verbyla & Cullis (1990) is extended to cater for the analysis of repeated measures data in which either non-linear modelling of the treatment contrasts is required and or there are time dependent covariates. These extensions are illustrated via two agricultural data sets.


Simple Summary The prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients is poor, with a five-year survival of 15–34%. We examined the expression of STAT3α and STAT3β in pretreatment tumor biopsies of 105 ESCC patients who received concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) by immunohistochemistry. The data showed that ESCC patients who demonstrate both high STAT3α expression and high STAT3β expression in the cytoplasm have a significantly better survival rate. Moreover, the ESCC patients with high STAT3β expression have a complete response to concurrent chemoradiotherapy. STAT3β-overexpressed ESCC cell lines exhibit CCRT (platinum plus radiation therapy) sensitivity, resulting in cell death. RNA sequencing found that ESCC cells highly expressing STAT3β undergo necrosis after CCRT. In summary, STAT3β could be potentially used to predict the response to CCRT, which may provide an important insight into the treatment of ESCC. Abstract Concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT), especially platinum plus radiotherapy, is considered to be one of the most promising treatment modalities for patients with advanced esophageal cancer. STAT3β regulates specific target genes and inhibits the process of tumorigenesis and development. It is also a good prognostic marker and a potential marker for response to adjuvant chemoradiotherapy (ACRT). We aimed to investigate the relationship between STAT3β and CCRT. We examined the expression of STAT3α and STAT3β in pretreatment tumor biopsies of 105 ESCC patients who received CCRT by immunohistochemistry. The data showed that ESCC patients who demonstrate both high STAT3α expression and high STAT3β expression in the cytoplasm have a significantly better survival rate, and STAT3β expression is an independent protective factor (HR = 0.424, p = 0.003). Meanwhile, ESCC patients with high STAT3β expression demonstrated a complete response to CCRT in 65 patients who received platinum plus radiation therapy (p = 0.014). In ESCC cells, high STAT3β expression significantly inhibits the ability of colony formation and cell proliferation, suggesting that STAT3β enhances sensitivity to CCRT (platinum plus radiation therapy). Mechanistically, through RNA-seq analysis, we found that the TNF signaling pathway and necrotic cell death pathway were significantly upregulated in highly expressed STAT3β cells after CCRT treatment. Overall, our study highlights that STAT3β could potentially be used to predict the response to platinum plus radiation therapy, which may provide an important insight into the treatment of ESCC.


The buffer layers in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells play a crucial role in device performance, although their thickness is only a few tens of nanometers. Moreover, often Zn(S,O) alternative buffer layers have been studied in view of their structure, band alignment, and optical properties, but not much work exists on their nanoscale chemical properties. This work focuses on the chemical characterization of Zn(S,O) using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy for determination of the Zn(S,O) and Cu(In,Ga)Se2 depth composition, and atom probe tomography for probing the nano-scale chemical fluctuations at the Zn(S,O)/Cu(In,Ga)Se2 interface. The Zn(O,S) buffer layer was deposited by RF magnetron sputtering. The aim is to study the nanoscale concentration changes and atomic interdiffusion between CIGS and Zn(S,O) after sputter deposition at room temperature and after post-deposition heat treatment at 200°C.


Harmonic mappings into Teichmuller spaces appear in the study of manifolds which are fibrations whose fibers are Riemann surfaces. In this article we will study the existence and uniquenesses questions of harmonic mappings into Teichmuller spaces, as well as some local and global behavior of the harmonic images induced by the Weil-Petersson geometry of Teichmuller spaces.


The Bloomsburg University Goniometer Laboratory (B.U.G. Lab) consists of three systems for studying the photometric properties of samples. The primary system is an automated goniometer capable of measuring the entire bi-directional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) of samples. Secondary systems include a reflectance spectrometer and digital video camera with macro zoom lens for characterizing and documenting other physical properties of measured samples. Works completed or in progress include the characterization of the BRDF of calibration surfaces for the 2003 Mars Exploration Rovers (MER03), Martian analog soils including JSC-Mars-1, and tests of photometric models.


Environmental problems which affect our lives in every point of life from economics to social ciences limit the quality of life and make mandatory for natural resource control.Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was developed in accordance with this requirement for an effective process analysis. Today, the majority of businesses and companiescombine various concepts and use new aplications which LCA including for improving their environmental performance.Life Cycle Management, Product Management, Cleaner Production, Industrial Ecology, Improving Environmental Performance, Technology Assessment, Environmental Impact Assessment and Risk Analysis are some of these applications. In this literature review, Life Cycle Assessment which will improve the quality of the environment, is dealt with its applications and classified according to their usage in business.


Solid-state nanopore (SSNP) technology presents an emerging single-molecule based analytical tool for separation and analysis of biomolecules or nanoparticles. Different prominent approaches have been pursued to attain the anticipated detection performance: process innovation to achieve pore size matching the physical dimensions of biomolecules so as to boost signal; electrolyte management to control translocation speed so as to improve signal quality; surface functionalisation to amplify molecular differences so as to enhance specificity; and implementation of additional, complementary means, such as optical, to manipulate the translocation so as to increase data fidelity. This review focuses on the fundamentals pertaining to the physical processes involved in nanopore sensing based on SSNPs of distinct shapes. It also provides a comprehensive picture regarding challenges and development trends in putting nanopore-based molecular sensors in use. This effort is facilitated by establishing physical-phenomenological models supported by experiment and numerical simulation. To assist the readership, the discussion starts from relatively simple cases and then develops towards complex systems, i.e. from open-pore state to analyte translocation and from single pores to pore arrays. Key physical parameter threading through these aspects is effective transport length that is simple to perceive and easy to calculate.


OF THESIS PROCESSOR MICROARCHITECTURE FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF EPHERMERAL ST ATE PROCESSING WITHIN NETWORK ROUTERS The evolving concept of Ephemeral State Processing (ESP) is overviewed. ESP allows development of new scalable end-to-end network user services. An evolving macro-level language is being developed to support ESP at the network node level. Three approaches for implementing ESP services at network routers can be considered. One approach is to use the existing processing capability within commercially available network routers. Another approach is to add a small scale existing ASIC based generalpurpose processor to an existing network router. This thesis research concentrates on a third approach of developing a special-purpose programmable Ephemeral State Processor (ESPR) Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) and implementing microarchitecture for deployment within each ESP-capable node to implement ESP service within that node. A unique architectural characteristic of the ESPR is its scalable and temporal Ephemeral State Store (ESS) associative memory, required by the ESP service for storage/retrieval of bounded (short) lifetime ephemeral (tag, value) pairs of application data. The ESPR will be implemented to Programmable Logic Device (PLD) technology within a network node. This offers advantages of reconfigurability, in-field upgrade capability and supports the evolving growth of ESP services. Correct functional and performance operation of the presented ESPR microarchitecture is validated via Hardware Description Language (HDL) post-implementation (virtual prototype) simulation testing. Suggestions of future research related to improving the performance of the ESPR rnicroarchitecture and experimental deployment of ESP are discussed.


In this paper we propose a novel method for watermarking. It uses the spatial and the discrete cosine transform (DCT) Domains. The proposed method deals with colored images in the biological color model, the Hue, Saturation, and Intensity (HSI). The method robustness is tested against several attacks. Watermark security is increased by using the Hadamard transform matrix. The watermarks used are meaningful, and of varying sizes.


This knowledge-critique focuses on Deng Zheng-lai's recent work Jurisprudence of China: Where to go--Research Sketch of Building an Era of China 's Legal Ambition Prospect and its cultural context.Deng's method and ability to open problems by way of debate is worth high praising, but when he questiones whether "China's legal ambition prospect" is those principles capable of making Chinese live a life having more virtue, more qualities and being more satisfying, he ignores that our present life lacks a lot of justice and this life is very undesirabledesirable. On the other hand, when he criticizes the "modernized model", another knowledge model "Tao of Sky" is invisible, which is much more powerful in shaping our spirit and bodies, and so is much greater obstacle to redefining China.In this sense, Deng's method of debate and criticism which can give birth to form-rationality and system-rationality is indispensable to the replacement of "china of sovereignty" by "china of subjectivity": this method and this rationality is the headspring of the replacement.


Abstract Equitable assessment of students' mathematical thinking is imperative for effective instruction. This two-part study investigated teachers' judgement of students' mathematical thinking. In Study One, we used a national data set to determine the correlation between teachers' judgement of students' mathematical thinking and scores from a standardised measure of mathematics. The relationship was further explored to determine whether teachers' perceptions of student-teacher conflict influenced their judgments about students' mathematical thinking. Results demonstrate that teachers' ratings of mathematics thinking significantly predicted students' standardised scores. Results indicate that teachers' perceptions of student-teacher conflict also moderated this relationship. Specifically, teachers' judgments have a higher correlation with students' standardised scores when conflict is high. In Study Two, the exploration is deepened by asking practicing teachers to evaluate a fictional classroom scenario.


A risk-minimizing approach to pricing contingent claims in a general non-Markovian, regime-switching, jump-diffusion model is discussed, where a convex risk measure is used to describe risk. The pricing problem is formulated as a two-person, zero-sum, stochastic differential game between the seller of a contingent claim and the market, where the latter may be interpreted as a ''fictitious'' player. A backward stochastic differential equation (BSDE) approach is applied to discuss the game problem. Attention is given to the entropic risk measure, which is a particular type of convex risk measures. In this situation, a pricing kernel selected by an equilibrium state of the game problem is related to the one selected by the Esscher transform, which was introduced to the option-pricing world in the seminal work by [ 38 ].


Because of the high strength and sound stability, the cement stabilized base has been widely used in high grade pavement in China. But shrinkage cracking are easy to occur in the cement stabilized base. Under the repeating action of traffic loads and temperature loads, this kind of cracks are easy to propagate towards the asphalt surface, being called "reflective crack". Shrinkage cracks are not normally avertable in the cement stabilized base, in contrast with a few wide cracks of broad spacing, numerous thin cracks of narrow spacing contribute little to the severe reflection cracking. On the basis of this thinking, the pre-cracking technique as a promising approach is brought forward. Several vibratory roller passes to the cement-treated base at a short curing stage, typically 1 to 3 days after placement, to create a fine network of cracks, which avoids the wide and/or long cracks and creates the ideal crack model. Comparing to wide cracking, the degree of the stress concentration resulting from thin cracking is by far mitigated. The Finite Element Method is used to predict the ideal crack model, and then the mechanical responses of the semi-rigid pavement of single wide cracking and net hairline cracking under vehicle loading are numerically simulated, simultaneously compared and analyzed. The simulation analyses indicate that the pre-cracking technique is a very useful tool to mitigate the reflective cracks.


Objective: To investigate in vitro transdermal permeability of Evodia rutaecarpa powder vinegar dressing in guinea pigs.Method: Modified Franz diffusion cell was adopted,with isolated guinea pig skin as transdermal barrier,through in vitro percutaneous absorption test,the content of evodiamine and rutaecarpine was determined by HPLC,then cumulative amount and permeation rate,in order to obtain penetration curve equation.Result: Transdermal absorption rate of evodiamine and rutaecarpine were 0.34,0.19 μg.cm-2.h-1,the cumulative amount of them in 24 h were 7.78,4.42 μg.cm-2.Conclusion: Evodiamine and rutaecarpine from E.rutaecarpa powder dressing vinegar had good in vitro transdermal absorption characteristics,it could provide a reference for study on percutaneous absorption preparation of E.rutaecarpa.


Evaluation specialists and auditors are working side by side to improve program performance. Auditors concentrate on comparing a condition against a criterion; evaluators concentrate on what has occurred, estimating what would have occurred without the program and comparing the two situations to determine program effects.


This work presents a facile method to prepare Au–polymer hybrid microgels through thermo-induced self-crosslinking and in situ reduction of a gold precursor. Self-assembly of poly(2-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate-co-3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate) (P(DMAEMA-co-TMSPMA)) produced particles by heating the P(DMAEMA-co-TMSPMA) solution above the lower critical solution temperature (LCST), which were subsequently cross-linked via the hydrolysis and condensation of the methoxysilyl groups to form microgels. The polymer microgels can be used as a reducing agent for in situ reduction of a gold precursor and a stabilizing agent of gold nanoparticles, leading to the formation of Au–polymer hybrid microgels. The size of the Au–polymer hybrid microgels can be adjusted by varying the concentration of the polymer solution. Furthermore, Au–polymer hybrid microgels were used as a catalyst for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol, which exhibited catalytic performance and reusability towards the reaction.


An integrated growth and surface characterization system containing a hot filament reactor, sample transfer station, ESD and XPS has been established to investigate the ALE of diamond films. Complementary experiments concerned with the nucleation of diamond on molten surfaces, e. g., Al and Ge have also been conducted. Formation of GeO2 or an aluminum carbide and the degradation of the diamond by the molten material inhibited nucleation on the melted area. Monocrystalline thin films of Beta-SiC have been achieved in the temperature range of 850 deg -980 deg C by atomic layer-by-layer deposition of Si and C species via sequential exposures of Si(100) substrates to Si2H6 and C2H4. A UHV analytical system containing TPD, AES and XPS is being constructed in concert with the SiC ALE studies to determine the reaction chemistry important to this process. An eximer laser ablation system for the ALE of CeO2 has been completed and employed to successfully deposit films of this material on Si(100).... Atomic layer epitaxy(ALE), Diamond, Silicon carbide, Cerium dioxide.


In this paper we focused on analyzing the sustainability of selected companies and ranked them as per their sustainable growth in the last three years. Companies with the highest or top ranking was analysed for its dynamic capabilities and sustainability over the years and the same was suggested to the other companies at lower step. The study was to compare the sustainable business performance of selected pharmaceutical companies and to identify unique suggestions and recommendations for sustainable pharmaceutical companies. The proposed paper shows the comparison between various company sustainability and their performance over the years


financial conditions and performance, results of operations and liquidity; our strategy, objectives, prospects, capital expenditure plans, fiber deployment and network expansion and upgrade plans, distribution channel expansion plans and leverage targets; our ability to achieve operational performance improvements; and future developments in the markets in which we participate or are seeking to participate. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms "anticipate", "believe", "could", "estimate", "expect", "forecast", "intend", "may", "plan", "project", "should", "target", or "will" or, in each case, their negative, or other variations or comparable terminology. Where, in any forward-looking statement, we express an expectation or belief as to future results or events, such expectation or belief is expressed in good faith and believed to have a reasonable basis, but there can be no assurance that the expectation or belief will result or be achieved or accomplished. To the extent that statements in this earnings release are not recitations of historical fact, such statements constitute forward-looking statements, which, by definition, involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements including risks referred to in our SEC filings, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 and subsequent reports on Form 10-Q. You are cautioned to not place undue reliance on Altice USA's forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it was made. Altice USA specifically disclaims any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, as of any future date.


Both reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and gold (Au) nanoparticles have shown distinct nonlinear optical characteristics, such as saturable absorption, that are appropriate for generating ultrashort pulse lasers. Unfortunately, there are no studies of Q-switched waveguide lasers using RGO and RGO modified with Au nanoparticles (Au-RGO) as saturable absorbers. Here we perform the pump-probe experiments to investigate the nonlinear optical absorption properties of RGO and Au-RGO. Our results show that, compared with RGO, Au-RGO has advantages of a higher modulation depth, faster optical response and wavelength-independent nonlinear absorption, which demonstrates that nonlinear optical properties of Au-RGO have been enhanced owing to the Au nanoparticles. Moreover, the laser emission of Q-switched Nd:YAG channel waveguidewith Au-RGO as a saturable absorber has been obtained. In comparison with the waveguide laser system utilizing RGO, the Q-switched laser observed with Au-RGO exhibits a shorter pulse duration and a higher repetition frequency, indicating the potential application of Au-RGO as a cost-effective saturable absorber in the pulsed waveguide laser systems.


Background. Urban planning is a key tool to promote health in cities. The COVID-19 emergency accelerated several social, environmental, and digital challenges, stressing the importance of some issues regarding housing, urban mobility, green areas, and health service networks, urban health policies, and actions. These issues were the subject of an intensive residential course (the 57th) held in Erice, Sicily, in June 2021 in the "International School of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine G. D'Alessandro", and the main findings are described here. Methods. Lectures presented the topics, subsequently developed them, and argued them in parallel practical sessions using the World Café technique, since it is well suited for the interaction of participants and the involvement of groups. Results. The World Café provides new insights into how to improve the livability and health of urban spaces, and a set of strategies and actions were proposed for each topic. Discussion and Conclusions. All attendees agreed on the importance of participation in the planning processes, but also on the need for strong political support to ensure the resources needed and a full integration of health with other local policies. A multidisciplinary approach to developing systemic operational capacities and health literacy is considered pivotal to raising awareness and participation.


Objective To explore the quality of life and its related factors in patients with osteoporosis.Methods A descriptive and correlative questionnaire was applied to survey 126 patients with osteoporosis in this study.The Osteoporosis Quality of Life Scale,Social Support Questionnaire and Chronic Disease Self-efficacy Scale were used to measure the level of quality of life,social support,self-efficacy.Results The score of life quality in patients with osteoporosis was low.The rank of the five dimensions with a low-to-high score sequence was as followed: the physiological,social,illness,physiological and satisfaction dimension.The influencing factors of the quality of life in female patients with osteoporosis were indicated by multiple regression model as the degree of the pain,the history of fracture,the use of social support,objective social support,menopause or not,the status of marriage,self-efficacy of managing the symptoms,age and occupations;while the influencing factors in male patients were the degree of the pain,the history of fracture,body dysmorphic or not,the use of social support,self-care or not,age,objective social support,occupations and the status of marriage.Conclusion The score of life quality in patients with osteoporosis is low.Interventions should be strengthened to improve life quality of patients with osteoporosis.


This paper describes a control algorithm for smooth transition from standalone (SA) to grid connected (GC) mode of a PV connected two stage inverter. High voltage DC bus is obtained by using a frontend boost converter. The DC bus voltage is kept regulated during all the modes of operation. A new phase reference generation method is also described which does not require any lookup table. The PLL synchronization method is also described and verified with experiments. The system runs in voltage control mode during standalone mode of operation keeping output voltage constant irrespective of change in load. If grid becomes available, it performs a smooth transition from stand alone to grid-connected mode. If grid fault occurs grid voltage falls bellow allowable level. In this situation system does a mode transition and goes to SA mode. In GC mode system runs in current control where current reference comes from maximum power point tracking algorithm. The strategy has been verified with experiments, and results are presented in this paper.


W hile no data exists to isolate blood center spending on Information Technology (IT), it is reasonable to assume this industry's spending has kept pace with IT spending across other business sectors. With this in mind, a blood center will often need to make investments in IT improvements and the employee in charge of making the request to senior management should be armed with the best practices that have been forged year after year by those who are adept at getting their intended message delivered effectively._02262 1509..1512


The present invention provides a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device capable of preventing the impurities from being mixed in the SOI substrate. The bonding substrate by generating a hydrogen gas, helium gas and ions to the source gas excitation (勵 起) containing a gas of one kind or plural kinds selected from a halogen gas and, after addition of the ions to the bonding substrate bromide (脆 化) to form a layer. Then, the bond substrate near a surface, that is, the area of the bonded substrate at a shallow position than the embrittlement layer to the surface, is removed by etching or polishing (硏 磨). Next, by then bonding the bond substrate and the base substrate, and separating the bonded substrate in embrittlement layer, and forming a semiconductor film over the base substrate. After forming the semiconductor film on the base substrate, by using the semiconductor film to form a semiconductor device. LISS, ion doping, the impurity, etching, H₃ +


Centrifugal fan comprising: a frame structure (100) comprising a first frame (110) and a second frame (120); wherein the second frame (120) serves as a top cover of the first frame (110) and is combined with it; said blade structures (200) in the frame structure (100) including a plurality of first rotor blades (230) and a plurality of second rotor blades (240), wherein said sheet structure (200) includes a flange (221) extending in the direction of the air inlet channel (140) and is located near the air inlet channel (140) wherein on the second frame (120) of stator blades (130) are formed, wherein the stator blades (130) are located between the first rotor blades (230) and the second rotor blades (240); wherein the frame structure (100) having a wall (121) is formed, which extends towards the inlet of the first channel of the air supply channel (140) to disconnect the air inlet duct (140) and a second channel for air, and by the stator blades (130), said first rotor blades (230) and the second rotor blades (240) passes.


Financial literacy is now becoming a subject of great interest as a result of global economic situation. Financial literacy is the ability to understand finance. The present study aims to identify and evaluate the financial litera- cy among retired persons of Rajkot city. A model has been proposed to find out the views of retired persons who are mainly concerned with the financial literacy so that their knowledge and awareness towards financial literacy can be assessed.


Lake Baikal is one of the unique natural environments in Siberia which, to a large extent, affects the state of the nature in this region. The processes of gas exchange in the "water-atmosphere" system have been studied in Lake Baikal since 2002. The main purpose of the integrated investigations of exchange of carbon-containing gases in the water-atmosphere system in Lake Baikal is to study the contribution of physical, chemical, and biological components of the process and their interrelation with the intensity and rhythms of the fluxes. In 2013, the integrated measurements in the littoral area of Baikal were complemented with studies of the diurnal dynamics of isotopic ratio δ 13C in the surface and near-bottom water, which were not yet performed in Baikal before. In this work, we analyze first results of the joint analysis of СО2 fluxes in the "atmosphere - water surface" system and δ 13C, obtained in August 2013 in the littoral area of South Baikal. It is shown that d13C markedly increases in the surface waters at daylight time. In nighttime period, there takes place a reverse process, when δ 13C of the surface water approaches δ 13C, which is recorded for near-bottom water.


After having derived boundary conditions for dressed-state electrons in a dice lattice, we investigate the electron tunneling through a square electrostatic potential barrier in both dice lattices and graphene under a linearly-polarized off-resonance and high-frequency dressing field, and demonstrate the anomalous Klein paradox for a nonzero incident angle, resulted from the misalignment of optically-controllable elliptical dispersion for Dirac-cone dressed states and the direction of incoming kinetic particles in our system. This finite incident angle is found depending on the type of light polarization, the light-induced anisotropy in energy dispersion and the strength of electron-light coupling. Meanwhile, we also observe much larger off-peak transmission amplitudes in dice lattices in comparison with graphene. We expect the theoretical results in this paper could be used for wide range of Dirac materials and applied to controlling both coherent tunneling and ballistic transport of electrons for constructing novel optical and electronic nano-scale switching devices.


Protein chemistry has uncovered an apparently boundless variety and efficiency with which nature's proteins perform their functions. They are a powerful incentive to attempt emulating nature's marvels for our purposes. Alas, insofar as the terms 'design' and 'engineering' imply a rational, planned approach to the creation or modification of protein structure and function, both still remain beyond our capabilities. On the other hand, protein design, the construction of novel sequences without intentional similarity to existing ones, is a test-bed for our understanding. Designing a protein sequence from first principles may fail in an interesting way and expose previously unrecognized and faulty assumptions. In this article we will focus on current approaches in protein design and on the problems that have been encountered. In some specific situations, protein designers have been remarkably successful. But clear indications that show along which lines more effort must be invested are only slow to emerge.


The rapid popularity of mobile devices especially smart phones has changed human life style greatly. In this paper, we examine the consumer behaviors on several e-commerce platforms based on a large-scale dataset of mobile internet access records for about 3.5 months from a major telecom operator in China, which covers 126,388 users from Shanghai. We provide a preliminary study on users' daily and periodic online shopping behaviors, as well as the influence of special online shopping events and gender factors. These findings may be exploited by e-commerce providers e.g., for developing personalized recommendation systems to improve their service quality and profit.


People who have served prison time experience a higher unemployment rate than other social groups. Australian law stipulates individuals must not face employment discrimination on the basis of criminal record if unrelated to the job's inherent requirements, but discrimination remains significant. Female ex-offenders are particularly vulnerable to stigma and discrimination. Nicki's (pseudonym) account airs injustices facing women seeking rehabilitation post-incarceration. Her experiences highlight structural barriers female ex-offenders face when seeking employment and marginalisation hindering social acceptance.


In this COVID-19 pandemic, patients who have recovered from the infection and present with a new onset of symptoms of frequency and urgency often ask if their symptoms could be related to the COVID-19 infection. It is interesting to read the article by Mumm et al.[1] who report that between March and April 2020, 7 of 57 patients (12.2%) admitted in the COVID ward with fever, cough, and positive RT-PCR throat swab tests, showed significant new-onset symptoms of frequency and urgency of urine. The mean frequency was 13.7 micturition/day. All other reasons for frequency urgency such as urine culture, prostatitis, and ureteric stones were excluded. They did not have residual urine or thickened bladder wall suggestive of bladder outlet obstruction.


It is a world wide known phenomenon that road traffic safety in most developing countries compares unfavourably with most of the highly mobilized and developed countries. It is furthermore known that the low fatality rates in developed countries are inter alia the results of purposefully directed contributions in the fields of training and education made by academic institutions and or safety centers. This paper aims at describing the role of such an academic division, center or unit in the enhancement of road traffic safety education in a developing country. Arguments are put forward that efforts to promote road traffic safety through educational programmes purposefully can only be successful if the programmes are educationally and scientifically sound. In order to meet this requirement, programmes should be well designed, implemented, continuously evaluated and adapted in the light of practical experiences and theoretical knowledge. With the view to promote road traffic safety within its total context this paper endeavours to picture the input that should be made by an academic division or center in order to give direction to the basic aims of road traffic safety education. The french title of this paper is 'Role du professeur et son influence - la tache d'une division academique pour l'education en prevention routiere dans un pays en developpement'. The german title of this paper is 'Rolle und fuehrerschaft des hahrers - die aufgab einer akademischen abteilung fuer verkehrserziehung in einem entwicklungsland'. For the covering abstract of some of the papers see IRRD 837529. (Author/TRRL)


Amidst escalating global environmental challenges, does environmental aid drive tangible conservation outcomes in developing countries or does it merely perpetuate the rift between economic ambition and environmental responsibility? Using a comprehensive ten-year dataset from the OECD, World Bank, Climate Watch, and the Climate Change Laws of the World database, we analyze the relationship between environmental aid and environmental conservation outcomes in recipient countries. Our results indicate that although aid can influence policy development, there is a weak correlation with outcomes such as increased forest cover, expansion of protected areas, and reduced CO2 emissions. Moreover, the pronounced roles of GDP and population in shaping these outcomes underline the complex interplay of environmental challenges with economic growth and demographic shifts. This dynamic, coupled with the evident mismatch between environmental aid delivery and tangible conservation improvements, emphasizes the need to reconsider current aid distribution strategies. In light of current environmental challenges, this research offers valuable insights into the effectiveness of environmental aid in developing countries and suggests a way forward for more targeted and impactful conservation efforts.


The sphere model is usually used to represent the particle in the discrete particle system so that the display list approach of OpenGL is adopted for high display performance.The sphere model of OpenGL is generated by dividing the sphere longitudinally and attitudinally,it is non-uniform(dense in the polar area and sparse in the equatorial area).A series of uniform triangular sphere model are generated by the exiting finite element pre-processing software and these sphere models are composed by less elements,the excellent display performance is obtained by these models and multi-display-list approach.The test cases show that the method is practicable and the display performance is enhanced significantly under the circumstance that the display list is unable to be used.


Traumatic injuries can interrupt muscle contraction by damaging the skeletal muscle and/or the peripheral nerves. The healing process results in scar tissue formation that impedes muscle function. Electrospinning and metal nanoparticles (Nps) can create a scaffold that will trigger muscle cell elongation, orientation, fusion, and striation. Poly(L‐lactic acid) (PLLA) and gold (Au) Nps were electrospun to create three composite scaffolds, 7% Au–PLLA, 13% Au–PLLA and 21% Au–PLLA, and compared to PLLA alone. The scaffolds had a conductivity of 0.008 ± 0.003 S/cm for PLLA, 0.053 ± 0.015 S/cm for 7% Au–PLLA, 0.076 ± 0.004 S/cm for 13% Au–PLLA and 0.094 ± 0.037 S/cm for 21% Au–PLLA. Next, a cell study was conducted with rat primary muscle cells and all three Au–PLLA scaffolds. The first cell study showed low cell proliferation on all three of the Au–PLLA scaffolds; however, the second cell study showed that this was not due to Au Nps toxicity. Instead, low cell proliferation may be a marker for myotube differentiation and fusion. Values for the elastic modulus and yield stress for the Au–PLLA scaffolds on days 0, 7, 14, 21 and 28 were much higher than those for skeletal muscle tissue. Therefore, lower amounts of Au Nps may be utilized to create a biodegradable, biocompatible and conductive scaffold for skeletal muscle repair. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Home automation systems have traditionally been designed and developed for groups with high purchasing power, without considering the environmental and social responsibility of its production and installation. With the increasing low cost of technology and popularization of objects such as cell phones, as a phenomena in the market, this article seeks to establish the possibility of involving one automation project in homes of disadvantaged populations to implement energy self-production technology in designed and manufactured objects, contributing first of all to the awareness of energy wastage of human beings and on the other hand and more fundamental: the economic development in this group of social base.


The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is planning high data rate optical communications for future deep space missions. The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL) is responding by developing concepts for implementing optical communications terminals that are more compact and lightweight than heretofore. An essential requirement for these long-range optical links is a high-precision pointing and tracking system. Focal plane array (FPA)-based star trackers that enable open-loop pointing and tracking are necessary. Spacecraft attitude instabilities, emphemeris errors, tracking sensor noise, clock errors, and mechanical misalignments are among the error sources that must be minimized and compensated for. To achieve this JHU/APL has developed an imaging star tracker concept using redundant multi-aperture FPA's symmetrically disposed about the laser downlink. Centroid estimation and pattern matching techniques account for aberration and motion errors. Robustness, sensitivity to detection thresholds, field-of-view sizing, number of stars per frame, missed detections, false alarms, and position biases, as well as stellar catalog size and star selection, will be described. Finally the conceptual design of a frame-to-frame integration method and sensor fusion algorithm (such as a Kalman filter) will be considered. The goal is to achieve a system pointing and tracking error significantly less than 1 μrad.