The invention discloses an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) inflaming retarding material and a preparation method thereof. The ABS inflaming retarding material comprises the following components in parts by weight: 100 parts of ABS, 5-35 parts of polybutylene terephthalate, 12-20 parts of fire retardant, 4-10 parts of synergistic flame retardant, 0.1-1 part of assistant fire retardant, 1-8 parts of compatibilizer, 0.1-1 part of antioxidant and 0.2-2 parts of lubricant, wherein the fire retardant is tris(tribromophenoxy)-cyanurate. The ABS inflaming retarding material prepared by the preparation method has the advantages of good mechanical property, good weather resistance, excellent flame resistance and good resistance to chemicals; and simultaneously, the light degree of the surface of the ABS inflaming retarding material can also be improved in a certain degree. The processing technology and production process used in the invention are simpler, and are easy for production and implementation. The ABS inflaming retarding material prepared by the preparation method is extremely suitable for producing bathroom accessories such as a shower bath system, a wash system, a water flushing closestool and the like.


Two eye-tracking experiments investigated processing of unbounded dependency constructions. Experiment 1 employed sentences likeThat's the garage/pistol with which the heartless killer shot the man yesterday afternoon.Readers experienced greater processing difficulty in implausible sentences than in plausible sentences immediately after encountering the verbshot.This demonstrated that they did not wait until the purported gap location aftermanbefore forming the unbounded dependency. Experiment 2 considered sentences which locally appear to have an unbounded dependency that turns out to be incorrect. Data from this experiment demonstrated that readers formed the unbounded dependency immediately, even though they had to reanalyze later. However, there was no evidence that readers formed this unbounded dependency when it was rendered ungrammatical by island-constraint information. We argue that the processor constructs unbounded dependencies in a manner that is maximally efficient from the point of view of incremental processing.


The more things change, the more they remain the same. However reluctantly, Israelis must still keep impending war on their minds. To be sure, it would be better if such a dire focus could finally be changed, but, at least for now, this sort of transformation is simply not practicable. 1 On the contrary, Prime Minister Netanyahu's senior operational planners must now look very closely, analytically and also somewhat courageously at the many interwoven hazards that are still accumulating on the regional threat horizon. Here, particular attention will need to be directed toward what military thinkers have generally and routinely identified as the "correlation of forces," but now with a distinctly improved orientation to both the prevailing correlation, and the preferred correlation.


Catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) is effective, but certain patients experience AF recurrences. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a risk factor for AF recurrence. Watch peripheral arterial tonometry (WP) has a good correlation with polysomnography (PSG) in terms of the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and is easier to perform than PSG. Patients in AF have a high prevalence of OSA. Whether all patients with AF should be evaluated for OSA before catheter ablation is still controversial.

 To elucidate the prevalence and predictors of OSA using WP as a home sleep apnea test in AF patients before catheter ablation.

 This study was conducted under a retrospective, single-center, observational design. Patients who received AF ablation without a prior diagnosis of sleep apnea and assessment of their AHI using WP were included in this analysis. The patients were mounted with a WP device by themselves at their own home. Twenty-two patients who were already diagnosed with OSA were excluded.

 Seven hundred seventy-four (65±11 years, 567 males, 440 paroxysmal AF) out of 776 patients were successfully mounted with WP devices on their own and underwent an OSA assessment. Their mean body mass index (BMI) was 24.1±3.5 kg/m2. The mean AHI was 20.1±15.6. Only 88 (11.4%) patients had a normal AHI (AHI<5). Mild OSA (5≤AHI<15), moderate OSA (15≤AHI<30), and severe OSA (AHI≥30) were observed in 274 (35.4%), 252 (32.6%), and 160 (20.7%) patients, respectively. A BMI≥25 (odds ratio [OR]; 2.42, 95% confidence interval [CI]; 1.74–3.37, p<0.001), male sex (1.70, 1.19–2.44, p=0.0037), non-paroxysmal AF (1.90, 1.35–2.66, p=0.0002), hypertension (1.70, 1.24–2.33, p=0.009), and left atrial volume index ≥30 (OR=1.51, CI 1.06–2.16, p=0.022) were significant predictors of moderate or severe OSA by a multivariate analysis, while an Epworth sleepiness scale ≥11 was not a predictor of moderate or severe OSA (OR=0.99, CI 0.66–1.49, p=0.95). However, 44.2% of non-obese patients (BMI <25) had moderate-severe OSA.

 All patients successfully underwent WP to diagnose OSA. AF patients had a high prevalence of OSA, and screening OSA would be important in AF patients receiving ablation even if patients do not have sleepiness or are obese. We cannot deny OSA in AF patients before catheter ablation without performing screening tests for OSA.

 Type of funding source: None


Objective:To isolate multipotent mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs) from adult rat' dermis and study their potential differentiating into neurons.Methods:Dermis of neonatal rat were digested with 0.25% trypsin and cultured for 6 h in vitro,and then the adherent cells were harvested and subcultured.After the fourth subculture,the cells were used for experiments.Cell cycle was analyzed by measuring DNA content with FAC Scan flow cytometer.The morphological changes of the cells were observed under phase contrast microscope and the differentiated cells were identified by immunohistochemical ABC technique.Results:The adherent cells from neonatal rat dermis cultured for 6 h showed high activity of proliferation in ex vivo culture and more than 86% of these cells were in the G0/G1 phases,expression of vimentin on cell surface was positive,factor VIII and cytokeratin were negative;Dexamethasone treatment induced cell differentiation into osteocytes and adipocytes.β-ME treatment induced cells into neurons.Conclusion:There are mesenchymal stem cells in dermis of rats.They can be isolated by their adherent ability and induced into neurons.Dermis may be another important source of mesenchymal stem cells.


Experiments with Stomoxys calcitrans adults showed that different blood diets markedly affect the lifespan and reproductive potential of this species. When fed on blood from herbivores (cattle, sheep, goat, horse and donkey) the adults lay more eggs than they do when fed on blood from omnivores (pig). Blood from carnivores (dog) is even less suitable than that from omnivores, and no eggs are laid when the flies are fed on chicken blood.


The article deals with theoretical approaches to determining the categories of "economic potential" and "economic growth", the problems of efficient use of the region's potential, substantiates the direction and degree of influence of the shadow economy on economic growth, reveals the essence of the shadow economy (households) as an element of economic potential, correlation and regression analysis of households and per capita GDP of the Republic of Uzbekistan and a new alternative method for constructing correlation the model to obtain more accurate indicators that are very close to real.


Souza, Eduardo Paulo de, Fundamental Elements on Software Process Improvement, Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecânica, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, 2004. 123 p. Trabalho Final de Mestrado Profissional. Technology based on software, in current days, is relevant and in many cases essential, with increasing application in many segments. The demanding consuming market has driven Information Technology intensive organizations to produce high quality software, on schedule and with reduced cost. In this context, some elements that contribute for this success are presented and analyzed in this dissertation. The first elements deal with Software Engineering and its intrinsic difficulties, beyond the current scenario of the national and international organizations. Some guidelines on quality are presented, with special emphasis on models and standards, on both product and process quality aspects of software development. Common approaches to implement software process improvement are highlighted. The main contribution of this dissertation is presenting four practical cases of software process improvement implementation by the author, and addressing these fundamental elements as an encouragement factor to the increasing software process improvement initiations.


This paper studies the quasilinear attraction–repulsion chemotaxis system with lo- gistic source u t = ∇· ( D ( u ) ∇ u ) − χ ∇· ( Φ ( u ) ∇ v )+ ξ ∇· ( Ψ ( u ) ∇ w )+ f ( u ), τv t = ∆ v + αu − βv , τ ∈ { 0 , 1 } , 0 = ∆ w + γu − δw , in bounded domain Ω ⊂ R N , N ≥ 1, subject to the homogeneous Neumann boundary conditions, D, Φ , Ψ ∈ C 2 [0 , + ∞ ) nonnegative, with D ( s ) ≥ ( s +1) p for s ≥ 0, Φ ( s ) ≤ χs q , ξs r ≤ Ψ ( s ) ≤ ζs r for s > 1, and f smooth satisfying f ( s ) ≤ µs (1 − s k ) for s > 0, f (0) ≥ 0. It is proved that if the attraction is dominated by one of the other three mechanisms with max { r,k,p + 2 N } > q , then the solutions are globally bounded. Under more interesting balance situations, the behavior of solutions depends on the coefficients involved, i.e., the upper bound coefficient χ for the attraction, the lower bound coefficient ξ for the repulsion, the logistic source coefficient µ , as well as the constants α and γ describing the capacity of the cells u to produce chemoattractant and chemorepellent respectively. Three balance situations (attraction–repulsion balance, attraction–logistic source balance, and attraction–repulsion–logistic source balance) are considered to establish the boundedness of solutions for the parabolic–elliptic–elliptic case (with τ = 0) and the parabolic–parabolic–elliptic case (with τ = 1) respectively.


INTRODUCTION Geographies of Indianness 1 ONE Histories and Nations 25 TWO Little Indias, Places for Indian Diasporas 78 THREE Affiliations and Ascendancy of Diasporic Literature 132 FOUR India in Print, India Abroad 175 FIVE Generations of Indian Diaspora 213 EPILOGUE Presents and Futures 249 NOTES 253 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 303 INDEX 305


Denis Claude Pointereau was born in Paris and graduated from the University of Medicine of Tours. In his more than 25 years of general medicine, he worked in …


The results of examination and treatment of 110 patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) have been analyzed; 47 (42.7%) of these patients underwent computed tomography (CT) of the pancreas and of the retroperitoneal space prior to the operation. The analysis of the results showed that the CT of the pancreas and retroperitoneal space allows inferring the infected nature of liquid formations with an accuracy of 93.8%, which provided the basis for the development of a method of acute pancreatitis treatment based on the evaluation of the integrity of the retroperitoneal space fascias (Fride, Toldt, Treitz, Gerota fascias), as well as the localization of liquid formations in the retroperitoneal space.


Gravity waves (GWs) generated by tropical convection are important for the simulation of large‐scale atmospheric circulations, for example, the quasi‐biennial oscillation (QBO), and small‐scale phenomena like clear‐air turbulence. However, the simulation of these waves still poses a challenge due to the inaccurate representation of convection, and the high computational costs of global, cloud‐resolving models. Methods combining models with observations are needed to gain the necessary knowledge on GW generation, propagation, and dissipation so that we may encode this knowledge into fast parameterized physics for global weather and climate simulation or turbulence forecasting. We present a new method suitable for rapid simulation of realistic convective GWs. Here, we associate the profile of latent heating with two parameters: precipitation rate and cloud top height. Full‐physics cloud‐resolving WRF simulations are used to develop a lookup table for converting instantaneous radar precipitation rates and echo top measurements into a high‐resolution, time‐dependent latent heating field. The heating field from these simulations is then used to force an idealized dry version of the WRF model. We validate the method by comparing simulated precipitation rates and cloud tops with scanning radar observations and by comparing the GW field in the idealized simulations to satellite measurements. Our results suggest that including variable cloud top height in the derivation of the latent heating profiles leads to better representation of the GWs compared to using only the precipitation rate. The improvement is especially noticeable with respect to wave amplitudes. This improved representation also affects the forcing of GWs on large‐scale circulation.


Abstract A carbon budget, compiled for a high-energy beach/surf-zone ecosystem in South Africa, consists of 14 living and two non-living compartments, namely dissolved organic carbon and suspended particulate organic carbon. The living compartments constitute three trophic assemblages; the microbial loop, the interstitial system and the macrofauna. The food web budget was subjected to network analysis to assess the status of the system. Input–output analysis indicated that the microbial loop is the most important trophic assemblage in this system, with the interstitial assemblage second in importance. Lindeman trophic analysis estimated that detritivory amounts to 868 mgC m −2 day −1 and the detritivory:herbivory ratio is 13:1. Biogeochemical cycle analysis concluded that this system is not under any anthropogenic stress, having a nexus with 48 cycles, three 24-cycle nexuses, a single cycle including 11 compartments, and only seven single-cycle nexuses. Based on global systems' properties, this ecosystem has a high normalized internal ascendency (A i :C i ) which suggests that it is well organized and stable. The system possesses significant internal stability and resistance, a feature that is expected from a physically controlled environment. The relative ascendency (A:C) of this system falls well within the range of relative ascendencies for other systems, being higher than most estuaries but lower than upwelling systems, bays and seas. Overall, this ecosystem is perceived to be unstressed and mature, with the physical control exerted on it providing significant internal stability.


Abstract Background: Nowadays, hypertension is prevalent in middle aged persons. Patients with hypertension are known to have cognitive dysfunction and, therefore, may be vulnerable for post-operative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) also. Intra-operative hypotension is documented to be associated with cognitive decline in hypertensive patients. Materials and Methods: A prospective pilot study was conducted in 30 hypertensive (Group H) and 30 non-hypertensive (Group N) patients, aged 40-59 years, undergoing elective surgery under general anaesthesia to estimate the incidence of early POCD in known hypertensive patients and compared with non-hypertensive patients. All patients underwent a "Neuro-psychological Test Battery" to assess cognitive function on preoperative day and on 7th postoperative day. A standard anaesthesia protocol was followed. Vasopressor boluses were used to maintain mean arterial pressure (MAP) within 20% of the baseline value in both groups. Results: The incidence of POCD was 23.3% in hypertensive patients and 20% in non-hypertensive patients. The vasopressor boluses used to maintain blood pressure was more in hypertensive patients (P = 0.041). Consequently, hypertensive patients had a significantly higher minimal MAP (P = 0.001) and a lower fractional minimal MAP (P = 0.011) compared to non-hypertensive patients. No significant correlation was observed between fractional minimal MAP and occurrence of POCD. Conclusion: This pilot trial shows that the incidence of early POCD in middle aged hypertensive and non-hypertensive patients are similar after general anaesthesia.


Underground Coal Gasification is a non-traditional, in-situ combustion process for converting coal into product gases. In this process coal is combusted and the produced syngas which basically contains CO2, H2, CO and CH4 is extracted to the surface with the help of drilled wells. In this study, with reference to a lab-scaled UCG experiment [1] and taking the experimental data as the basis for the research a two dimensional CFD reactor model was created and further studies were done to establish the activity at the different locations of the reactor.


A data acquisition system is designed based on the datasheet of ICL7135 and EP2C5Q208C8. According to the characteristic of ICL7135, Verilog HDL language program and the software of QuartusII are used to simulate each function modules. The analysis of simulation results and experiment show that using the method of FPGA+A/D can simplify the complexity of the system design and possess a very high accuracy on the treatment effect.


A novel approach to file Encryption is concerned with protecting files being shared among users. The idea revolves around storing files securely so that If someday database is hacked, then data doesn't leaked. To ensure files are protected they are split in 3:1 ration and encrypted using various algorithms like Advance Encryption System (AES) and Data Encryption Standard (DES). Audio steganography method has also been used to improve protection standard.


Flow shop scheduling problem is a well\|known NP\|hard problem. In this paper we first summarize the exist heuristic algorithms for flow shop problem which the objective is minimize makespan and then on the basis of NEH algorithm, we propose a new heuristic algorithm for flow shop to minimize the makespan. The numerical experiments show that the proposed algorithm has very good performance.


Lactoferrin (Lf) is an iron-binding glycoprotein which exhibits antibacterial activity against a broad range of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. The mechanisms of this property are complex and involve iron sequestration as well as direct interaction with bacteria. Lactoferricin (LFcin), a Lf-derived peptide released by pepsin digestion of lactoferrin, is a more potent antibacterial compound than the native protein. In this study the antibacterial capacity of iron–free Lf, either human or bovine, and bovine Lfcin against the growth of some oral streptococci was investigated. Both human and bovine Lf, and bovine Lfcin were found to exert bacteriostatic effects which were dependent on their concentration and the streptococcal species tested. Even within species, strains exhibited different susceptibilities to the action of Lfs and Lfcin. The most sensitive streptococcal species were S. parasanguinis, S. gordoni and S. plurianimalium. Bovine Lfcin was also bactericidal against S. plurianimalium strain 5.1 at 9mg/ml. These findings are encouraging for the use of Lf/Lfcin as compounds with antimicrobial activity against oral streptococci.


Robert Dujarric has served as co-director of the Institute of Contemporary Japanese Studies at Temple University in Japan since 2007. He is a frequent contributor to public debate on Japanese affairs and international political and economic issues. Mr. Dujarric's commentary has appeared in The Asahi Shimbun, The Financial Times, and Nikkei Weekly, among other publications. He is co-editor of The Abe Legacy: How Japan Has Been Shaped by Abe Shinzo (2021) and co-author of America's Inadvertent Empire (2005).


Unlike Generation X and boomers, the post-millennials or Generation Z sparsely engage with traditional news sources they deem as nearly extinct, including print media such as newspapers and magazines. They rarely watch television news or listen to radio. They report different news values with less concern about accuracy and more attention toward entertainment and interaction.


Radiation-induced soft errors have become one of the most important reliability concerns in the nanometer regime. In this paper, we analyze two alternatives to improve FinFET-based SRAM cell hardening. One is related to increasing the number of fins of the transistors composing the cross-coupled inverters. This option provides a significant increase of the cell critical charge (Qcrit), but with a cost in area. The other alternative increases the transistors fin height. Results show that a similar Qcrit gain is achieved by increasing the fin height instead of the number of fins without area overhead. The impact of process variations has been considered. Qcrit distribution has been modeled through an statistical approach based on Design of Experiments. Results are presented for a 10nm-SOI Trigate FinFET technology.


A pervasive problem in the field of optimization algorithms is the lack of meaningful and consistent algorithm benchmarking methodology. This includes but is not limited to issues of the selection of problem instances, the selection of algorithm specifications, the algorithm configuration parameters, and interpretation of results. The intention of this paper is to summarize the literature related to benchmarking optimization algorithms, with a focus on benchmarking in the face of the "no free lunch" theorem, and useful statistical tools for interpreting results. This context for this review is biologically inspired optimization algorithms applied to continuous function optimization, although the principles extend beyond these themes. When it comes to evaluating an optimization algorithm, every researcher has their own thoughts on the way it should be done. Unfortunately, many empirical evaluations of optimization algorithms are performed and reported without addressing basic experimental design considerations. Perhaps before an experimental methodology can be adopted, a researcher/practitioner may be paralyzed by the perceived pessimism of the no free lunch theorem that contends the futility of the benchmarking exercise. This work will provide a summary of the literature on experimental design and empirical algorithm comparison methodology. This summary will contain rules of thumb and perhaps the seeds of best practice when attempting to configure and compare optimization algorithms, specifically in the face of the no free lunch theorem. Section II will provide a terse summary of the no free lunch theorem for search and optimization, highlighting the generalized implications and the real-world considerations related to reporting benchmark results. Section III provides a review of the literature of benchmark methodology drawn primarily from the fields of optimization heuristics and evolutionary computation. Discussed in this section are 1) a summary of common problems and concerns when experimentally evaluating and reporting on algorithm results, 2) the imperative of tuning an algorithm before benchmarking, 3) issues related to selecting benchmark problem instances, specifically from the perspective of continuous function optimization, and 4) the concerns related to selecting useful measures of performance and the use of statistical methods for testing benchmark hypotheses. II. THE NO FREE LUNCH THEROEM


This paper is concerned with the existence of positive solutions to singular Dirichlet boundary value problems involving φ -Laplacian. For non-negative nonlinearity f = f ( t , s ) satisfying f ( t , 0 ) ¬ ≡ 0 , the existence of an unbounded solution component is shown. By investigating the shape of the component depending on the behavior of f at ∞ , the existence, nonexistence and multiplicity of positive solutions are studied.


The anti-ulcer property of Erythrina senegalensis De Candolle stem bark has been studied. The anti-ulcer property was investigated using the indomethacin-induced ulcer model. Phytochemical tests were carried out to determine the secondary metabolites present in the extract. The toxicity test was done to ascertain the toxicity profile, and the effect of the extract on acetylcholineinduced contraction was investigated. The chemical tests revealed the presence of varying amounts of alkaloids, reducing sugars, glycosides, saponins, flavonoids, proteins, fats and oils. The result indicated that the extract exhibited significant (p<0.05) dose – dependent anti-ulcer activity at the two dose levels tested. Keywords : Anti-ulcer, Erythrina senegalensis, stem bark, phytochemical test Nigerian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research , Vol. 8 No 1 pp. 67 - 71 (September 2010)


An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of source of protein (soybean vs. sunflower meal) and enzyme supplementation (no enzyme, as a control diet, vs. protease vs. protease + xylanase addition) on feed intake, weight gain, feed efficiency and mortality during the fattening period. Treatments were arranged factorially (2 x 3) in six isonutritive diets. One hundred and eighty New Zealand x Californian rabbits were assigned in a randomised block (litter) design to the experimental diets (30 rabbits per treatment). Animals were weaned at 35 days of age and fed ad libitum in individual cages during four weeks. Diets based on soybean meal showed a higher average daily gain (51.0 vs. 49.1 g; SE = 0.45; P = 0.005) and feed intake (138 vs. 132 g; SE = 1.30; P = 0.001), but a similar feed efficiency (2.69; SE = 0.013; P = 0.15), and a higher mortality (11.1 vs. 4.44%; SE = 2.91; P = 0.09) than those based on sunflower meal. Effects were higher and more significant in the first two-weeks after weaning than in the whole fattening period. Enzyme supplementation did not affect significantly (P > 0.15) any of the traits studied at any period. An interaction source of protein x enzyme supplementation was observed on mortality (P = 0.11), as both protease and protease + xylanase addition reduced mortality found in the control diet (10%) to 0 and 3.33%, respectively in sunflower diets, whereas no response was detected in soybean-based diets. These results agree with previous work that indicates that sunflower meal should be preferred to soybean meal in starter diets for rabbits in order to minimize digestive disorders. They also suggest that enzyme supplementation of sunflower diets might further reduce fattening mortality through a decrease of the amounts of nutrients reaching the fermentative area.


PURPOSE: A telematics integration system without subordinating on a mobile communication through a network structure is provided to supply a telematics service of a user by separately connecting a gateway to a service provider. CONSTITUTION: A network interface unit(100) manages and collects vehicle information. A network interface card unit generates a feedback according to the user input. The network interface unit is connected to the network of the vehicle. A knowledge-based managing unit(200) manages a policy for the telematics service and a schedule. The knowledge basis administration unit manages the event inside the vehicle. A service function unit(300) performs one-source multi-use function.


The image of a city is the ultimate product and is formed in the course of activities that are a process. A city wishing to achieve market success should strive to shape a positive image. In this aspect, it is necessary to regularly study the image of the perceived city. The identity and brand of the city play a fundamental role in this. The purpose of this article is to identify the image of Warsaw promoted by local authorities and the perceived image of the city among its residents. The thesis that has been verified is that there is no full correspondence between the image of Warsaw promoted by the local authorities and the image of the city in the consciousness of its residents. The article consists of three parts. The first discusses the concepts of identity, brand and image of the city. The second characterizes the brand of the capital city of Warsaw and its components. And in the third, the perceived image of the capital city of Warsaw is presented. Such research methods as literature studies, analysis of internal documentation of the Warsaw City Hall in the form of reports and reports in the area of image issues, analysis of source documents in the form of the city development strategy, analysis of reports and reports on promotional and image issues of cities in national and international dimensions, and deductive analysis were used. The considerations carried out showed allowed positive verification of the thesis. In addition, they showed that a positive image of a city is an important factor in its development.


Interrogates the issue of establishing age limits for candidates to the bench at international criminal courts and argues that the traditional view, as espoused by the ICTY, for example, is fallacious and that age limits serve a legitimate purpose on the domestic as well as on the international level.


This paper presents a computational method that employs Natural Language Processing (NLP) and text mining techniques to support requirements engineers in extracting and modeling goals from textual documents. We developed a NLP-based goal elicitation approach within the context of KAOS goal-oriented requirements engineering method. The hierarchical relationships among goals are inferred by automatically building taxonomies from extracted goals. We use smart metering system as a case study to investigate the proposed approach. Smart metering system is an important subsystem of the next generation of power systems (smart grids). Goals are extracted by semantically parsing the grammar of goal-related phrases in abstracts of research publications. The results of this case study show that the developed approach is an effective way to model goals for complex systems, and in particular, for the research-intensive complex systems.


The performance of an integrated smart material or device is dependent on the combined performance of active and passive components. Material and geometric interactions often result in a device with complex performance characteristics. Therefore, in the design of a device, computational models which incorporate active and passive materials are a valuable tool. The present work tracts the analyses performed using such models during the design of a smart panel designed for acoustic quieting. Emphasis is placed on structural integrity and total surface displacement achieved by the device.


Purpose: There is an unmet clinical need for an accurate and objective diagnostic tool for early detection of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). DETECT (NCT03556475) was a multicenter, observational, cross-sectional study aiming to develop and validate multivariable prediction models for AECOPD occurrence and severity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in China. Patients and Methods: Patients aged ≥40 years with moderate/severe COPD, AECOPD, or no COPD were consecutively enrolled between April 22, 2020, and January 18, 2021, across seven study sites in China. Multivariable prediction models were constructed to identify AECOPD occurrence (primary outcome) and AECOPD severity (secondary outcome). Candidate variables were selected using a stepwise procedure, and the bootstrap method was used for internal model validation. Results: Among 299 patients enrolled, 246 were included in the final analysis, of whom 30.1%, 40.7%, and 29.3% had COPD, AECOPD, or no COPD, respectively. Mean age was 64.1 years. Variables significantly associated with AECOPD occurrence ( P <0.05) and severity ( P <0.05) in the final models included COPD disease-related characteristics, as well as signs and symptoms. Based on cut-off values of 0.374 and 0.405 for primary and secondary models, respectively, the performance of the primary model constructed to identify AECOPD occurrence (AUC: 0.86; sensitivity: 0.84; specificity: 0.77), and of the secondary model for AECOPD severity (AUC: 0.81; sensitivity: 0.90; specificity: 0.73) indicated high diagnostic accuracy and clinical applicability. Conclusion: By leveraging easy-to-collect patient and disease data, we developed identification tools that can be used for timely detection of AECOPD and its severity. These tools may help physicians diagnose AECOPD in a timely manner, before further disease progression and possible hospitalizations. hospitalization. Physicians can better manage the disease if exacerbations are detected early. However, it is difficult for physicians to always detect exacerbations early because hospitals and medical centres sometimes lack accurate and objective measurement tools. In this study, Yin et al developed two measurement tools to help physicians detect and manage exacerbations in their patients with COPD. The first tool indicates whether a patient is experiencing an exacerbation, using information on disease-related history, and current signs and symptoms. The second tool indicates whether the patient has a severe exacerbation, using information on previous exacerbations, as well as current disease-related symptoms. Physicians can better manage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by using these measurement tools to detect exacerbations early on, which can help to prevent substantial worsening of the disease.


In this paper we report on an ethical approach to security and trust in contemporary computing and communication systems and we discuss some of its specific detailed consequences. The approach is that of the principle of distribution, in which control resides as much as possible with the individual rather than in centralised agents. The consequences on which we elaborate here include: the importance of establishing entirely distributed protocols, in particular for the secure and trusted dynamic networking of mobile ICT devices; that in view of their pervasive popularity, cellphones be subject to the same stringent criteria of security and trust as networked computers; the promotion of open-source software to bridge the digital divide and empower developing nations in configuring accepted software in their own languages and to their own needs. We report on the United Kingdom's Department of Trade and Industry's FORWARD program concerning security and trust in human-centric systems and on the United Nations University's International Institute for Software Technology's recent Open Computing Initiative, and end by raising some pertinent questions.


WAVELIKE EASTERLY DISTURBANCE AND ITS IMPACTS ON SALVADOR CITY: An extreme rainfall event registered in the city of Salvador, Bahia, is investigated in this work. Observational surface and upper air data, gridpoint data, meteorological satellite images and disasters information provided by the Civil Defense of Salvador (CODESAL) were used in the analysis. During the period from midnight to 3 A.M. on 12 June 2006 51 mm accumulated rainfall was registered. A high number of disasters were registered by CODESAL, particularly landslides. Weak winds throughout the troposphere and maximum convective available potential energy of 3,233 J kg -1 were identified in Salvador on June 11th, fifteen hours before the heavy rainfall. Areas of deep convection characterized this event, favored by a wave that reached the eastern coast of Northeast Brazil after moving westward over the South Atlantic with an estimated phase speed of 10 m s -1 , as seen on the


The subject of the study is to determine the theoretical and practical nature of fixed assets at the ore with the need to update them. Improved conceptual apparatus on characteristics of fixed assets, due to renovation. The recommendations on the nature of moral wear and the need for its regulation. The implementation appropriate to the last detail by the coefficient update components, namely rationality identify financial resources to manage the moral deterioration. Determining the feasibility renewal of fixed assets in mining enterprises, taking into account the moral wear should be carried out based on statistical methods and models indicating ways of rationing costs in carrying out their records. Outlined rational use of correlation and regression analysis reduced cost depending on the price of acquisition of fixed assets. The latter is determined net of discounts (in monetary terms) and reduce the time of process downtime (in relative units) obtained as a result of the introduction of the estimated equipment. In order to determine the practical feasibility of using correlation and regression modeling are model of rationality replacement excavator working model "ECG-10" a new model "Hitachi" PJSC "InGOK." Reproduced approach outlines the prospects for further feasibility study updates the main production facilities in ore taking into moral obsolescence.


A few examples of applications of the mixtures of anionic and cationic surfactants systems were reviewed,including nanomaterials syntheses,extractions,drug delivery,asphalt emulsification and so on.It was indicated that it still had a long way to go for the commercial applications of the anionic and cationic surfactant mixtures.


Introduction and definition of the metabolic syndrome.- Epidemiology of the metabolic syndrome.- Pathophysiology of the metabolic syndrome.- Metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases.- Lifestyle intervention - prevention of complications to the metabolic syndrome.- Treatment with metformin.- Treatment with thiazolidinediones (TZDs).- Treatment with PPARalpha activators.- The role of statins in the metabolic syndrome.- Antithrombotic and fibroanalytic treatment in the metabolic syndrome.- The role of GLP agonists in the metabolic syndrome.- Treatment of the metabolic syndrome by gastric bypass.- Treatment of the metabolic syndrome in the daily clinic - algorithms.- Future perspectives.


The purpose of this paper is automation of key business processes in real estate agencies. The research object are business processes of a real estate agency. The subject of research are modern methodologies of automated business process management of real estate agencies.


Attribute data is often not in the format that is needed or desired for map labeling or table joining. For example, text may be in all uppercase or lowercase letters. With the built in title, lower, and upper case commands within the field calculator in QGIS you are able to change text from an existing field to a different case. This tasksheet will go through the process of changing the text case using the field calculator in QGIS.


Using similar design theory,the geometry sizes of the driven shafts in the reduction gearboxes were calculated;Throughing series components design table in SolidWorks,digitized fast design of the driven shafts series in the reduction gearboxes were finished.


Agricultural water has, in the past, been seen as a prime mechanism for fostering economic growth and reducing rural poverty, and agricultural water investments demonstrated particular success during the Green Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s. The 2006 Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) review of agricultural water management projects found that World Bank-financed agricultural water investments over the last decade have, when combined with other factors needed for profitable production, contributed to boosting growth and reducing poverty. However, IEG also found that the projects could have achieved greater poverty reduction impacts if analysis, design and results measurement had been improved. Recent empirical studies reinforce these conclusions, showing that agricultural water investments do reduce poverty, and that attention to pro-poor design of projects can increase poverty reduction impact without straying away from the objective of economic growth and without reducing the efficiency of the investment as a driver of growth. The objectives of the review were: (1) to assess the quality and effectiveness of poverty analysis in the most recent Bank-financed agricultural water projects; (2) to evaluate their contribution to poverty reduction and its measurement; and (3) to recommend ways to improve pro-poor results of agricultural water projects and to prepare tools and methodologies that could help achieve this.


A 36-year-old male motorcyclist involved in a motor vehicle accident (MVA) with loss of consciousness and sustained multiple orthopedic injuries and a traumatic ventricular septal defect (VSD) which was hemodynamically stable. He then underwent emergency orthopedic surgery and was discharged after 5 weeks to rehabilitation. Subsequently, 6 months later, he underwent an elective repair of a 1.5 cm apical septal defect with uneventful recovery. A meta-analysis of 61 other reports of traumatic VSD revealed MVA as the most common etiology in 57.8%, predominantly males in 85.5% and younger age group <30 years in 87.5%. The midmuscular septum was involved in 43.6%, and patch closure was used in the majority of patients performed through a right or left ventriculotomy. Operative mortality was zero with elective versus 27.3% for emergency repairs, which also had a 27.3% VSD recurrence. 28.6% of the patients required concomitant cardiac surgical procedures while two patients (4.1%) both with perimembranous VSD required a permanent pacemaker. Less invasive transcatheter closure was successfully deployed in three patients without any complications, and it is an alternative in patients with a suitable anatomy and no associated cardiac injuries requiring surgery. Conservative therapy as a mainstay of treatment should be reserved for asymptomatic small defects with hemodynamically insignificant shunts.


Objectives: To explore preferences of the patients attending King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in their treating physicians and to determine demographic and personal factors influencing their preferences. Methods: Through a cross sectional design, 366 patients attending KAMC were systematically selected, and were requested to a pre-designed valid questionnaire. The study conducted between November 2017 and January 2018. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences was used for statistical analysis which included independent sample t-test, ANOVA and Pearson correlation. A p-value<0.05 was considered significant. Results: The study showed that females were significantly more preferring to get information, careful examination and receiving attention. Older respondents were interested in finding out how serious is their problem and having enough time for talking about their condition. Higher income respondents focused on necessity of physician caring for their personal situation. Highly educated individuals were concerned about getting enough information, and patients with chronic diseases were much interested by the truth of their condition. Each dimension of the personality traits was significantly correlated with different package of preferences in their treating physician. Conclusion: Respondents' preferences in their treating physician are significantly influenced by their demographic characteristics as well as their personality traits. It is highly recommended that physicians, generally, should be attentive listener, informative while discussion, maintaining eye contact and showing interest and empathy for adult middle-aged patient. Also, to consider other preferable features based on patients' demographics and personalities.


The punishment of crime has a fascinating history, to which the four volumes we will consider in this review add much detail and some explanation. The most sweeping of these accounts is Michel Foucault's analysis of the birth of the prison in France.' Foucault notes that something very important in the history of crime and punishment occurred in Western capitalist societies when the public punishment of the criminal body gave way to the more private punishment of the criminal mind. There is no substitute for Foucault's graphic reconstruction of how torturous the former punishments could be. Thus,


Motivated by the analysis of fluctuation limits of particle systems, a nuclear Gelfand triple is constructed on the space C([0,1], Rd) with σ-finite Wiener measure, following Kubo and Yokoi (1989, Nagoya Math. J.115, 139-149). The standard Gaussian measure on the space of distributions corresponds to "white noise" on C([0, 1], Rd). Using Levy′s continuity theorem on nuclear spaces, this triple is applied to obtain trajectorial fluctuation limits of some particle systems. The limits are Gaussian random elements of the space of distributions on C([0, 1], Rd). The examples are a Poisson system of Brownian motions, a system of supercritical branching Brownian motions, and interacting diffusions with bounded and with linear interactions. In the latter examples the results of Sznitmann (1985, in "Infinite-dimensional Analysis and Stochastic Processes," Research Notes on Math., Vol. 124, pp. 145-160, Pitman, Boston, 1985) and of Tanaka and Hitsuda (1981, Hiroshima Math. J.11, 415-423) are sharpened. Previous trajectorial fluctuation limits for these models were known only in terms of characteristic functionals.


This paper presents three implementation algorithms of compound elements pseudo-transient analysis to find DC solutions for nonlinear LSI circuits. In former researches, CEPTA was implemented in SPICE-like simulator with the merits that the size of Jacobian matrix is not expanded during the calculation. While the inserted pseudo parts are converted to some certain equivalent circuits, the conventional implementation does not consider time step size limitation. They can not ensure convergence (DC solution can be found) and for large scale circuits, the CPU time needed to converge is not satisfactory. The proposed implementation algorithms can significantly improve the simulation efficiency for some test cases. The improvement of simulation efficiency and convergence performance is demonstrated by test circuits.


Five kinds of carbon black filled natural rubber were prepared, and thermal conductivity was studied considering two factors, which include temperature and volume percent of the filler. It was found that thermal conductivity had relevance to temperature and volume percent of carbon black, besides, structure and specific area of carbon black were also very important influencing factors. Moreover, reuniting phenomenon of nanometer grade of carbon black has much effect on thermal conductivity.


This paper presents an indoor MIMO-VLC system that adaptively coordinates the number of MIMO channels according to the channel conditions. We employ a neural network to select the optimal pattern of channels, depending on the channel matrix.


A decision has been taken to not to restrict the forthcoming issue of the Newsletter, the last issue for the year 2005, to any specific theme. While we shall be publishing the articles received after the respective thematic issues had gone for printing, it is proposed to keep the option open for our valued readers to send us articles and news items, etc pertinent to physical, biological and socio-economic issues of the Eastern Ghats for the issue bearing Vol.11, No.4, 2005.


Building performance management requires massive data input; however, the relevant data are separated and heterogeneous; thus, it prevents a comprehensive building performance management. Building information modeling brings a new way to capture rich information of a building, and has great potential in data interoperability for building performance management. This article presents a scalable building information modeling–based cyber-physical platform for building performance monitoring to integrate heterogeneous data from different buildings. A smart sensor network based on Arduino and standard protocol is installed for data sensing and collection. A building information modeling–based sensing information model integrating heterogeneous data in a unified structure is proposed, and a scalable NoSQL database is established to store data in a cloud environment. A series of RESTful web services is developed to share data for building performance management applications. The proposed platform is developed taking the advantage of horizontal scalability of NoSQL database, and the data schema and services are generated automatically based on the unified data model. The platform has collected data from 77 buildings in China, and the results of a case study show the platform brings a new paradigm in collecting, storing, integrating, and sharing of sensor data and building information for building performance monitoring and analytics.


Background: During the transition between the prenatal and intrapartum periods, the uterine cervix undergoes significant physiological, biochemical, and morphological changes. According to the WHO, preterm birth is defined as babies born alive before the 37 weeks. Aim of the work: To assess the ability of the cervical length during this period of gestation to predict the occurrence of preterm delivery and hence the need for intervention. Patients and methods: In this study, 200 pregnant women at 22–24 ws gestation were selected. 150 high-risk women for preterm delivery (as indicated by the history of previous preterm birth or repeated mid-trimesteric abortions) formed the study group and 50 low –risk women constituted the control group with no history of preterm delivery or repeated abortions. The cervical length in these 200 women was measured using transvaginal and transabdominal ultrasound. Results: This study showed that history of previous preterm delivery or repeated abortions increased the incidence of preterm delivery 3 times. The cervical length was found to be lower in high-risk women either measured transvaginally or transabdominally, but it was more easily and more accurately measured using TVS. This study also demonstrated that women with shorter cervices delivered preterm more frequently. This was even more evident in women at high-risk. Thus cervical shortening was considered a risk factor for preterm delivery. Conclusion: The findings of this study therefore suggest that screening of the patients at midpregnancy for cervical length can be a useful method for the prediction of preterm delivery. Thus, it may guide in the risk assessment for pregnant women and in the decision of administration of different measures for the prevention of preterm labour. Transvaginal ultrasonography proved to be more accurate and more useful serving this aim.


This paper documents the source code of "LifeCourse", a simple competing risk microsimulation model initially developed alongside a study on fertility decline in Bulgaria and Russia. "LifeCourse" is programmed in the generic microsimulation language Modgen developed at Statistics Canada. In the context of this contribution, the model is introduced step by step as template for other microsimulation applications and as training tool for demographic microsimulation using Modgen.


From flow charts drawn at the Royal Obsrvatory, Hong Kong, it appears that typhoons commonly develop at airflow discontinuities with Easterlies to the north and Westerlies to the south. Others probably develop within a single airflow, notably N. Pacific Trades, and perhaps N. Indian Westerlies. Typical streamlines in the neighbourhood of typhoons in different localities are presented, and the development and relations of the associated flows are discussed.


In this study, the nonlinear Rayleigh damping is adopted which can depict the excitingduring the initial stage of seismic response, and the decaying after the motion velocity reaches itsmaximum value in the neat stage. Since the governing equation is a nonlinear PDE, the vibrationpattern function is assumed to fulfill all the boundary conditions as a Fourier series withcoefficients to be functions of time variable only. By applying the orthogonality of Fourier series,this nonlinear PDE is deduced to be an infinite system of nonlinear ODEs. By successiveapproximation method, only one unknown function is taken in each computational process whichis a nonhomogeneous van der Pol equation, and its first tWo asymptotic solutions are obtained.Finally, numerical results are given to show the bifurcation of the solutions.


With the development of smart equipment and technologies, vehicular networks (VNs) are expected to have wide-range applications in intelligent transportation system services. The software code in these devices often contains bugs that can be remotely exploited by attackers, so gathering software vulnerabilities information and updating program codes timely in those devices are crucial for network security. To improve the security of VN, a Complete Software Update based on Trust and Priority (CSUTP) scheme is proposed. The scheme includes two processes: one is the process of collecting status information of program codes from devices to data centers and another is the process of disseminating program codes from data centers to devices. When collecting status information of program codes, mobile vehicles pick up the status information with higher priority due to the limited storage space. Furthermore, mobile vehicles can also disseminate the status information to data centers though another mobile vehicles which is with higher trust. Thus, the success arrival ratio and the coverage ratio of collecting status information of program codes are improved. In the process of dissemination program codes, data centers select the mobile vehicles with higher trust and higher coverage ratio to disseminate program codes. The comprehensive experimental results indicate that the performance of CSUTP scheme is better than the random program codes diffusion and collection scheme (RPCDC). The CSUTP scheme increases data coverage ratio by 25%–86.67% and success arrival ratio by 52.119%–93.65%. The ratio of data redundancy in the CSUTP scheme to the RPCDC scheme is about 54.07%–62.061%, and the ratio of dissemination delay in the CSUTP scheme to the RPCDC scheme is about 80.854%–91.492%.


We investigated the orthogonal solvent of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots in order to deposit poly‐TPD hole transport layer without damages and enhance the performances of QD‐LEDs. Using hexane and heptane as nonpolar organic solvent of QDs does not affect poly‐TPD layer has found. 3 mg/ml in hexane shows highest luminance and current efficiency but creates non‐uniform QD‐layer because lower boiling point of hexane. The last we found that even different concentration of QDs in heptane show similar device performance.


It has been observed clinically by the authors that after a porcelain-fused-to-metal restoration in the high bisque bake is adjusted in the patient's mouth, a change in occlusion results from glazing. The purpose of this study was to measure the change in thickness of occlusal porcelain between the high bisque and glazed states. Possible sources of dimensional change have been reported (Phillips, Science of Dental Materials, 7th ed., W. B. Saunders, 1973, pp. 539-544). To simulate the angle and dimension of the central fossa of a maxillary first molar, a conical indentation was machined into 14 identical wax disks. The occlusal slope was 30° with the horizontal, and the intercuspal distance was 6.5 mm (Fig.). The patterns were invested and cast with SMG-2 ceramo-metal. § The castings were cleaned


Keywords: effectiveness of legislation, criteria for assessing the effectiveness oflegislation, copyright, intellectual property
The effectiveness of legislation is its ability to cause for the participants of socialrelations the expected consequences due to the purpose of legal rules, includingthe ability to satisfy the interests of the participants of these relations. Effective legislationis characterized by such features as quality, the ability to act, stability, dynamism,sufficiency. These properties reflect the level of reproduction in legal acts ofthe needs and trends of development of society, technical characteristics of legislation,its ability to comprehensively and optimally determine all the necessary meansof protection and regulation of relations without excessive and unjustified interferencein the behaviour of the subjects of these relations.The Ukrainian copyright system comprises two basic laws: the Civil Code of Ukraineand the Law of Ukraine «On Copyright and Related Rights». In addition, there are anumber of laws that regulate certain areas of creation and use of works. This applies inparticular to architecture, theatres, publishers, media. However, the existence of an extensivesystem of regulations is not a guarantee of the effectiveness of legislation in thefield of copyright which has a number of shortcomings, in particular:•the lack of unification of terminology when in different laws different terms areused for the same phenomenon. For example, the subject of copyright in some cases iscalled «right holder» or «person owning the copyright»;•the presence of collisions when the same aspect of relations is regulated differentlyin different acts. For example, in Art. 29(2) of the Law on copyright the group ofpersons who can protect the inviolability of work after the author's death is limited bythe heirs while Art. 439(2) of the Civil Code includes not only heirs but, also a personauthorized by the author to carry out such protection and other interested persons. InUkraine, there is no clear clarification of which rule is to be applied in case of collisionsthat causes problems in practice;•the presence of outdated provisions that do not correspond to the modern developmentof science, technology, and society, and therefore cannot be effectively applied;
•the presence of provisions that cannot be implemented due to the lack of appropriatelegal mechanisms. These are cases in which the law declares a certain rule orstandard which must act in the manner prescribed by law but, this legal regime doesnot exist. This applies, for example, to the extension of the sui generis right to nonoriginaldatabases mentioned in Art. 10(1)(e) of the Law on copyright, while the legislationcontains no provision for this right;•gaps in the legal regulation associated with the essential needs that have beenobjectively formed in society. Copyright legislation does not contain rules for the useof orphan works, some important exceptions and limitations that exist in many othercountries. Due to these and other gaps, legislation incompletely and non-exhaustivelyregulates relations in the sphere of creation and use of works.This negatively affects the effectiveness of legislation and can significantly complicatelaw enforcement. Therefore, the improvement of copyright law is one of the mostimportant tasks of today.


are a good proxy for the airway epithelium for gene expression, but no study to comprehensively characterized DNA methylation patterns in asthmatic nasal epithelia. We compared genomic methylation patterns and gene expression in nasal epithelia of African American children 10 to 12 years of age with persistent atopic asthma (n = 36) versus healthy control subjects (n = 36) collected by the Inner City Asthma Consortium. Methylation pro fi les were collected on Illumina 450k BeadChips, and gene expression was examined using Agilent ' s human 8 3 60k G3 SurePrint human arrays. Validation of methylation changes was performed by pyrosequencing both in the same cases and control subjects and in an independent set of 30 cases also collected by Inner City Asthma Consortium. demonstrated that 32 (60%) have signi fi cant (q , 0.05) methylation – expression relationships within 5 kb of the gene. Ten loci selected based on the relevance to asthma, magnitude of methylation change, and asthma-speci fi c methylation – expression relationships were validated in an independent cohort of children with asthma. Our ndings that epigenetic marks in respiratory epithelia are associated with allergic asthma in inner-city children provide new for understanding the biology of the disease, developing biomarkers of exposure or disease, and potentially identifying novel therapeutic approaches for this disease. Our bodies house trillions of microbes, with signi fi cant numbers in the upper and lower respiratory tract. Imbalances in airway microbiota have been linked to sinusitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and asthma. We hypothesize that the composition and diversity of airway bacteria may be associated with immune markers of respiratory diseases. We tested this hypothesis by exploring associations between the nasopharyngeal microbiome, as measures of representative bacteria in the upper airways, and seven immune/in fl ammatory quantitative phenotypes in 87 Hutterites, a founder population of European decent. The Hutterite communal farming lifestyle results in environmental exposures that are remarkably similar between individuals. We sequenced the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene and calculated the relative abundance (RA) of each bacterium at the genus level. After subsampling 250,000 reads per individual, bacteria present in at least 75% of individuals were normalized. To reduce multiple testing burden, we fi rst tested for association between the phenotypic value and the fi rst principle component (PC1, 40.67% of the variance). PC1 was associated with chitotriosidase (Chit1) activity ( P = 0.01). We then tested for associations between Chit1 activity and the RA of 91 genera using a linear mixed model to correct for the relatedness among individuals and included sex and date of sampling as covariates. The RAs of seven bacteria ( Veillonella , Rothia , Moraxella , Lactococcus , Gemella and two unclassi fi ed genera of class Bacilli and order Bacillales) were negatively correlated with Chit1 activity (false discovery rate , 5%). Our study indicates the nasopharynx as an accessible airway site to reveal microbiome – respiratory disease associations and suggests that intermediate phenotypes (Chit1 activity) may mediate some of the disease-associated effects of altered airway microbial composition. Our data suggest a symbiotic relationship between host Chit1 activity and the relative abundance of chitinase-producing bacteria in the nose to achieve homeostasis in response to chitin-containing organisms (e.g fungi). Humans express a repertoire of single amino acid genetic variant proteins for surfactant protein (SP)-A1 and SP-A2 that may be associated with certain lung physiology and disease. We have previously shown that SP-A mediates eosinophil degranulation and that certain allelic variants of SP-A2 are dysfunctional in asthma. We therefore hypothesized that variation in SP-A2 at position Gln(Q)223Lys(K) leads to altered regulation of eosinophil activities and that patients with asthma who harbor the minor allele may demonstrate enhanced eosinophilia. SP-A was extracted from the lavage of patients with alveolar proteinosis and genotyped for the SP-A2 223Q/K locus. Genotyped SP-A was incubated with eosinophils in vitro to assess regulation of eosinophil activity. Humanized SP-A transgenic mice were created that represent single allelic variant changes in SP-A2 protein, designated SP-A2 223Q and SP-A2 223K. Humanized mice were challenged in an allergic model to determine the effect of SP-A genetic variation during allergic in fl ammation. We discovered that SP-A2 223Q inhibits eosinophil degranulation and leads to reduced viability of eosinophils in culture conditions. In contrast, SP-A2 223K is unable to attenuate eosinophil degranulation and has no effect on eosinophil viability. Humanized SP-A2 223Q mice have signi fi cantly reduced mucus production in an allergic model compared with SP-A 2 / 2 mice, whereas mice expressing SP-A2 223K were not different from mice that are devoid of SP-A. Additionally, from genotyped samples obtained from subjects with mild to moderate asthma, we discovered that subjects with asthma harboring one or more copies of the minor allele (223K) had a greater percentage of eosinophils in their bronchoalveolar lavage and serum. These studies suggest that genetic variation in SP-A2 at position SP-A2 Gln223Lys is an important mediator of eosinophil activities, which may lead to a more severe asthma phenotype.


By applying hexagonal constellations in 3-dimensional carrierless amplitude-phase modulation, a power gain of up to 1 dB is achieved. However, in bandwidth-limited channels a noise whitening equalizer is necessary.


The authors show that using a phaselocked loop, stable optical pulses can be generated from a monolithic, passively modelocked semiconductor laser. A phase noise of -100dBc/Hz at 46GHz and a pulse width of 1.3ps are achieved, and the limits of the pulse stability using this approach are discussed.


Besides the traditional regression model-based techniques to estimate the gaze angles (GAs) from electrooculography (EOG) signals, more recent works have investigated the use of a battery model for GA estimation. This is a white-box, explicit and physically-driven model which relates the monopolar EOG potential to the electrode-cornea and electrode-retina distances. In this work, this model is augmented to cater for the blink-induced EOG signal characteristics, by modelling the eyelid-induced shunting effect during blinks. Specifically, a channel-dependent parameter representing the extent to which the amount of eyelid opening affects the particular EOG channel is introduced. A method to estimate these parameters is also proposed and the proposed model is validated by incorporating it in a Kalman filter to estimate the eyelid opening during blinks. The results obtained have demonstrated that the proposed model can accurately represent the blink-related eyelid-induced shunting.


Several factors, such as emotion and uncertainty of the outcome, influence decision-making. We assessed decision-making during a risky event (natural hazard, focusing here on two types of volcanic threats) by manipulating the certainty of lethal threat in an information campaign. We hypothesized that the reduction of uncertainty of lethal threat in an information campaign would improve behavior through more suitable choices by reducing the use of emotional choices. In the scenario that occurred in a familiar place, participants who received information with uncertainty of lethal threat presented more emotional and comfortable choices, such as staying at home, rather than detached ones, such as leaving the area. These were either appropriate (for volcanic ash cloud) or inappropriate (for pyroclastic flow). The certainty hypothesis was partially validated, as certainty influenced the quality of choice in the scenarios that took place at home. Furthermore, participants in the volcanic disaster context presented less suitable decisions compared to those in the neutral context, which was discussed in terms of the presence of emotions, such as fear of volcanic eruption. Our results highlight the importance of controlling the comforting emotional aspect of the home environment in any information communication.


The Topic of this paper in The Goverment Policy to Indonesian Farmers Existention Protect. This paper rise issue about how much competitiveness the Yogyakarta Distric Vodimlanden tobacco at the global market and how government will to farmers Existention Protect The Conclusion of this paper is Commodity of the tobacco has high compenteness in the global market that showed PCR and DRC index higher than one and the government policy need to farmers tobacco protected Keywords: competitivenes, government policy, protection


We describe the basic and exceptional calculation abilities of a calculating prodigy whose performances were investigated in single- and multi-digit number multiplication, numerical comparison, raising of powers, and short-term memory tasks. The study shows how the highly efficient long-term memory storage and retrieval processes of this calculating prodigy, his knowledge of calculation algorithms, and his good short-term memory capacity all contribute to his calculation expertise. Moreover, his pattern of performance in tasks based on memory retrieval strategies sheds new light on the problem-size/difficulty effect exhibited by normal subjects in basic arithmetical operations. When direct memory retrieval is the only strategy used by this calculating prodigy to answer a problem, the size of the item and the size of the answer do not affect the response latency. This result supports interpretations of the problem-size/difficulty effect in terms of learning and practice, and challenges interpretations in terms of magnitude itself.


Some of the most efficient and reliable transportation modes for bulk cargo are waterways. This paper discusses the development of an information/communication infrastructure to enclose inland waterways to modern logistic chains. Presented is a model of a Waterway Traffic Management System (WTMS) that provides a telematic application for inland waterways aiming at optimization of traffic and safety of both ship operation and waterway management. WTMS consists of a distributed database and is separated into static, dynamic and voyage related data, where dynamic data is defined as changing data, e.g. position, draught, speed and hydraulic data like flow velocities, whereas static data consists of geographic information of waterways and buildings and voyage related data.


We analyze fundamental issues related to the thermal and electrical stability of a coated conductor during its operation. We address the role of conductive buffer layers in the stability of Ni-based coated conductors, and the effect of a metallic cap layer on the electrical properties of Ni alloy-based superconducting tapes. For the first case we report on the fabrication of a fully conductive RABiTS architecture formed of bilayers of conductive oxides SrRuO/sub 3/ and LaNiO/sub 3/ on textured Ni tapes. For the second case we discuss measurements of current-voltage relations on Ag/YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-/spl delta// and Cu/Ag/YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-/spl delta// prototype multilayers on insulating substrates. Limitations on the overall tape structure and properties that are posed by the stability requirement are presented.


This paper summarizes the development models and experiences of agriculture and forestry industrialization in the world,and analysizes the present patterns and characteristics of agriculture and forestry industrialization.With the continuous change of the national macro control policies,the bio-energy is faced with problems and serious challenges.So it is necessary to seek the successful patterns for bio-energy industrialization and further to study its patterns.In combination with the character of bio-energy industry,the future adoptable patterns,are put forward and a discussion is made of the establishment of the resource base,and the selection of the market system and leading enterprises.


We attempt to clarify the origin of the discrepancy in the singular point between the condensation theory of Born-Green-Rodriguez (BGR) using the integral equation method and that of Mayer using the series expansion method. We interpret the BGR theory as the approximate theory in which Mayer's "frame" is replaced by the "ring" (§ 2). In the framework of Mayer's theory (§ 3), it is shown that the maximum point of the BGR isotherm gives the condensation point, and that the characteristic temperature T m for the BGR gas is absolute zero, and that the singular point of the BGR isotherm is analytically explainable but has no physical meaning (§ § 4 & 5). By applying the results of the author's previous paper to this case, the two-phase separation (the appearance of a "huge" cluster) and the horizontal line (starting from the maximum point of the isotherm) are deduced (§ 6) . In connection with the present problem, some problems on the condensation theory are discussed: [1) A note on the in.gral equation method; 2) the different interpretations of an approxi mation; the rule of equal areas; van der Waals' equation; 3) the analytical properties of the condensation point; 4) the analytical behaviours of condensing systems; 5) the ideal Bose Einstein gas] (§ 7) .


The Master Data Management (MDM) establishment in public sector improves the government administration efficiency by encouraging the resource sharing, data collaboration and citizen-centeredness. Nevertheless, defining master data in public sector organisations during initial activity in establishing the MDM is a very challenging process. Organisations had difficulties in identifying the master data in their organisations due to the unclear definition of master data in the public sector. Furthermore, less attention is given in the existing literatures in the MDM area for public sector. Hence, this study aims to identify and categorise the master data in public sector organisations by using a qualitative approach. It involves participative case studies from nine Malaysia's public sector organisations and experts' opinion to determine and categorise the master data in Malaysia's public sector organisations. The result of this study determines master data in the public sector as core information of the organisation, shareable between business units and focusing on the service delivery to the citizens and generally grouped into three main categories; service providers, services and customers' profile. This study presents a significant contribution to the MDM research area by providing better explanations for master data identification in public sector organisations. With regards to the practical implication, this paper can serve as reference in establishing MDM initiatives in the public sector.


Pogostemon quadrifolius methanolic stem extract (PQMSE) has been investigated as non toxic green corrosion inhibitor for mild steel in 1 M HCl. Corrosion rates were evaluated at 303 K, 313 K and 323 K by weight loss method at varying inhibitor concentrations. Using electrochemical impedence spectroscopy (EIS) and polarisation techniques, corrosion studies were done at 303 K in various inhibitor concentrations. Adsorption studies were also conducted to study the mechanism of corrosion inhibition. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier – transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy were used to study the surface morphology of mild steel. Electrochemical studies reveal that PQMSE exhibit excellent corrosion inhibition efficiency and it function as a mixed type of inhibitor at 303 K. The surface interaction of PQMSE on mild steel in 1 M HCl was obeying Langmiur adsorption isotherm at all studied temperatures.


Renewable energy technology has great potential for generating power at a profitable level that concurrently befriends the environment. However, some technologies come with negative factors that limit its market penetration. For wind power, the quality of the generated power limits its extensive use. The main concern for the quality of wind power installations is the fluctuation of voltage levels, which can be attributed to transient states where of the wind turbine generators are first connected to the grid, steady-state levels attributed to the inherent nature of injecting power to the grid, momentary disruptions due to wind gusts and general wind speed variations. This paper adopts the one cycle control (OCC) method in a series connection topology, which here acts as a unified voltage quality conditioner (UVQC), to deal with most of the problems identified above. The new OCC-UVQC has many advantages including no reference calculation resulting in great simplicity, fast transient response, high precision, and a constant switching frequency. The principle of the proposed UVQC is provided in detail. The performance of the voltage quality improvement to the wind turbine is verified to be excellent with the provided experimental waveforms.


The clinical data of 32 cases received operation after radical radiotherapy were analyzed retrospectively. The tumor dose of external irradiation and brachytherapy were 50~55 Gy and 50 Gy/10weeks, respectively. 2 to 4 weeks after radiotherapy, all the patients received operation. 22 cases received total hysterectomy and Salpingo-oophorectomy, 8 cases received subradical hysterectomy, while 2cases received radical hysterectomy. Among all cases, 10 patients were treated with selective pelvic lymphadenectomy and 6 patients were treated with extensive pelvic lymphadenectomy. Results the pathological results revealed that there was no tumor remnant in 28 patients, no case had positive lymph node and all the incisal edges were negative. The three-year and five-year survival rate was 94.4% (17/18) and 71.4% (10/14), respectively.


Taking Padus virginianaleaves powder after cleaning,drying,crushing and sieving as raw material,the effect of ethanol concentration,extraction time,solid-liquid ratio,temperature on the extraction rate of flavonoids in Padus virginianaleaves were studied,and on the basis of single factor experiment,the effect of different extraction conditions on the extraction rate of flavonoids in Padus virginianaleaves were studied using response surface experiment.The results showed that the optimization technological conditions of extraction process of flavonoids in Padusv irginianaleaves were : ethanol concentration 70%,extraction time 80min,ratio of liquid to solid 40∶1mL/g,extraction temperature 60℃.


Abstract In our attempts to develop nucleoside analogues with selective antiviral activity we have envisaged the following targets : viral DNA polymerase (whether or not via viral dThd kinase), reverse transcriptase, AdoHcy hydrolase, dTMP synthetase, OMP decarboxylase and CTP synthetase


Fiorello and co-authors touch on various important issues, and the focus of my commentary is not on whether their specific methods or reasoning justify their conclusions. Rather, it is on what I consider general, overriding concepts that direct and drive such important efforts to better understand the nature of human cognitive and intellectual capability and thereby improve assessment and intervention. More specifically, I will start with commentary on certain of Fiorello et al.'s basic assumptions, or what might be considered assertions about strategies for psychological study and conceptual analysis. I will then discuss four additional issues: (a) classification, (b) ''treatment validity,'' which I deem of paramount concern when our ultimate aim is to better the lot of those we assess, (c) whether, or the extent to which, assessment techniques that enhance treatment validity will depend on strategies that are theoretically driven or attempt to emphasize understanding of the individual, and (d) relations between intellectual structure and function. It seems that cleaning up and sharpening these types of broader or overriding problems could provide a more productive platform for promoting advance on a variety of the more specific issues that Fiorello et al. raise.


For the problem of segmenting the unevenly lighted document image, this paper proposes an illumination compensation segmentation algorithm which can effectively segment the unevenly lighted document. The illumination compensation method is proposed to equivalently convert unevenly lighted document image to evenly lighted document image, then segment the evenly lighted document directly. Experimental results show that the proposed method can get the accurate evenly lighted document images so that we can segment the document accurately and it is more efficient to process unevenly lighted document  images than traditional binarization methods. The algorithm effectively overcomes the difficulty in handling uneven lighting and enhances segmentation quality considerably. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11591/telkomnika.v11i7.2932


Background: The detection of ischemia prior to infarction is a challenging concept. Studies have shown ischemia modified albumin (IMA) to be a sensitive marker of ischemia, and it has been suggested that IMA could be an early marker to help detect ischemic stroke and ruling out patients with acute coronary syndrome. The free rad icals generated in the Fenton reaction cause damage to the N terminal of albumin, this damage ca uses a reduction in the binding affinity of albumin for transitional metals (e.g. cobalt). The reduced binding affinity of albumin for transitiona l metals is the principle of some measurement methods for i chemia modified albumin (IMA). We set out to determine whether IMA could be used as a bio marker of oxidative stress in suspected subclinical ischemic episodes in hypertensive black Za mbian. Materials and method: A total of 63 study participants were enrolled, 42 were hypertensive (21 without stroke and 21 with stroke), and 21 were normotensive age matched controls. Ischemia mo dified albumin levels were measured in all the study participants using IMA ELISA assay. Statistic al analysis was done using SPSS (version 23) to compare the mean difference in IMA levels between t he participants. ANOVA test and Student's t test were used to detect any significant differences in mean IMA levels among the three study groups. Results: Participants with hypertension and stroke had a mea n IMA level of 10.721 ng/mL, those with hypertension only had 10.15 ng/mL while the normote nsive controls had 6.723 ng/mL. ANOVA showed a significant difference in mean serum IMA b etween the three groups (F=85.259). The student t test showed a significant difference between hype rtensives and the controls (t=12.833, p<0.0002)) but not between the hypertensives with stroke and w ithout stroke (t=1.679). Conclusion: Mean IMA levels were higher in hypertensives and hypertensives with stroke than i n ormotensives. However, IMA levels in hypertensives with stroke and hyperte nsives only were not statistically different; suggesting that IMA levels could not be used to pre dict which hypertensive patient was more at risk of developing stroke. Further, stroke in our black Zam bians may be caused more by hemorrahagic rather than ischemic episodes


From the beginning of the hemodialytic era, it was evident that maintaining an adequate vascular access (VA) plays a pivotal role in the final performance of dialytic treatment. As reviewed by Feldman et al (1), complications associated with hemodialysis (HD) VA represent one of the most important causes of morbidity and mortality among end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients in the US today. VA-related failures represent 20-30% of all hospitalizations in these patients, and the costs exceed $1 billion per year. The situation is probably slightly better in Europe due to the higher rates of VA performed with native vessels instead of synthetic grafts, as demonstrated by the DOPPS Study (2). The most important cause of VA failure is represented by thrombosis (80-85%) (3, 4). Clinically, VA thrombosis can be classified as early, sudden-unexpected and delayed. Early thrombosis occurs during the first week after VA construction: it can be due to technical errors, perioperative complications or anatomic characteristics of the vessels, prolonged vascular spasms and hypercoagulability. In this situation VA can be recovered only by surgery. The sudden-unexpected thrombosis occurs in a perfectly working VA without any signs of alarm, and it is caused by excessive dialytic dehydration, by extrinsic compression such as perivasal hematoma or vigorous compression of the puncture site after the dialysis sessions, by ineffective dialytic anticoagulation and by an uncorrected arm position during sleep. Coadjutant factors are represented by reduced cardiac output, low albumin level, diabetes, anticardiolipin antibodies, and high hematocrit levels due to erythropoietin supplementation. The sudden-unexpected thrombosis can be treated by both surgery and by interventional radiology. Delayed VA thrombosis generally occurs over 3 months from VA construction and it is the more important factor affecting VA survival. The more important coadjutant factor is represented by venous stenosis (>80% of VA thrombosis). VA stenosis and thrombosis are strictly related and they can be treated simultaneously. Two different medical approaches are possible: waiting for the development of the thrombosis or acting directly on the stenosis when detected during the VA follow-up. In both it is an important multidisciplinary approach, involving nephrologists, the vascular surgeon and the interventional radiologist. In our opinion, better results are obtained with vascular surgery: Maya and Allon (5) evaluated whether graft patency following thrombectomy is improved by the placement of a stent in the stenotic lesion. Primary and secondary graft patency rates were, respectively, 27 and 46 days after angioplasty, leading to 85 and 1215 days if a stent was placed at the venous anastomosis. Other studies have reported a primary and secondary patency rate at 1 yr of 20-30% and 40-45%, respectively, after interventional radiology (6). Better results were obtained by Turmel-Rodrigues et al (7) both in upper limb native fistulae and in prosthetic grafts, with primary and secondary patency rates at 1 yr of 50% and 80%, respectively. Interventional radiology was also significantly associated with restenosis (adjusted relative risk being 2.77-fold higher, p=0.009) than surgery (8). Instead, cumulative patency 1, 2 and 3 yrs after elective surgery was 75-87%, 60-79% and 46-74% (9, 10), and a meta-analysis of Green et al has found that the use of endovascular techniques is in-


Chondrosarcoma is an uncommon primary neoplasm of bone. Plain radiographs often reveal characteristic appearance. However, in some cases the complex anatomy and extent of the lesion cannot be clearly depicted on conventional radiography. In such cases, high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and magnetic resonance image (MRI) may be helpful. In this case report, HRCT and MRI were able to demonstrate the exact extent and features of chondrosarcoma.


This paper analyzes the $3^N \times 3^N $ selfadjoint matrix\[ H_N = \sum\limits_{j = 1}^{N - 1} S_x^{( j)} S_x^{( j + 1 )} + S_y^{( j )} S_y^{( j + 1 )} + S_z^{( j )} S_z^{( j + 1 )} , \] the Hamiltonian of a spin-1, one-dimensional, Heisenberg antiferromagnet. Various results are obtained, including alternative representations of $H_N $, families of operators commuting with $H_N $, a complete description of the spin-0 subspace (which includes all one- and two-dimensional eigenspaces of $H_N $), and a proof that $H_N $ must have an eigenvalue smaller than $ - \frac{4}{3}( N - 1 )$.


In this paper the results of one year of effort to develop the production technology of LuAP crystals will be presented. As already advertised since several years Lu based compounds doped with trivalent Ce which show fast and bright scintillation seem to be the most promising scintillators for a new generation of PET scanners. Two crystals. namely LSO:Ce and LuAP:Ce are already in the phase of mass production technology development but there is still an interest to search for materials with better combination of price/performance. As already mentioned in our contribution to the IEEE2000 conference in Lyon, the Crystal Clear Collaboration strategy is to look for a host where Lutetium is associated to another heavy cation to reduce the cost of the material. In our present study we paid attention to the compounds containing rare earth and Ba, Zr, Hf, which being doped with Ce show a very bright and fast luminescence in the blue-green region. Materials have been synthetized with a the same time an increase of the effective charge of the host matrix and a decrease or even a complete suppression of the Lu fraction. In our report we discuss spectroscopic and scintillation properties of several new heavy compounds such as Lu/sub 2/Hf/sub 2/O/sub 7/, La/sub 2/Hf/sub 2/O/sub 7/ and Ba/sub 3/Lu/sub 4/O/sub 9/ doped with Ce and the possibilities of their industrial production.


Summary The N, P and K contents of leaves, straw and grain of the durum wheat Kyperounda, the aestivum wheat Pitic 62 and Athenais barley under semi-arid conditions (150–400 mm) as influenced by N and P fertilizers are reported (N rates: 0–105 kg/ha; P rates: 0–26 kg/ha). Fertilizer N increased linearly the N content of the leaves, straw and grain as well as the K content of leaves and straw, but slightly reduced P content of the grain. Straw K content was increased relatively more in Athenais barley. Such increases of N and K content occurred beyond the N rates giving maximum grain and sheaf yields. Increased K content of the straw resulting from fertilizer N is wasteful where the straw is removed, and accelerates depletion of soil K. Durum wheat grain containing more than 2–8% N showed less than 6% yellow berry (mealy grains) but at lower N contents yellow berry could be high or low depending on location. Fertilizer P did not significantly influence the P content of any of the components analysed even though it increased grain and straw yields, particularly in the drier years.


The main attraction of the CLEAN technique is its simple algorithm, but in its previously existing form it is still too complex to be implemented in real time in a small phased array. A more effective CLEAN version is proposed for small realtime phased array systems based on relatively low-performance digital signal processors, and it is shown how real-time null steering may be achieved.


This report analyzes an efficient ensemble regularization algorithm for under‐resolved and convection dominated flows (including ones at higher Reynolds numbers). Computing an ensemble simultaneously allows each realization to access ensemble data. This allows use of means and fluctuations in regularizations used for each realization. The combined approach of ensemble time stepping and ensemble regularizations allows direct calculation of the turbulent viscosity coefficient and gives an unconditionally stable algorithm. It also suggests reconsidering an old but not as well‐developed definition of the mixing length. This mixing length vanishes at solid walls without van Driest damping, increases stability, and improves flow predictions in our preliminary tests. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 31: 630–651, 2015


© The Authors • Journal compilation © Blackwell Verlag, Berlin • JDDG • 1610-0379/2007/0501-0037 JDDG | 1 ̇2007 (Band 5) Introduction and Definition Diabetes mellitus describes a metabolic disorder of multiple etiologies that is characterized by continually elevated levels of blood glucose (hyperglycemia) or by transitory inadequate utilization of ingested glucose. Diabetes is distinguished from the pre-diabetic state in impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and impaired fasting glucose, (IFG), which cannot be diagnostically categorized as either normoglycemia or diabetes mellitus. Diabetes mellitus is caused by absolute or relative insulin deficiency [1–3]. In Germany, the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (all types) is about 5 % [4], and it can be assumed that the prevalence of people who have not yet been diagnosed is also high. In recent years, the incidence and prevalence of diabetes (diabetes epidemic) has been rising worldwide. The increase in industrialized nations is especially high [2], with diabetes and accompanying and secondary disease accounting for 5–10 % of healthcare system costs. The most recent WHO classification from 1999 (Table 1) distinguishes four types of diabetes mellitus based on etiology [3].


Parasitic resistance existing in battery detection process is a key factor which affects on-line battery detection accuracy and rate, therefore how to eliminate influence of parasitic resistance on on-line battery detection accuracy and rate is discussed in this paper. A measurement technique based on constant-current source and four-terminal measurement is put forwards to overcome the shortcomings of current on-line battery detection technique, such as slow detection rate and low detection accuracy caused by parasitic resistance, and the hardware implementation of this detection scheme is described in detail. Experimental data analysis demonstrated that the detection technology had eliminated effect of parasitic resistance on on-line battery detection accuracy and rate. The detection technology had remarkably improved the detection accuracy and rate, and requirements of battery manufacturers are met on on-line battery detection accuracy and rate. This detection technology not only provides a method to improve on-line battery detection accuracy and rate, but also offers a new theoretical method to measure short-circuit current of battery accurately.


In the light of the present situation that the steel flow weir plate and baffle plate equipped in the circulating water system of the gas-making plant of Chinese Aluminum Company Shanxi Branch have been corroded seriously, this paper puts forward the replacing scheme of the hard PVC plastic plate, and analyzes on the features, service life, application prospect and economic benefit of the hard PVC plastic.


Marked distension of the bile ducts was associated with various stages of a protozoan life-cycle which were identified as schizogony and gametogony. The bile ducts contained oocysts some of which were sporulated and had four sporocysts, each with two sporozoites, thus conforming to the genus Eimeria. This is the first report of a coccidian parasite in the bile duct epithelial cells of birds. It is proposed that this coccidia be named Eimeria grallinida ns.


We introduce a phase sensitive, dynamic and long range fiber-optic sensing system with fully distributed audio recording capabilities. The proposed system implements a recently developed OFDR design, which is based on double interrogation of a sensing fiber with equally-spaced discrete reflectors. In this paper, the ability of each sensing segment to operate as an independent, purely optical audio recorder with little cross-talk artifacts is demonstrated.


A new method is presented for strengthening multi beam bridge with big external girders. The stiffness and cross section of external girder can be increased with this method. This method is convenient to engage in construction. This method can improves load distribution effectively, reduces live load of internal beam and increases bridge carrying capacity. The theory of General Elastic Supported Continuous Beam in skew girder bridge is developed to analyze transverse load distribution of right bridge. Server conclusions are obtained.


Gravitational wave (GW) detectors operating on a long time range can be used for the study of space distribution of sources of GW bursts or to put strong upper limits on the GW signal of a wide class of source candidates. For this purpose we propose here a sidereal time analysis to analyze the output signal of GW detectors. Using the characteristics of some existing detectors, we demonstrate the capability of the sidereal time analysis to give a clear signature of different localizations of GW sources: the Galactic Center, the Galactic Plane, the Supergalactic plane, the Great Attractor. On the contrary, a homogeneous 3D-distribution of GW sources gives a signal without features. In this paper we consider tensor gravitational waves with randomly oriented polarization. We consider GW detectors at fixed positions on the Earth, and afixed orientation of the antenna.


The optimality of the Karhunen Loeve (KL) transform is well known. Since its basis is the eigenvector set of the covariance matrix, a statistical, not functional, representation of the variance in pattern ensembles is generated. By using the KL transform coefficients as a natural feature representation of a character image, the eigenvector set can be regarded as an unsupervised biological feature extractor for a (neural) classifier. The covariance matrix and its eigenvectors are obtained from 76,753 handwritten digits. This operation is a unique expense; once the basis set is calculated it forms a linear first layer of a three weight layer feed forward network. The subsequent nonlinear perceptron layers are trained using a scaled conjugate gradient algorithm that typically affords an order of magnitude reduction in computation over the ubiquitous back-propagation algorithm. In conjunction with a massively parallel computer, training is expedited such that tens of initially different random weight sets are trained and evaluated. Increase in training set size (up to 76,755 patterns) gives less accurate learning but improved generalization on the fixed disjoint test set. A neural classifier is realized that recognizes 96.1% of 15,000 handwritten digits from 944 different writers. This recognition is attributed to the energy compaction optimality of the KL transform.


Jacking forces required to advance pipe string in rocks are primarily controlled by the self-weight of the pipe, cutting resistance at the face, rock load induced friction around the pipe circumference and resistance to machine advance from a loosened rock wedge at the front face of the advancing pipe bore. This paper discusses application of analytical and finite element approaches to predict jacking forces in rock strata, which varied from medium strong to strong jointed blocky rock mass for a 3.8 km long gravity sewer in Brisbane, Australia. In stronger and distinctly jointed rock mass, the number of joint sets, their spacing and orientation with respect to the pipe alignment were found to be key factors influencing the rock loads on the pipe. Detailed interpretation of site investigation and testing data was undertaken to estimate strength, hardness and spatial properties of the rock mass and discontinuities. Combined effect of pipe self-weight friction, and resistance at the face and around the pipe were assessed to determine safe and economic length of jacking drives.


The service life of material has close relation with its corrosion resistance. Thus, the investigation on corrosion behavior is important for the better use of the material. The corrosion behavior of copper alloy deformed with different techniques in SO, and NaCl fog corrosion environment was investigated using SEM and weight - loss measurements. The results showed that the weight-loss rate of alloy increased with exposure lime in NaCl fog environment, and the cold worked sample specimen had higher corrosive rate than non - cold worked specimen. When exposure time was up to 12 days, the margin for weight -loss was 1.68 g/m2 which was between two kinds of specimens. In contrast, the weight-loss rate decreased with the exposure time in SO, corrosion environment, and the cold worked specimen sample had lower corrosion rate than non - cold worked one. In addition, when exposure time was up to 4 days, the margin for weight- loss was 3. 826 g/m2 which was between two kinds of samples.