The transport of oil spilled upon the wintertime Arctic Ocean is modelled. As the motion of this oil is almost wholly due to its advection by sea ice, it is sufficient to study the motion of individual ice floes. The observational basis for our understanding of sea ice motion comes from the trajectories of such individual floes. In this study we envision an ensemble of independent trajectories emanating from a potential site of spilled oil. This ensemble is modelled by a Markov process and is formulated in terms of the observed motion. Statistics of the modelled ensemble address the probability that an oil spill will be transported to an arbitrary region, perhaps an environmentally sensitive one. Results are shown for potential spills at Prudhoe Bay and Peard Bay.


The authors do an excellent job of making us think.1 I agree that the annual appraisal session is totally inappropriate for enquiry …


[Acquisitions] Ci-apres, une selection d'ouvrages entres en 2014 sur l'Afrique de l'Est. Bonne lecture! Generalites The Quest for Press Freedom: One Hundred Years of History of the Media in Ethiopia, Reta Meseret Chekol, 2013 Religion Animism of the Nilotics and discourses of Islamic fundamentalism in Sudan, Kuel Maluil Jok, 2010 Sciences sociales Democratic transition in East Africa, 2011 Nomads in the shadows of empires, by Gufu Oba, 2013 Contesting visibility. Photographic practices on the...


Letter from Lee W. Bailey to the editor of the Journal of Near-Death Studies on the topic "Review of The Near-Death Experience: A Reader."


Objective To research the effects of aspirin plus leibeirazole (LBLZ) in the treatment of acute cerebral infarction (ACI).Methods Thirty-one ACI patients were divided into two groups. Treatment group received aspirin and LBLZ,contral group only received aspirin treatment. NIHSS,Fugl-Meyer and SF before and affer treatment in groups of patients were observed and analyzed.Results The treatment group is lower than the control group in NIHSS and is higher in Fugl-Meyer and SF. The two groups had significant difference (P0.05).Conclusion LBLZ can improve neurologic function,and play a posttive role in the treatment of ACI.


10 PRACTICAL DIABETES Vol. 38 No. 1 Copyright © 2021 John Wiley & Sons A 84-year-old woman with type 2 diabetes for 13 years became generally unwell; long-term control of her diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidaemia was poor. Investigations revealed a chest infection and her creatinine had risen from 111 to 429μmol/L over seven days (Table 1). Plasma osmolality, and urine ketone levels were normal. She had taken a stable dose of perindopril for several years and was not taking any other nephrotoxic drugs. She had not been obviously hypotensive or hypovolaemic; renal ultrasound was normal. She had a previous history of breast cancer and deep vein thrombosis. She had recently been dyspnoeic with clear chest X-ray but raised D-dimer (1241ng/ml); computed tomography pulmonary angiogram (CTPA) was performed three days before admission with prior eGFR 46ml/min/1.73m2 and creatinine level 111μmol/L. She fulfilled the criteria for contrast induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI), i.e. an increase in serum creatinine of 25% or 26.5μmol/L, a temporal relationship to the contrast agent (generally two to three days), and other causes of renal impairment excluded.1,2 Risk factors for CI-AKI2,3 are: age; female gender; diabetes mellitus; hypertension; renal impairment; heart failure; myeloma; albuminuria; anaemia; hypovolaemia; nephrotoxic drugs; hypoalbuminaemia; higher glucose level; and higher LDL level. The patient had several risk factors: age, gender, diabetes, hypertension, renal impairment, hyperglycaemia, raised LDL level, and ACE inhibitor use. Characteristics of the contrast (intra-arterial, non-ionic, hyperosmolar or larger volumes) also increase the risk of CI-AKI,1–3 but modern weight-based contrast dosing minimises this. Some risk factors can be modified, some cannot. Lower baseline renal function increases the risk of CI-AKI. An eGFR of 45ml/min/1.73m2 was often taken as a cut off for using intravenous contrast.1 In elderly patients, the Cockcroft Gault formula may be closer to the glomerular filtration rate than the formulae used by the laboratories4 but this patient's baseline Cockcroft Gault eGFR was identical: 46ml/ min/1.73m2. Different guidelines give different eGFR thresholds from 30 to 60ml/min/1.73m2 for developing CI-AKI.5 Risk stratification models, often derived from cardiology patients with intra-arterial contrast and cardiac disease (both CI-AKI risk factors), may be inappropriate for other patients.6 To avoid CI-AKI, one can consider other imaging modalities, hold potentially nephrotoxic drugs 24 hours before contrast, preload with intravenous normal saline and use safest contrast.2,3 Systematic community control of glucose, cholesterol and blood pressure might have helped this patient; there was no time to achieve this as an inpatient since pulmonary emboli on CTPA can disappear within 48 hours. Treatment is avoidance, general support, and hydration; dialysis removes contrast,7 but is rarely required. The management of metformin with contrast is controversial. The Royal College of Radiologists3 cites a lack of valid evidence regarding metformin-associated lactic acidosis due to contrast, but suggests that if the eGFR is under 60, the clinician and radiologist should liaise regarding temporary metformin cessation. Other guidance8 suggests holding the metformin if eGFR is under 30 and restarting it if eGFR is unchanged, which contrasts to the metformin Summary of Product Characteristics9 that advises avoiding metformin at this eGFR and halting metformin in conditions that might alter renal function. In conclusion, contrast enhanced scans provide much useful information, but one must be aware of the hazards and their risk factors; liaison with the radiology department is invaluable.


Context. There is still no consensus about progenitor masses of type IIP supernovae. Aims. We study a normal type IIP SN 1999em in detail and compare it to a peculiar type IIP SN 1987A. Methods. We computed the hydrodynamic and time-dependent atmosphere models interpreting simultaneously both the photometric and spectroscopic observations. Results. The bolometric light curve of SN 1999em and the spectral evolution of its H α  line are consistent with a presupernova radius of 500  ± $200~R_{\odot}$, an ejecta mass of 19.0  ± $1.2~M_{\odot}$, an explosion energy of $(1.3\pm0.1)$ $\times$ 10 51  erg, and a radioactive 56 Ni mass of 0.036  ± $0.009~M_{\odot}$. A mutual mixing of hydrogen-rich and helium-rich matter in the inner layers of the ejecta guarantees a good fit of the calculated light curve to that observed. Based on the hydrodynamic models in the vicinity of the optimal model, we derive the approximate relationships between the basic physical and observed parameters. The hydrodynamic and atmosphere models of SN 1999em are inconsistent with the short distance of 7.85 Mpc to the host galaxy. Conclusions. We find that the hydrogen recombination in the atmosphere of a normal type IIP SN 1999em, as well as most likely other type IIP supernovae at the photospheric epoch, is essentially a time-dependent phenomenon. It is also shown that in normal type IIP supernovae the homologous expansion of the ejecta in its atmosphere takes place starting from nearly the third day after the supernova explosion. A comparison of SN 1999em with SN 1987A reveals two very important results for supernova theory. First, the comparability of the helium core masses and the explosion energies implies a unique explosion mechanism for these core collapse supernovae. Second, the optimal model for SN 1999em is characterized by a weaker 56 Ni mixing up to ≈ 660 km s -1 compared to a moderate 56 Ni mixing up to ~3000 km s -1 in SN 1987A, hydrogen being mixed deeply downward to ~650 km s -1 .


The intracranial distribution of the cephalic branches of the superior cervical ganglion (scg) was studied in mice using indocarbocyanine dye (DiI) anterograde tracing. Two main branches were traced from the scg. The first branch joined the nerve of the pterygoid canal (the vidian nerve), npc, from which several intracranial sympathetic branches passed to the branches of the trigeminal nerve (tgn), abducent nerve (abn), trochlear nerve (trn), and oculomotor nerve (ocn). Most of the second branch joined the abn, from which sympathetic fibers dispersed in the distal region of the trigeminal ganglion (tgg) to form a plexus close to the ganglion's branches. Branches from this plexus joined the branches of the tgn, trn, and ocn. Several minor branches arising from the second branch of the scg were also observed. One formed a sympathetic plexus around the internal carotid artery (ica); a second formed a sympathetic plexus in the proximal region of tgg, close to its root; and a third branch coursed laterally to reach the ear by passing along the greater petrosal nerve (gpn). All of the intracranial trajectories traced from scg were found to be catecholaminergic, and likely sympathetic, using tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunocytochemistry. Anat Rec 263:99–111, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Autologous serum eye drops (ASEDs) have been used to treat many eye diseases. However, there are no standardized guidelines for the production and quality control (QC) of ASEDs in Korea. Our aim was to propose standardized guidelines for the production and QC of ASEDs.


Simple Summary For proton therapy, verification CT (vCT) scans are routinely acquired to ensure the accuracy and precision of treatment delivery, as this approach allows clinicians to monitor and adapt treatment plans based on potential changes to the patient's anatomy and tumor. This study investigates synthetic CT's (sCT) potential as an alternative to vCT scans, focusing on its reliability across various treatment sites. Synthetic CT could offer a more efficient approach and possibly enhance patient experience by reducing the necessity for frequent vCT scans. The consistency between sCT and vCT in terms of image quality and dosimetric impact is crucial. It will allow clinicians to monitor and adjust treatment plans promptly and more accurately based on patients' anatomical changes, potentially optimizing treatment processes and outcomes. The insights from this study are pivotal for refining clinical practices and fostering advancements in treatment strategies, ultimately aiming at precision and accuracy in adaptive treatment. Abstract Purpose: The study evaluates the efficacy of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT)-based synthetic CTs (sCT) as a potential alternative to verification CT (vCT) for enhanced treatment monitoring and early adaptation in proton therapy. Methods: Seven common treatment sites were studied. Two sets of sCT per case were generated: direct-deformed (DD) sCT and image-correction (IC) sCT. The image qualities and dosimetric impact of the sCT were compared to the same-day vCT. Results: The sCT agreed with vCT in regions of homogeneous tissues such as the brain and breast; however, notable discrepancies were observed in the thorax and abdomen. The sCT outliers existed for DD sCT when there was an anatomy change and for IC sCT in low-density regions. The target coverage exhibited less than a 5% variance in most DD and IC sCT cases when compared to vCT. The Dmax of serial organ-at-risk (OAR) in sCT plans shows greater deviation from vCT than small-volume dose metrics (D0.1cc). The parallel OAR volumetric and mean doses remained consistent, with average deviations below 1.5%. Conclusion: The use of sCT enables precise treatment and prompt early adaptation for proton therapy. The quality assurance of sCT is mandatory in the early stage of clinical implementation.


We propose a new algorithm for recovery of sparse signals from their compressively sensed samples. The proposed algorithm benefits from the strategy of gradual movement to estimate the positions of non-zero samples of sparse signal. We decompose each sample of signal into two variables, namely "value" and "detector", by a weighted exponential function. We update these new variables using gradient descent method. Like the traditional compressed sensing algorithms, the first variable is used to solve the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (Lasso) problem. As a new strategy, the second variable participates in the regularization term of the Lasso (l1 norm) that gradually detects the non-zero elements. The presence of the second variable enables us to extend the corresponding vector of the first variable to matrix form. This makes possible use of the correlation matrix for a heuristic search in the case that there are correlations among the samples of signal. We compare the performance of the new algorithm with various algorithms for uncorrelated and correlated sparsity. The results indicate the efficiency of the proposed methods.


A novel chitinase gene SCCHI1 from sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) was cloned in silico based on the corresponding sugarcane EST sequences in NCBI database.Some characters of amino acids encoded by SCCHI1 gene,including the composition of amino acid sequence,physical and chemical properties,transmembrane domain,hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity,subcellular localization,secondary and tertiary structure of protein plus the functional domain,were analyzed by bioinformatics tools.Bioinformatic analysis showed that the full-length SCCHI1 gene from sugarcane was 1 236 bp and it contained a complete ORF which encoded 329 amino acids.Furthermore,SCCHI1 belonged to glycoside hydrolase family 19 and contained a N-terminal signal peptide,a hinge region and a catalytic domain,which was highly conservative among chitinases from several different plant species.The results above provided some references for experimental cloning of SCCHI1 gene from sugarcane,identification and its application.


The article analyzes the definition of the communicative function of law from the point of view of legal communication between the dependent legal systems of the former colonies. In this context, the "evergreen issue" arises about legal transplantation, the legal transfer of norms and institutions and reception of nomadic legal constructs. The modern comparative lexicon uses three types of metaphors related to the interaction of legal systems and their law hybridization: anthropomorphic, communicative and mechanical metaphors. Among the best-known cases of legal transplantation, the authors pay attention to the spread of codes, the diffusion of common law, and the emergence of mixed legal systems. They explore the positivist concept of "legal transplants," which appeared in comparative discourse thanks to the theory of Alan Watson. The article discusses the comparative opposition to this theory — the so-called cultural concept of legal transplants (transferists vs. culturalist debate), as well as the musical metaphor "legal transposition" and the process of diffusion of law in dependent legal systems. The practice of legal transplants in mixed common law systems and their application in practice are analyzed in national jurisdictions. The article shows criminal legal bijuridism and the process of the so-called "diffuse codification" in India, Canada, Australia and other British former colonies, which is an example of codistics communication of dissimilar political and legal cultures and circulation of model codes between them. In conclusion, attention is drawn to the discourse of the effectiveness, applicability and effectiveness of transplants. It is concluded that the success — failure discourse of legal transplants depends on the degree of communicativeness of transplanted and receptive constructs, their ability to "speak" in an understandable language for the host cultural environment of law.


This paper presents a discussion about some issues relating to constitution and documentation of as-built drawings and documentation after completed construction of the railway projects, such as, basis, constitutional principles, contents for as-built drawings and documentation, reasons for existed problems and methods for solved problems, etc. for the reference of the concerned persons and civil engineers who has interest in.


Blockchain and IoT technology has been gaining importance globally in different domain at future perspective. It has gained enormous attention with a great interest in a surfeit of various applications varying from financial services, security analysis, food, agriculture to health industry. Among the fast growing sectors, pharmaceutical industry acclaims to be the major forefront of the healthcare delivery in a largest aspect. There embarks the need of utilizing applications of IoT and Blockchain for safe delivery of healthcare management. The pharmaceutical sector helps in delivery of potential drugs at the outset of growth of medical science into the market. The need of safety and proper validation of the products of medical drugs sold to the consumers had to be taken care of much evaluation. Blockchain and IoT use cases provides the need of security of drugs and also delivery at the right time without the false interaction. In this review paper complete analysis of development in the healthcare associated with the pharmaceutical industry is done by the approach of implementation of Blockchain and IoT. This paper projects the applications of the domain with the future analysis and also the challenges in demand.


The theory, means, classification and application of the simple performance test method used for testing automobile exhaust was expounded, and an applicable way to Beijing's automobile exhaust test was provided.


Granular synthesis is a form of audio synthesis that consists of breaking audio into tiny millisecond chucks. This paper describes the EGDE system. EGDE (Evolutionary Granular Delay Environment) is a software plug-in that permits its granular delay effects to be time synchronized with the host application. Its interface features an interactive genetic algorithm, to be used for user exploration of granular synthesis parameters. Interactive evolution is ideal in this application, as it permits a user to interactively explore a wide variety of effects that arise with different combinations of the granular delay parameters. A goal of EGDE is to provide a granular synthesis interface with an intuitive and efficient means of auditioning and rating effect parameters, while minimizing user exhaustion. This is particularly important with a granular synthesis, since many parameter settings will be undesirable to most listeners. Typically, each parameter set in the population can be auditioned in a matter of a few seconds or less. A minimalist 3-value evaluation scheme lets the user either clone, use, or delete candidate parameter sets. Mutation and crossover rates can also be fine tuned as desired. The interface lets the user directly tweak parameters, thus permitting direct user editing of chromosomes. The evolutionary interface could be easily adapted to other musical applications in the future, for example, generalized synthesis engines.


Ferrocement is cement mortar heavily reinforced with thin section mild steel meshes in multiple layers. Ferrocement is usually used in thin sections. This material has come under widespread use during the last two decades. It has been used in the construction of boats, silos, bio-gas holders, houses, water tanks and other such, structures. For rational design in ferrocement, engineering design properties of ferrocement are necessary. This paper presents the results of tests on ferrocement under uniaxial tension and compression. This paper is based on author's experimental work.


Electric Field Induced Second Harmonic GEneration (EFISH) and the electro-optic Kerr effect were applied to solutions of double stranded DNA, in which the average strand length varied from 2958 base pairs to 140 base pairs. This size range covers the transition from the `rod-like' model (which applies to samples < about 300 base pairs) to the `worm- like' model. In both these electro-optic measurements the electric dipole moment is primarily ionic in nature, and shows a saturating length dependence, although saturation occurred at different lengths. Saturation occurred at longer lengths for EFISH than for the Kerr effect.


A new robust synchronization mechanism to detect the phase angle of the positive sequence of the supply voltage system is proposed. The algorithm relies on a feed-forward action to guarantee high dynamic performance and on a feedback action to reduce to zero the errors on the estimation due to the line frequency variations; this last have the structure of a q-phase locked loop (qPLL). A control model of the proposed PLL system is developed and recommendations are given to tune its parameters under asymmetrical and distorted utility conditions. The proposed system has been compared with the most widespread classical structures by means of simulations.


Human beings are incredibly inventive tool users: give some of us a pen, and we might become the next Shakespeare or Michelangelo. However, some of us will start scrawling obscene messages on bathroom walls. The Internet is a tool like any other. As we learn to use it, we are beginning to understand its amazing potential for good—to inform, to enlighten and to connect us to our global community. Unfortunately, we also see all of the violent and abusive behaviors humans are capable of, transferred via the Internet and wireless technology into our homes.


H.Feldmann 1,2, M.Aigle3, G.Aljinovic4, B.Andre5, M.C.Baclet3, C.Barthe3, A.Baur6, A.-M.Becam7, N.Biteau3, E.Boles6, T.Brandt8, M.BrendeI9, M.Brückner10, F.Bussereau11, C.Christiansen8, R.Contreras12, M.Crouzet3, C.Cziepluch13, N.Demolis11, Th.Delaveau14, F.Doignon3, H.Domdey15, S.Düsterhus16, E.Dubois17, B.Dujon18, M.EI Bakkoury17, K.-D.Entian16, M.Feuermann19, W.Fiers12, G.M.Fobo20, C.Fritz21, H.Gassenhuber15, N.Glansdorff17, A.Goffeau22,23, L.A.GriveI124, M.de Haan24, C.Hein5, C.J.Herbert7, C.P.Hollenberg21, K.Holmstrßm8, C.Jacq14, M.Jacquet11, J.C.Jauniaux5,13, J.-L.Jonniaux22, T.Kallesße8, P.Kiesau 16, L.Kirchrath21, P.Kötter16, S.KoroI16, S.LiebI20, M.Logghe 12, A.J.E.Lohan25, E.J.Louis26, Z.Y.Li9, M.J.Maat24, L.Mallet11, G.Mannhaupt1, F.Messenguy17, T.Miosga6, F.Molemans 12, S.Müller 10, F.Nasr7, B.Obermaier15, J.Perea 14, A.Pierard17, E.Piravandi15, F.M.PohI27, T.M.PohI4, S.Potier19, M.Proft16, B.Purnelle22, M.Ramezani Rad21, M.Rieger10, M.Rose16, I.Schaaff-Gerstenschläger6, B.Scherens 17, C.Schwarzlose 1, J.Skala22, P.P.Slonimskr , P.H.M.Smits24, J.L.Souciet19, H. Y.Steensma28, R.Stucka 1, A.Urrestarazu5, Q.J.M.van der Aart28, L.van Dyck22, A.Vassarotti23, I.Vetter1, F.Vierendeels17, S.Vissers5, G.Wagner10, P.de Wergifosse22, K.H.Wolfe25, M.Zagulskr, F.K.Zimmermann6, H.W.Mewes20 and K.Kleine20 In the framework of the EU genome-sequencing programmes, the complete DNA sequence of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae chromosome II (807 188 bp) has been determined. At present, this is the largest eukaryotic chromosome entirely sequenced. A total of 410 open reading frames (ORFs) were identified, covering 72% of the sequence. Similarity searches revealed that 124 ORFs (30%) correspond to genes of known function, 51 ORFs (12.5% ) appear to be homologues of genes whose functions are known, 52 others (12.5% ) have homologues the functions of which are not well defined and another 33 of the novel putative genes (8% ) exhibit a degree of similarity which is insufficient to confidently assign function. Of the ~enes on chromosome 11, 37-45% are thus of unpredicted function. Amon~ the novel putative ~enes, we found several that are related to ~enes that perform differentiated functions in multicellular organisms or are involved in malignancy. In addition to a compact arrangement of potential protein codin~ sequences, the analysis of this chromosome confirmed ~eneral 1 Institut für Phy'iol()gische Chemie, Physikalische Biochemie und


The field excavation of asphalt pavement was conducted in the expressways where East Nippon Expressway Company manage, to investigate how the aging effects from surface to subgrade layer. From the result of this investigations, it is evidenced that the aging of asphalt has attained to not only the surface but also the asphalt stabilization subgrade, and the penetration of asphalt in porous asphalt mixture decreased more rapidly than that of dense-graded asphalt mixture. As a result of further laboratory test based on the aforementioned investigation results, it is indicated that conducting accelerated aging test considering mixture type is necessary to simulate the aging of the asphalt arising on the actual road. 東日本高速道路株式会社が管理する高速道路において,舗装の開削調査を行い,アスファルト舗装の表面から深さ方向への劣化の影響度を調査した.本調査の結果から,アスファルト舗装の劣化は表面のみならず,アスファルト安定処理路盤にも及んでいること,ポーラスアスファルト混合物では密粒度アスファルト混合物と比較し,針入度の低下が速いことが確認された.さらに,これらの調査結果を踏まえて室内試験を行った結果,実際の道路で生じているアスファルトの劣化をシミュレートするためには,バインダ単体を劣化させるだけでなく,使用する混合物の配合を考慮した促進劣化試験を行う必要があることを示した.


Objective To Study the correlationship between enhanced CT features and pathologic result postoperativeiy of pulminary sclerosing hemangioma(PSH),in order to improve the preoperative diagnosistic accurativity of PSH.Methods 16 PSH lesions of 15 cases,were proved by surgical or pathological.Including 3 males and 12 females,aged ranging from 24 to 75 years old,with an average 46.7 years old,were analyzed restrospectively.Radiographs,both plain and enhanced-contrast MSCT scanning were performed and imaging characteristics were explored in all cases,and then compared with its pathologic results.Results Of 16 PBH,14 cases were solitary and 1 was mulitiple(2 lesions),including 9 nodules(3cm) and 7 mass(3cm).All lesions were isolated,smoothly margined and with a mean diameter(3.2±1.4)cm,(41.6±6.3)Hu of pain scaning CT value and the net enchancement worth of(38.2±2.1)Hu of arterial phase and(55.5±0.8)Hu of venous phase.Conclusion PSH is characterized of a kind of nodule of round or oval shape,smooth margin,homogeneous or inhomogeneous density,early and persistent enhancement features.Enhanced CT scanning,especially multi-phase and lamellar enhanced-contrast scan shows great value on the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of PSH.


The sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus) is an important candidate for the Romanianaquaculture, due to the short period of time in which it reaches sexual maturity. Thepaper is describing in detail the steps that should be followed for artificially breedthe sterlet. The study was made in early spring of 2006 at an important sturgeonhatchery. After parking the broodstock in rounded corners tanks and applying thethermal shocks, the following step was the injection of pituitary extract in order toaccomplish the ovulation. Observations of female body weight variation until themoment of eggs striping where made, when the gonosomatic index was established.The study also contains observations of sterlet oocytes characteristics.


Exposure lens in semiconductor lithography having at least one optical element which has an optical axis, is to initiate a deformation in the optical element at least one means for introducing a force provided, characterized in that the optical element (1) at least one 'has, parallel to the optical axis (3), wherein the force in the at least one extension (2, 2 for introducing a two- or multi-wave deformation extension (2, 2)' is introduced), wherein the at least one device (12) comprises actuator (4, 13, 28) whose force the extension (2, 2 ') from the optical axis (3) pushes or to the optical axis (3) stretches.


This paper first reviews three internationally standardized core loss measurement methods: the Epstein frame, toroids, and single sheet testers. A comparison of the Epstein frame and toroid test results is presented for annealed and unannealed steel. Two methods are used to predict core losses under nonsinusoidal supplies. The first method uses the Fourier series and an improved loss separation algorithm to predict no-load core losses under brushless DC motor flux waveform excitation with a flux density known spectrum. The second method uses the form factor concept and an improved loss separation algorithm to predict core loss. The combination of the improved loss separation algorithm and the form factor concept was found to yield results close to the measured losses under high-frequency supplies, such as pulsewidth-modulated waveforms. An Epstein frame with commercial 0.0140-in (0.356 mm) electrical steel was used for direct core loss measurements; the methods and test bench used are detailed in the paper, along with test results.


We construct a canonical frame for an arbitrary Gl(2)-structure thus solving the equivalence problem for Gl(2)-structures. Our treatment includes also a problem of contact equivalence of ordinary differential equations and applies to certain classes of vector distributions. Additionally we characterise Gl(2)-structures which are defined by ODEs.


AIM: To investigate the effects of acetaldehyde on the proliferation and the expression of NF-κB and IκB in rat hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and to explore its mechanism.METHODS: HSCs were isolated by means of density gradient centrifugation after digestion in pronase E and collagenase Ⅳ and the relationship between acetaldehyde and the proliferation and the expression of NF-κB and IκB in HSCs were studied by MTT,immunohistochemistry and EMSA.RESULTS: ① HSCs were isolated successfully.② The freshly isolated HSCs proliferated significantly after 24 h stimulation with acetaldehyde at a concentration of 200 μmol/L [(2.21±0.10) vs (0.52±0.05),P0.01].③ The expression of IκB was inhibited when it is stimulated by acetaldehyde at a concentration of 200 μmol/L [(0.32±0.02) vs (1.60±0.32),P0.01].④ Thirty minutes after the stimulation of acetaldehyde (200 μmol/L),the expression of NF-κB in HSC increased,and 120 min after the stimulation of acetaldehyde (200 μmol/L),the NF-κB activity in HSCs reached the peak [(3.92±0.82) vs (0.82±0.04),P0.01].CONCLUSION: Acetaldehyde can inhibit the expression of IκB and activate the expression of NF-κB in quiescent HSCs,by both of which the proliferation of HSCs is activated.


International IP treaties and conventions cover those that are high-profile, politically sensitive documents to those that scarcely register on the consciousness of the average practitioner. The epitome of the former is TRIPs—the Agreement on Trade-Related IP Rights— which is rarely off the IP agenda. At the other end of the scale can be found such rare creatures as the Stresa Convention of 1953 on the use of names and designations of origins of cheese, a collector's item if ever there was one. Not quite as obscure as the Stresa Convention, but down in the basement with some other dull and dusty documents, is the Locarno Agreement Establishing an International Classification for Industrial Designs. Concluded in 1968, when America was rocked by the Tet Offensive, the British were rocked by the Beatles Double White album and the Czech 'Prague Spring' was crushed by Russian tanks, the Locarno Agreement came into force. With fewer than 50 national adherents, Locarno is not one of the must-sign obligations that every good country must endorse. Yet it quietly does its little bit, by providing a classification system enabling examiners to perform design searches more efficiently and accurately. The Locarno system is constantly revised and updated, with a new edition being published about every 5 years. Recently, the Locarno system has been in the news following an initiative taken by MARQUES, the association of European trade mark proprietors. The initiative calls for a serious effort to modernize and improve the operation of the Locarno, especially the basis on which design concepts are classified. As MARQUES succinctly puts it:


MR 219, an indica rice from a cross between MR 137 and MR 151 is a long-grain rice
variety of high-yielding, good quality of shape and taste, short maturation as well as
resistance to blast and bacterial leaf blight. However, it is regarded as a recalcitrant variety
due to its low ratio of callogenesis and regeneration in in vitro culturing. This would be a
hindrance to crop improvements such as genetic transformation and other crop
improvement methods. The objective of this study was to optimize the concentrations and
combinations of plant growth regulators (PGRs) which were 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic
acid (2,4-D), Kinetin (KIN) and Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) on its callus induction
that ranging from 0.5 to 15.0 mg/L. The callus was induced from the mature seeds of MR
219 on the Murashige and Skoog (MS) media supplemented with 4.4 g/L of MS powder
with vitamins, 30.0 g/L of sucrose and 3.5 g/L of gelrite with the addition of 2,4-D, KIN
and NAA in different concentrations and combinations. All media supplemented with 2,4-
D had successfully induced the callus and 2.0 mg/L of 2,4-D was the best concentration
for the callus induction with a 100% success rate. The addition of 15.0 mg/L of NAA,
provided less time taken for callus induction with better callus morphology which resulted
in fewer browning problems.


The authors reviewed the existence and popularization of polo in the Han dynasty,did an analysis by utilizing polo playing graphics in paintings made on bricks used for the Tomb of the Eastern Han Dynasty which was excavated in Suining(Huailing),Jiangsu,and used such new evidence to verify that polo had already been popular in the Central China region in the Eastern Han dynasty,thus provided fairly valuable new information for the study of the history of polo.


For several decades, polymers have been used in the treatment of sediments for improving the dewatering step and reaching high solid content along with clear-water release. In order to show the main benefits of polymer use in the dredging industry, two projects started in the last three years have been selected for presentation in this article to demonstrate the main benefits of their use in the dredging industry. Port-La-Forêt harbour in La ForêtFouesnant, France has not had any form of maintenance dredging in over 30 years. For the harbour's cleaning, 40,000 cubic metres of polluted sediment needed to be flocculated and pumped into geotextile tubes on a dewatering site located four kilometres away. The turbidity of the water released has been constantly monitored and kept below the authorised level throughout the project. The benefits of polymer use in conjunction with dewatering tubes are a shorter drying time and higher quality of released water. The Kishon River project, contaminated by chemicals from both industrial effluents and municipal wastewater, aimed at cleaning seven kilometres downstream of Haifa, Israel. Over a period of 20 months, some 400,000 cubic metres of material are expected to be removed from the river bottom and treated. Bioremediation is used after sediment dewatering. The benefits of polymer use in conjunction with dewatering equipment area a higher level of dryness in the final solid waste and higher quality release water. With increasing pressure from local communities and authorities on project timeframe, worksite footprint and water quality, the use of polymers will be prevalent in dredging projects, especially those located in heavily populated areas or dealing with contaminated sediment. This article was first published in the Proceedings of the Twenty-first World Dredging Congress & Exposition (WODCON XXI), Miami, Florida, USA, in June 2016 and is reprinted here in an adapted version with permission. INTRODUCTION Today, more than one million tonnes of synthetic organic polymers are produced annually worldwide for use as coagulants and flocculants, mainly for use in water treatment and the oil and mining industries. The main benefits associated with polymer use are improved solidliquid separation, faster settling rate and reduced land surface for the treatment. Improved solid-liquid separation during sediment treatment is now commonly requested by local legislation, including permanent monitoring of the turbidity of released water. In fact, higher turbidity in released water negatively impacts aquatic life and puts the project in jeopardy. Another side benefit is reduced sludge volume. In dredging projects, specific equipment can either be common equipment from the water treatment industry, like a belt filter press or centrifuge, or more specific to sediments such as geotextile tubes or dewatering tables. Whatever the equipment, the high processing rate results in a shorter dewatering time ranging from several hours to several weeks. SOME PROVEN BENEFITS OF POLYMER USE IN THE TREATMENT OF SEDIMENTS IN RECENT DREDGING PROJECTS A. BOISSON AND F. COUTURIER Above: For more than 30 years, maintenance dredging had not been done at the Port-La-Forêt harbour – and it was in need of cleaning. Photo CCPF, courtesy of Office de Tourisme de La Forêt Fouesnant 10 Terra et Aqua | Number 148 | September 2017


Human health has many aspects, we need to feed the diet which provides better nutrition and gives good health, an absence of disease and good behaviour. There are many health-related problems and conditions are responsible for the weak health and sometimes death causing illness, in which cancer is one most common health risk in human healthcare. Cancer is the state in which cell division is uncontrolled which damage the cells and in the last stage, if incurable caused death. There are many reasons why cell got infected due to cancerous infections, in which food habits and quality of foodstuffs are also increased the risk of cancer, like mycotoxins contamination in the food. MSG additives, taste enhancer, food colouring etc. done by the chemical processing which produces toxins inside the during the oxidation process of food. Cancer is causes of death rate higher than other health risks all over the world. The number of cancer cases is likely to rise up to 24 million by 2035. Several studies were performed in the last years in order to explore and analyze associations between diet and risk of cancer. The risk of cancer is depending on the degree of exposure to contaminated food, availability of nutrients in the body, dietary pattern and lifestyle as well as food behaviour. Research from a number of sources provides information that some vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, dietary fibre, certain micronutrients, few fatty acids and physical activity protect against cancers. Whereas poor dietary intake, imbalanced nutrition, less physical activity trances fatty acids, food processing and cooking method may increase risks.


The aim of this study is to determine and examine the effect Strategic Decision Making to Organizational Performance through Competitive Advantage as an intervening variable. Samples in this study are manufacturing companies located in Surabaya and Sidoarjo. The data used in this research was primary data in the form of a questionnaire that was distributed to 50 manufacturing companies in Surabaya and Sidoarjo. Hypothesis testing in this study will be carried out by using path analysis modeling techniques through PLS program. The test results stating that there is a positive and significant effect of Strategic Decision Making on Competitive Advantage, Strategic Decision Making on Organizational Performance and Competitive Advantage on Organizational Performance.


Segmentation technique to detect a vegetable quality is a very useful method. An automated system if coupled with such technique would be very helpful in sorting the fresh and the rotten vegetables. The purpose of this research paper is to provide an approach for the segmentation of the rotten vegetables to annihilate infirmity with respect to human health. Segmentation technique such as Marker Based Segmentation, Colour Based Segmentation and Edge Detection, produced promising and effective results. Through the above mentioned segmentation techniques, the rotten portions of a vegetable is detected effectively to separate the unhealthy vegetables from the good ones. Sorting of vegetables for any food product manufacturing unit with the aid of an automated system would reduce time and manpower with greater accuracy. The methods used for detection of rotten vegetables undergo a multi-level analysis. The evaluation for each method was done on eight sets of images (containing healthy and rotten vegetables) and the experimental results validate the potency of the suggested technique.


Innovative creators and publishers set trends, rather than following them, but studying trends can offer insights into publishing context. This coverage of global trends is founded on three convictions, that: publishing sits within the entertainment industry; is a balance between commerce and culture; and is cyclical. Concentration of ownership effects the content, format and style of publishing by enforcing key goals and strategies. Future trends will reflect global media influence on publishing, just as creative originality will continue to do so.


When the terminal is converted to an inactive state from the active state to transmit the data, in order to solve the problem of increasing suddenly the transmit power of the terminal, the base station target predict the SIR decreases according to the amount of interference increases due to the data transmission of other terminals reflecting the SIR it is possible to control the transmission power. According to the present invention, by performing power control to consider the effects of interference, even if a terminal is inactive, it is possible to ensure the quality of the uplink control channel.


Target detection using hyperspectral images is one of the most important applications in the field of both civilian and military. Some spectral similarity metric methods have been used in those applications, i.e. spectral angle mapper and spectral gradient angle and so on. However, those methods only consider the similarity between two spectral in one aspect, and many information hidden in the spectrum is ignored. Then, here, the authors propose a new fusion-based spectral-matching method for hyperspectral target-detection task. The proposed Euclidean-angle matching method combines the magnitude and the shape difference together to determine the similarity between the test and target spectra samples. Authors' results indicate that the proposed fusion-based method exhibits a better performance over the other spectral-matching methods.


ACUTE hemolytic anemia following the administration of quinine has rarely been observed except in the presence of malaria. Terplan and Javert1 found 8 cases in the literature and reported a case of their own. All these patients were women who had taken or been given the drug as an abortifacient. All died. They showed evidence of a severe degree of intravascular hemolysis and, in most cases, hemoglobinuria. When measured, the nonprotein nitrogen content of the blood was found to be very high. The intake of the drug was not always beyond usual therapeutic dosage: as little as 0.4 gm. proved . . .


Based on the compilation of a corpus of written compositions by students of English as a Foreign
Language from the Faculty of Education, Pontifical University, Salamanca, we perform an analysis and
a diagnosis of students' deviance with the aim of being of any help to improve the learning-teaching
process in a L2.
The data and examples used in this work have been obtained from a corpus of 200 written texts by
students in their 2nd and 3rd year of their studies to become a teacher of English.
We are totally convinced that it is necessary to keep on working on the Error analysis trying to
identify, describe, classify and diagnose the errors committed by students of a L2.


Differences in reimbursement requirements among federal programs encourage unwise investment decisions by creating incentives for uneconomical design of individual programs, uneconomical use of existing facilities, uneconomical allocation of budgetary resources among program areas, and uneconomical allocation of national resources to the public sector. In addition, these differing federal subsidies have a tendency to increase the disparity among income groups. Comparison of actual and optimal reimbursement rules for water resource programs indicates that federal reimbursement policy has encouraged overinvestment in these programs and the selection of nonoptimal techniques of production. Analysis of the equity impact of federal cost-sharing policies suggests that subsidies for many federal programs have had an unfavorable effect on the distribution of income.


The flow pattern and electrical resistance of a planar solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) are dependent on the configuration of the cell. Chemical engineering approaches for a continuous tubular reactor with a rectangular cross section were applied to planar SOFCs using a 50 × 50 × 0.2 mm zirconia electrolyte. First, three (front, center and rear) separated anodes were printed on a zirconia electrolyte to investigate the flow pattern. Hydrogen fuel was supplied at rates of between 125 and 1250 mm3/s and the open circuit voltage of the front anode was measured when the back was discharged at 0.5 A. The theoretical voltage of the front was estimated by the Nernst equation using the fuel utilization which was equal to the fraction of hydrogen converted to steam at the back anode. The measured front voltage was in fair agreement with the theoretical value for the fuel utilization between 0.1 and 0.5. This result indicated that the hydrogen flow is approximated by the perfectly mixed model in this range. Furthermore, the dispersed plug flow model was applied. However, the measured voltage that deviated from the perfect mixed model below fuel utilization of 0.1 was ambiguous.The influence of cell configuration on electrical conductance was also investigated. Five planar SOFCs were fabricated using three configurations of separator and two kinds of cathodes. Simulated conductances were derived from a simple model which involves the current paths from the cathode to separator that consisted of rutted paths and ribs. In this model, the generated current in the rutted path flow in the cathode was collected by the edge of the rib and the current was then directly collected at the ribs where the separator touched the cathode. Simulated conductances were adequately correlated with the measured values. The error might be caused by the contact conductance.


Service quality is an important and effective tool for banks to achieve customer satisfaction and earn their loyalty, especially under intense competition. Indeed, there is an strong competition between Islamic banks in Malaysia whereby each practitioner is working hard to satisfy their customers' need for service excellence. There are few studies that have included Shariah compliance with five other variables namely tangible, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy known as CARTER model. However, majority of these studies are not conducted in Malaysia and the sample size was small. There was only one study conducted in Malaysia using descriptive statistics. Hence, this study addresses this gap by conducting the survey in Klang valley region which include Kuala Lumpur, Gombak and Shah Alam.The method was carried out by survey of 300 respondents. Data is analyzed using factor analysis and multiple regressions to measure the relationship between the variables. The results indicated that compliance, reliability, and empathy have positive relationships with customer satisfaction. While the relationships with assurance, tangibles, and responsiveness are insignificant. Hence, practitioners can emphasize on the three significant factors in improving service quality. The academician can benefit by conducting more research into this body of knowledge.


The relative potencies of more than forty thyroxinc analogues and a soluble hog thyroglobulin extract were established in parallel goiter-prevention and calorigenic assays against the same thyroxine standard. By both methods of assay twelve of the preparations had activities ranging from 5% to 800% of that of thyroxine. The activities, if any, of the remaining analogues were less than 3% of that of the standard. Analysis of area-under-curve and speed of response in calorigenic assays indicated that all the active analogues and soluble thyroglobulin were qualitatively similar with respect to this parameter of thyromimetic function in normal adult male rats. Thyroglobulin was characteristically more active than expected when its potency, relative to thyroxine, was calculated on the assumption that its thyronine-bound iodine, as determined by the Blau, 1935, procedure, was in the form of thyroxine.


Wave equation solutions based on finite-differences is a standard technique and has been widely used for seismic forward modeling and reverse-time migration. However, the time step for the explicit method is restricted by the stability condition and to obtain good results both the spatial and time derivatives need to be computed with accurate operators. This can be achieved using higher order finite-difference schemes or very fine computational grids. However, both approaches increase the computational cost. On the other hand, numerical dispersion normally appears in the finite-difference results and can contaminate the signals of interest. Numerical dispersion noise is a very well known problem in finite-difference methods and several algorithms have being proposed to obtain seismic modeling sections and migration results free from this noise. In this paper, we propose to use the finite-difference technique together with a predictor-corrector method to obtain an efficient algorithm for seismic modeling and reverse time migration. First, we derive a new wave equation which we call the anti-dispersion wave equation. Then, we present some numerical results to demonstrate that the finite difference scheme based on this new anti-dispersion wave equation can be used as a new tool for seismic modeling and migration, producing little numerical dispersion compared with the original wave equation but requiring slightly more computational cost.


Globally, forests are the biggest terrestrial carbon sink. Their destruction and unsustainable use cause major greenhouse gas emissions which contribute considerably to global climate change. Currently, forest loss is particularly severe in tropical developing countries – mainly due to the rising global demand for agricultural and livestock products such as soy, palm oil, coffee, cocoa, rubber, meat and leather. Halting deforestation and restoring forests as set out by the Bonn Challenge which aims to restore 150 Mio ha until 2020 can contribute considerably to the mitigation of CO2 and keeping global warming below 2°C.


The paper gives an overview of the Yoto project, a novel e-learning initiative to build up an electrical engineering knowledge base. It also presents a new e-module of the project relating to the steady-state operation of DC-DC converters. The multimedia rich module contains numerous interactive tools promoting the high level education in the academy sector and the vocational trainings in the industry. The interactive tools also highly support the circuit design process by enabling fast calculation and access to relevant circuit quantities and waveforms (voltages and currents) in steady-state without long simulations


Abstract Harmine exhibits pH dependent structural equilibrium and possesses numerous biological and pharmacological activities. Mode and mechanism of DNA binding and its cytotoxicity were studied by multiple spectroscopic, calorimetric, molecular docking and in vitro apoptotic as well as in vivo biochemical and histological studies. It exists as cationic (structure I) and decationic form (structure II) in the pH range 3.0–7.8 and 8.5–12.4, respectively, with a pK a of 8.0. Structure I at pH 6.8 binds strongly to DNA with a cooperative mode of binding of Kiω 1.03 × 106 M−1and stoichiometry of 5.0 nucleotide phosphates. Structure I stabilized DNA by 10 °C, showed85%quenching of fluorescence intensity, perturbation in circular dichroism, partial intercalation and enthalpy driven exothermic binding. While, structure II at pH 8.5 has very weak interaction with CT DNA. Cytotoxic potencies of structure I was tested on four different cancer cell lines along with normal embryonic cell. It showed maximum cytotoxicity with GI50of 20 µM, against HeLa causing several apoptotic induction abilities. Harmine exhibited G2M arrest with ROS induced effective role in PARP mediated apoptosis as well as anti-inflammatory action on HeLa cells. Harmine further presented MIC and antibiofilm activity against Staphylococcus aureus in presence of <160 and 30 µg/ml, respectively. Mice with post harmine treatment (30 mg/kg b.w., I.P.) showed maximum recovery from damaged to near normal architecture of cervical epithelial cells. This study may be of prospective use in a framework to design novel beta carboline compounds for improved therapeutic applications in future against cervical cancer. Highlights Harmine exists in structure I and structure II forms in the pH 6.8 and 8.5with a pK a of 8.0. Structure I at pH 6.8 binds strongly to DNA compared to structure II. Structure I showed maximum cytotoxicity with GI50 of 20 µM against HeLa. ROS mediated cytotoxicitywithG2M arrest with PARP mediated apoptosis was studied. Harmine (30µg/ml) exhibited antibiofilm activity against Staphylococcus aureus. Post harmine dose (30 mg/kg b.w., I.P.) in mice showed recovery of cervical epithelial cells. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma Graphical Abstract


Kewda (Pandanus odoratissimus Linn. f.) flower distillation is high value because of its flavour and fragrance. Using the age-old traditional Deg-bhabka method, till date the floral essential oil and attar are produced. This traditional method is appropriate, popular, economical and convenient for kewda distillation. According to the number of flowers, the size of deg or bhabka is used for distillation. Essential oil and attar both can be made in the same distillation unit. This system can be operated at the plantation site. The products have high demand in the market value. The traditional system of kewda distillation is cost effective; simple operation techniques are involved for kewda oil & attar production. Key word: Deg-bhabka, Kewda, Essential oil, Attar, Traditional distillation method IPC Int. Cl. 8 : A61K8/18, C11B9/02


Antireflective surface structures (ARSS) are nano-patterned structures etched into the optical surface that simulate behavior like that of a moth's eye, which has cone-like structures that reduce reflections in the visible. We have previously reported record high laser induced damage thresholds (LIDT) up to 100 J/cm2 at 1 µm (10 nsec pulsewidth) for silica glass windows with random ARSS. However, these windows with ARSS are hydrophilic, leading to practical problems for their use in fielded laser systems. Recently, we developed and reported a new process for treating the surface of silica windows with ARSS such that it becomes hydrophobic. In this paper we will report results for the LIDT for samples with these antireflective, hydrophobic surfaces, and compare to results for samples that are untreated but have ARSS, samples with hydrophobic treatment but no ARSS, and finally those having neither ARSS or hydrophobic treatment. The morphology of the laser damage observed and potential mechanisms will be discussed.


The new method of the Spectral Web to calculate the spectrum of waves and instabilities of plasma equilibria with sizeable flows, developed in the preceding Paper I [Goedbloed, Phys. Plasmas 25, 032109 (2018)], is applied to a collection of classical magnetohydrodynamic instabilities operating in cylindrical plasmas with shear flow or rotation. After a review of the basic concepts of the complementary energy giving the solution path and the conjugate path, which together constitute the Spectral Web, the cylindrical model is presented and the spectral equations are derived. The first example concerns the internal kink instabilities of a cylindrical force-free magnetic field of constant α subjected to a parabolic shear flow profile. The old stability diagram and the associated growth rate calculations for static equilibria are replaced by a new intricate stability diagram and associated complex growth rates for the stationary model. The power of the Spectral Web method is demonstrated by showing that the tw...


January's issue starts off this year with a bang in our anti-ageing feature (see page 20) reporting on what new trends we can expect in 2012. I fully predict this market will keep up its current pace (at 45 per cent growth per year!). We also have a four-page feature (starting on page 30) investigating developments in the nail care industry. Nail care has overtaken skin care and fragrance sales in the US and it's likely we'll start to see a similar trend locally.


Objective To analyze the diagnostic value of contrast enhancement by 1iver acquisition with volume acceleration( LAVA) and fat- suppressed spoiled gradient echo( FS- SPGR) in prostate cancer detection. Methods A total of 92 patients with abnormal PSA given laboratory examination and urinary system symptoms like hematospermia,hematuresis and increased nocturia admitted to the Second Hospital of Jiaxing from June 2010 to October 2013 were randomly divided into LAVA group( 44 cases) and FS- SPGR group( 48 cases). During the first three months after MRI examination,histopathological results were obtained through biopsy and transurethral resection of the prostate. By applying diagnostic test,the coincidence rate,sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,negative predictive value,Youden index,positive likelihood ratio and negative likelihood ratio in the contrast enhancement scanning by LAVA and FS- SPGR were detected,and chi square test was used to analyze the statistical significance of the difference. Results 16 patients by LAVA enhanced scanning were diagnosed with prostate cancer,with enhancing image characterized by " fast forward" and the nodular focal placeholder significantly enhanced in the early dynamic stage. 16 patients with FS- SPGR enhancement scanning were diagnosed with prostate cancer, with enhanced image characterized by uneven placeholder. The two methods in the diagnosis of prostate cancer showed no statistically significant difference in coincidence rate,sensitivity,specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value( P 0. 05). Conclusion The LAVA and FS- SPGR have similar accuracy in the diagnosis of prostate cancer,but the LAVA multiphase dynamic enhanced scanning has shorter time. Both methods of the enhancement scanning is of great diagnostic value for prostate cancer.


Development of renewable energy resources led to significant increase of distributed generation (DG) penetration, especially in low voltage networks. Uncontrolled DG operation results with reduction of network reliability and numerous violation of technical standards. Energy storage is a tool, which due to accumulation ability and power electronic equipment can neutralize negative impact of DG. Nevertheless operation of energy storage and DG as well should be carried out preserving common market and legal rules of power industry. The paper deals with usage of energy storage for local energy balancing and ancillary services, traded on decentralized technical markets.


This project is an about intelligent Traffic Lights system which is proposal to
replace the flagmen on road construction site. The intelligent traffic light can be best
utilized in traffic flow control for long-term or short term. Application for the intelligent
traffic light system to control two traffic lights in a single line which ensure safety of
workers on a certain road construction site. The purpose new technologies in
automating traffic flow in road construction site could possibly eliminate the usage of a
conventional flagman. The automated portable traffic light system can reduce costs and
increase safety for the road users by eliminating the need human flagman. This system
is practical for public or privately funded road construction projects that require
overnight or 24 hour traffic control as well as in various weather conditions.


Photosensitive polyimide (PSPI) have been developed base on polyimide (PI). PSPI can be used as insulating and protective materials in the microelectronics industry due to the excellent insulating properties, thermal stability, and chemical stability. In this work, we designed a synthetic method to improve the regularity of the polymer chain segment sequence. Quaternary block copolymerized precursors were prepared using condensation polymerization of poly (acid amid). A photosensitive poly (acid amid) salts (co-PAS) was also synthesized to produce patterns with photochemical reaction. After imidization, the resolution of copolymerized PSPI (co-PSPI) pattern was in the range of 16 μm–110 μm. Partial photoreactive cross-linking structure was maintained to improve the thermal stability of co-PSPI. The co-PSPI exhibited higher glass transition temperatures (327.0°C–358.8°C) than copolymerized PI (307.4°C–332.9°C). This work provides the study on the synthesis and properties of quaternary copolymerized PI and PSPI.


A rapid covid-19 test due to be rolled out to healthcare staff in Liverpool next week missed more than 50% of positive cases in a pilot in Greater Manchester, it has emerged.

The government has spent £323m (€358m; $425m) on securing the technology to deliver 20 minute saliva tests to give to asymptomatic staff at hospitals and care homes as part of its Operation Moonshot mass testing programme.1

But a letter seen by the Guardian newspaper2 reported …


The recruitment reforms conducted by Fudan University and Shanghai Jiaotong University is a useful experiment for reforming higher education entrance examination system in Shanghai and China.These reforms will be the reference point for the future university recruitment,which means to break the national unified education entrance examination system and to select students without sticking to a particular model.In sum,the recruitment reforms include +diversifying the ways of entrance examination,enlarging the university autonomies to recruit appropriate students using appropriate screening measures according to their needs.All these reforms are to serve the purpose to establish a university recruitment system of diversity,with more relevance and self-determination.


The purpose of this experiment was to observe and verify quantum entanglement of the polarization states in photon pairs. The entanglement was accomplished through a nonlinear process called spontaneous parametric down conversion. To verify that entanglement was achieved, it was necessary to use a modified version of Bell's inequalities (Clauser, Horne, Shimony, and Holt). If this classical argument is violated, then entanglement is achieved. Using Avalanche Photodiodes (APDs), the necessary measurements were taken to calculate the |S| values of the adapted inequality. Having achieved an |S| value of over 2, entanglement was verified for this experimental setup. Background and Theory Entanglement is a special feature of quantum mechanics. It is known that one can never simultaneously know with exact certainty the position or momentum of a particle. This is in accordance with Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle:


The present invention, a semiconductor, a plasma processing such as dry etching used in the manufacture of the LCD substrate to the device, enabling the helium cooling of a large substrate, and large and the system efficiency, to provide a plasma processing apparatus to which the substrate temperature stability, good in that in and for the purpose, its construction, and danmyeonga indentation 37 which presses the end surface of the concave-shaped electrode and a target substrate with a helium supply port placing topped with the substrate along the surface of the substrate, the substrate plane panmyeonga indenter 42 to have the effective foot of the external pressure of the helium from the outer surface of the substrate to the cylindrical surface of the pressing along the concave surface of the electrode, and the filled helium between the substrate and the electrode substrate for shaping a concave shape that it performs the cooling of the substrate is characterized by.


This article analyses mobility in Bogota. It studies the generation of negative externalities of Collective Public Transportation towards other means of substitute alternative transportation such as the Transmilenio Transportation System. Using the 2011 mobility survey, origin-destination matrixes are built while exploring the efficiency in displacements by travel times within the city in function to distances and means of transport. Parting from econometric estimations It is concluded that the duration of displacements is affected by the negatively covered distances and the mean of transportation (Collective Public Transportation and / or Transmilenio) indistinctively.


Depression is reaching epidemic proportions in the western world. With each new generation, more people are becoming more severely depressed at a younger age


In the title compound, C20H21N5O, the conformation about the imine bond [1.289 (3) Å] is E. Overall, the molecule is disk-shaped with the imidazole ring located above the remainder of the molecule and with the dihedral angles of 10.97 (15) and 12.11 (15)°, respectively, between the imidazole ring and the phenyl and methylbenzene rings; the dihedral angle between the aromatic rings is 8.17 (14)°. Within the urea unit, the N—H atoms are anti to each other and one of the N—H atoms forms an intramolecular N—H⋯N hydrogen bond. Helical supramolecular chains along [001] are formed via N—H⋯N(imidazole) hydrogen bonds in the crystal structure. These are connected into a three-dimensional architecture by C—H⋯O(carbonyl) and C—H⋯π interactions.


Experimental proof is given for the enhancement of spectral resolution of the 1H MAS NMR spectra of aluminium-rich zeolites by the increase of the resonance frequency (up to 500 MHz) and the spinning rate (up to 11 kHz). Quantum-mechanical calculations are presented which allow a quantitative discussion of the influence of the resonance frequency and the spinning rate on the residual linewidth of the MAS NMR signals of spin-½ nuclei.


An important aspect of the investigation of bacterial metabolism is the study of the substrate and its changes and of the resulting products; together with an examination of the rate of change. The present report deals with the influence of certain carbohydrates in modifying the action of one species of bacteria upon the protein molecule.


The quote ascribed to Heraclitus of Ephesus – "Everything flows and nothing abides" (Greek "Panta rhei kai ouden menei") – is not particularly appreciated by physicians establishing the diagnosis in their patients. We typically want the diagnosis to be swift and accurate in individuals presenting with various constellations of signs and symptoms. This is hardly surprising, as science is dominated by the trend to stop the world in all its changeability and diversity. Rather than evaluating real-life phenomena, scientists tend to discuss abstracted models or still-frame scenes. But the world around us is not a static system. It constantly changes and moves, never standing still, and phenomena or things continuously interact with one another. The world of human diseases is no exception. Once established, a diagnosis does not always have to be a constant system. This can happen under various circumstances. I do not refer here to cases of erroneous diagnosis caused by failure to carry out certain diagnostic tests, and incorrect analysis of the disease. There are circumstances when, because of mildly symptomatic course of the disease, the right diagnosis can only be established after a longer period of follow-up. A change in diagnosis can also occur following the introduction of new nosological entities such as pre-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis or IgG4-related disease. Furthermore, an existing diagnosis can be modified after a change in disease classification criteria. This has happened particularly frequently with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). Between 1986 and 2017, at least six sets of classification criteria for this disease were published. This fact should be taken into account when comparing groups of patients classified on the basis of different sets of criteria, and analyzing individual patients during a longer follow-up period. In a group of patients with suspected pSS, a total of 125 individuals had their diagnosis established on the basis of ACR/EULAR criteria (2016) and AECG criteria (2002); furthermore 11 patients satisfied only the 2016 criteria, but there were no patients fulfilling solely the 2002 criteria. Consequently, an increase in the number of patients diagnosed with pSS concerned approximately 10% of patients [1]. The application of the 2016 criteria provided grounds for making the diagnosis in patients with pronounced systemic manifestations accompanied by absent or poorly manifested dry eyes and/or mouth. The development of new classification criteria in recent years has been aimed primarily at improving detection at a relatively early stage of the disease, i.e. increasing the sensitivity of the criteria. This was also the rationale for the publication of new EULAR/ACR classification criteria for the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in 2010. Among patients seen in routine clinical practice (without prior exclusion of other systemic and inflammatory diseases of joints), the sensitivity of the new criteria has indeed increased from 93% to 97% compared to the RA classification criteria from 1987, however their specificity has declined (55% vs 76%). This means that almost half (45%) of the patients who, after careful observation, are ultimately diagnosed with a disease other than RA nevertheless meet the 2010 classification criteria [2]. Specificity and sensitivity may vary slightly depending on which population of patients is assessed and whether the rheumatologist has previously performed a selection in the group of patients presenting with swollen joints, and excluded other conditions. Nevertheless, the automatic application of the 2010 classification criteria in the population of patients with early arthritis may lead to overdiagnosis. During a longer follow-up period, such patients may be ultimately diagnosed with a different condition. For example, in another study conducted on a group of patients with very early arthritis, comparing the 1987 and 2010 criteria, 4 times more patients diagnosed with RA based on the 2010 criteria had a spontaneous remis-


Modular process plants enable the process industry to adapt to volatile and fluctuating markets. The preferred process technology concept for these market scenarios is realized through combining pre-engineered process equipment assemblies (PEA) from different manufacturers with standardized interfaces. While the flexibility gain for this type of plants is high, the design of the safety systems of these modular plants in terms of exchangeability and compatibility is challenging. One solution could be the development of a safety-interface for PEAs to create flexible and scalable safety systems. The principles of modular basic process control are analyzed and requirements with respect to safety design are discussed. The authors provide a differentiation of the intramodular safety concept of a single PEA from the intermodular safety concept of a complete modular plant. A concept for safe and modular interaction of PEAs in a modular plant is developed and additionally validated on a basic demonstrator. Finally, from these findings, standardization requirements are provided and aspects for further research are pointed out.


This paper is written as a think piece to strengthen the ILO's campaign to promote the extension of the coverage of social security. In so doing, the paper has attempted to put forward a number of arguments for enlarging both the concept and the coverage of social security especially in developing countries. It argues that social security should address the twin problems of deficiency and adversity. As such the concept of social security has been enlarged to include, what may be called, Basic Social Security (BSS) to take care of deficiency and Contingent Social Security (CSS) to meet contingencies. Without addressing BSS, it is unlikely to meet with success in the case of extending CSS. To strengthen the argument the lessons from the historical experience of western countries have been highlighted. The historical experience also shows that issues of social security have received the attention of the state much before industrialization and graduation into rich countries. There is also evidence to show that extension of social security has been possible mainly by state intervention of one kind or another. Having argued for the extension of BSS, the paper also deals with the extension of CSS. This is best done through the informal economy, which employs a large majority of workers in developing countries. While the primacy of the role of the state has been highlighted, the paper has developed a typology of various social security models that could be used to study and understand the existing arrangements as well as the potentialities for extension of social security in the developing countries. It is hoped that this typology could be used with reference to the specific context of countries and/or regions. Finally the paper has made a number of suggestions for the study of alternative models and analysis of public policies for extension of social security. The need for documenting best practices has been emphasized.


Contact lenses and methods for designing and manufacturing contact lenses are disclosed. The contact lenses comprise a zone outside a central optic zone having a thickness profile with a varying thickness. The thickness profile provides rotational force to rotationally orient the contact lens when applied to a recipient eye. The thickness profile includes substantially curvilinear lines of constant thickness that extend generally horizontally across the lens. The curvilinear lines of substantially constant thickness may match the contact lines of the margins of at least one of the eyelids of the recipient.


The electronic and structural phase diagram of heavily doped La{sub 2{minus}{ital x}}Sr{sub {ital x}}CuO{sub 4} (0.15{le}{ital x}{le}0.3) is reexamined. We demonstrate that the disappearance of superconductivity in overdoped'' La{sub 2{minus}{ital x}}Sr{sub {ital x}}CuO{sub 4} is associated with an orthorhombic to tetragonal structural phase transition near {ital x}=0.2, implying a relationship between superconductivity and subtle structural change. The bulk superconducting phase is thus confined to a much narrower composition range than believed. A complete solid solution of La and Sr is observed in the composition range investigated.


The utility model relates to intelligent wearing equipment, and particularly relates to an intelligent two-color liquid silicone rubber wristband. The intelligent two-color liquid silicone rubber wristband comprises a wristband body which comprises an inner layer and an outer layer, wherein the inner layer is formed through one-time injection molding, the outer layer is formed on the outer surface of the inner layer through two-time injection molding, a containing groove for placing intelligent equipment is formed in the inner layer, an opening is formed in the bottom of the containing groove, and the inner layer and the outer layer are integrally formed. As the inner layer and the outer layer of the intelligent two-color liquid silicone rubber wristband are integrally formed, the intelligent two-color liquid silicone rubber wristband is simple in structure and convenient to machine; the intelligent equipment in the containing groove does not shake and has the good stability; the inner layer and the outer layer adopt a two-color design, a two-color distinguishing line is natural and smooth, and therefore, the whole intelligent two-color liquid silicone rubber wristband is attractive. The opening is formed in the bottom of the containing groove; the intelligent equipment can be conveniently put in a mold cavity and is located due to arrangement of the opening during the injection molding; after the injection molding, the intelligent equipment can be taken out through the opening, is convenient to maintain and replace when being damaged and can be changed to another intelligent equipment; the intelligent wearing equipment has diversified functions, and is strong in practicability and wide in application range.


The data of the dynamic follow-up of 21 children of the first year of life with clinical presentations of dysbacteriosis in the form of functional constipation and unstable stool were inserted in the study. The high therapeutic effectiveness of the lactulose-enriched formula «Samper Bifidus» (Semper, Sweden) under condition of differentiated prescription of its daily volume have been proved in 90,9% children with constipation and 100% children with frequent and thin stool. The effectiveness of the formula for intestinal dysfunctions are explained by evident bifidogenous effect, which has been verified by the results of coprological examinations (decrease of dysbacteriosis syndrome accidence from 95 to 16.7%), as well as faecal bacteriograms (increase of bifidobacteria level up to 10 9,16 * 0,18). Improvement of physical growth and development indices, hemoglobin level and results of coprograms (reduction of malabsorption syndrome) testify to good assimilation of the formula components.


Article type Review article Amblyopia is one of the most important reversible eye disorders in children and different treatments are suggested. Early diagnosis and effective treatment in amblyogenic age are important criteria. These critical periods correspond to the period when the child's developing visual system is sensitive to abnormal input caused by stimulus deprivation, strabismus or significant refractive errors. Traditional treatments such as glass wearing, contact lens used with patch therapy have limitations. Laser corneal refractive surgeries introduce an alternative for the treatment of anisometropic amblyopia. Current indications for refractive surgery include anisometropia, bilateral high myopia and accommodative esotropia. Several reports confirmed that with recent development in keratorefractive surgery, it could be a safe method to be used in children. The goal of the permanent surgical treatment is to reduce refractive errors, treat amblyopia and make better the binocular function. Corneal haze is certainly a major concern in children receiving surface ablation, especially in high myopic treatments. However, controversies still exist on whether it could be done in this population or not. This article reviews the available data about refractive surgery for treating anisometropic amblyopia.


The characteristics of dry etching of the AlGaInN materials system in different reactor types and plasma chemistries are reviewed, along with the depth and thermal stability of etch-induced damage. The application to device processing for both electronics and photonics is also discussed.


Green Education is a brand-new educational idea in relation to environment-friendliness and green development. This paper explores the contents of Green Education and analyzes problems in the curriculum construction for it in normal universities. The author suggests to coordinately use the first, the second and the third classrooms to make Green Education included in the teaching materials, discussed in class, remembered in mind, and visibly effective.


Abstract This paper describes the effects of various parameters on the reduction of hematite in the presence of microwave assisted non-thermal hydrogen plasma. The parameters include microwave power, hydrogen flowrate, pressure, microwave power density and temperature. It has been shown that hydrogen flowrate, pressure and microwave power are interrelated to effect the microwave power density that controls the plasma temperature. The experimental conditions encounter three temperatures: surrounding the sample, associated with the plasma and at the plasma/substrate interface. It has been deduced that the third one is the most effective in determining the rate of the reaction, and in the present case, activation energy of 20 kJ mol−1 is reported.


PurposeThe Nonfinancial employment commitment (NFEC) of Muslims in general, and of Arab Muslims in particular, has not yet been studied. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to fill this gap by exploring the NFEC among Arab Muslims in Israel and comparing it to that of Jews in Israel.Design/methodology/approachThe most common indicator of NFEC is the classic "Lottery Question," which asked whether an individual would continue or stop working if they won a lottery or inherited a large sum of money. The sample included 215 Muslims and 898 Jews representing the Israeli labor force.FindingsThe findings reveal higher NFEC among Arab Muslims, particularly among women, compared to Jews. Muslims and Jews in urban areas have a lower NFEC then those who live in smaller localities. Among both Jews and Muslims, NFEC significantly increases with education level and income.Social implicationsNFEC is an important measure of the work ethic. A high NFEC of Arab Muslims, especially among women, reflects a high nonactualized potential for Western societies integrating Arab Muslim immigrants and refugees into the labor market.Originality/valueThe authors adapted the core–periphery model and found that it could explain the authors' findings regarding NFEC differences among ethnoreligious groups in different residential areas. As the authors indicated before, it is the first time that NFEC of Arab Muslims has been studied.


Authors : Henry Lau, Dilupa Nakandala, Li Zhao Abstract : In today's business, it is well-recognized that risk is an important factor that needs to be taken into consideration before a decision is made. Studies indicate that both the number of risks faced by organizations and their potential consequences are growing. Supply chain risk management has become one of the major concerns for practitioners and researchers. Supply chain leaders and scholars are now focusing on the importance of managing supply chain risk. In order to meet the challenge of managing and mitigating supply chain risk (SCR), we must first identify the different dimensions of SCR and assess its relevant probability and severity. SCR has been classified in many different ways, and there are no consistently accepted dimensions of SCRs and several different classifications are reported in the literature. Basically, supply chain risks can be classified into two dimensions namely disruption risk and operational risk. Disruption risks are those caused by events such as bankruptcy, natural disasters and terrorist attack. Operational risks are related to supply and demand coordination and uncertainty, such as uncertain demand and uncertain supply. Disruption risks are rare but severe and hard to manage, while operational risk can be reduced through effective SCM activities. Other SCRs include supply risk, process risk, demand risk and technology risk. In fact, the disorganized classification of SCR has created confusion for SCR scholars. Moreover, practitioners need to identify and assess SCR. As such, it is important to have an overarching framework tying all these SCR dimensions together for two reasons. First, it helps researchers use these terms for communication of ideas based on the same concept. Second, a shared understanding of the SCR dimensions will support the researchers to focus on the more important research objective: operationalization of SCR, which is very important for assessing SCR. In general, fresh food supply chain is subject to certain level of risks, such as supply risk (low quality, delivery failure, hot weather etc.) and demand risk (season food imbalance, new competitors). Effective strategies to mitigate fresh food supply chain risk are required to enhance operations. Before implementing effective mitigation strategies, we need to identify the risk sources and evaluate the risk level. However, assessing the supply chain risk is not an easy matter, and existing research mainly use qualitative method, such as risk assessment matrix. To address the relevant issues, this paper aims to analyze the risk factor of the fresh food supply chain using an approach comprising both fuzzy logic and hierarchical holographic modeling techniques. This novel approach is able to take advantage the benefits of both of these well-known techniques and at the same time offset their drawbacks in certain aspects. In order to develop this integrated approach, substantial research work is needed to effectively combine these two techniques in a seamless way, To validate the proposed integrated approach, a case study in a fresh food supply chain company was conducted to verify the feasibility of its functionality in a real environment.


In the 2 June, 1997 issue of the Journal, Collignon et al presented a summary of the new NHMRC "Guidelines for the control of meningococcal disease in Australia". Several authors now question aspects of these guidelines.


Objective To evaluate the clinical effects of graft bypass in arterial revascularization for severe ischemia of lower extremities(ILE). Methods The clinical data of 24 patients with severe ILE underwent arterial bypass using artificial vascular graft were studied retrospectively. Results There were 17 men and 7 women ranging in age from 25 to 82(58.6±15.1) years old in this series. The location of occlusive arteries included infrarenal aorta bicommon iliac arteries(1 cases), distal aorta bicommon iliac arteries(1 case), illiac arteries(9 cases), femoral arteries(9 cases) and femoropopliteal arteries(4 cases). All of the 24 patients were followed up for average 2 years and 7 months. The results showed that the amputation rate was 16.6%, occlusive rate of artificial conduits was 25% and patency rate of graft bypass was 58.3%. Conclusions The present study indicates that artificial vascular bypass is effective for arterial revascularizationis in severe ILE; an arteriography should be done for selection of a proper operative procedure.


Any information support system for Arctic shipping requires a ship transit model as one of the key elements that allows for strategic analysis, operational planning of vessel voyages, and ice routing of a ship. At the same time, there is no single recognized approach to develop such a model, due to the complexity of ice cover in terms of its impact on shipping. In this article, we have identified and analyzed three principal approaches to predict the parameters of vessel voyages in the Arctic. They are (1) semi-empirical models to estimate the vessel resistance in ice and then calculate propulsion performance, (2) numerical methods to model ship-ice interaction and calculate ice resistance, (3) statistical models to assess the ship speed based on regression equations or neural networks. Analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of each approach allowed us to propose a concept to develop the ship transit model for practical application. We suggest combining the elements of different approaches, while in general the model should be based on semi-empirical methods. This is due to their computational simplicity, which is important in ice routing tasks, as well as the need for considering ice resistance along with other types of resistance. To compensate for limitations of a semi-empirical approach, we suggest several directions for further research: (1) scaling the ice resistance to obtain a strict correspondence between the calculated and field values of icebreaking capability, (2) development of a methodology to consider the influence of the season and the region of ship operation, (3) methods to estimate resistance in broken ice of different concentration and arbitrary horizontal size, (4) taking into account the direction of compression relative to the ship course, (5) development of methods to assess ice resistance during icebreaker escort operations. The area of application of statistical approaches in a joint model is to model the influence of ice melting stage, hummocking and the differences in ice conditions along the ship route and in the whole region. The article also highlights several additional issues of combining different approaches.


The media in Kenya has played both constructive and destructive roles. In the 2008 post-election violence, the media was singled out as one of the actors that incited communities leading to the loss of 1000 lives, displacement of others and loss of property (Waki Report, 2008). In the subsequent elections of 2013, the media played a part in pacifying communities and fostering peaceful co-existence of communities irrespective of their political opinions and persuasions (Lockhart, K and D.2013). This study explores the role of the community radio in promoting peaceful coexistence of communities in a competitive political environment. The study focuses on Pamoja FM, a community radio station located in the informal settlements of Kibera, Nairobi. The study further examines the strategies used by community radios to promote peaceful co-existence among ethnically diverse communities and competitive political environments. The study also looks at the challenges faced by community radios in their efforts of promoting peaceful co-existence. The study was guided by Media Effects Theories specifically looking at the Agenda Setting Theory and the Media Framing Theory. The study adopted a mixed qualitative and quantitative research. This research focused on Lindi, Makina and Katwekera villages of Kibera. The researcher applied cluster sampling technique to identify samples of listeners. The researcher narrowed down to the 3 clusters. The sample size of listeners was 135. 15 households from each of the study regions were randomly selected. 3 respondents were selected from each of the household. Qualitative method was used to gather narrative data. In-depth interviews were conducted with the station's news editor and managing director. 3 Peace building experts and practitioners as well as 3 village elders working in each of the regions were also interviewed. To draw inferences, the data collected was analysed and presented in narrative form, graphs, and frequency distribution tables. Qualitative data was presented in narrative form. The study established that community radios play a significant role in promoting peaceful co-existence. The study further established that they play this role by providing a platform for community members to engage, debate and articulate their issues. They also play this role by providing a platform for mediation during conflict situations and covering all facets of the community in a balanced manner. The study established that community radios are facing the challenge of optimally addressing the diverse issues that communities are facing. This challenge is tied to lack of adequate resources to undertake this role. The research makes recommendations on some of the ways that community radios bolster their efforts of promoting peaceful co-existence. These include availing financial support to them, integrating new media technologies in their work, forging partnerships with actors such as universities, among others.


To improve oil recovery significantly, a novel polymer/surfactant binary system (SP) was formed by mixing a dendrimer-based polymer (noted HPMA) with sodium dodecyl benzenesulfonate (SDBS). A series of microcosmic strategies convincingly characterized that the dominating interaction of HPMA with SDBS was the electrostatic repulsion between the polymer branched chains and the head groups of SDBS. Meanwhile, a moderate hydrogen-bond effect and the solubilization of polymer branched chains could be observed respectively at stages of low and high SDBS concentration. Static experimental results indicated that these interactions would weaken the viscoelasticity of the SP system in comparison to that of the HPMA-only system, yet its interfacial activity could be reinforced. More significantly, sandpack tube displacement experiments directly demonstrated that the HPMA/SDBS composite system could effectively improve oil recovery through the synergistic effect of binary components. These results could provide theor...


Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) refers to all procedures involving the partial or total removal of all the external female genitalia or any other injury to the female genital organ for non-medical reasons. Many girls who have undergone FGM opt to gate married early as they view education as meaningless. The main purpose of this study was to determine correlates between the effects of FGM practice and early marriage among Illchamus girls. The Illchamus are pastoralists whose livelihood depended on livestock. Despite the immense awareness of the dangers of FGM practice on the victims in many aspects in life, efforts to eradicate it, still persists and thrives. The study was premised on the social exchange theory and adopted a descriptive research design. Purposive and random sampling techniques were used to identify the respondents for the study. The study targeted a population of 100,000 and a sample size of 384 respondents. The research adopted both qualitative and quantitative approaches to data collection which included questionnaires, key informant interview and the focus group discussions. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22 for windows was used to analyze the data.

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Reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) have been implicated as mediators of osteoclastic bone resorption. Xanthine oxidase (XO) a ubiquitous enzyme is widely known for its production of these ROS. We therefore evaluated the potential of XO as a source of ROS in cytokine- and hormone-induced bone resorption. XO activity in rat calvarial osteoblasts was found to be significantly elevated upon stimulation by the cytokines, TNF f and IL-1 g . These cytokines also caused a dose related increase in bone resorption of mouse calvariae, which was significantly inhibited by catalase (10 IU/ml). Allopurinol, the competitive inhibitor of XO, also caused a dose related (1-50 w M) inhibition of TNF f (20 ng/ml) and (0.01-10 w M) IL-1 g (50 IU/ml)-induced bone resorption, respectively. PTH- and 1,25-(OH)2 Vitamin D3-induced bone resorption could also be inhibited by catalase (100 IU/ml) but was unaffected by allopurinol, indicating that another mediator, other than XO, is required for hormone-induced bone resorption. These results demonstrate, that modulation of the redox balance in the bone microenvironment, which contains XO, can affect the bone resorbing process. Therefore, XO may play a pivotal role in cytokine-induced bone resorption and, if manipulated appropriately, could show a therapeutic benefit in inflammatory bone disorders such as RA.


In this study, three-dimensional simulations of xenon plasma plume flow fields from a cluster of four Hall thrusters are performed with a hybrid particle-fluid method on unstructured meshes. In these simulations, a detailed fluid model is used to compute the electron properties, the direct simulation Monte Carlo method models the collisions of heavy particles and the Particle-In-Cell method models the transport of ions in electric fields. Facility effects of large vacuum chambers are briefly discussed and the background flow treatment in the particle simulations fully considers these effects, including the vacuum pump sticking coefficient, the pump size the pump temperature and the wall temperature. The accuracy of the simulations is assessed through comparisons with available measured data. The simulations successfully capture detailed three-dimensional plume structures and plume interactions. The results indicate that the cathode has effects on some flow properties in the field close to the thrusters. Graduate Student Research Assistant, Department of Aerospace Engineering, email@example.com. Professor, Department of Aerospace Engineering, email@example.com. Research Associate, Department of Aerospace Engineering, email@example.com, now in CFD-RC. 1 The 29 International Electric Propulsion Conference, Princeton University, October 31 – November 4, 2005


The overall objective of the program was to develop a fuel/air control method for surface combustors based on optical radiation. This was a logical extension of the optical flame emission technology previously developed for conventional burners under GRI Contract 5083-231-0942. The program was intended to provide the technological foundation for controllers that can be integrated into current and future product lines of infrared burner manufacturers.


The invention relates to the field of tunnel smoke prevention and dust control, in particular to a tunnel drill blasting compound atomization fan-shaped remote shot smoke prevention and dust control system. The problems that according to existing tunnel drill blasting operating for smoke prevention and dust fall, input is large, energy consumption is high and the dust falling effect is bad are solved. The system comprises a movable smoke prevention and dust control main machine and a fixed type smoke prevention and dust control extension set. A large-flow compound atomization fan-shaped remote shot device, a main machine small-flow compound atomization fan-shaped remote shot device and a main machine gas water regulating conveying device are arranged in the movable smoke prevention and dust control main machine. The system further comprises a main machine external movable small-flow compound atomization fan-shaped remote shot device connected with the main machine gas water regulating conveying device. The fixed extension set comprises an extension set gas water regulating conveying device and a hanging type extension set small-flow compound atomization fan-shaped remote shot device, and the system is connected to a tunnel construction air pressure gas conveying pipeline and a water supply pipeline during working. According to the system, smoke is removed from the pollution source and the total tunnel space, the energy saving function is obvious, the working efficiency and the construction safety are improved, the weight is light, the size is small, operation is easy and flexible, and running is safe and stable.