As examples of the direct application of a floating breakwater, the author cities the desired protection of certain offshore operations, such as pipeline laying and tanker loading and unloading. This paper describes a laboratory study undertaken to establish which parameters affecting a breakwaters' performance are most important. Results show that wave reduction was not greatly affected by wave height. With regard to the breakwater itself, a square cross-section gives slightly better wave reduction than a triangular, circular, or trapeziodal one. Permeable and impermeable coverings give essentially the same results. Concentrating the ballast low in the profile and using two-thirds to full submergence yielded best results. As indicated by the author, probably one of the most serious and least understood problems is that of the mooring of breakwaters. The result of this study indicates that mooring line forces can be reduced by using horizontal lines and by the proper choice of attachment point.


Attractiveness and value adding characteristics of countries for Foreign Direct Investments usually are linked to new customers, upcoming demands, unsatisfied needs, competitive situations, etc. But they are also closely connected to macro-economic factors, which build the focus of this research praper. To make it more differentiable, those factors have been separated into five major dimensions: Political/Legal, Economic, Social, Technological and Intercultural Factors. Each of those factors consists of minimum five sub-factors which have been analyzed and taken into consideration. The aim is to find out, which factors influence the decisions for FDIs. If knowing that, stecific decisions can be set to make a country more attractive or to allow managers to base their decisions on a more fact-oriented basement. Main findings are, that managers allocate for a country selection the highest importance to the political stability and legal transparency. This is followed by the economic health of a country. Also the sub-factor "Infrastructure", which is part of the technological environment, is of essential importance. The Intercultural Dimensions occupy a minor role in influencing the decision process. Derived conclusions from these results are, that countries can increase their attractiveness for foreign direct investments by putting focus to the political stability, more transparency and stable economic conditions.


This study focuses on the impact of a municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill on the environment. Phytotoxicity test was determined to assess ecotoxicity of landfill soil (Zdounky-Kuchyňky). White mustard ( Sinapis alba L.) and barley ( Hordeum vulgare L.) plants were allowed to grow in earthen pots, treated with soil samples to study the potential effect of landfill to the plant biomass production. Twenty-one days from the establishment of the experiment, sprouts and the number of growing plants occurring in the earthen pots were counted. The conducted research shows that the soil from the area of the landfill is not phytotoxic. According to the results of this research, it is possible to claim that the Zdounky-Kuchyňky MSW landfill is not a considerable source of pollution for the environment in present days.


Detailed geological mapping contributed towards the tectonic framework of the Kala Chitta Range for the purpose of a compressive knowledge of the mode of occurrence of the Fire Clay horizons in the Datta Formation .Furthermore, detailed analytical work was carried out to elucidate the mineralogy of the Fire Clays. Lithological details and the depositional style have been highlighted comparative data of the Datta Formation with the adjoining areas has also been presented.


The development of social economy put forward more requirements to education.The bilingual teaching,as the novel teaching model in curriculum reforming,has attracted much attention all over the world.In this paper,we mainly work on the bilingual teaching and how to promote the quality of bilingual teaching.


ABSTRACT Scholarship continues to identify the Enlightenment with secularization, despite the theological tenor of much of the movement's canonical literature. This article proposes an explanation for such a dissonance, before addressing the matter more directly through the work of Baruch Spinoza and Pierre Bayle. The claim is that scholars have been unduly dependent upon theological commentary in reaching the fixed verdict of secularization, inferring 'atheism' and disenchantment from the polemical utterances of a privileged orthodoxy rather than the primary sources themselves. Seen apart from such controlling anathemas, icons of the radical Enlightenment such as Spinoza and Bayle emerge as deeply spiritual thinkers, challenging the theocratic assumptions of their age with theological certainties of their own, interrogating orthodoxy with a resolutely biblical rationality. The final section suggests the continuity of the eighteenth-century Enlightenment of Voltaire, Kant and Mary Wollstonecraft with the spiritual rationalism of the seventeenth century. If so many of the Enlightenment's landmark thinkers were inspired by religious ideas, the concept of a secular modernity must be open to revision.


A pixel structure is proposed, for the first time, which is suitable for the fabrication of plasma display panels on flexible substrates such as stainless foils and PET. In this approach, the plasma is generated laterally between two electrodes. The positive and negative electrodes are realized on a single substrate and their spacing is adjusted by photolithography, so that exploiting a rigid substrate is no longer a necessity. The distance between the electrodes is not varied during substrate warping and hence fabrication of a flexible PDP is feasible. The conversion of ultra-violet light into visible color is feasible by using phosphorescent coatings. Also the structure used in this approach does not need transparent conductors like ITO. The isolation of the electrodes is possible by a silicon-oxide layer deposited using a liquid phase deposition (LPD). Also, the metallic electrodes can be realized using electroless plating suitable for large area fabrication.


Two kinds of donor–acceptor π-conjugated copolymer based on poly{[N-hexyl-dithieno(3,2-b:2′,3′-d)pyrrole-2,6-diyl]alt-[isoindigo]} (PDTP-IID) and poly{[N-hexyl-dithieno(3,2-b:2′,3′-d)pyrrole-2,6-diyl]alt-[thiazol-2,5-diyl]} (PDTP-Thz) were investigated. These copolymers were synthesized via a Stille coupling reaction. The results showed the structure–property relationships of different donor–acceptor (D–A) combinations. The polymer structures and photophysical properties were characterized by 1H NMR, TGA, DSC, UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, AFM, CV, and XRD measurement. Through UV-vis absorption and cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements, it showed that the copolymers exhibit not only a low bandgap of 1.29 eV and 1.51 eV but also a deep highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) of −5.49 and −5.11 eV. Moreover, photovoltaic properties in combination with the fullerene derivatives were investigated. The device based on the copolymers with PC71BM exhibited higher maximum power conversion efficiency and higher maximum short-circuit current density of 0.23% with 1.64 mA cm−2 of PDTP-IID:PC71BM and 0.13% with 1.11 mA cm−2 of PDTP-Thz:PC71BM than those of the copolymers with PC61BM. Measurements performed for N-hexyl-dithieno(3,2-b:2′,3′-d)pyrrole-based copolymers proved the potential of these polymers to be applied in optoelectronic applications.


A method for simultaneous, automated determination of serum CO2 and chloride is presented, in which the dialyzers of the more expensive AutoAnalyzer II system are combined with the usual components of the AutoAnalyzer I system. Thus, the innovative features of the AutoAnalyzer II system are used at low cost.


The electrochemical active sur£ace arca of platinum alloy supported')11carbon in hot concentrated phosphoric acid which was held at potentlal below doub!e layer region of Pt was measured by CV(Cyclic voitanuuetry). It was obscrvcd thaUt dccreascd collsidcrably at a short timc、 The surface area recovered agahl when the clectrode was held at higher potentlals, This phenomenon was also observed when Pt foil was used as a test electrodc. The crystalhte diametcr mcasured by XRD has not changed sQ much aftcr i㎜ersiQn tost,Wc assumed that it was caused by the blocking of the actlve sur血co site w虻h some㎞purities in phosphoric aoid at low potentiaLs,


Modern imaging methods rely strongly on Bayesian inference techniques to solve challenging imaging problems. Currently, the predominant Bayesian computation approach is convex optimization, which scales very efficiently to high-dimensional image models and delivers accurate point estimation results. However, in order to perform more complex analyses, for example, image uncertainty quantification or model selection, it is necessary to use more computationally intensive Bayesian computation techniques such as Markov chain Monte Carlo methods. This paper presents a new and highly efficient Markov chain Monte Carlo methodology to perform Bayesian computation for high-dimensional models that are log-concave and nonsmooth, a class of models that is central in imaging sciences. The methodology is based on a regularized unadjusted Langevin algorithm that exploits tools from convex analysis, namely, Moreau--Yoshida envelopes and proximal operators, to construct Markov chains with favorable convergence properties. ...


ABSTRACT The purpose of this research is to analyze and find out about what factors influence accounting students in choosing a career as a Public Accountant. Factors that influence career selection to become a Public Accountant are measured by variable financial / salary rewards, professional recognition, social values, personality, labor market considerations, work environment, and intrinsic value of work. Primary data in this study was obtained by conducting research on accounting students of Malang Islamic University, with a total sample of 71 students. The analytical tool used in this study is multiple regression analysis. The results of the study show that financial / salary reward factors, professional recognition, social values, personality, labor market considerations, work environment and intrinsic value of work simultaneously have a significant effect on accounting students in choosing a career as a public accountant. Partially variable financial / salary rewards and intrinsic value of work have a significant effect on accounting students in choosing a career as a public accountant. Whereas professional recognition, social values, personality, labor market considerations, and work environment have no significant effect on accounting students in choosing a career as a public accountant. . Keywords : financial reward / salary, professional recognition, social values, personality, labor market considerations, work environment, and the intrinsic value of work and career choice became Public Accountant


Carboxyl-functionalized magnetic nanogel was synthesized by facile "green" photochemical method. A possible mechanism of photochemical synthesis was proposed. Effects of irradiation time and volume of monomer dropped on the hydrodynamic diameter of the magnetic nanogel were investigated by photo correlation spectroscopy. The image of aton-Lic force microscopy presented that the magnetic nanogel was with loosed structure. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that UV irradiation did not induce phase change of Fe3O4. Superparamagnetic behaviors were retained for Fe3O4 while slightly reducing the value of saturation magnetization for surface coating. Fligh magnetic content of (as high as 85%) and strong magnetization of Fe3O4 guaranteed that the magnetic nanogel was susceptive to external applied magnetic field. (c) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Xenopus Vg1, a transforming growth factor β (Tgfβ) family member, was one of the first maternally localized mRNAs identified in vertebrates. Its restriction to the vegetal pole of the egg made it the ideal candidate to be the mesoderm-inducing signal released by vegetal cells, but its function in vivo has never been resolved. We show that Vg1 is essential for Xenopus embryonic development, and is required for mesoderm induction and for the expression of several key Bmp antagonists. Although the original Vg1 transcript does not rescue Vg1-depleted embryos, we report that a second allele is effective. This work resolves the mystery of Vg1 function, and shows it to be an essential maternal regulator of embryonic patterning.


This case covers the scandal that occurred in 2008 at Societe Generale when one trader, Jerome Kerviel, lost the prominent French bank nearly €5 billion through his unauthorized trading. The case describes Kerviel's schemes as well as SocGen's internal monitoring and reporting processes, organizational structures, and culture so that students reading the case can identify and discuss the shortcomings of the firm's risk management practices. The case and epilogue also describe the French government's and Finance Minister Christine Lagarde's reactions to the scandal (e.g., imposition of a €4 million fine and increased regulations), prompting students to consider the role of government in overseeing that healthy risk management practices are followed in key industries (such as banking) that are highly entwined with entire economies. Finally, the case encourages students—during class discussion—to critically consider whether it is truly possible for one rogue trader to act alone, which elements in a work environment enable or even encourage risky behavior, and who should be held accountable when such scandals occur. Interestingly, this case highlights a story that is not unique. Prior to Kerviel's transgressions were the similar scandals of Nick Leeson at Barings Bank and Toshihide Iguchi at Daiwa Bank, yet history has repeated itself. This case gives students a vivid example of the dangers of internal, self-inflicted risk on organizations, and it opens a discussion on how to avoid it.

After completing this case, students will be able to:

Identify shortcomings in a firm's risk management practices (i.e., processes, systems, structures)

Evaluate the role and interests of governments as well as peer firms in overseeing healthy risk management practices in an industry

Understand the dangers of self-inflicted risk and consider the elements in an organization (e.g., leadership, compensation structure, incentives, recruiting) that impact its risk environment


Soil nailing is one of the effective methods of slope stabilization, and its stability mainly depends on the properties of both the soil and soil nails. Optimizing soil nailing parameters is an effective task to avoid installation issues. This work uses four input parameters: different shaft diameters, surcharge pressure, helical pitch, and inclination angle. The design plan for the experimentation is conducted using Box Behnken design (BBD) of response surface methodology (RSM), performed in design expert software. In addition, RSM is used to determine the optimal design combinations. A total of 25 experimental runs are taking place, and the significance of the developed quadratic model is determined using the analysis of variance (ANOVA) test. Hybrid deep belief network‐based Coot optimization (DBN‐CO) is also used to optimize the pull‐out capacity and the safety factor during installation for more precised prediction. When compared to others the proposed hybrid DBN‐CO predictive model represents the better performance with regression R = 0.99. Also least MSE & RMSE and highest R & R2 values obtained by hybrid DBN‐CO. The obtained experimental outcomes from RSM are 1.46 of safety factor, and 7.55 kN pull‐out capacity. The predicted results from the proposed hybrid DBN‐CO for the safety factor are 1.44 and pull‐out capacity is 7.77 kN. As a result, the optimal results of DBN‐CO are 3% greater than RSM, DBN, and artificial neural network (ANN). Based on prediction approaches the proposed hybrid DBN‐CO results are in perfect agreement with experimental values and are additional superior to the RSM, DBN, and ANN.


AB and ABA block copolymers are synthesized by direct living anionic polymerization where the A-block is a liquid crystalline side chain polymer (LC-block) and the B-block is an isotropic polymer (I-block). Similar to amphiphilic block copolymers with a "hydrophilic" water soluble segment and a "hydrophobic" water insoluble part, the LC/I block copolymers consist of the "nematophilic" LC-block that is soluble in a nematic solvent and the "nematophobic" segment that is insoluble in nematic solvents. The behaviour of these LC/I block copolymers and corresponding homopolymers is analyzed in dilute nematic solutions of low molar mass liquid crystals. The effects of varying molecular weight, chemical constitution of blocks and block length ratio are investigated. Copolymers with a high fraction of the I-block are insoluble in the nematic solvent as indicated by phase separation. Copolymers with a high fraction of the LC-block are completely soluble. If the weight fraction of the LC-block is in the range of 0.46 to 0.85, thermoreversible thread-like aggregates are formed in the nematic solvent. These thread-like aggregates have a uniform diameter of 2–3 μm and their long axis perfectly follows the director field of the nematic matrix. The formation of these structures is discussed in terms of copolymer concentration, temperature and influence of aligning surfaces. From simple geometrical packing arguments it can be assumed that these thread-like aggregates consist of bilayered vesicles. In contrast to the spherical shape of amphiphilic block copolymer vesicles in aqueous solution, the rod-like shape of vesicles in nematic solution is caused by the minimization of free elastic energy density of the nematic matrix.


Using the fingerprint characteristics of the wireless channel, a dynamic key system based on user location is designed and implemented. A new security dimension of "location" is added to the Internet of things. While the user communicates with the Internet of things device normally, the channel characteristics are extracted. After quantization, negotiation, and privacy amplification, the dynamic key coupled with the user's location in real-time, that is, the location key is generated. Different from the traditional identity key, the key comes from the wireless channel and has the characteristics of no distribution, dynamic change, and compatibility with the existing key security system. A dynamic "firewall" is built between users and Internet of things devices. As long as the location of legitimate users is different from that of illegal users, they resist active attacks by illegal users in unknown locations. The control link of the UAV is developed, and the "fixed-point control" UAV is realized.


This paper presents a distance education system for the interactive experiments on physics over the World Wide Web integrated by Swing and Java3D API on Java2. Our system provides the real experiments over the web and are applied to the subject of experimental physics; the β-ray radiation. Experiments with radiation sources are sometimes kept away from educational courses because the radiation source must be controlled carefully in spite of its importance.With our system, students can measure counts of β-ray without treating radiation source directly at any time from any places over the web. The client programs run as Java applets on web browsers or as Java applications. Using the Swing API, they have a common desktop environment that provides exactly the same graphical user interface with the internal window system on any operating system supporting Java2 and Java3D. The 3D view window of the experimental equipments is realized by Java3D API and is very helpful to understand the configuration of equipments and principles of the measurement. The client programs handle the TCP/IP communication to the server program written in Java with native methods on the Linux server built with general PC and experimental equipments.


In a world that seems to be changing ever more quickly, sport and exercise psychology has developed rapidly during the last 30 years. Many countries have recognized the political, economic, and social implications of sport and exercise in the era of globalization. As the importance of success in sport grows around the world, nations seek every avenue to enhance their achievements. Although sport psychology is not typically at the top of the list, sooner or later, those individuals and groups with the responsibility for delivering international sporting success in each country expect a contribution from this discipline. At the same time, in every country, scholars with training in physical education, sports science, or psychology, who are fascinated by the way people think, feel, and behave in sport, have studied sport from a psychological perspective. Largely through the interaction between the needs of sport and the interests of scholars, a profession of sport and exercise psychology has developed, or in many cases, is currently developing, in many nations around the world. The Managing Council of the International Society of Sport Psychology (ISSP) believes that ISSP has a responsibility to examine the development of sport and exercise psychology around the world and to state its position with regard to the way sport psychologists are trained and selected to work in service provision in a range of contexts. The aim of this paper is to report the findings of a review conducted on behalf of ISSP by four members of its Managing Council.


PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for manufacturing a prehardened steel material having the hardness of 58HRC or greater and being suitable for manufacture of a die for cold working, and a method for manufacturing a die for cold working.SOLUTION: A method for manufacturing a prehardened steel material having the hardness of 58HRC or higher and being suitable for manufacture of a die for cold working includes: a first step of performing hot working of a steel ingot to obtain a billet; a second step of performing quenching and tempering of the billet obtained in the first step, to obtain a steel raw material having the hardness of 58HRC or higher and containing two area percent or smaller of primary carbide with the equivalent circle diameters of 5 micrometers or greater in a cross-sectional structure; and a third step of cutting the steel raw material obtained in the second step, to obtain a prehardened steel material having dimensions corresponding to the dimensions of the die for the cold working. Further, the method includes a fourth step of performing machining of the prehardened steel material obtained in the third step, into a shape of the die to obtain the die for the cold working.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1


The freshwater sector holds a major share in Asian aquaculture production and the lack of quality fish seed and reliable supply are often documented as a bottleneck to meet the great demand for seed. This regional synthesis includes the results of 10 country case studies carried out in Asia to assess the status of fish seed resources, supply, breeding and nursing technologies adapted to meet the demand as well as measures adopted to overcome the constrains. Issues related to available seed resources and technologies, nursery and hatchery management and interventions in genetic improvements of broodstocks are discussed. Despite the fact that seed of major cultivated species are produced in sufficient quantities in hatcheries, poor quality is perceived as a major constraint to the expansion of freshwater aquaculture. Several approaches have been adapted by countries and farmers to assure fish seed quality. These approaches range from institutional to farmer-managed decision-making tools. Although provisions are available under existing laws and regulations for registration and certification, a proper fish seed certification process does not exist in many countries in the region. Building support services at the local level is crucial in expanding fish seed supply. Extension support ranges from decentralized government extension to total dependence on NGOs. Micro credit, which is undeveloped and difficult to access in many countries, is crucial to ensure the participation of small-holders and resource-limited farmers in fish seed supply. The main actors involved in the fish seed marketing are hatchery and nursery operators, middlemen or seed traders and fish farmers. The break-up of production cycle is inevitable in many occasions due to land pressure and the costs involved in accommodating nursery facilities in the hatchery premises. Sales promotion, distribution mechanisms and types of distribution networks for fish seed marketing are not formally organized in many countries of the region. The regional focus has shifted to decentralized seed production, which offers opportunities for poor farmers to enter into fish seed production. In general, fish seed production is regarded as a profitable venture. Knowledge gaps exist in the use of chemicals and chemotherapeutants, culture environment dynamics, quarantine and biosecurity measures in hatchery operations and bio-economics on the use of wild caught fish as feeds for predatory fish and developing suitable feeds. Future prospects and recommendations on hatchery and nursery management, capacity building, research and development and policy directions and regional issues to be addressed are included. 60 Assessment of freshwater fish seed resources for sustainable aquaculture INTRODUCTION Fish and fisheries play an important role in the economies of Asian countries, contributing to animal protein intake, household income, employment generation and foreign income earnings. As a food producing sector, aquaculture's most immediately apparent contribution to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MGD) is as contributor to the eradication of poverty and hunger. Reducing hunger through increased production and availability of fish either to producers or to nonproducers for purchase at local markets may, as outlined in the World Nutrition Report 2004, contribute indirectly to all of the MDG goals. Aquaculture also makes an important contribution to national Gross Domestic Product (GDP), accounting more than 1 percent of GDP in six countries studied (Table 6.2.1). Freshwater aquaculture contributes more than 50 percent to the total aquaculture production in majority of the leading aquaculture producing countries in Asia (Table 6.2.1). A most notable feature of the aquaculture sector in South Asia is that majority of fish comes from inland waters and hence growth of the sector has been mostly due to increasing freshwater aquaculture. The top seven culture species in South Asia in 2003 were freshwater carps (bighead carp, grass carp, silver carp, common carp, rohu, catla and mrigal) which accounted for 88 percent of the total freshwater aquaculture production. Reported production of freshwater finfish alone constituted 98.8 percent of total finfish aquaculture production. In Southeast Asia, aquaculture production in terms of quantity is diversified. Freshwater aquaculture production contributes 39 percent to the total aquaculture production. Nevertheless, the growth trend is particularly strong for freshwater finfish culture, which has increased from 564 000 tonnes in 1990 to 1 834 tonnes in 2003 (FAO, 2004). In China, freshwater aquaculture is dominated by carps (bighead carp, common carp, crucian carp, grass carps) and Nile tilapia, which constitute 79 percent of total freshwater aquaculture production. The reported production of freshwater finfish alone constituted 96.6 percent of total finfish aquaculture production in China in 2003. Thus, the freshwater sector holds a major share in Asian aquaculture production. As food fish represents the most important source of animal protein for many Asian countries, including China, the ability of aquaculture to meet demand is most critical in countries where the population is dependent on fish. Meeting the demand also depends on the availability of resources such as water, land and fish seed and inputs such as feeds, fertilizers, etc. Lack of quality fish seed supply is often documented as a bottleneck for freshwater aquaculture development in rural areas of many countries in the region. Breeding and nursing technologies of certain commercially-cultured


Polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), dibenzo-p-dioxins (PBDDs), dibenzofurans (PBDFs), and diphenylethers (PBDPES) in aquatic environments may pose a risk to fish early life stage survival. Following rainbow trout egg microinjection, the potencies of these polybrominated aromatic hydrocarbons were determined using fish specific toxic equivalency factors (TEFs). TEFs are defined as the ratio of TCDD LD{sub 50} to brominated congener LD{sub 50}. Sac fry stage specific TCDD like toxicity included yolk sac edema, pericardial edema, multifocal hemorrhages and craniofacial malformations. TEFs of active congeners were: 2,3,7,8-TBDF = 0.23; 2,3,4,7,8-PBDF = 0.069; 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxBDD = 0.009. No signs of toxicity with 2,2{prime},4,4{prime}-TBDPE, 2,2{prime},3,4,4{prime}-PBDPE, or 2,2{prime},4,4{prime},5-PBDPE occurred at egg concentrations up to 126,37 {mu}g/g. Since these congeners occur as complex mixtures, the potential for additive, antagonistic, or synergistic interactions must also be determined for accurate risk assessment. Graded doses of 2,3,7,8-TBDD or 1,2,3,7,8-PBDD alone, or graded doses of fixed ratios of the two congeners were injected into newly fertilized rainbow trout eggs. Separate dose response curves were determined for each ratio and each individual congener. Isobolographic analysis supports the hypothesis that these congeners act additively.


In order to solve the problem of the small and ill-posed sample and nonlinearity in chemical industry processes,a soft measure method based on Kernel Principal Component Analysis (KPCA) and least square support vector machine is presented.The Kernel Principal Component Analysis method could not only solve the linear correlation of the input but also compress the data. Kernel parameters of KPCA are optimized by particle swarm optimization. Cross validation method is used to select parameters of least square support vector machine model.The measure method is applied to predict BPA.Results indicate that this method features high learning speed,good approximation and well generalization ability.It provides evidences for on-line BPA measurement.


Abstract This paper examines the role of core self-evaluations (CSEs) in the relationships among emotional demands, emotional dissonance, and depersonalization. Data were collected from a non-random sample of 423 teachers who worked in primary, secondary, and higher education institutions. Results from structural equation modeling analysis showed that CSEs displayed both direct and indirect effects on depersonalization through employees' perceptions and reactions to emotional labor. Specifically, those individuals with more positive CSEs tended to perceive the emotional aspects of their job as less demanding, thus being less likely to experience emotional dissonance and, in turn, depersonalization. This research demonstrated that CSEs play a vital role in explaining employees' reactions to emotional labor and, therefore, their effects should be properly accounted for in future studies. Implications for practice and future lines of research are discussed in this paper.


The effect of the precipitation structure on the work hardening process taking place at different temperatures in a medium strength AlZnMg alloy is investigated. The behaviour of some characteristic properties of the stress-strain curves is analysed on the basis of a new hardening law. It is obtained that the work hardening decreases strongly with increasing temperature and it becomes zero at about 200 °C, which is a consequence of equal rates of accumulation and annihilation of dislocations around the second phase particles.


In the Web2.0 age,customization and socialization are two trends in information consumption.They are not two parallel but interactive trends.The most dangerous thing may be that the socialization may lead to the users' lack of personality.


The increasing integration density of semiconductor devices and the usage of new materials and innovative manufacturing techniques result in introducing new and gradually changing the types of failure mechanisms and defects that take place in manufactured silicon. This is particularly true for current deep submicron manufacturing technologies. As we approach the nanoscale domain, new types of fault models and test methods are needed to cope with the increasing complexity of the observed faulty behavior. This paper discusses the latest trends in testing and failure mechanisms in all stages of IC production


With the rapid growth of of internet and wireless networks, information security becomes significant to protect e-commerce and personal privacy. Data Hiding is an important issue for information security.There has been number of steganographic embedding techniques proposed over last few years. This paper presents a novel steganographic method based on the JPEG quantization table modification. Instead of dividing cover image into 8×8 blocks, the cover image is divided into nonoverlapping blocks of 16×16 pixels to embed secret information. Here we have considered color images and investigated the feasibility of data hiding. Four performance parameters namely Capacity, MSE and PSNR and NC have been compared on different sizes of standard test images. In comparison with Jpeg-Jsteg and Chang et al. methods based on the conventional blocks of 8x8 pixels the proposed method shows high performance with regard to embedding rate and PSNR of stego image. Furthermore, NC shows that the produced stego-images are almost similar to the original cover images.


techniques the company employs to engage the spectator in an active and unsettled relationship with the performance. These texts explore the inclusive sense of belonging and care fostered by the community-based work like The Democratic Set on the one hand; and, on the other hand, the use of parody and satire to unmoor the spectator from any comforting distinction between play and reality. Together these writings serve as a spine to structure a text that is otherwise so diverse in its offerings. The other scholarly contributions usefully contextualize the work of the company in relation to disability studies, the ethics of representation and spectatorship, and the interplay between the spectacular and the actual, without departing from the concrete nature of the performances. There are moments where the theoretical apparatus could be more fully constituted, but this seems a by-product of the brevity of the texts. It makes the writing highly readable and accessible to a non-academic audience – no small feat considering the delicacy, sophistication, and provocation of this theatre. Perhaps most fascinating of all is Yoni Prior's essay-length account of a moment during the rehearsal for Ganesh Versus the Third Reich. Observing the devising process of a theatrical work that interrogates the power dynamics of theatrical rehearsal, Prior writes of an instance where one of the performers '"lost the reality line" and mistook acting in an improvisation for a genuine interaction between colleagues' (p. 211). In a nuanced reading of the event, Prior questions the place of the real and of risk in the company's work. The focus on performance itself is most apparent in the space given to the voices of the artists themselves in four interviews and selected texts. The closing conversation between director Bruce Gladwin and Richard Gough, in particular, sums up the book's themes beautifully. A discussion between the various artistic directors over the lifespan of the company and another interview with the designers both ultimately acknowledge the role that the actors play in the work. And, elsewhere, in a brief conversation, 'The Ensemble on the Ensemble', the question is asked: 'Sometimes you play characters on stage with the same name as yourself, are you and the characters the same?' To which, performer Scott Price responds: 'I don't get to choose the character of myself. Other people actually write the scripts. That's all I can say about that' (p. 23). In keeping with the self-reflexivity of Back to Back, it's a response that looks back not only on the working process of the company, but also on how normative society writes the script for Price and others perceived to have disabilities in the outside world. I have rarely encountered a book about a performance company that honors the work discussed with such grace, that manages to communicate its difficulty with such ease, and that leaves its work intact and still full of its animating and unsettling life. It exemplifies the mandate of the book series and argues for Back to Back's central place in a range of discussions concerning disability, spectatorship, and theatricality.


An experiment was carried out to examine the application of an Sr-Zn-W-type hexagonal ferrite bonded magnet as a hysteresis bonded magnet in a non-contact-type torque limiter using a magnet. The magnetic properties of Sr-Zn-W-type hexagonal powders ware first examined in order to prepare a bonded magnet. The preparation conditions for a typical sample were as follows: chemical analysis composition, Sr2+0.93Zn2+0.93Fe2+1.02Fe3+16.07O27; reaction sintering condition, 1300°C × 4.0 h in air; average particle size after pulverizing, 0.85 μm. The magnetic properties of Sr-Zn-W-type hexagonal ferrite powders are σs = 95.5 × 10-6 Wb·m/kg, HcJ = 60.5 kA/m. Next, an injection molding bonded as a hysteresis bonded magnet was prepared by using these powders and Sr-M-type ferrite powders. Non-contact-type torque limiters were made experimentally by using these bonded magnets. The torque value of a torque limiter prepared from an Sr-Zn-W-type ferrite bonded magnet was found to be better than that of a torque limiter prepared from an Sr-M-type ferrite bonded magnet, and the leakage magnetic flux decreased by 13%.


The relationship between plants and hydrogen peroxide is a challenging one: H2O2 has many essential roles in plant metabolism but at the same time, accumulation related to virtually any environmental stress is potentially damaging. In this review, I consider H2O2 physiology broadly, both as a stress and as a developmentally and physiologically important metabolite, including its sources and mobility, and the vexing question of tissue level concentrations. I then consider problems associated with H2O2 as a signaling molecule, including mechanisms of H2O2 sensing, signaling, and response networks. Finally, I discuss recent advances in transcript network modeling, and complex systems approaches to understanding the interactions between the transcriptome, proteome and metabolome in responses to H2O2.


In this paper we use an exponential power distribution to develop a bathtub failure model for repairable systems. These results are compared with those using the more familiar Weibull distribution. The analysis is extended to three types of repair scenarios: good-as-new repairs (in which the repair following a failure completely refreshes the failure intensity), bad-as-old repairs (in which the repair has no effect on the failure intensity) and imperfect repairs (in which the failure intensity is only partially reset). We apply this analysis to hydro-electric turbine data and find that an exponential power distribution produces a well-defined bathtub failure model when used with an imperfect repair assumption. We furthermore find that this bathtub model produces an improved fit over the equivalent Weibull model.


ABSTRACT
 A species of the tribe Synergini (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) was reared from a gall collected in China on Castanea mollissima Blume and Castanea seguinii Dode. The morphological features of this gall wasp indicate that it is an undescribed species belonging to the genus Synergus and is herein described as a new species, Synergus castaneus Pujade-Villar, Bernardo et Viggiani sp. nov. (Hymenoptera Cynipidae: Synergini). This is the first known instance of a species of Synergus emerging from Castanea galls (Fagaceae). Data on the diagnosis, distribution, and biology of the new species are given. Morphological features of this species are discussed and illustrated. No other known gall-inducing species emerged from the collected galls, whereas tens of specimens of parasitoids and adults of the inquiline micromoth Andrioplecta pulverula Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) did. 28S-D2 and COI sequences confirmed that S. castaneus is a distinct species belonging to the genus Synergus.


The morphological characteristics and fruit quality of an autotetraploid plant selected from nucellar seedlings of Satsuma mandarin (Citrus unshiu Marcow.) were investigated. Additionally, in order to evaluate the reproductive potential of male and female gametes of the tetraploid Satsuma mandarin, reciprocal crosses with diploid cultivars were also carried out. The tetraploid had significantly thick and round leaves, as compared to those of the diploid Satsuma mandarin. The sizes of the flowers and pollen grains of the tetraploid were significantly larger than those of the diploid. Pollen fertility of tetraploid was high compared with that of the diploid. The tetraploid produced seedless fruits. The fruit weight of the tetraploid was equal to that of the diploid. Compared to the diploid fruits, the tetraploid fruit had less sugar contents and more organic acid contents. Although the tetraploid fruits showed similar traits to other Citrus tetraploids such as thick and hard peels, the tetraploid had a higher content of carotenoids in the flavedo than the diploid, and the rind color of the tetraploid was much better. In the reciprocal crosses between the tetraploid Satsuma mandarin and diploid cultivars, some seeds were obtained, and triploid progenies were obtained in all cross combinations.


This thesis explores the rational design, synthesis, characterization and
applications of conjugated polymers as carbon nanotube (CNT) dispersants. Two
Dithiafulvalene (DTF) functionalized Phenylacetylene based polymers were synthesized
using Sonogashira cross coupling conditions and Cu-catalyzed homo coupling conditions.
DTF unit was introduced by applying "click chemistry" to the side chain of the polymers
to form a "centipede-like" macromolecular architecture. The ability of synthesized
polymers to disperse SWNTs was tested in various organic solvents using UV-Vis,
photoluminescence Raman spectroscopic techniques, and SEM, AFM imaging.
Characterization results show, that dispersion is selective for small semiconducting (6,5),
(5,6), and (7,6) tubes. Furthermore, Hexane induced SWNTs release experiments were
under taken for the reversible dispersion process to attain "dispersant-free" SWNTs.
which could be turned into a very useful technique applicable in material preparation and
device fabrication where "additive-free" SWNTs are desired after solution-phase
processing (e.g., dispersion) in order to maximize electronic and/or optoelectronic
performances.


Aversion of the discipline of economics to things military, which Sovietology, its peripheral field, emulated, is shown to be a part of a more general pattern in the social sciences. A survey of articles about the German economy in 1934–1939 finds that the authors largely ignored another great peacetime military buildup of the twentieth century. It was seen as a peculiar and successful variant of employment policy, with potential lessons for other Depression-stricken economies. Archeologists and anthropologists bypassed the evidence of warfare in pre-literate societies, or gave it strained pacific interpretations. Academic historians marginalized their colleagues specializing in military history. Civilianizing tendencies in the study of other countries and in other disciplines support some of my arguments about Sovietology, and at the same time make its case all the more instructive.


Abstract
 This paper analyses the feasibility of incorporating electric or hybrid vehicles in intermodal transport for the transportation of containers in the pre- and post haulage (PPH) operation. In Europe, the intermodal transport market is being strongly supported, as it is seen as one of the keystones of a sustainable mobility system policy. The introduction of environmentally friendly electric/hybrid vehicles for the pre- and post haulage operation would mean a further enhancement leading to a more complete ecological intermodal transport chain. PPH operations are usually no longer than 30 km, and, hence, could possibly be handled by electric or hybrid vehicles. Hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) combine electric and other drive systems, such as internal combustion engines, gas turbines and fuel cells. Hybrid electric vehicles merge the zero pollution and high efficiency benefits of electric traction with the high fuel energy density benefits of an energy source or thermal engine. The use of electrically driven vehicles for goods distribution has already been successfully proven in international demonstration projects, such as ELCIDIS. Transport of intermodal units (such as ISO containers), however, requires electric/hybrid heavy-duty goods vehicles, which are not readily available on the market, but for which the technology exists. Different possibilities are assessed as to their technical, financial, organizational and environmental feasibility and suitability. This analysis is based on a typical mission for pre-and post haulage operations, such as type of trips, distance, frequency, urban/suburban, etc.


Introduction: Non-invasive imaging techniques, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), have been used for studying the dynamics of chick embryo development and growth [1]. This can be repeated observations on the same embryo on a longitudinal basis, using high resolution ultra-high-field (7 Tesla or higher) MR scanners. MRI-based cell tracking using super-paramagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) particles provide an excellent means of cell monitoring in in-vivo [2]. However, SPIO nanoparticles as a T2* contrast agent are usually associated with signal loss and negative contrast in typical MR images, which may bring difficulties for cell tracking in vivo. Furthermore, differentiation between SPIO nanoparticles and susceptibility artifacts induced by air cavities in a human or animal body is another problem, since air cavities also represent negative contrast. In this work, a novel sweep imaging with Fourier transformation (SWIFT) sequence [3,4] is applied to overcome these challenges and the results are compared with other two conventional pulse sequences such as fast spin echo (FSE) and gradient-recalled echo (GRE).


We present an overview of the geology , eochemistry and petrogenesis of continental mar gin ophiolites (CMO), which represent the lithospheric remnants of riftgenerated paleo ocean – continent transition zones (OCTZ) in orogenic belts. The igneous stratigraphy and geochemical signatures of Neotethyan CMOs reflect the extent of geochemical heterogeneity , partial melting degrees, and melt evolution patterns in the continental lithospheric mantle prior to the onset of seafloor spreading in rifted mar gins. Basaltic rocks of the Jurassic CMOs in the External Ligurian units of the Northern Apennines have N-MORB and G-MORB af finities with strong HREE/MREE depletion, and represent the products of partial melting of a heterogeneous subcontinental lithospheric mantle containing small volumes of garnet pyroxenite layers. These extrusive rocks were erupted directly on the exhumed fertile spinel lherzolites of Adria during its OCTZ evolution. Volcanic rocks of the Triassic CMOs in the Albanide-Hellenide orogenic belt are represented by calc-alkaline suites; alkaline basalts and subordinate trachybasalts, trachyandesites, and trachytes; transitional to sub-alkaline plume-type PMORB basalts; sub-alkaline enriched, E-MORB basalts; and, sub-alkaline N-MORB basalts. Upper mantle peridotites are not exposed. Magmas of these extrusive rock associations were derived from compositionally distinct mantle sources, which were af fected by previous subduction and plume events in the geological history of the region. The CMOs in the Zagros orogenic belt include metamorphosed lherzolites with gabbro and mafic dike intrusions, which show N-MORB and GMORB affinities. Basalts and basaltic andesites making up the majority of the Zagros volcanic sequences have E-MORB and P-MORB af finities, whereas minor alkaline rocks that are composed of basalts, trachybasalts and trachytes display OIB signatures. The mantle sources of the Zagros CMOs were progressively enriched in Th and Nb. The OIB component of the mantle beneath the Zagros OCTZ was derived from previous plume events during the early Carboniferous, when Paleotethys was undergoing its rift-drift tectonics. The observed differences in the igneous stratigraphy and geochemical affinities of these Neotethyan CMOs are a result of extreme mantle heterogeneity caused by previous subduction and plume events during the Wilson Cycle evolution of the older Paleotethys.


Aflatoxins, produced by some aflatoxigenic strains of the Aspergillus species, are known as potent carcinogenic. Aflatoxin biosynthesis involves lipid peroxidation with the presence of fatty acid hydroperoxides promoting aflatoxin production. Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) derives from α-linolenic acid and is a plant growth regulator, produced as a response to stress, such as by environment or pathogen attack. This study reports on the effect of MeJA added on A. parasiticus growth and AFB1 production in caper, an edible plant of Greek origin used as condiment. AFB1 determination in caper was performed by using HPLC-FD. Five different concentrations of MeJA, 10-6 Μ, 10-4 Μ, 10-3Μ, 10-2 Μ, and 10-1 Μ, were added in caper samples and the kinetic of the AFB1 production by A.parasiticus was studied for an incubation period of 15 days. Results revealed that MeJA affects AFB1 production by A. parasiticus in a dose-dependent manner. MeJA at a concentration of 10-6 M stimulated AFB1 production after the 9th day of incubation. MeJA at concentrations of 10-4 M and 10-3M decreased moderately AFB1 output. Finally, MeJA added to the caper samples at a concentration of 10-2 Μ and 10-1 Μ inhibited AFB1 by 97.74% and 98.42% respectively on the 12th day of observation.


After Enron,Woldcom and Ahold corporate scandals,and so on,the countries had to strengthen the monitoring of corporate governance all over the world.EU,as a political and economic alliance,is no exception.EU corporate governance mechanisms can be roughly divided into two modes: Britain and Germany.The two models are quite different in its internal governance mechanism,external governance mechanism and governance mechanism between inside and outside.In order to form a unified market,the European commission have adopted a variety of laws to coordinate all the different corporate governance mechanism,but the mechanism of EU co-ordination of corporate governance is not quick,there is still a long way to go.


Dennis Avery's Saving the Planet with Pesticides and Plastic challenges the conventional wisdom about how to "save" the environment, and outlines policies that Avery believes will allow farmers to feed the world's growing, more affluent population while preserving wildlife and wildlands. Avery advocates doing more research in agricultural technology and using the best and most productive areas and technologies to feed the world's people with as little environmental and economic cost as possible. Avery spends much of his effort dispelling popular concerns about the environmental ramifications of our chemical-based way of life, such as the potential threat of pesticides such as DDT. In so doing, he dismisses nearly the entire body of peer-reviewed scientific literature and instead replaces it with his own speculations, theories, and selected statistics. Avery presents his heavily biased agenda in a juvenile format, aimed at a less informed and nonscientific readership. His lack of objectivity detracts from any appeal that his book might otherwise have and it would likely not have been published were it not for the protective guise of the Hudson Institute. Whether right or wrong, the path of technology that Avery touts is inevitably the one that our collective future efforts will follow. On this, we have no recourse. Only time will tell whether this will bring us the affluent state of global stasis he envisions or quite the opposite, the eventual inability to adapt to the environment that we have created for ourselves.


An experimental comparison of a number of different source coding algorithms is carried out. The performance comparison of the Shannon, Shannon-Fano and Huffman coding for binary and tertiary has been done in this paper. Comparison of Average Lengths, Entropies and Efficiencies of code words generated by these algorithms for binary and ternary are presented.


The paper deals with an analysis of existing thermal comfort models based on exergy approach and the impact of models' input parameters to the calculation results. The aim of this paper is to present the results of the application of five different thermal comfort models based on the exergy analysis, to compare them, and to determine if they coincide with the results obtained by using Fanger's model. While models that are the most commonly used to evaluate and predict thermal comfort conditions are based on the first law of thermodynamics, a handful of authors used both the first and the second law of thermodynamics in order to develop new thermal comfort models. Even though the optimal comfort conditions according to these models may not differ by large margin from the optimal thermal comfort conditions according to Fanger's model, it is concluded that justification of using models based on the exergy analysis to evaluate thermal comfort is very dependent on the input parameters, which should all be taken into consideration separately,


In the past 25 years, interest in Indian history has increased dramatically. This is part of a more general shift in historical focus, as many historians have realized that their predecessors tended to undervalue the roles and contributions of women, racial minorities, and other marginalized groups in the social, economic, and political development of North American society. In the American West, this shift in perspective has spawned a "new Western history" that has revitalized historical inquiry and deepened our understanding of the region's unique past.Originally published in Journal of the West 39:3 (Summer 2000). Copyright Journal of the West ©2000, reprinted with permission of ABC-CLIO, LLC.


Objective To discuss the curative effect of tap therapy of electric plum-blossom needle on child amblyopia and its influence on pattern-visual evoked potential(P-VEP).Methods The child patients with amblyopia aged from 4 to 12 years old were selected(n=38,69 eyes) and randomly divided into experimental group and control group on the base of ametropia after glasses rectification.The experimental group was treated with comprehensive therapy of Western medicine and tap therapy of electric plum-blossom needle,and control group with comprehensive therapy of Western medicine only.All patients in two groups were given examinations of P-VEP and vision correction before and after the treatment,and those in experimental group were given examination of P-VEP respectively before and after one time of tap therapy of electric plum-blossom needle.Results The results of P-VEP examination showed that in experimental group the instant effect and P100 wave peak latency were significantly shortened(P0.05),but amplitude had no significant difference compared with control group.In experimental group after one course of treatment compared with before the treatment,P100 wave peak latency was significantly shortened(P0.05),but amplitude had no significant difference.The results of visual acuity examination showed that in experimental group the visual acuity of 32 eyes among 36 eyes(88.9%) and in control group,that of 24 among 33 eyes(72.7%) were increased two or more lines in visual chart.The total effective rate was higher in experimental group than that in control group according to the analysis on age,and degree and types of amblyopia and curative effect.Conclusion The tap therapy of electric plum-blossom needle can shorten P100 wave peak latency of P-VEP in amblyopia children and improve their visual acuity.It has a bright application prospect in clinic.


Objective To analyze the risk of scar uterine cesarean section and clinical anesthesia method. Methods 80 cases of uterine scar cesarean patients were selected from April 2012 to April 2014 in our hospital to clinical studies were randomly divided into study A and study groups B, A study of the implementation of general anesthesia group, the study of group B epidural anesthesia, clinical conditions were observed two groups of scar uterus maternal, cut from the skin to the fetal childbirth time, cut from the womb to the fetal childbirth time and neonatal apgar scoring. Results Two groups of patients with total excision of the uterus, bladder damage repair, and no obvious difference in the number of intraoperative bleeding badly(P 0.05), and there were no death occurred. A research study in group B and group were 30.0% and 32.5% of patients with intraoperative hypotension symptoms, no significant difference between groups(P 0.05); in addition, there are 20.0% in Group B of patients with epidural blockade incomplete symptoms. Group B patients incision time to the fetus, the fetus to the uterine incision time study were significantly higher in group A patients, significant differences between the groups(P 0.05). A research study in group B and group were 20.0% and 22.5% of newborn asphyxia symptoms, no significant difference between groups(P 0.05); the two groups have one case of neonatal deaths occur; two groups of newborns KPS between groups was not significantly different(P 0.05). Conclusion Due to the risk of cesarean uterine scar patients and new births is higher, select the appropriate anesthesia can reduce the number of cesarean uterine scar-related complications in patients and neonatal death.


CRISPR‐Cas systems are recently discovered, RNA‐based immune systems that control invasions of viruses and plasmids in archaea and bacteria. Prokaryotes with CRISPR‐Cas immune systems capture short invader sequences within the CRISPR loci in their genomes, and produce small RNAs from the CRISPR loci (crRNAs) that recognize the invading nucleic acids and guide Cas proteins to degrade (or otherwise silence) the invader. There are multiple variations of the pathway mediated by distinct components and mechanisms that we are now delineating.


This study intends to examine impact of hotel employees` job insecurity by restructuring after IMF on the management trust and organizational cynicism and tries to give strategic implications. There are main results in this research focusing on the survivors of deluxe hotel which carried out restructuring in Seoul given below; First, for job insecurity, as job importance, loss possibility of job characteristics, and loss possibility of job itself are higher, trust in management is lower. Second, for job insecurity, as job importance and loss possibility of job itself are higher, organizational cynicism is also higher. Third, as trust in management is higher, degree of organizational cynicism is lower. The result of this study will be helpful with the hotel industries which needs to establish marketing strategies.


With observation data of runoff plots,the paper analyzed the effects of several typical measures on regulating runoff in slope land of red soil in south china.The results showed that compared with the bare plot,the effect of vegetation measures to runoff reduction was 21.1%~94.2%,the effects of down-slope tillage and contour tillage to runoff reduction were 59.7%and 72.3%,repectively.Under the same condition of other measures,the effects of engineering measures such as terraces,level ditches,and fish-scale pits,which are widely adopted in the south of China,were above 68.3%.Compared with single measures,the effect of comprehensive measures of engineering measures with vegetation measures and tillage measures to runoff reduction reached 91.6%,and comprehensive measures should be widely popularized in the south of China.


This paper analyses the future of the Church in Africa. The African Church is currently experiencing a tremendous numerical growth with many Africans becoming Christians everyday. But what is its future? Is the numerical growth an indication that the African Church has a bright future? Should we be happy that the African Church is a rapidly growing Church? To answer these questions the paper uses the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) which is the largest protestant denomination in Kenya, growing at the rate of 6.7% per annum. While there may be other indicators to the future of the Church in Africa, the paper argues that theological institutions where the church leaders are prepared or the system of theological education largely determines the route the Church takes. As theological colleges go so the churches go. The paper therefore assesses the viability of the ACK Provincial theological colleges in terms of enrollment, financial resources, physical facilities, teaching and non-teaching staff, and the curriculum. It concludes that the ACK Provincial theological colleges are not viable and therefore questions their ability to prepare effective church leaders for the rapidly changing African Church and society. Unless the current African church leadership wakes up to address this issue urgently, the future of the Church in Africa remains uncertain albeit high church growth. Key words : Theological Institutions, The African Church, Anglican Church of Kenya


Rhabdomyolysis, the disintegration of striated muscle, results in the leakage of muscle constituents into the extracellular space, with subsequent reabsorption into the circulation. It ranges from asymptomatic illness to a life-threatening condition associated with acute renal failure (ARF). Creatine kinase (CK) and myoglobin (Mb) are both markers of muscular damage in rhabdomyolysis. Whereas Mb is considered the principal compound causing tubular damage, the serum-CK level is presently guiding therapeutic interventions. In association with myocardial infarction, Mb has been found to disappear from the blood faster than CK. Considering its etiological role this suggests that serum-Mb levels, rather than that of CK, should be used to guide prophylaxis and therapy in patients with rhabdomyolysis and ARF. There is no clear agreement about whether any laboratory measures provide prognostic information indicating the development of ARF. Removal of myoglobin by hemofiltration has been recommended, but its effects on ARF in rhabdomyolysis remain to be proven, and the elimination kinetics of myoglobin is poorly understood. The conclusions of existing studies must be viewed with caution because of the large variations in study design and selection bias and the small number of subjects studied. There is a need for further studies that compare the values of myoglobin and CK in blood of this group of patients. This review of the literature aims to summarise current understanding of relation changes in concentration of myoglobin and kreatine kinase blood samples from of patients requiring treatment for traumatic, ischemic or postoperative rhabdomyolysis.


The paper presents a set of issues and solutions for the integration of a WGPD (wave guide photo detector) and a CPW (coplanar waveguide) fed three element slot antenna. Novel designs for band pass filters and low loss transmission lines are also described. The operating frequency of the antenna is around 18.5 GHz and is connected directly with the photodetector without the use of amplifier or any active elements. Measured data and simulations for various antenna/photodetector configurations are compared and discussed.


In order to secure the communication in Internet of Things era, a low overhead power analysis countermeasure called uniform distribution random power generator is proposed for stream ciphers. To alter the power signature of protected circuit, ring oscillators, which act as unit power generators, are grouped in a systematic approach to generate additional power with uniform probability distribution. Experiments from the proposed evaluation framework demonstrate that the secret key of unprotected device can be disclosed within 103 power traces with standard differential power analysis attack, whereas the same attack mounted on the proposed scheme cannot be disclosed even after 106 measurements. Moreover, the area and the power overhead are reduced by at least 29% and 22% compared with the state-of-the-art works, respectively.


With the deepening of the reform of education, schools and teachers gradually realized the importance of practical teaching in the whole teaching activities. This paper starts from the four aspects of the questionnaire, including the context evaluation, input evaluation, process evaluation and product evaluation, and constructs the CIPP logistics undergraduate research practice teaching evaluation system. The research shows that the teaching concept is novel, the teaching plan is scientific and the overall condition is good. However, the investment in practical teaching is deficient, and the input of experiment and practical training equipment should be increased and the teaching strength should be improved. So, in the logistics practice teaching, we should start from the teaching contents, teaching methods, establish a scientific and perfect evaluation and supervision system, cultivate the investigatory thinking and strong practice ability of innovative integrated logistics talents.


The limitations of virtual reality (VR) modeling and construction is one of the key issues in the recent research. An accurate model constructed based on real-world scenes is time and resource consuming. The three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction technology can efficiently construct models based on real-world objects, which is ideal for high-speed VR modeling system. This paper introduces the modeling examples based on 3D reconstruction in VR devices, compares the advantages/disadvantages between various reconstruction methods and comprehensively introduces the combination of the different methods. The summary and future development trend is also discussed at the end.


In order to manufacture high quality and cost effective EEPROMs suitable for automotive under-hood applications several topics must be taken into account. As well as a high reliability EEPROM technology the choice of an advanced memory architecture including ECC and a highly sophisticated screening methodology in production test is necessary to achieve high quality in the field. The EEPROM production testflow must not only be able to screen out weaknesses of the process but must also be cost efficient. A majority of the tests executed in the EEPROM test flow are needed to check the quality of the processed oxides which are the basic elements to realize the EEPROM function of the memory. Most of these tests are complex and time consuming. This work will present an optimization of an existing EEPROM production testflow by means of thorough analysis of the faulty dice and the testflow leading to an increase of the yield without reducing quality.


Abstract We report observations on feeding and nesting behavior, reproductive condition, and activity patterns of the Mexican red-bellied squirrel (Sciurus aureogaster) during 2000–2002 in an oak-pine (Quercus-Pinus) forest south of Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, Mexico. Squirrels fed heavily on seeds of pines, oaks, and dogwoods (Cornus), and rarely cached food. Squirrels used leaf nests for nesting and did not use tree cavities. Squirrels had year-round breeding activity and were more active in early morning and before sunset; however, daily activities were noticeably reduced during hot and sunny days or during strong winds. Squirrels had two color phases: gray-white and melanistic.


The source and detector subsystems are critical for the performance of a CT scanner. Technical advances in these components have been necessary to enable the progress that CT has achieved in recent years, and, in some respects, improvements in these technologies have driven system‐level advances. It is appropriate, therefore, to explore what further advances are possible in these components and what these changes would mean to CT system performance. We will examine these issues with a particular focus on the desire to improve dose‐efficiency, scanning speed, and volumetric coverage, and to develop new applications. X‐ray sources fir clinical CT have become much more powerful and rugged, evolutions driven by the increase in scanning speed. Modern sources allow for a small amount of beam deflection to improve projection sampling. Wider volumetric coverage in a single rotation will be facilitated if the sources with multiple spot locations in the axial direction. Very rapid kVp switching would provide improved multi‐energy imaging. The predominant technology in CTdetectors is energy integrating devices composed of scintillators with coupled photodiodes. While CTdetectors have high DQE compared to some other x‐ray based technologies, there is room for improvement, especially at low exposure rates and high spatial frequencies. Direct conversion detectors could provide higher spatial sampling frequencies without loss of geometric efficiency from reflectors. Photon countingdetectors could provide a significant improvement in performance, especially if the detectors also provide energy discrimination. The challenges and opportunities from these technologies will be discussed. Research sponsored by GE Healthcare.


The present invention relates to a method of creating an animated series of photographs. A photograph acquisition device analyzes the images to detect a lack of movement. The detection of a lack of movement during a specific period starts taking a photograph and storing the image data in the following photographs. The user enters a command to complete the acquisition of the following photographs. Data from different photographs are assembled to form the animated sequel. When reproducing, later reproduced by displaying successively each photograph, the time between each photograph reproduction is possibly introduced by the user. The invention also concerns a photograph acquisition device designed to acquire said animated photography on.


Commonly, cassava could survive for a moment under drought stress. However, there are limitations to face the drought stress for the growth and productivity then affect starch synthesis. Gunungkidul is one of the biggest cassava producers in Indonesia, in meanwhile cassava production is not able to increase due to the characteristics of karst land topography and rainfed area. Tolerance of drought stress is a complex process relates to physiological and molecular responses. In molecular level, many genes revealed multi-complex responses to drought stress. One of the responsible gene assumed to correlate to drought stress is G-Box Binding Factor (GBF3). The study aims to detect the gene expression of GBF3 in local cassava cultivars of Gunungkidul under drought stress. The result revealed that at moisture levels of 50 percent and 25 percent, GBF3 (Gene Expression of G-Box Binding Factor 3) expressions are identified in the cassava cultivar Gatotkaca, which differed from the detection result of the cassava cultivar Pandesi hijau at all moisture levels. Based on the presence of phenotypic characters and gene expression, the local cultivar of Gatotkaca is assumably to be more drought tolerant than Pandesi Hijau.


Consider a vehicle moving on a road whose usage over time creates an uneven surface on the road. Road unevenness that we encounter on surface communications often arises as a consequence of dynamical effects of moving vehicles, of weather changes, and due to road construction works. This article concerns with mathematical modeling of the trajectory of a road vehicle moving on such a surface during the course of road maintenance.


This is the Second Edition of Vol. III BSD Socket Version from one of the most popular TCP/IP Internetworking series ever published. This new edition includes code in ANSI C throughout. This is the only book available who's central theme is software design that teaches designers how to structure clients and servers. The server designs are directly applicable to WWW and other applications. The authors present the most complete coverage of server technology that allows designers to understand the costs and benefits of advanced server technologies. In addition, the Second Edition discusses the use of application gateways to allow client-server communication across heterogeneous protocols.


Cost containment is critical to maintaining a viable workers compensation (WC) system, and the rising cost of delivering healthcare services underscores the need to control WC medical costs. Fee schedules are the oldest and most widely used device to regulate WC medical payments. Still, questions remain as to what makes for an effective fee schedule. Many studies compare WC fee schedules with various other price tables. None, however, has looked directly at how WC fee schedules perform within the broader healthcare delivery system. Here we look at state WC fee schedule designs and the relationship between WC reimbursements and those for employer-sponsored group health in the state. The primary finding is simply that fee schedules are effective at controlling WC medical costs. We also show that most schedules work well for primary care but not as well for specialty medicine, and we identify areas for possible improvement.


Because the textile industry wastewater is polluted with azo dyes, and in order to improve a process of wastewater remediation, the synthesized sample was evaluated in the photocatalysis of methylene blue and compared with commercial Bi2O3 and anatase TiO2. Structures of bismuth oxide carbonate (Bi2O2CO3) were successfully synthesized using a solution at 0.03 M concentration of sodium bismuthate as precursor and ethylene glycol as dissolvent by solvothermal microwave-assisted approach. The semiconductor catalyst samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XDR), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis (BET). The application of the synthesized sample as catalyst, obtained a 68% of degradation. This result is better than the commercial Bi2O3 and close to the anatase TiO2 degradation. This sample shows a variation in the formula (with the presence of carbonates) but also shows an acceptable degradation percentage according to TiO2 results, making Bi2O2CO3 a possible substitute of TiO2.


This study engages with information structure concepts to explore the pragmatic function(s) of fronted deictic terms in Jeremiah 1:1-2:2. Accounting for deictic terms within the pre-verbal field of Biblical Hebrew sentences is important because like the spoken word, the written text is linear representation of thought that involves deliberate sequencing of constituents. Since the initial constituent in a sentence or paragraph exhibits the "privilege of primacy," an author or speaker may choose to exploit the initial position for various reasons.Deixis, or the "act of pointing out or indicating elements of a situation by gesture or linguistic expression," is a primary feature of human communication that occurs in both speech acts and in written text. In speech contexts, deictic expressions help to orient the speaker and the addressee in space and time, and provide a deictic center for the communication event. In written texts, an author may use deictic terms to direct the reader forward or backward through the text. Because both discourse level and text level deictic terms require contextual interpretation, such terms exhibit pragmatic function. This study is concerned with identifying specific pragmatic functions for fronted terms. In other words, which deictic terms does an author place in a privileged position, and why?


Hashai and Buckley's (2014, this issue) article boldly challenges some of the most widely held views in the international business literature regarding the emergence of the multinational enterprise. While their ideas clearly deserve deep consideration and a thoughtful, thorough response, this forum does not offer us an opportunity to respond fully. To do so would require a complete theory of governance, at least with respect to international expansion. Accordingly, we limit our comments to two related issues.


Abstract A device has been developed for use in determining parts per billion concentrations of volatile organic compounds in groundwater. This device is suitable for field use either as a self-contained, portable instrument or as an unattended monitor. The device consists of an immersible electrolysis cell in which hydrogen is generated. This hydrogen efficiently purges volatile organic compounds from water. Those volatile organic compounds are carried by the purge gas to a photoionization detector where their total concentration is measured. The significant advantages of this apparatus for use in the determination of volatile organic compounds include: 1) measurements are made in a hydrogen matrix which is free of interfering species present in water; 2) detection limits for volatile organic compounds are several orders of magnitude lower when compounds are purged from water than when they are measured in the headspace above water; 3) operation of this device does not require use of reagents or utilitie...


Numerous recommendations for improving the dependability of research findings in psychological science have emerged in recent years. Unfortunately, this glut of recommendations proves problematic for advancing uniform solutions to improve research dependability by individuals within and across the various constituencies that comprise psychological science. Moreover, several dependability recommendations propose practices to address the problem of false positive findings that can inversely increase the problem of false negative findings, and vice versa. It is proposed that the solution to this conundrum is to develop a concise and concrete list of core research dependability recommendations that address problems of false positive and false negative findings in a noncontradicting manner. Examination of the current research dependability literature and earlier literatures dealing with the problem of false findings is used to arrive at a set of three core research dependability recommendations: (a) conduct and promote direct replication studies; (b) ensure data sharing when requested by fellow scientists; and (c) adopt and promote a truth seeking mindset during the research endeavor.


s (in alphabetical order by first author) VISUAL EVOKED POTENTIALS DURING LONG DURATION PATTERN-REVERSAL STIMULATION IN MIGRAINE PATIENTS BETWEEN ATTACKS J Afra, A Proietti-Cecchini, V De Pasqua, J Schoenen


Background: Outbreaks of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been recorded in different countries across the globe. The virus is highly contagious, hence early detection, isolation, and quarantine of infected patients will play an important role in containing the viral spread. Diagnosis in a mobile lab can aid to find infected patients in time. Methods: Here, we develop a field-deployable diagnostic workflow that can reliably detect COVID-19. Instruments used in this workflow can easily fit in a mobile cabin hospital and also be installed in the community. Different steps from sample inactivation to detection were optimized to find the fastest steps and portable instruments in the detection of COVID-19. Each step was compared to that of the normal laboratory diagnosis setup. Results: From the results, our proposed workflow (80 min) was two times faster compared to that of the normal laboratory workflow (183 min) and a maximum of 32 samples could be detected at each run. Additionally, we showed that using 1% Rewocid WK-30 could inactivate the novel coronavirus directly without affecting the overall detection results. Comparison of our workflow using an in-house assay to that of a commercially acquired assay produced highly reliable results. From the 250 hospital samples tested, there was a high concordance 247/250 (98.8%) between the two assays. The in-house assay sensitivity and specificity were 116/116 (100%) and 131/134 (97.8%) compared to that of the commercial assay. Conclusion: Based on these results, we believe that our workflow is fast, reliable, adaptable and most importantly, field-deployable.


Polyproline forms a unique structure, called polyproline helix. It takes polyproline II helix in water and Polyproline I helix in n-propanol. PP II is known to be a rigid molecule in spite of no hydrogen bonds between backbone atoms, and to play an important role in biological functions such as formation of collagen structure and in the cell-adhesion. In this study, we carried out single molecule force spectroscopy of polyproline with AFM(Atomic Force Microscope) and covalent immobilization of polyproline molecule on gold substrate to evaluate the rigidity of PP II at single molecule level. We found that the force-extension curve of polyproline shows a linear increase, which is unusual and not seen with others homo-polypeptide molecules. These results indicate that the high rigidity of polyproline II helix can be explained by "enthalpic", not "entropic" driven elasticity.


The failure mechanisms of multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) with Ni internal electrodes under high temperature and high voltage conditions have been investigated through highly accelerated life tests (HALTs) in recent years. Generally, insulation resistance degradation during HALTs is presumed to be because of the electromigration of oxygen vacancies. Reliability in high-temperature, high-humidity, and rated-voltage environments is important for MLCCs. However, only a few studies have investigated the causes of insulation resistance degradation in MLCCs in these environments. We investigated the failure mechanisms of MLCCs through a highly accelerated temperature and humidity stress test. On the basis of presence of a degraded area on the anode side, we presumed that hydrogen ions were produced by H2O electrolysis at the interface between the ceramics and internal electrodes on the anode side, and that these hydrogen ions caused insulation resistance degradation.


Cancer cell survival and metastasis are dependent on metabolic reprogramming that is capable of increasing resistance to oxidative and energetic stress. Targeting these two processes can be crucial for cancer progression. Herein, we describe the role of microRNA‐661 (miR661) as epigenetic regulator of colon cancer (CC) cell metabolism. MicroR661 induces a global increase in reactive oxygen species, specifically in mitochondrial superoxide anions, which appears to be mediated by decreased carbohydrate metabolism and pentose phosphate pathway, and by a higher dependency on mitochondrial respiration. MicroR661 overexpression in non‐metastatic human CC cells induces an epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition phenotype, and a reduced tolerance to metabolic stress. This seems to be a general effect of miR661 in CC, since metastatic CC cell metabolism is also compromised upon miR661 overexpression. We propose hexose‐6‐phosphate dehydrogenase and pyruvate kinase M2 as two key players related to the observed metabolic reprogramming. Finally, the clinical relevance of miR661 expression levels in stage‐II and III CC patients is discussed. In conclusion, we propose miR661 as a potential modulator of redox and metabolic homeostasis in CC.


The success of information systems (IS) has long been studied in various contexts. Yet, few previous studies have examined the success of knowledge-based systems (KBSs) taking into consideration the knowledge-intensive nature of KBSs. This study aims to identify the success factors of KBSs from the knowledge-sharing perspective. Given this purpose, we developed a research model by combining a knowledge-sharing framework with DeLone and McLean's IS success model. The model was tested using data gathered through a field survey of 60 organizations. The results showed that three organizational factors, namely, codifiability of knowledge, absorptive capacity, and relationship with a vendor were essential in interpreting the success of KBSs.


Existing theories of career development are based primarily on observations of White, middle-class men. This has prompted many writers to question the validity of these theories and to consider the development of a separate theory of career development for women. But before a separate theory can be justified, it must be established that sex differences in the career development process do exist. The purpose of this study was twofold: first, to determine if sex differences exist in the way six independent variables interact in a causal model of career maturity, and, second, to compare the relative strengths of each variable's effect on career maturity for boys and for girls. The results suggest that, although the basic causal patterns are similar for adolescent boys and girls, significant sex differences exist as well. The observed differences are consistent with Gilligan's hypothesized "relational component of identity."


This research uses PreScan simulation software as a test platform. The vehicle's hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) links to virtual scenes and reality sensors, which reduce costs in a virtual road environment. In this study, we monitor the analog power meter on the drive shaft of the PreSan car to monitor its torque, tire rotation speed, acceleration, and design the transmission format of the power meter. The remote monitoring is standardized, as the network interface is integrated into the car computer while retaining the high reliability of the industrial-grade Ethernet network. The system meets the strict functional safety requirements of car manufacturers and Tier 1 original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The advanced driving assistance system (ADAS) of the car allows 1) the monitoring of the analog power meter of the Ethernet to become the mainstream data collection channel, 2) the processor of the on-board system to monitor the value and communication in real-time, and 3) drive the car to check the driving condition. Through the development of PreScan, intermediate monitoring and communication are completed, and the development speed is accelerated.


This paper addresses the problem of global asymptotic regulation for robot manipulators subject to actuator constraints and a single saturation function for every joint. A saturated proportional-derivative (PD) plus gravity compensation (PD+) control is designed. The proposed saturated PD+ (SPD+) controller is conceived within only a single saturation function for every joint. The benefit of such design is that it does not need to elaborately discriminate the terms that shall be bounded, and thus it is ready for implementation with an improved performance. Lyapunov theory is employed to show global asymptotic stability. Simulations are performed to verify the improved performance of the proposed approach.


Cyclic peptides containing an α-aminosuberic acid unit are conveniently synthesized by solid-phase synthesis followed by cyclization cleavage with Kaiser's oxime resin.


In this paper, a new method called the Capacitor-Charge-Balance and the Variable-Frequency-Control (CCB-VFC) for a single-inductor dual-outputs (SIDO) buck converter is proposed to achieve the fast-transient response and the low cross-regulation. A SIDO buck converter operating at continuous conduction mode (CCM) is taken as an example to analyze the operation when the load current steps up. The proposed method makes the unchanged load operate at the steady-state during the transient process to suppress the cross-regulation while the inductor current rises to a new steady-state rapidly to achieve the fast response. In order to verify the performance of the proposed method, simulation platform is built in the MATLAB/Simulink environment. Simulation results demonstrate that the CCB-VFC method guarantees the low cross-regulation for the SIDO buck converter in continuous conduction mode (CCM) and improves the transient performance.


Objective To explore the clinical value of determination of SF,CA-199 and CEA in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and serum on terminal lung cancer patients who were treated by photon knife. Methods IRMA was utilized to determine in serum SF,CA-199 and CEA,before,after and 6 months after the radiotherapy on 48 terminal lung cancer patients who were treated by photon knife (the experimental group). 58 patients of benign lung disease (the contrast group) were included for comparison. Results The concentration level of SF,CA-199,CEA in BALF and serum in the experimental group was significant higher than that in the contrast group (P0.01). In the experimental group,each indicatrix of BALF was higher than that in serum (P0.01),but in the contrast group,no difference was found. The concentration level of SF,CA-199 and CEA on each stage of the experimental group was significant lower than that before the radiotherapy (P0.01). The indicatrix's descent was more manifested 3 months after the radiotherapy,and in the following period the descent was slow. Conclusion The SF,CA-199 and CEA are negatively correlated with the terminal lung cancer patient's conditions after the radiotherapy,especially in BALF. It is significant to determine SF,CA-199 and CEA on terminal lung cancer patients who were treated by photon knife. It could be applied to reflect the patient's conditions to assess the prognosis.


The Nature of Electricity Electrical Standards and Conventions Ohm's Law and Power Direct-Current Series Circuits Direct-Current Parallel Circuits Batteries Kirchhoff's Laws Network Calculations Magnetism and Electromagnetism Direct-Current Generators and Motors Principles of Alternating Current Inductance, Inductive Reactance, and Inductive Circuits Capacitance, Capacitine Reactance, and Capacitive Circuits Single-Phase Circuits Alternating Current Generators and Motors Transforms Three-Phase Systems Series and Parallel Resonance Waveforms and Time Constants Electrical Measurements


This paper describes recent studies of the FS CMa-type objects, a group of stars showing the B[e] phenomenon defined in 2007. The objects exhibit strong emission-line spectra with both permitted and forbidden lines suggesting the presence of a B-type star as well as strong IR excesses due to radiation of circumstellar dust. These properties are hard to explain in the framework of the evolution of single stars with luminosities between ~300 and ~30,000 L⊙ typical of most B-type stars. We explore the hypothesis that the gaseous-and-dusty envelopes of FS CMa objects are due to either earlier or ongoing mass transfer between the binary system components. It is hard to detect the secondary components in these systems because of veiling and distortions by the circumstellar matter because of the relative faintness of the companions. Nevertheless, we detected regular radial velocity variations of the spectral lines in MWC 728, 3 Pup, and AS 386 and we found absorption lines typical of cool stars in the spectra of MWC 645, AS 174, and several other objects. The diversity of the secondary components in FS CMa objects is discussed in the context of non-conservative binary evolution.


Symmetr y and propor t ion plays an impor tan t role in cosmeti c par t of face and golden ra tio depicts a st rong cor rela tion between mathematical propor t ion of face and appearance. Th is can be a ffected by mult iple fa ctor s including syndromes which con tr ibute a sign ifican t role in cran iofacial abnormali ties. Th is paper in tends to br ing out the craniofacial man ifesta t ions of syndromes which play an essen t ia l role in diagnosis and more in terest ingly serve as a window to overal l syst emic heal th explor ing the associated systemic man ifesta t ions.


Objective To evaluate the value of Spira CT (SCT) in diagnosis of the fracture of medial orbital wall. Methods SCT findings in 45 eyes of 42 patients with fracture of medial orbital wall were retrospectively analyzed. Results SCT direct sings include bloken continuity, fragments, depression and displacement of bone wall。SCT indirect signs include thickening of medio-rectusmuscle, pneumatosis of orbit, liquid accumulation in ethmoid sinus. Conclusion SCT can accurately display the bony details including location, extent and secondary changes of the fracture of medial orbital wall, and have important clinical value for diagnosis of the fracture of medial orbital wall.


A NOx reduction catalyst and a NOx reducing catalytic process. The catalyst of the invention is constituted by a MFI type zeolite exchanged with between 0.3% and 2% by weight of palladium with respect to the total catalyst weight. The catalyst and process of the invention may be used in any catalytic process for selective reduction of NOx, and more particularly for the treatment of exhaust gases from vehicles powered by natural gas.


Pivoting manipulation can be an alternative to pushing operation when the floor is not flat enough, or when the object to manipulate is too heavy. The technique of pivoting is used by humans to move large and bulky furniture from one place to another. The decomposition of the task of pivoting has already been studied, in particular with the use of two fingers of a robotic arm. This work intends to apply the technique of pivoting using an humanoid platform. The robot should be able to pivot the object and to walk with it to displace it to a specific remote location. The research achievements proposed here take place in a more long term objective aimed at improving the dexterity and the autonomy of humanoid robots. As a matter of fact, such robots should be able to handle objects and move around in the environment in an autonomous way. This paper describes the algorithm designed to perform the displacement of a large object using the pivoting technique. It also presents the results of the dynamic simulation and the results of the real hardware experiment of the HRP-2 platform performing the task.


The design aspects and heating strategy of an electrically heated converter have been analyzed using the transient monolith model developed and verified in our previous studies. The results of model calculations presented here quantify the beneficial effects on cold-start emission performance of increasing the power level and heating time, decreasing the volume of the resistively heated element, and preheating the converter prior to engine start. It is also shown that a feedback controller based on converter-bed temperature measurements provides a convenient means of modulating power supply during actual operation of electrically heated converters


The profound immune suppression that underlies AIDS was originally thought to develop soon after infection. Prospective studies ofhomosexual men infected with the human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) are, however, showing that the rate of progression from infection to AIDS is slow. At the recent fourth international conference on AIDS in Stockholm the consensus was that in homosexual men it takes an average of eight to 10 years to progress from infection to AIDS and that overall 75-90% of those infected will develop AIDS (R Edison et al and A Munoz et al fourth international conference on AIDS, Stockholm, 1988).' 2 [For the rest of this editorial all unpublished references in parentheses are abstracts from the programs and abstracts of the fourth international conference on AIDS, Stockholm, 1988.] Several studies of infected haemophiliacs and subjects infected by transfusion of blood products have reported similar results (C A Lee et al).3' The epidemiological data suggest that AIDS should be thought ofas the late stage ofa long term mostly asymptomatic "HIV disease." Doctors must decide whether they want to use antiviral treatment in the long asymptomatic period, and thus interest in trying to predict which patients infected with HIV will develop AIDS is increasing. Four predictors that are being studied are the number of CD4 "helper" lymphocytes, the presence of the HIV p24 core antigen, and increased serum concentrations of 12 microglobulin and neopterin. CD4 lymphocyte count-In homosexual men infected with HIV peripheral blood lymphocytes bearing the CD4 phenotype decline by a mean of 60-100 x 1I0/l a year from a normal value of 800-900 x 103/1. In the first few years after infection most men are asymptomatic and have counts of CD4 lymphocytes greater than 400 x 103/1: in three years about 14% of those men progress to AIDS.' About half of the asymptomatic men with counts of CD4 lymphocytes less than 400 x 103/1 progress to AIDS in three years; and about 90% of symptomatic men with fewer than 400 x 103 lymphocytes/l progress to AIDS (A R Moss et al).' These averages conceal, however, wide individual differences, making other pre-dictors necessary. Counts of CD4 lymphocytes, though widely used clinically, are variable and a crude predictor of progression when taken by themselves. They are also expensive to perform and difficult to obtain in many countries. HIV p24 core antigen-The p24 core protein of HIV is usually first detectable at infection; it appears …


Feed and fodder are considered to be one of the key pillars of the livestock sector. The concentrate feed business is found to be somewhat organized but the trading is highly unorganized for allfeed as well as green and dry fodder business. An exploratory study was conducted to find out the constraints faced by the traders and the retailers of the livestock feed and fodder. Study was conducted in Gujarat during 2017 and 50 traders from 10 talukas (2 talukas from five selected districts) were interviewed using pre-structured survey schedule. The findings revealed that the biggest constraint perceived by the traders is less remunerative business of feed and fodder followed by presence of many competitors in the trading and retailing.