The authors reexamine the question of aggregating régional Phillips curves and suggest some problems with the empirical work to date.


In this issue of Liver Transplantation, Ekser et al. report the outcomes of combined liver-kidney transplantation (CLKT) recipients who had delayed implantation, a mean of 50 hours, of the kidney. This approach to dual organ transplantation is very thoughtful because it takes into consideration the changing physiology of the liver transplant recipient as hepatic function is restored. It also accounts for the unique and disparate needs of both organs when they are initially implanted. The approach advocated for by Ekser et al. improves the utility of both of the transplanted organs because allograft loss and patient death are minimized. Although this hypothesis-generating work is exciting, it is important to place it in the proper context, both in terms of its ability to be generalized into practice, as well as its potential implications on organ allocation. From a study design perspective, this study, similar to all retrospective single-center studies, is victim to unintended bias and confounding effects. The authors forthrightly acknowledge this in their discussion. Although this does not minimize the value of their observations, the reader should be informed about where bias exists. The study occurred over 12 years and although the authors address the possible influence of staff changes and surgical technique differences, the changes in recipient and donor selection criteria that may have occurred over that time are not captured in standard Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients data reports. Additionally, the authors do not report on the outcomes of recipients who were intended to have a CLKT but were ultimately too ill to receive the kidney. This is of particular relevance in the delayed transplant cohort because the intervening time between the liver and kidney transplant allows the recipient to declare themselves in respect to outcome. If individuals were doing poorly was the kidney allograft still implanted? If not, might this account for the high patient and allograft survivals in this group of recipients? A provocative finding of this study is that in the delayed transplantation group, despite a mean cold ischemia time of 50 hours, pulsatile perfusion eliminated delayed graft function (DGF) by both the standard definition, dialysis required in the first 7 days after transplantation, as well as the less restrictive urine output definition. This finding, should it be validated, could change current practices. Hypothermic pulsatile perfusion (PP) use to reduce DGF in standard criteria donor kidneys, extended criteria donor kidneys, and kidneys from donation after circulatory death demonstrates that although PP significantly reduces the rate of DGF, it still occurs in 20% or more of allografts. However, these studies all examined significantly shorter cold ischemia times. In the sentinel article by Moers et al., the median cold ischemia time was 15 hours. In this randomized trial, the rate of DGF in the hypothermic machine perfusion cohort was 21%. There had been no studies examining the outcomes of transplanting kidneys with utilization of PP at a mean of 50 hours of cold ischemia time until now. This observation leads to 1 of 3 conclusions. Hypothermic PP for a longer duration has a protective or regenerative effect on the hypothermic ex vivo kidney. The physiologic milieu of a recently transplanted liver has a protective effect on the transplanted kidney, or the liver recipient had enough residual renal function or had begun to recover native renal function and did not need a kidney transplant. It is beyond the scope of this commentary to explore the first 2 scenarios. Certainly, were the first to be true, it would have a significant and positive impact on deceased donor kidney transplantation. However, in this case, the third scenario is most likely. In a retrospective single-center study, it has Abbreviations: CLKT, combined liver-kidney transplantation; DGF, delayed graft function; KDPI, kidney donor profile index; KDRI, kidney donor risk index; LDRI, liver donor risk index; PP, pulsatile perfusion.


This work gives a posteriori error estimates for a finite volume implicit scheme, applied to a two-time nonlinear reaction-diffusion problem in population dynamics, whose evolution processes occur at two different time scales, represented by a parameter \begin{document}$ \varepsilon>0 $\end{document} small enough. This work consists of building error indicators concerning time and space approximations and using them as a tool of adaptive mesh refinement in order to find approximate solutions to such models, in population dynamics, that are often hard to be handled analytically and also to be approximated numerically using the classical approach. An application of the theoretical results is provided to emphasize the efficiency of our approach compared to the classical one for a spatial inter-specific model with constant diffusivity and population growth given by a logistic law in population dynamics.


In the new era, sexual repression theme novels first break the revolutionary literature of the asexual-ization phenomenon with fierce gesture, expressing the new understanding between the revolution and life in bold sexual description. From Zhang Xianliang to Su Tong, the description about sex in their novels reflects the suppression and destruction, and review on the depth of cultural control on human beings. These novels have a history of limita-tions from the historical perspective, but have great pioneering significance.


In order to understand the flying characteristics of the amount of salinity derived from sea, a wide-area airborne salt survey in Shimane was conducted during the same period. The resulting data is a valuable materials in predicting the spatial distribution of airborne salt level. We discuss the relationship between the measured values of airborne salt level and the predicted values proposed by the authors by use of meteorological observation data. It was confirmed that the prediction of the airborne salt level from the meteorological observation data was possible with considerable accuracy.


The film "Driving Awareness" tells about the importance of driving according to the rules for mutual safety. This film uses a linear storyline and character flashback plot. The purpose of this paper is to describe the concept and visualization of the documentary film "Driving Awareness". The stages in designing the creation of the documentary film "Driving Awareness" start from the idea, preproduction, production, then post-production. In the idea stage, the idea of a film story is determined together with the team and then converted into a script for the film to be made into a storyboard to illustrate every scene in the film as well as a detailed storyline. The pre-production stage determines the position of each person in filmmaking, selecting players, determining locations, and scheduling filming activities. Production activities are carried out according to a predetermined schedule by recording images of each scene. The whole shot was edited to make a whole film work and add backsound, transition effects, and coloring.


This digital image was produced in the fall of 2013 from the original printed map held by the Borchert Map Library, University of Minnesota. We are indebted to the Borchert Map Library staff for helping us make this image available.


ABSTRACT Ovomermis sinensis (Nematoda: Mermithidae) is an entomophilic nematode and a potential biocontrol agent of lepidopteran pests, including Helicoverpa armigera. The sex ratio of a species can be used to regulate the size of the reproductive population. Parasitic load, parasitic period, host instar, and body size were examined to identify factors affecting the O. sinensis sex ratio. We tested the hypothesis that the O. sinensis sex ratio is correlated with host nutrient supply and the nutrients absorbed by the nematodes. The results show that the proportion of male O. sinensis increased with parasitic load but decreased with host instars and body size. Moreover, the parasitic period of males was significantly shorter than that of females. However, all the factors (host and nematodes) affecting the sex ratio were significantly modified by restricting the host diet, which increased the proportion of males. In turn, juveniles that absorbed fewer nutrients tended to develop into males. Taken together, our findings suggest that factors impacting the O. sinensis sex ratio are related to host nutrient status and provide parameters for mass rearing and a release strategy for this natural enemy.


A Mamdani-type fuzzy-logic model has been developed to link Mediterranean seagrass 7 abundance to the prevailing environmental conditions. Big Databases, as UNEP-WCMC (seagrass 8 abundance), CMEMS and EMODnet (oceanographic/environmental) and human-impact 9 parameters were utilized for this expert system. Model structure and input parameters were tested 10 according to their capacity to accurately predict seagrass families at specific locations. The 11 optimum FIS comprised of four input variables: water depth, sea surface temperature and nitrates 12 and bottom chlorophyll-a concentration, exhibiting fair accuracy (76%). Results illustrated that 13 Posidoniaceae prefers cool (16-18oC) and low chlorophyll-a presence (< 0.2 mg/m3); Zosteraceae 14 favors cool (16-18oC) and mesotrophic waters (Chl-a > 0.2 mg/m3), but also slightly warmer 15 (18-19.5 oC) with lower Chl-a levels (< 0.2 mg/m3); Cymodoceaceae lives from warm, oligotrophic 16 (19.5-21.0oC and Chl-a < 0.3 mg/m3) to moderately warm mesotrophic sites (18-21.3oC and 0.3 – 0.4 17 mg/m3 Chl-a). Finally, Hydrocharitaceae thrives in warm Mediterranaean waters (21-23oC) of low 18 chlorophyll-a content (< 0.25 mg/m3). Climate change scenarios showed that Posidoniaceae and 19 Zosteraceae tolerate bathymetric changes, Posidoniaceae and Zosteraceae are mostly affected by sea 20 temperature rise, while Hydrocharitaceae exhibits tolerance in higher sea temperature rise. This FIS 21 could be used by national and regional policy-makers and public authorities. 22


This paper attempts to develop data mining models that identify significant factors affecting the customer relationship management (CRM) in the insurance industry. Sample data is collected from a life-insurance company. The prediction of 'customer defection/retention' in a CRM, socalled data mining techniques are applied in two machine learning models of decision tree model and neural network model, and two statistical models of discriminant analysis model and logit model. In this case study, it is observed that among the four models, they are almost similar in the accuracy of prediction, but the most optimal one providing the lowest error rate and the lowest sensitivity, is obtained in 'decision tree model'. In addition, some effective marketing strategies and tasks are discussed.


The current situation and the characteristics of the pit slope in Jinning Phosphate Mine are described coupled with the pit slope's accidents happened over the years.The major factors affecting the pit slope landslide are analyzed utilizing fuzzy-grey correlation and the relative prevention measures are put forward.It is of significance to reduce the pit slope's accidents.


Diethyl Phosphonite Chloride was prepared by phosphorus trichloride and alcohol under N,N-dimethyl aniline, then reacted with CH (3)MgCl. Appropriate solvent was chosen to separate and educe the final product-- diethyl methyl-phosphonite The yield is 40.3%.


Privacy in Location based services has always been a question in terms of Security and Privacy. And lately there has been some work done on Privacy part of Location Based Services (LBS). This Privacy known name as "Privacy aware Proximity based services." In Privacy aware Proximity based services; two mobile users will check if they're in proximity to every alternative while not revealing their actual locations . This paper will describe the implementation of one such protocol which is used for preserving the privacy of user's exact location called "Hide and Seek Protocol using SPfiltering Protocol".


• Equidistant inspections • Probability of Failure Threshold The initial crack size is calibrated to obtain similar damage as "Cumulative damage" using empirical SN curves. Thus, it is ensured that deterioration model is realistic. Level IV Reliability Analysis: Failure Probability + Costs Input: Damage, inspection and cost model Output: Optimal strategy (when to go for inspection) *Information from inspections and monitoring is used to update the reliability


The sensorless BLDCM system based on the detecting back EMF was proposed.Instead of HALL signals,the back EMF which had been detected and phase-recognized was used in the control system.On the base of the weakness of this method,the phase-delay at the commutation was compensated in the software,and the commutation of the BLDCM was achieved accurately.The simulation and experiment results verified that this method was effective and practicable.


Many mathematicians would agree that, had it not been for self-learning technology, the emulation of cache coherence might never have occurred. After years of essential research into hierarchical databases, we verify the simulation of Boolean logic, which embodies the significant principles of algorithms. In our research we use psychoacoustic modalities to discon-firm that the location-identity split and hierarchical databases can collaborate to fulfill this mission.


An assessment is presented on the response of a PWR containment to a spectrum of postulated accidents that are beyond the present design basis for LWRs. Use is made of the MARCH computer code to calculate the containment response. Analysis is restricted to a typical four-loop, 3000 MWt PWR with a large, dry containment. A TMLB' scenario (extended loss of all ac power and failure of the auxiliary feedwater system) was selected as a severe case for containment pressurization and consider the influence of conditions in the reactor cavity, primary system rupture and restoration of power.


Adolescence is a phase of biopsychosocial changes, bringing with it habits that can consolidate and persist in adulthood, especially negative habits related to eating and practicing physical activities. This study investigated the association between physical activities and regular consumption of healthy and unhealthy foods in school adolescents. The analysis included 16.556 school adolescents from the National School Health Survey 2015. The dependent variable was the regular practice of physical activities and the independent variables were the regular consumption of healthy and unhealthy foods. A chi-squared test was used with a significance level of 5%. The regular practice of physical activity was reported by 20,7% of adolescents. The majority presented adequate nutritional status. The proportion of adolescents who regularly consumed healthy food markers ranged from 54,9% to 72%, compared to unhealthy markers, ranging from 15,4% to 59,6%. There was a statistically significant association between the consumption of healthy foods, such as beans, fruits and vegetables and the practice of physical exercises (p<0.05). Habits that ensure optimal nutrition and increase the level of physical activity contribute to improving the health status of the population. There is evidence of the need for public measures to promote health in order to improve the pattern of physical inactivity in adolescents and consumption of unhealthy foods, reducing overweight in this age group and, above all, preventing chronic noncommunicable diseases in adult life.


This work presents new results on the gas sensing studies of WO 3 and MO3 doped TiO2 thin films prepared by ion-assisted e-beam evaporation process. N-type TiO2  gas-sensing layers have been deposited with different doping concentrations. Structural and morphological characterization has been carried out by means of SEM and XRI in order to correlate physical properties with gas sensing performance. Electrical characterizations highlight interesting behavior for the layers tested. The films proved to be sensitive to CO, NO2, acetone and ethylene with different sensitivity, selectivity, and minimum detectable concentration. TiO2-WO3 showed high response towards acetone and ethylene at lower working temperature. TiO2 -MoO3 showed good response towards CO. Furthermore, TiO 2-WO3 exhibited increased response magnitude towards NO2 compared to TiO2-MoO3 layers


The kinetics of free radical polymerization in bulk of alkylphenyl methacrylates with ethyl-,isopropyl and tert-butyl groups in the ortho- and para-positions of the phenyl ring with dilauroyl peroxide as initiator were investigated. For comparison and completion of the investigation, ortho- and para-tolyl methacrylates were reinvestigated with this particular initiator. Most of the results obtained do not obey classical kinetics of polymerization. The results were treated according to the concept of degradative chain transfer and it was concluded that this mechanism is responsible for the non-ideality. The ortho-substitution with increasing size of the substituents decreases the overall rate of polymerization and strengthens chain transfer to monomer.


The bin-packing problem (BPP) and its multi-dimensional variants have many practical applications, such as packing objects in boxes, production planning, multiprocessor scheduling, etc. The classical singleobjective formulation of the two-dimensional bin packing (2D-BPP) consists of packing a set of objects (pieces) in the minimum number of bins (containers). This paper presents a new Pareto-based multiobjective memetic algorithm that, in addition to the number of bins used, also minimizes the imbalance of the bins. Results obtained show the good performance of this meta-heuristic when using specific operators.


Waveguide gratings, like most holographic devices, exhibit aberrations when used at other than the design wavelength. For high numerical aperture devices the usable spectral range may be very small, perhaps less than the expected shift in a laser diode light source. Unlike the conventional hologram, the waveguide devices may, in principle, be made self-compensating by matching the spectral change of optical path lengths in the guide layer and the freespace propagation path. This requires a variable propagation constant for the waveguide which may be achieved by controlling the thickness and/or the index of refraction of the guide layer. In this paper we describe the theory of this method and calculate the necessary range of refractive index. For large numerical aperture devices, variations of index of 50% or better are needed.


2-Fluoro and 2-chloro aryl thioureas, which are usually inert toward heteroarylation forms intramolecular C–S linkage by Cu(I) and Pd(II) catalyst. A regioselective intramolecular C–S bond formation is observed during the formation of 2-aminobenzothiazoles from 2-halothioureas using both these transition metal catalysts. While Cu prefers a dehalogenative path, Pd favors predominantly C–H activation strategy during the formation of 2-aminobenzothiazoles. In the absence of 2-halo (−F, −Cl) groups, Pd favors C–H activation, while Cu is unproductive. However, identical selectivities were observed both for Cu- and Pd-catalyzed reactions for 2-bromo and 2-iodo aryl thioureas.


We discuss the magnetic focusing in the InGaAs two dimensional electron gas (2DEG) with in-plane magnetic field. By modulating the top gate bias voltage, we can modulate electron carrier density Ns. In this work, we detect the subband energies and their energy shifts when the Fermi energy is occupied in second subband.


Genome DNA(GDF9B gene) was extracted from Xiangdong Black goat,which was amplified by four pairs of primer according to genomic sequence of sheep and analyzed of cloning and sequencing.The results showed that the cloned GDF9B gene contained the exon1~ 2 sequence and intron segment.These sequences were sent to GenBank and obtained two accession numbers: AY968810 and AY947812.Blasted the coding sequences of exon1 and exon2 with the sheep,the genome homology were 99.1% and 98.2% respectively.


Ride-sharing is often analysed by travel motivation, pricing, etc. However, the correspondences between the number of trips and main variables (e.g. population, road type) have not been revealed yet. Our purpose is to develop a model, based on Newton's model of gravity to describe these correspondences. With this model, it is possible to identify the characteristic distance types and the relationship between location types. Our model is trip and vehicle oriented. We identified the variables (such as socio-demographical issues, alternate mobility solutions, etc.) influencing usage of ride-sharing services. Based on the results, we have the opportunity to answer positioning problems of ride-sharing as well as support vehicle and infrastructural investments.


By the method of atomic absorption spectrometry, the trace element composition of venom Macrovipera lebetina obtusa, from different regions of Azerbaijan has been studied. Ions Cr, Pb, Cd, Zn was revealed in venom of snake. The metal concentrations in the venom of snakes fluctuate within: Cr (87.0± 0.049 103.1±2.793) mg / kg; Pb (7.01±1.321 134,8±1.46) mg / kg; Cd (1,6±0.177 24.2±0.985) mg/kg; Zn -(600.89±4.266 860.9 ± 0.129) mg/kg, respectively. γ – Radiospectrometric studies have shown that the venom samples contain radionuclides Ra 228 (0.08-0.174 mBq/g), Ra (0.35-2.48, mBq / g) K (1.35-23.4 Bq/kg) and Cs (MDA = 0.315. It was found that, in heterojunction "snake venom p-InSe» viper venom be haves as a semiconductor p-type conductivity.


The purpose of this study is to investigate moderator effects of interpersonal effects namely Veblen, snob and bandwagon effects on the influence of consumer ethnocentrism on intention to buy foreign products. These effects were examined through analyzing data gathered from 248 students from Turkey and 230 students from Germany by using multivariate hierarchical regression analysis. Results indicated that moderating effects of interpersonal variables are verified for German sample but not for Turkish sample. Snob and bandwagon effects influence the strength of the effect of ethnocentrism on intention to buy foreign products.


Techniques for systems and protocols that provide synthesis of video scenes that embed one or more video sequences into a background image are disclosed. Protocols allow video stream display systems (e.g., IPTV) to automate the embedding of video sequence content and non-background information, such as stock ticker, subtitles, or date / time information into the background by one or more decoders. Make it possible.


A novel finger‐sensing nanocomposite with remarkable and reversible piezoresistivity is successfully fabricated by dispersing homogeneously conductive graphite nanosheets (GNs) in a silicone rubber (SR) matrix. Because of the high aspect ratio of the graphite nanosheets, the nanocomposite displays a very low percolation threshold. The SR/GN nanocomposite with a volume fraction of conductive nanosheets closest to that for the percolation threshold presents a sharp positive‐pressure coefficient effect of the resistivity under very low pressure, namely, in the finger‐pressure range (0.3–0.7 MPa), whereby the abrupt transition could be attributed to compressive‐stress‐induced deformation of the conducting network. The super‐sensitive piezoresistive behavior of the nanocomposite is accounted for by an extension of the tunneling conduction theory which provides a good approximation to the piezoresistive effect.


A total of 141 cattle feed manufacturers (FM) of different districts of Punjab were surveyed regarding their knowledge of animal nutrition. Less than fifty percent (47.5%) were aware that protein ingredients are having at least 18% or more crude protein level. 39.71, 43.26, 54.60 and 39.71 percent respondent were aware regarding the percentage crude protein in mustard, cottonseed, soybean and groundnut cakes respectively. Less than 30 percent feed manufacturers were aware off the seasonal Rabi and Khariff fodders, qualities and their use in fodder preservation. Coming to knowledge level of concentrate –their actual business, only 26.95% feed manufacturers knew regarding the two types of concentrate as per BIS recommendations. 48,93 and 63.12% FM have the knowledge of supplementation of mineral mixture and salt at the rate of 2 and 1% respectively. Only 45.39% respondents were using the iodized salt in the concentrate.56.02% feed millers were using the mineral mixture in the feed and 36.87% responded that they were using the chelated minerals in the concentrate. 61.70% FM revealed that they do not purchased FCI auctioned seeds with label " Not fit for human consumption only for animal use" against the 9.92% who responded positively. 72.34% FM were using molasses and 68.08% were using it within the prescribed limit. Only 35.46% respondents were aware about bypass fat/bypass protein concept and only 13.47% are using it. The above picture reveals that the knowledge level of feed manufacturer of Punjab is very poor, so there is dire need to acquaint them with the correct and scientific knowledge through training to boost the dairy sector further.


The purpose of this study is to design a patient-specific TMJ implant and study its behaviour under different loading conditions compared with natural intact TMJ. There are several diseases, which affect the proper growth and function of TMJ, and in some cases, TMJ injury results from accidents. To repair the TMJ, temporomandibular joint replacement or TJR surgery is performed. In this work, CT-scan data of the skull and mandible region with broken condylar head were used to study the biomechanical behaviour of the intact mandible and customized TMJ prostheses in order to design a patient-specific total TMJ implant. The customized TMJ implant was virtually studied under simulated loading conditions using finite element method (FEM) in ANSYS Workbench and then compared to the intact jaw-mandible for the combinations of two different biocompatible material models. It is observed that the natural TMJ has a higher deformation value as compared to the patient-specific TMJ implant due to the lower mechanical strength of bone relative to the Ti-6Al-4V and Co-Cr alloy. Hence, we can conclude that the designed custom TMJ implant is safe for the patient from the point of design perspective.


Abstract. We develop an elimination theory for addition and the Frobenius map over rings of polynomials. As a consequence we show that if F is a countable, recursive and perfect field of positive characteristic p, with decidable theory, then the structure of addition, the Frobenius map x → xp and the property 'x ∈ F1, over the ring of polynomials F[T], has a decidable theory.


ABSTRACT Superresolution mapping (SRM) is a technology to handle mixed pixels in remote sensing image. In this letter, a novel hybrid interpolation-based SRM by parallel paths (HISRM-PP) is proposed. Firstly, the two different high resolution fractional images for each class are respectively derived by parallel paths. Then the two kinds of high resolution fractional images are integrated to produce the higher resolution fractional images by the appropriate weighting parameter. Finally, the higher resolution fractional images are utilized to obtain SRM result by class allocation. Due to the parallel paths in HISRM-PP, the more spatial-spectral information of the original image is utilized to improve the accuracy of SRM result. Experimental results on the two real remote sensing data show that HISRM-PP produces the better SRM result than the existing hybrid interpolation-based SRM (HISRM).


The purpose of our study is to examine what risk factors can contribute to a child/youth with neuropsychiatric disorders developing an addiction to drugs. We also wanted to find out what protective factors can contribute not to develop an addiction. In order to find out these two different aspects we interviewed twelve professionals to get their view upon the matter. The professionals work within different sectors such as school, healthcare, social services and one of the interviewed is a member of an organization that specialises in neuropsychiatric disorders.

When analysing our result of the interviews we used Bronnfenbrenner´s theory on the ecology of human development. What we found was that there are significant risk factors and protective factors on different levels of the child's environment.

On the first level, the microsystem, interpersonal relations have an impact on the child's development. On the second level, the mesosystem, the risk and protective factors lies within the relations between two or more microsystems, such as the child and its school or its family. The third level is represented by the exosystem that consists for example the parent's network and community projects for children. The child is not actively participating in this system but is however affected of what happens in the system. The last level is the macrosystem and refers to the society as a whole, the ideologies and the culture that the society represents.

The inferences are that there is a good chance of terminating a destructive behaviour pattern often shown amongst these children/youths. However it takes good quality interventions from family and professionals and a great understanding of neuropsychiatric disorders amongst people that interact with these children and youths.


The problem of Kalman filtering is considered for stochastic signular secondary 2-D Fornasini-Marchesini Models (2-D SFMMII) subjected to white noises in both the state and measurement equations. The aim is to design a kind of 2-D Kalman filter to ensure the minimum variances of the filtering error system for all admissible noises. A sufficient condition for the solvability of the problem is obtained. The desired filter can be constructed by using the cross-cut and geometry method. The optimum prediction of the state vector is also given. The explicit formulae are provided for the variance matrices and covariance matrices of the filtering and prediction problems.


Results of simultaneous measurements of trace substances in rain sampled during the passage of precipitation systems are discussed. The pattern of the concentrations for particulate matter is compared with that for the O 18 and deuterium isotopes. The variations in the concentration have been investigated for various synoptic situations. DOI: 10.1111/j.2153-3490.1966.tb00298.x


Primary Reviewer Drew Dwyer BASS, BSN, MRCNA, QMACA, CFJBI The Joanna Briggs Institute, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Adelaide Student ID: a1217729 PO Box 1088 Coolum Beach, Qld, 4573 (07) 53511188 firstname.lastname@example.com www.facs.net.au Secondary Reviewer Dr Aye Aye Gyi. MBBS, MMedSc, PhD Research Coordinator, The Joanna Briggs Institute, Faculty of Health Sciences The University of Adelaide, SA 5005 Supervisors: Dr Aye Aye Gyi. MBBS, MMedSc, PhD Research Coordinator, The Joanna Briggs Institute, Faculty of Health Sciences The University of Adelaide, SA 5005 Dr Leonie Mosel Williams. RN, DipAppSci, BN(Ed), MEd, PhD Senior Lecturer, Nursing University of Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia Program: Master of Clinical Science The Joanna Briggs Institute, Faculty of Health Sciences The University of Adelaide, SA 5005 Review Title Experiences of registered nurses as managers and leaders in Residential Aged Care Facilities: a systematic review


To investigate how mimetic words are related to conventional medical terms, types of diseases, and the severity of symptoms, 40 consecutive patients with dizziness symptoms were interviewed and asked to describe their dizziness. Mimetic words were recorded from each patient, while conventional medical terms used to describe their symptoms, clinical diagnosis, and subjective symptom severity were also noted. Thirty-five of the 40 patients spontaneously used mimetic words. Although no significant relationships were observed between mimetic words and disease groups, consistencies between the word "guru" and rotatory vertigo and between the word "huwa" and disequilibrium were suggested. The severity of the symptoms was correlated with the specific word that the patients use. Particularly, "guru" was never used by patients who rated their symptoms as mild. Overall, 130 of the 134 syllables that were collected had either an /a/ or an /u/ vowel sound, whereas an /e/ vowel sound never appeared. Sixty of the 71 first syllables contained one of the three consonants /g/, /h/, or /k/. In the severe-symptom group, the first consonant that appeared most frequently was /g/, while the second vowel was more often /u/ than / a/. Clinicians may need to be aware of the properties of sound symbolism, an essential linguistic method for Japanese-speaking patients to describe dizziness.


To fulfill the demand of service oriented situation plotting system(SPS),based on the research of plotting technologies on browser and technologies of service publishing from server,the SPS service based on Web Service is presented.The core functionality of SPS is mark-plotting,which means the service from SPS is providing the service of mark-plotting.Interface is one demand of SPS service,which allows clients with different plotting technologies to call SPS then plot the marks.As a professional plotting system,SPS requires real-time interaction with client strongly.A prototype is built to test the reaction of SPS service based on Web Service.And the result shows that it can fit the real-time request in the environment of LAN.


Probiotics research on lactic acid bacteria (LAB) continues to be paramount in the
development of nutraceutical or functional foods. In this study, 47 selected Philippine
plants having nutritional (edible such as vegetables) and/or medicinal values (therapeutic),
were collected, from which selected fruit and leaves were subjected to LAB enumeration.
Among these, 46.7% plant leaves reported to have strong antimicrobial property resulted
in non-isolation of LAB while edible plant leaves with less or no antimicrobial properties
generally gave numerous LAB isolates. Isolates coming from ripened guava (Psidium
guajava L.), lobo-lobohan or cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.) fruit, parsley
(Petroselinum crispum), pandan (Pandanus amaryllifolius), spinach (Spinacea oleracea),
leek (Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum) and niyog-niyogan (Quisqualis indica L.) leaves
were identified through partial 16S rRNA analysis and tested for probiotic properties.
Overall, Streptococcus luteciae Lb17 from ripe gooseberry fruit exhibited the highest
antimicrobial activities against Staphylococcus aureus BIOTECH 1526, Escherichia coli
O157: H7 BIOTECH 10311 and Bacillus cereus BIOTECH 1509. On the other hand,
Enterococcus hirae (H and S63) from stevia were susceptible to streptomycin at minimum
inhibitory concentration or MIC of 128 ug/mL). Lactobacillus plantarum F39 and all the
other strains tested, meanwhile, was susceptible to ampicillin at MIC of 2 ug/mL and
0.125 ug/mL. Results were lower or equal to the established cut off value indicating the
absence of antibiotic resistance genes among the identified strains, except for Pediococcus
(Par5 and NN39) which showed resistance against streptomycin. Further investigation is
needed to rule out the possibility of transfer of antibiotic resistance to pathogens present in
the gut. All isolates tested were able to survive at artificial gastric juice (pH 2), revived at
the simulated intestinal fluid (pH 8), and exhibited minimal titratable acidity and diacetyl
production. For genetic screening of plantaricin genes, F39 possesses both plantaricin EF
and plantaricin J, while Lactobacillus fermentum F36 has plantaricin EF. Both isolates
were subjected to DNA fingerprinting. Such findings on the local isolates' probiotic
properties suggest the possibility of incorporating them into different plant-based probiotic
foods.


Objective
To observe the effect of sodium hyaluronate eye drops on tear function after vitrectomy combined with silicone oil tamponade.

Methods
A prospective study. Total of 52 eyes of 52 patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment who underwent vitrectomy combined with silicone oil tamponade from Nov. 2017 to Oct. 2018 were enrolled. The patients were randomly divided into clinical trial group and control group, with 26 cases in each group. The control group was given tobramycin and dexamethasone eye ointment and prednisolone acetate ophthalmic suspension, and the clinical trial group was given sodium hyaluronate eye drops on the basis of the control group.

Results
The tear film rupture time in clinical trial group at 3 and 7 days after operation were higher than that of the control group (P=0.046, 0.021). The dry eye symptom score of the clinical trial group was lower than that of the control group at 7 days after operation (P=0.029).

Conclusion
Sodium hyaluronate eye drops can effectively alleviate the dry eye symptoms of patients after vitrectomy, and recovery of tear film stability in early postoperative period.

Key words:
Vitrectomy; Dry eye; Tear film; Eye drops, sodium hyaluronate


Spectroscopy Department, National Research Centre, 12311 Dokki, Cairo, Egypt. ABSTRACT Blending natural polymers are considered as important approach towards the production of new biopolymers with unique properties. Blending could enhance surface reactivity and produce unique hydrogen bonding which could produce a new composite with new physical as well as chemical properties. Spectral recognition of such materials could be achieved with the help of molecular modeling techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy FTIR. Accordingly this work is conducted to study the molecular structure of chitosan, starch, agarose, gelatin blends with different ratios. FTIR spectra virify the formation of blend which could be dedicated for many biological applications.


According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 out of 10 medical products in developing countries are substandard or falsified. Since Georgia is a developing country and is listed among the countries where substandard and falsified medical products have been discovered and reported to WHO, it is important to explore the quality of medical products available on the Georgian pharmaceutical market. As an initial study, we have chosen one of the most widely used drugs worldwide – ibuprofen, available in the pharmacy network in Tbilisi – the capital of Georgia. We have studied 10 different brands, imported and locally produced, and 2 brand-name ibuprofens (Motrin and Advil). The content of the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) was determined by a spectrophotometer, in the ultraviolet region. The obtained results showed that all brand ibuprofens contained labeled amounts of API.


[1] We use quarterly full water depth occupations of a station at the center of the Santa Barbara Basin to estimate the timing, frequency, and magnitude of basin renewal events over the period 1986–2000. Of 58 occupations we have identified 11 events (in 11 of the 15 years) that are highly suggestive of recent bottom water renewal, with periods of annual flushing interspersed with relatively stagnant periods. All but one of these events occurred in winter or spring, with the spring events having the largest changes in bottom water properties (cooling and oxygenation). The event recorded in April 1998, during a period of rapid transition from El Nino-influenced to La Nina-influenced local conditions, revealed the potential magnitude of a full basin flushing: an increase in bottom water oxygen content of more than 0.4 mL/L and a cooling of nearly half a degree over 2 months. Water property profiles and near-surface circulation patterns suggest that sufficiently dense water at the western sill, combined with strong flow into the basin from the northwest, may be key prerequisites to renewal. Interannual variability in the strength, duration, and timing of coastal upwelling and in regional circulation and hydrography, forced largely by the local impact of El Nino events, modulates the flushing potential of the basin. The Santa Barbara Basin apparently does not get flushed every year, and renewal events are not restricted to winter-spring. Since the frequency and intensity of basin renewal events can greatly impact local denitrification rates, benthic community structure, and underlying sedimentary processes, we recommend that paleoceanographic interpretations of the local sediment record take account of this seasonally and interannually varying cycle of bottom water renewal.


During the present century a considerable literature has grown up reporting the association of trauma or illness of the central nervous system with the appearance of an illness closely resembling schizophrenia. However, these reports have been scattered and the possibility that organic trauma of the brain could cause schizophrenia in the absence of a heredity or premorbid personality indicative of this illness has been ignored by most psychiatrists. In 1963 Dr. Eliot Slater and his colleagues published an important paper on the schizophrenia-like psychoses of epilepsy. They found that an illness indistinguishable from schizophrenia was found in epileptic patients and especially in those with temporal lobe epilepsy, with a frequency that was much greater than the expectation based on chance expectation alone* Through the initiative of Dr. Slater, a major review of the literature on the association of schizophrenia-like conditions with all kinds of organic disorders of the centralnervous system, including epilepsy, was undertaken by Davison and Bagley.


OBJECTIVE
To understand the change trend of Oncomelania hupensis snails in the bottomland areas of Qian Liang Lake district in Eastern Dongting Lake area so as to provide the evidence for formulating a schistosomiasis control strategy.

METHODS
The monitoring data of snails of Qianliang Lake district from 1988 to 2011 were collected retrospectively and analyzed by using the method of the trend Chi-square test. The correlations among the snail density indicators were analyzed.

RESULTS
1988 to 2011, the area of snails surveyed did not change and was 433.2 hm(2). The monitoring data showed that the change trend of the density of living snails and the schistosome infection rates of snails were not obvious (P > 0.05), but the mortality of snails showed a falling trend (P < 0.05); There were positive correlations between the average density of infected snails and the mortality of snails (r = 0.640, P < 0.05) , the infection rate of snails (r = 0.639, P < 0.05) , and the average density of living snails (r = 0.646, P < 0.05) , respectively. There was no correlation among other snail indicators. In 1999, only 7 snails were found, of them, only one snail was alive. The alive snails were not found after 2000.

CONCLUSION
In the bottomland areas of Qianliang Lake district, the change trend of the density of alive snails were not obvious from 1988 to 1998, but the number of snails underwent a sharp drop in 1999 and snails have been not found till now.


With the introduction of process-approach into English writing,peer feedback is gaining more and more support in the field of writing teaching.Peer feedback is helpful to enrich the content of the students'compositions,improve their quality and help the students become more autonomous writers in the target language.This paper presents the theoretical foundation which justifies the use of peer feedback in writing class,discusses the importance of training students to provide feedback,and suggests the use of checklists to help the students focus their attention while commenting on each other's papers.


LiuYong's official career was fraught with setbacks,and because of his wandering and leading a wretched life,the contemporaries and later generations called him a loafer-like Ci writer.However,he never gave up seeking fame and wealth.Depeated failure in the imperial examination could not make him lose heart,on the contrary,he began to regret that his success in Ci writing impeded his thought in position and wealth? How was his official career,and how did hisambitions disillusioned? As answering the above questions,we can know LiuYong's political ambitions thoroughly,which will be a valuvable try in appraising this Ci writer.


The reswelling disparity of two polymer components with contrasting persistence lengths leads to the formation of anisotropic hydrogels with soft/stiff hybridized structures, resulting in high mechanical strength and ion transport capability.


Abstract This contribution provides an overview of some of the methods used in relation to the function theory. It starts with a definition of the concept of method and the relation existing between theory and method. It establishes an initial distinction between artisanal and theory-based methods and argues that current lexicographical methods should be embedded in an advanced theory in order to guarantee the needed innovation in the e-environment. Then it presents a number of general principles of methodology applied by supporters of the function theory. On this basis, it proceeds to a discussion of various methods used in the different sub-phases of the overall dictionary compilation process, from the making of the concept to the preparation for publication on the chosen media, with focus on the Internet. Finally, it briefly discusses some of the methods used to create and test the function theory itself as well as the various specific sub-theories related to this general theory.


AIM
Asenapine maleate (ASPM) is a newer antipsychotic drug available as a sublingual tablet in the market.

EXPERIMENTAL
To investigate the pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution study of ASPM following oral administration in rats, reversed-phase HPLC method was developed and validated.

RESULTS
ASPM was extracted from plasma and tissue matrix by liquid-liquid extraction technique and analyzed using mobile phase consisted of phosphate buffer pH 3.0 and acetonitrile (65:35% v/v). The method showed good linearity (10-500 ng/ml) with recovery 83-102%. In pharmacokinetics study, half-life was 32.74 ± 7.51 h due to slow elimination of drug. The biodistribution study indicated preferential distribution of ASPM to highly perfused organs.

CONCLUSION
The current method can be successfully applied for estimating the drug in various biological matrices.


Purpose Faecal sludge, especially poorly handled or even untreated is putting a tremendous burden on public health and the environment. Anaerobic digestion is considered an effective and well-established method for energy recovery while reducing threats. Due to the high water content of faecal sludge, the dewatering process is indispensable before treatment.


We have synthesized GaN nanocrystals by sequential implantation of Ga and N ions into a sapphire substrate followed by a postimplantation anneal. The nanocrystals have been identified as the wurtzite phase α-GaN structure by transmission electron microscopy. We also found that the nanocrystals are aligned with the sapphire following the relationship: (0001)sapphire∥(0001)GaN and (1120)sapphire∥(1120)GaN. The use of a sapphire substrate allows for the measurements of optical properties, and near band-edge luminescence and the yellow band are observed in photoluminescence spectroscopy.


I came to this inquiry a couple years ago as a man over the hill at 73 with about 50 years or more behind me as a hardboiled lawyer mixing it with all sorts of antagonists and people in the courts here and in England and yet this inquiry changed me. The reason it changed me is that it penetrated the heart, it got away from my mind which I have had done for the rest of my life in all the briefs I have had.


This paper proposes a novel external force for active contours, called adaptive diffusion flow (ADF). We reconsider the generative mechanism of gradient vector flow (GVF) diffusion process from the perspective of image restoration, and exploit a harmonic hyper surface minimal function to substitute smoothness energy term of GVF for alleviating the possible leakage problem. Meanwhile, a ∞- laplacian functional is incorporated in the ADF framework to ensure that the vector flow diffuses mainly along normal direction in homogenous regions of an image. Experiments on synthetic and real images demonstrate the good properties of the ADF snake, including noise robustness, weak edge preserving, and concavity convergence.


We performed intracerebral recordings of Readiness Potential (RP) and Contingent Negative Variation (CNV) with simple repetitive distal limb movement in candidates for epilepsy surgery. In 26 patients (in Paris), depth electrodes were located in various cortical structures; in eight patients (in Brno), in the basal ganglia and the cortex. RPs were displayed in the conteral primary motor cortex, conteral somato-sensory cortex, and bilaterally in the SMA and the caudal part of the anterior cingulate cortices. CNVs were recorded in the same cortical regiom as the RP, as well as in the ipsilateral primary motor cortex, and bilaterally in the premotor fronto-lateral, parietal superior, and middle temporal regions. In the basal ganglia, the RP was recorded in the putamen in six of seven patients, and in the head of the caudate nucleus and the pallidum in the only patient with electrodes in these recording sites. We suggest that our results are consistent with a long-lasting, simultaneous activation of cortical and subcortical structures, before and during self-paced and stimulus-triggered movements. The particular regiom that are simultaneously active may be determined by the task context.


A recently popular method for retrofitting reinforced structure beams is to bond composite plates to their tensile faces. An important failure mode of such plated beams is the debonding of the composite plates from the base material of the beam due to high level of stress concentration in the adhesive at the ends of the composite plate. This paper, shows and presents in more detail a closed-form rigorous solution for interfacial stress in cantilever aluminum beams strengthened with bonded composite (sika wrap) plates and subjected to a uniformly distributed load. The results show that there exists a high concentration of both shear and normal stress at the ends of the laminate, which might result in premature failure of the strengthening scheme at these locations. A parametric study has been conducted to investigate the sensitivity of interface behavior to parameters such as laminate and adhesive stiffness, the thickness of the laminate; the effect on plate length of the strengthened cantilever beam region, the effect of adhesive (modules, thickness) and the effect of loading and geometry for the cantilever beam; where all were found to have a marked effect on the magnitude of maximum shear and normal stress in the composite member. The theoretical predictions are compared with other existing solutions. Finally, this research is helpful for the understanding on mechanical behaviour of the interface and design of the composite-aluminum hybrid structures.


This study proposes a linear two-stage approach to derive prices of observations when reported consumption is zero. In the first stage, demand equations are estimated using an ad hoc filling of unobserved prices. Then, each estimated demand equation is solved for price and a numerical estimate of the price, which drives consumption to zero, referred to as the choke price, is calculated. The demand equations are re-estimated with the choke-price series replacing the initial ad hoc prices. Although differing claims can be made on the appropriateness of the chosen method for filling prices, we demonstrate significant differences in statistical fit of the demand model and own-price demand elasticities among alternative approaches.


Network selection plays a key role in reaping the potential benefit of heterogeneous wireless networks. Aiming at improving the user's quality of experience, we study the network selection problem with time-varying user demand and non-uniform network handoff costs in a dynamic environment. One appealing solution in converging the time-vary user demand and the diverse network performance is dynamic network selection, which, however, poses the dilemma between satisfying user demand and controlling the network handoff cost. To get around this problem, we propose an online network selection algorithm to learn the optimal network selection policy with network handoff cost consideration. In addition, we exploit the inherent dependency in the problem and derive another two algorithms with much faster convergence speed. Simulations reveal that the proposed algorithms can achieve 10%~ performance gain over existing methods.


Cloud Radio Access Networks (C-RAN) offer the means for adopting the coverage and the capacity according to the changing user densities and the associated change of required capacity. C-RAN decouples the provisioning of virtual Base Band Unit (BBU) from the physical transmission provided by the Remote Radio Head (RRH). This decoupling provides a similar decoupling between capacity and coverage. C-RAN allows the activation of the number of RRHs needed for coverage and the number of BBUs needed to satisfy the capacity need. The ability to connect multiple RRHs to the same BBU allows for enhancing coverage while achieving rate requirements using the least number of BBUs. The aim of this paper is to minimize the number of BBUs used to offer wireless coverage by providing techniques to split the coverage into the smallest number of RRH clusters. Each cluster is then connected to a single BBU. The paper investigates the use of three RRH clustering techniques in indoor 4G networks: a modified K-means based technique and two heuristic algorithms using numerical simulations. Results show that the K-means technique produced lower activated BBUs and the RRH clusters were tighter in space providing better user coverage per cluster.


This paper describes an experiment aimed at evaluating the capability of the FORS1 instrument at the VLT for measuring weak ('0.1%) Zeeman circular polarization signatures in stellar H Balmer lines. We have obtained low-resolution polarized spectra at 3500{5800 A of two bright A-type stars, HD 94660, and HD 96441. The former is a well known magnetic star, the latter an apparently non-magnetic, unpolarized star that was observed for comparison purposes. In order to test the possibility of performing multi-object spectropolarimetric measurements (e.g., for cluster studies), observations were taken both on-axis (i.e., at the CCD eld center) and o-axis (i.e., at the edges of the CCD). In HD 94660 (the magnetic star), we detected a clear signal of circular polarization in all observed hydrogen Balmer lines (i.e., from H to the Balmer limit), with a typical peak-to-peak amplitude of about 0.8%. From the analysis of Stokes V under the weak-eld approximation, we have estimated a mean longitudinal eld of 2085 85 G, a value fully consistent with previous studies of this star. Notably, we found that at wavelengths shorter than about 4100 A, the polarization signal detected o-axis is about 20{30% smaller than that detected on-axis. No polarization due to the Zeeman eect was detected in the comparison star HD 96441, and we estimate that the contribution due to instrumental circular polarization is limited to the order of 0:01%. This experiment demonstrates the eectiveness of FORS1 at the VLT as a tool for high-sensitivity diagnosis of the magnetic eld in upper main sequence stars, providing the potential for measuring elds in fainter and more rapidly rotating stars than has previously been possible.


The objective of this research is to design a program of psychopedagogical intervention for the development of resilience in onco-pediatric patients. This program developed clown therapy as an alternative to enhance resilience as a psychological capacity. It was implemented in the Oncology Room of the Hospital Infantil Sur in Santiago de Cuba, with a sample of 12 children suffering from different oncological pathologies. Different methods and techniques were used for the psychopedagogical diagnosis that helped in the preparation of the intervention program, among them: the observation, the interview, the Analog Visual Scale of Facial Expression for Pain and the Wagnild-Young scale. The results show that the actions carried out by the therapeutic clowns, with an intention and psychopedagogical orientation, contribute to strengthen the capacity of resilience in oncopediatric patients, demonstrating how this capacity can be taught and stimulated from such an early age.


In the article it is considered the West European writers of 20 centuries reception on F.M. Dostoevsky's creativity. The Romance philology of the Russian writer and the thinker makes considerable impact on prose H. Hesse, T. Mann, A. Camus.


In order to compare the control performance differences between the traditional PID control and sliding mode control( SMC) in the non-linear changes variable load,a control test platform which includes PID / SMC controller model,permanent magnet synchronous motor( PMSM) motor control model,and a movement mechanism and load models were built. In this platform,through the software co-simulation of MATLAB and ADAMS,a detailed analysis on the performance of both was done which was based on the control performance of the two control algorithms. By comparison,the sliding mode control can be found better than traditional PID control in the control precision,adjustable time,robustness and energy control.


A B S T RA CT This paper seeks to summarize the experience of carrying out the NSTU initiative project in Russia aimed at integrating electronic literature into the educational process in higher education. The project involved multipurpose research which included different curriculum subjects (English as a second language, literature and pedagogy). Its educational goal was to present a digital narrative to different categories of Russian students. Firstly, to Russian students who study literature in order to train their skills in literary text analysis. Secondly, the Inanimate Alice episodes were presented to those who study English as a second language in order to train their traditional language skills (reading and listening comprehension, speaking and writing) in English through a digitally created reading experience. The research goal was to analyze both types of experiences and present a strategy for digital literary text integration in the educational process in Russia.


A new activity-based travel demand analysis method was put forward combining with actual transportation circumstance.Based on a great deal of investigating data and analysis , the data converting process and method was studied for analyzing the relation between activity and travel. The trip data checking and the rules of validity judgement were expounded.With trip survey data , the activity and travel attributes were analyzed and a travel demand prediction method based on cross classification was put forward.Then , a micro-simulation flow for activity and travel behaviour was developed , simulation model structure , validation means , and programs to implement the simulation flow were put forward.The application of this method in Liaoning Province verified the practicability.


Objective:To study the changes of TNFα and IL 6 in children with rotavirus (RV) enteritis and their possible mechanism in immunoregulation Methods:The serum TNFα and IL 6 in 22 children with RV enteritis were determined by sandwich ELISA method Results:The serum TNFα and IL 6 levels in children with RV enteritis were significantly increased,and obviously correlated with the course of the disease Conclusion:It is possble that serum TNFα and IL 6 may play an important role in immunoregulating mechanism in children with RV enteritis


INTRODUCTION: In the present paper, we study the urinary excretion of tryptophan metabolites, in both the kynurenine and melatonin pathways in pediatrics patients with febrile and epileptic convulsions.MATERIAL AND METHODS: The patients were classified as follows: GC (Control group, n = 39); FCG (Febrile convulsion group, n = 51); ECG (Epileptic convulsion group, n = 28). Taking into account the existence of a circadian rhythm in melatonin secretion, the groups were further divided into two subgroups (Day (9.00-21.00)/Night (21.00-9.00). Melatonin was measured by RIA, while urine metabolites were measured by thin-layer chromatography. Statistical analyses included a two way ANOVA and comparison of the results.ABREVIATIONS: KYN: L-Kynurenine, 3-OHA: 3-OH-anthranilic, AX: xanturenic acid, OH-K: 3-OH-Kynurenine, AK: Kynurenic Acid, aMT: Melatonin, Trp: tryptophan.CONCLUSIONS: 1.- Normal children showed a circadian variation in patterns of elimination of some of metabolites of tryptophan via the kynurenin pathway and a close correlation between theese and methoxy - indoles pathway. 3.- In the presence of convulsive crises this correlation disappears enterely probably because of the need to cover more demanding biological requirements and clearly modify the pattern of elimination of some Trp metabolites.


The Examination portals that are deployed over several servers are used to conduct online Examination for various purposes among which some may include conducting a test for Entrance Examinations, or Olympiads at National and International level and while some portals are designed to conduct a test for placement purposes. But mostly existing portals are designed to conduct tests that contain multiple choice Questions. So, the aim of this project is to evaluate marks for Descriptive Answers.


he effect of the counter-rotating terms in the Jaynes-Cummings model is investigated with an extended coherent-state approach. The counter-rotating terms greatly modify the vacuum Rabi splitting. Two peaks with different heights in the weak coupling regime and more than two peaks in the intermediate coupling regime are predicted. The collapses and revivals in the evolution of the atomic population inversion disappear in the intermediate coupling regime, but reappear in the strong coupling regime. This reappearance is similar to that under the rotating-wave approximation, attributed to the summation of periodic cosine functions of the evolution.


Crude oil is 46% of the world energy supply and will continue to provide ample opportunities for the international pipeline industry far beyond the near future. Crude oil pipelines will be needed for transportation for part of the 670 million bbl/yr production increase to refining centers, transportation of crude from new locations to refineries to offset dwindling production of older oilfields, and gathering lines onshore and offshore. Estimates of the world's proven and ultimate reserves of natural gas indicate that they are of the same order of magnitude as those of crude oil.


The natural theology presented by Jose Manzana tries to "examine" if the presence of the Absolute-God occurs and how it occurs in Man's life, both in the 'being" field (cognoscitive life) and in the "good" field (moral life). This way to God can be defined as an specification of what is always present and acting in Man's life, that is, an enlightening reflection of the human-worldly life: going deeply into the life itself the presence of the Absolute-God is showed as a possibility condition of the man.


We report an experimental observation of a significant amount of hydroxide (OH–) created upon water dissociation and subsequently trapped around TiO2 nanoparticles dispersed in NH4OH aqueous soluti...


In parallel with the or each power switch (S1) is connected an active switching converter (10) without losses. This converter comprises for example a switch (S2) connected to switch in the input voltage (Vs) and a capacitor (C1) connected in parallel with the power switch (S1), wherein the power switch (D1) has its electrode controller connected to receive a switching pulse when the output voltage (VD1) of the device is equal to the input voltage (Vs) so that the power switch (S1) only switches into its conductive state after the switch (S2) of the current converter (10). The invention is used in various devices including power electronic switches.


This article tries to disseminate resources about how to set up and operate
school libraries and reading projects. These resources have been published within
recent years by the Delegacion Provincial de Educacion de Malaga in
collaboration with the Consejeria de Educacion de la Junta de Andalucia. A short
review is presented on how to set up a document section in the classroom for the
first year of compulsory education (ESO), which is an integrative proposal to
develop writing and reading competencies from different areas of the curriculum.


This paper presents an improved Z source inverter used to control the speed of an induction motor. The proposed Z source inverter (ZSI) can effectively reduce the voltage stress across the capacitors in the impedance network. This reduces the voltage range of the capacitors used, and also the cost of the proposed topology which is in turn used to control the speed of an induction motor which is used in many valuable industrial applications. The Z Source inverter is a combined inverter with an additional buck-boost feature and the proposed topology increases the efficiency of the circuit by reducing the voltage stress across the capacitors. This topology finds its applications in a number of renewable energy sources, where the input voltage is unreliable in nature and keeps varying from time to time. A speed sensor is connected to an induction motor to sense the actual speed, which is compared with a reference speed. A PI controller is designed which helps to run the motor to the reference speed. The simulation results indicate that the proposed topology is a promising technique that can be applied to improve the overall inverter efficiency.


Background: Several studies had examined the shape of concentration-response function (CRF) between airborne particles and daily deaths in low concentration range of air pollution, and had reported...


The periodic transference of nucleotide strings in bacterial and archaeal complete genomes is investigated by using the metric representation and the recurrence plot method. The generated periodic correlation structures exhibit four kinds of fundamental transferring characteristics: a single increasing period, several increasing periods, an increasing quasi-period and almost noincreasing period. The mechanism of the periodic transference is further analyzed by determining all long periodic nucleotide strings in the bacterial and archaeal complete genomes and is explained as follows: both the repetition of basic periodic nucleotide strings and the transference of non-periodic nucleotide strings would form the periodic correlation structures with approximately the same increasing periods.


This chapter reports a case study of ERP implementation in an institution of higher education. The ERP is one based on integration of administrative tasks based on Oracle® systems and is successful both in terms of its embeddedness in institutionalized practice and in supporting that university's operations. The key issue that emerged from the study showed that understanding complexity, institutionalized practice, and the power relations in existence enable the implementation to be more effective, as it can be managed when understood. The chapter argues that organizations reproduce practice and that an ERP challenges that. To deal with that challenge, social dramas emerge wherever power exists, and the resulting conflicts challenge the effectiveness of the systems put in place. In this case study, the key role of the project champion in resolving the social dramas became evident.


To improve surface planarity, a translational movement is added into the magnetorheoloigcal planarization process. To explore effects of some process parameters, including trajectory type, stroke and reciprocate velocity, on surface planarity, a set of finishing experiments are carried out. The results show that planarity is well improved when the trough reciprocates perpendicularly to the air gap. Surface planarity decreases as stoke increases but is hardly affected by reciprocate velocity. Using the magnetorheoloigcal planarization process with addition of translational movement, an ultra-smooth surface with planarity of micron order in PV is achieved on a K9 optical glass.


Abstract The application and innovation of mobile library services are changing the way users communicate and access information. As academic libraries provide users with ubiquitous services, the need to holistically explore the transformation mechanism of different levels of users driven by their dynamic behavior of mobile services assumes greater importance. The systems thinking perspective is used as a tool to relate to key factors, interactional processes and feedback outcomes. The system dynamics model is used to present two scenario-based tests so as to evaluate influences of managing the value of relationship of different levels of users, with an emphasis on participation and collaboration with users, while three different purposive types of users are also identified, need, exploration and interest orientation, to reflect the effectiveness of adopting. Mobile service providers can meet individuation and diversification of users' demands in the process of providing dynamic services by discerning and clustering user types timely. The developed model can serve as a systematic explanation or effective reference tool for the development of mobile libraries under a variety of circumstances.


A peripheral support stand (1), comprising: an adjustable height in the stand, which is able to mount a peripheral device in a vertically raised position, and to support movement of the peripheral device in variable positions; and a locking mechanism for releasable engagement of the adjustable in height stand in a fully moved-down position, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a positioning member (60) and a locking piece (65) and wherein the positioning member (60) further comprises a side wall (60b) which prevents the locking piece (65) from sliding to disengage except said positioning member ( 60) is manually depressed in relation to the locking piece (65) downward.


This letter formally proves the statistical inconsistency of the Allan variance-based estimation of latent (composite) model parameters. This issue has not been sufficiently investigated and highlighted since it is a technique that is still being widely used in practice, especially within the engineering domain. Indeed, among others, this method is frequently used for inertial sensor calibration, which often deals with latent time series models and practitioners in these domains are often unaware of its limitations. To prove the inconsistency of this method, we first provide a formal definition and subsequently deliver its theoretical properties, highlighting its limitations by comparing it with another statistically sound method.


Waste of rice straw is abundance available and not used as animal feed source. This study was aimed to compare the performance of Bali cattle fed by forage only and supplemented by straw silage and mineral. Total of 12 bali cattle was used. Given 30% straw silage and 4% mineral of total feed was represented by 7 Bali cattled. Amount of 5 Bali cattle was given 100% forage. Measurement of body length, chest circumference, height and daily weight gain were measured. The results showed that the length and height in the group given supplements were higher (P<0,05) compared to forage only. While the bust and PBBH were higher and significantly different (P<0,05). It was concludes that feeding forage and supplemented with silage and minerals can increase the chest circumference and PBBH in Bali cattle. Keywords: rice straw, silage, minerals, Bali cattle.


45 At many healthcare organizations, the capital planning process is a decentralized affair, with decisions on medical equipment purchases made on a case-by-case basis, often swayed by heavy lobbying from medical departments. Efficiency and cost effectiveness are typically not well served by such a system. When the Group Health Cooperative (GHC) found itself in a financial crunch in the mid-1990s, senior management decided that they needed to do a better job at capital planning. They created a centralized system to prioritize needs, save money, and improve planning across the system.


When the manufacturing sector plays a significant role in economic development, the demand for statistical data can only increase. Manufacturing data obtained from the annual Indonesian manufacturing survey from 1990 to 2010 cannot be used directly for analysis purposes due to data quality problems. This paper attempts to clean and balance the raw data by proposing several consecutive steps including the statistical modeling and coefficient of variant approaches. The results show that observations for 1,556 firms and 828 firms are obtained each year for the first period panel data and second period panel data, respectively; however, the results should be representative of the entire manufacturing sector in terms of the number of firms and sub-sectors. Furthermore, comparisons with existing data references are needed to verify the results.


This thesis discusses about Noe?s struggle to survive as a New Woman as seen in Setouchi?s, Beauty in Disarray. It deals with gender equality and refusal toward patriarchy system in Japan in Taisho era. In this thesis, the thesis writer wants to know how Noe struggles to maintain herself as a New Woman. This thesis is indented to find out the way Noe describes as a New Woman and the way Noe?s struggle to maintain herself as a New Woman. To do this, the thesis writer uses cultural approach with the theories of feminism, patriarchy, anarcha feminism and the concept of gender equality. Noe, as a woman living in Japan in Taisho era, struggles against the patriarchal system which ties her and maintains herself as a New Woman. Japanese women at that time are tied by the old patriarchal Japanese traditional values. Due to the Japanese women condition at that time, Noe gets various kinds of oppressions in her life. Thus, she rebels against the oppressions and she maintains herself as a New Woman through many ways in her love life, in her daily life and in her career life. She runs away from the arranged marriage and gets married three times. In her daily life, she chooses to wear comfortable clothes rather than kimono with tight obi. She also never does any house work activities. Moreover, in her career life, she maintains famous woman magazines at that time until she is arrested and killed. She also creates many literary works about woman?s rights to invite other Japanese women in order to get their right as human beings. These all makes her called as a New Woman.


The global obesity epidemic was in focus at the 7th Summer Academy on Global Food Law and Policy in Gexco/Bilbao in July 2015. It approached this accelerating public health concern from the angle of risk regulations as linked to processing, trade, marketing and choice/consumption of foodstuffs, addressing also risks of negative impacts on public health at the consumer end.Awealth of expertise enlightenedparticipants about current developments regarding EU andUS legislation on risk assessments and riskmanagement. The trade-offs between risk regulations motivated by protection of public health by European states, including the members of the EU, and the elimination of tradebarrierswere challenges running through the programmeanddiscussionsat theAcademy.Asaconsequence of increasingly free trade across borders, the protective roles developed byEuropean states visà-vis their citizens are increasingly beingharmonized and to some extent restricted within the EU, and in the futurealsoona transatlanticbasisdue to theplans for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the EU and the US. The United States sees this as a companion agreement to the already existing Trans-Pacific Partnership, TPPA, involving Pacific Rim countries but not China. Much of what is being learned in the evolving EU legislative environment relevant to public health-focused risk regulations is of great interest in a wider global context also outside EU. Obesity and related non-communicable diseases is now a global problem and are accelerating at an even faster speed in many developing countries, often aggravated by poverty and rapid urbanization. EU itself draws already on a number of global resources in their own legislative developments – examples are the international Codex Alimentarius for food safety standards, and recommended standards of the World Health Organization to reduce marketing pressure on children for unhealthy and 'obesogenic' junk food. The different interventions in EU's toolbox were discussed in 2013 by Alberto Alemanno and Amandine Grade1, ranging from what they call "less intrusive ones" such as disclosure and information schemes (about the nature/content) of a product, moredirect ones like impositionofmarketing restrictions and fiscal measures, and "alternative " like using fundamental human rights, performance based regulations and self-regulation all supportedbypolicies for education campaigns, research and monitoring schemes. As 'fundamental human rights' Alemanno and Garde referred to those in the EU Charter of Fundamental Human Rights, while universal human rights received less attention, though article 12 of the International Convenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) on the right to health in general and article 24 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) on the right to health of the child were briefly referred to. For the purpose of the discussions at the Summer Academy, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union Article 35 is of particular relevance, where it is stated that "A high level of human health


Part I: General Principles 1 Introduction 2 Sources and Objectives of Environmental Law and Policy 3 General Principles of Environmental Law Part II: Procedure 4 T he Claim for Judicial Review 5 Standing 6 Disclosure 7 Costs and Litigation Funding 8 Remedies Part III: Grounds for Judicial Review 9 Error of Law and Fact 10 Retention of Discretion 11 Abuse of Discretion: Illegality 12 Legitimate Expectations 13 Procedural Fairness I: Fair Hearings 14 Procedural Fairness II: The Rule against Bias 15 Human Rights and the Environment Part IV: European Union Law 16 T he Effect of EU Law 17 Preliminary References to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) 18 T he Action for Annulment and the Action for Failure to Act 19 Enforcement by the European Commission Part V: Access to Environmental Information 20 Access to Environmental Information


There is no authoritative biography of Archimedes, but there are moments from his life which, apocryphal or not, have become the stuff of legend. These include accounts of Archimedes running naked through the streets after realizing that his body displaces water in the bath ("Eureka!"), how he sat musing over diagrams in the sand as sword-bearing Romans descended upon him during a siege of Syracuse, and of course, his mechanically-informed claim that a firm resting place is all he would need to dislodge the world from its axis. This is the birth of the Archimedean point, which latter-day interpretations craft into a figure of thought that works according to the mechanical principle it describes: effortlessly, it turns a simple law of physics into an image of unlimited strength, absolute stability, and world mastery. 1 Both literally and figuratively, it aligns minimal with infinite force, immobility with movement, eccentricity—the point's location outside the world it purports to dislodge—with centrality, the idea of a single location central to the actions of the world. But it is not merely the promise of sheer omnipotence that explains the extensive reception of Archimedes' point in the history of Western thought. Equally important is the complexity and ambivalence of its pragmatic structure. Applied to the world as a whole, a straightforward mechanical device turns into a figure that is both easy to visualize and abstract enough to make it transferable to almost any context. The ambiguous, if not paradoxical structure of the Archimedean point also extends to its foundational gesture: even as it avows its point of absolute stability rhetorically—that is, even as it asserts firm ground—it simultaneously questions the possibility of its very existence. Despite the many prominent appearances of the Archimedean point throughout the history of Western thought, the figure itself has rarely been the object of concrete analysis and historical contextualization. Its explanatory force seems to have prevented the closer examination of it as a conceptual device. This oversight is indicative of the broad applicabil


We reduced the Hubble Space Telescope Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph images of the gamma-ray burst GRB 990123 that were obtained on 8-9 February 1999 and find V_0 = 25.36 +/- 0.10, which corresponds to a flux of 0.258 +/- 0.023 micro-Jy for the optical transient 16.644 days after the burst's peak. The probable host galaxy has V_0 = 24.25 +/- 0.07 (= 0.716 +/- 0.046 micro-Jy) and the optical transient is located 0.65 arcseconds (= 5.5 kpc) south of the galaxy's nucleus. We fit and subtracted a scaled point-spread function to the optical transient and found evidence for three bright knots situated within 0.5 arcseconds (= 4.3 kpc) of the optical transient. Each knot has V_0 ~ 28.1 +/- 0.3, a rest-frame V-band luminosity of between approximately 5e8 L_Sun and 8e8 L_Sun, and a star-formation rate of at least 0.1-0.2 Solar masses per year. The knots are centrally concentrated with full-width at half-maximum of approximately 0.17 arcseconds (= 1.5 kpc). Their sizes and luminosities are consistent with their being star-forming regions. The optical transient is located 0.15 arcseconds (= 1.3 kpc) southeast of the centre of one of these knots.


Choosing the ideal occupation is not a trivial decision. The profession one chooses can affect the amount of time available for spiritual duties, one's earnings, and whether an individual remains honest. Clearly, there is a strong connection between business ethics and the occupation one selects. This paper explores the views of the Talmudic sages regarding the ideal profession. Almost all the Talmudic sages had jobs; for example, Hillel was a woodcutter.


The purpose of this study was to discover whether there was a relationship between economic development and higher education in Iran from 1953 to 1979. Seven variables were used to define economic development. These variables were factor analyzed and the outcome was three new empirically satisfying variables labeled Rent (R), Finance (F), and Technology (T) which were used as dependent and independent variables in subsequent analyses. In order to define higher education, just one variable, constant dollar expenditures on higher education, was used. Several changes occurred in Iran during 1953 to 1979. Therefore, two intervention variables (for the periods of 1962 and 1973) were used to present these changes. Three models were used in order to examine the relationship between economic development and higher education. Using 2 stage least square in model one tested the hypothesis that the educational variable and development variable (T) were mutually causal. In this model two identification variables (energy consumption and the number of students in higher education) were used in order to identify the effect of the technological growth and expenditures on higher education. This model had two regression equations. In the first equation the dependent variable was the technological dimension of economic growth (T). The only significant effect was the concomitant incremental relationship between energy consumption and technological growth. In the second equation the dependent variable was the expenditures on higher education, and the only significant effect was the second lagged relationship between technological growth and the education. Using 2 stage least square tested the hypothesis that educational expenditures depended upon the import-export ration (R). There was no significant effect in this model. Also using ordinary stage least square tested the hypothesis that educational expenditures depended upon increases in the money stock (F). This model was highly significant. Based on the major findings of this study, the increase of the expenditures on higher education depended upon the increase of the economic growth factors. But the reverse relationship is not evident.


Let M be a compact connected orientable C°° submanifold of R" with 2 dim M + 1 < n . Let G be a subgroup of H2(M, Z) such that the quotient group H2(M,Z) has no torsion. Then M can be approximated in R" by a nonsingular algebraic subset X such that H^.(X, Z) is isomorphic to G. Here H£_.(X,Z) denotes the subgroup of H2(X,Z) generated by the cohomology classes determined by the complex algebraic hypersurfaces in a complexification of X.


Abstract This article considers the issue of the audit, control and supervision of local government units in a new paradigm. The author argues that the treatment of audit, control and supervision activities in the present paradigm, in which they are treated separately from each other, or only as a 'control or audit pyramid', has so many imperfections that it no longer represents a reliable means of modern good governance. The author presents some ideas for the operation of an integrated system of audit, control and supervision for the local government sector, focusing particularly on small, local government units. Although the author's research is based on the case of Estonia, a small, liberal constitutional democracy with an open economy, his ideas are also applicable to other democratic societies.


Rheumatoid cachexia, a consequence of chronic inflammation, is a common feature of rheu‐ matoid arthritis (RA) [1]. It is characterised by reduced muscle mass and increased, predom‐ inantly truncal, adiposity, which in turn both contribute to physical weakness and disability [2,3]. Additionally, as in other catabolic conditions, these adverse changes in body compo‐ sition exacerbate risk of falls and fracturing, contribute to impaired physical disability and reduced quality of life, and increase morbidity and mortality [e.g. 4-6]. In RA, again as in other chronic conditions, these outcomes are most marked in severe forms of cachexia where there is frank weight loss with reductions in both lean and fat mass. This overt wasting has been estimated to occur in up to 10% of RA patients and is associated with a three-fold higher mortality [7].


The area of logic programming has made great strides in the 15 years since its emergence. There are journals, conferences, textbooks, courses at universities, and no doubt that logic programming is a viable academic discipline. The impact of logic programming on the worlds of industry and business is less clear. Are applications being written using current logic programming tools, for example? This special issue of the Journal of Logic Programming was conceived to help assess the current state of the use of logic programming for applications, particularly for knowledge-based systems. The response to the call for papers was most encouraging. Over 30 papers from 10 different countries (Belgium, Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United States) were received. The submissions ranged from descriptions of fielded industrial applications to more theoretical discussions of subjects such as uncertainty in logic programming. The papers indicate that logic programming is now sufficiently mature to be used by industry. For many applications the robust commercial PROLOGs currently available are perfect tools, reflected for example in a submitted paper from Boeing, where a PROLOG-based system was described which performs better than previous versions in other languages. Where PROLOG does not quite fit the needs of the problem, embedded languages can be built with extra constructs. The constructs are best designed by considering the underlying logic programming paradigm. The papers chosen for the special issue share a common feature. In all of them, logic programming provided the means for solving a problem in the domain of application, rather than the application being a vehicle for illustrating a methodology. By dint of the variety and depth of the applications presented, the papers are a powerful demonstration that logic programming is currently a practical tool that should be more widely adopted. Several of the other papers will appear in other issues of this journal and elsewhere. The first paper, by Peter Reintjes, is an excellent example of what is easily possible with PROLOG. The problem solved is how to provide a uniform way of describing circuits, given the abundance of circuit description languages. The paper describes a translator of circuit descriptions from one language to another. The bulk of the translation task is parsing, for which PROLOG, the language of implementation, is ideal. The program neatly exploits the nondeterminism of PROLOG by


Yichang Natural Tower reflects its unique brickstone construction style which has good historic, scientific and artistic value. So we should protect this tower in every way.


With MCU STC89C52 as the controlling core, by simulating the multi-channel selector CD4067 and high - precision A/D converter AD574A, a multi-channel high-precision data acquisition system is designed in this essay. Data communication, acquisition as well as management are carried out between computer and MCU through RS 232. This system can satisfy the requirement of data acquisition after site test, and it is can be widely used in all kinds of multi-channel data acquisition system with high-precision.


Metallic Al-powders with 2.5 wt% AlN were mechanically alloyed for 1, 2.5, 5, 10, 15, and 25 h. Compacts were prepared at a pressure of 750 MPa, and their microhardness values were determined to investigate the effect of milling time on the powders' morphology, particle size distribution, and work hardening. Analyses of morphology and particle size were conducted using a scanning electron microscope and a laser analyzer, respectively. The Vickers hardness of the powders was evaluated at a 10 g load. The hardness of the samples was measured under multiple applied loads, and the Meyer index was used to express the variation of work hardening. Results showed that the compressibility of the powders is affected by prolonged milling. The density of the milled powder could be influenced by contradictory effective parameters in each densification stage. Thus, considering powder evolutions is necessary when analyzing milled powder behavior.


Separately or in combination, antihistamines, decongestants, antitussives, and expectorants are used to treat the cough and rhinitis symptoms of the common cold and of allergies. Each year, Americans spend 1 to 2 billion dollars on cough and cold remedies and lose more than 26 million school days and 23 million work days because of rhinitis and associated symptoms. Studies have shown that antihistamines and decongestants are efficacious in the treatment of allergy symptoms, but the results of studies are mixed regarding their efficacy in the treatment of symptoms of the common cold, and studies show no effect in prevention or treatment of otitis media. Some review articles and consensus opinions do not recommend the use of these drugs in the common cold (especially in preschool children), although some studies have demonstrated symptomatic relief, and physicians continue to prescribe or recommend these drugs for respiratory illness more than 36 million times annually. The Common Cold More than 200 million cases of acute upper respiratory infection (URI) occur each year in the United States, and more than 75 million are seen by physicians. URIs account for 23 million missed work days and 26 million missed school days. This is the second most common diagnosis made by office-based pediatricians, second only to otitis media.


Disadvantages of the Ballon-Kyphoplasty with PMMA – A Clinical and Biomechanical Statement. Balloon kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty are clinically effective methods. However, single observations of BKP show failure of the method without disclosing its source. We believe that especially in severe osteoporosis and osteonecrosis failure of BKP occurs due to the "stress shielding" and the high stiffness of cement. Furthermore, it is important to obtain intra-operatively a complete height restauration with BKP since remaining kyphosis will increase the negative effect regarding the forces onto the adjacent vertebrae once a vertebral body has been filled with cement. Therefore, in case of older fractures one has to consider to rather prefer bone preserving kyphoplasty over BKP, perform vertebroplasty for older fractures and consider newer cements. J Miner Stoffwechs 2010; 17 (Sonderheft 1): 10–4.


The Tibetan Plateau is generally referred to as the Chinese water tower, and evapotranspiration (ET) affects the water budget and stability of alpine meadows on the Tibetan Plateau. However, its variability and controlling mechanisms have not been well documented under the drier conditions induced by global warming. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify whether meteorological or biological factors primarily affected the variability in ET under contrasting water conditions in the alpine meadow ecosystem on the Tibetan Plateau.

 Based on 6-year (2013–2018) eddy covariance observations and the corresponding meteorological and biological data, linear perturbation analyses were employed to isolate the contributions of meteorological and biological factors to the variability in evapotranspiration (δET).

 The results indicated that δET was mainly driven by meteorological factors in wet peak seasons (July and August) and was dominated by net radiation (Rn) and air temperature (Ta), indicating that the inadequate available energy was the factor limiting ET. However, the dominant factors affecting δET shifted from meteorological to biological in dry peak seasons when the canopy stomatal conductance (gs) and leaf area index (LAI) were dominant. At this point, the ecosystem was limited by the water conditions. This study provides empirical insights into how meteorological and biological factors regulate variability in ET under contrasting water conditions. This study can further improve our understanding of water cycle processes and can help effectively manage water resources in alpine meadow ecosystems under future climate change conditions.


Feces and urine were collected separately from individual cows fed corn silage-based (50% of dry matter) diets which were supplemented with distillers dried grains plus solubles or soybean meal to be 14 or 18% crude protein (CP). Fecal samples from 30 cows were screened using wet sieving and vibrating screens (nested in series); sizes were 3.35, 2.00, 1.40, 1.00, and 0.50 mm. Effluent passing the screens contained 60.2% of total solids (TS), 86.3% of nitrogen (N), and 94.3% of phosphorus (P). Solids caught on the five screens (largest to smallest) accounted for the following percentages of materials: 14.6, 9.4, 2.8, 4.3, 8.6% of TS; 5.7, 3.1, 0.8, 1.3, 2.8% of N; 2.2, 1.2, 0.3, 0.6, 1.5% of P. In another study, a 100 g composite sample of urine and feces from each of 44 cows, mixed in proportion to the amount excreted, was diluted to 1 L with water and allowed to settle for 1 h in a graduated cylinder. Supernatant and sediment were separated by decanting. Supernatants were analyzed for N content, sediments for TS content, and these amounts were subtracted from analyzed contents of samples to obtain reciprocal fractions. Overall, the sediment contained 66% of TS and 45% of N. Estimates of sediment amount made at 5, 10, 20, 40, and 60 min by recording best-defined line between supernatant and sediment suggested sedimentation was 89% completed by 5 min. In a second sedimentation study, simulated manure flushwaters (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5% TS) were treated with additives as follows: (1) 0.75 g of CaC03 plus 0.50 mL Fe2(SO4)3 solution/L, (2) 0.75 g of Ca0 plus 0.50 mL Fe2(SO4)3 solution/L, (3) 0.50 mL Fe2(SO4)3 solution/L plus five drops of a commercial polymer, and (4) control (no additives). Precipitates with CaCO3 and CaO treatments contained 92% of the TS, 69% of the N, and 31% of the total potassium (K); the CaO treatment precipitated appreciably more P (93% of total) than other treatments; and treatment with Fe2(SO4)3 plus polymer precipitated the least TS and N. These data indicated a potential to remove more manure solids and N from flushed manure by sedimentation than by screening.


Abstract. A study was conducted to compare the δ(O2/N2) scales used by four laboratories engaged in atmospheric δ(O2/N2) measurements. These laboratories are the Research Institute for Environmental Management Technology, Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (EMRI/AIST), the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES), Tohoku University (TU), and Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO). Therefore, five high-precision standard mixtures for O2 molar fraction gravimetrically prepared by the National Metrology Institute of Japan (NMIJ), AIST (NMIJ/AIST) with a standard uncertainty of less than 5 per meg were used as round-robin standard mixtures. EMRI/AIST, NIES, TU, and SIO reported the analysed values of the standard mixtures on their own δ(O2/N2) scales, and the values were compared with the δ(O2/N2) values gravimetrically determined by NMIJ/AIST (the NMIJ/AIST scale). The δ(O2/N2) temporal drift in the five standard mixtures during the inter-comparison experiment was corrected based on the δ(O2/N2) values analysed before and after the experiments by EMRI/AIST. The scales are compared based on offsets in zero and span. The span offsets from the NMIJ/AIST scale ranged from −0.17 % to 3.3 %, corresponding with the difference of 0.29 Pg yr−1 in the estimates for land biospheric and oceanic CO2 uptakes. The zero offsets from the NMIJ/AIST scale are −581.0 ± 2.2, −221.4 ± 3.1, −243.0 ± 3.0, and −50.7 ± 2.4 per meg for EMRI/AIST, TU, NIES, and SIO, respectively. The atmospheric δ(O2/N2) values observed at Hateruma Island (HAT; 24.05° N, 123.81° E), Japan, by EMRI/AIST and NIES became comparable by converting their scales to the NMIJ/AIST scale.