A one-dimensional problem for the determination of transient electron and phonon temperatures in bounded semiconductors is solved analytically and an exact expression is obtained. The model includes the heating of one of the surfaces of the sample by a rectangular thermal pulse of an arbitrary duration, separate electron and phonon heat boundary conditions, and electron-phonon energy interaction. The characteristic times of the transient processes are introduced through the electron and phonon thermal diffusion time, τ e,p , and electron-phonon energy relaxation time, τ e . For nondegenerate semiconductors, the electron subsystem is described by the essentially nonequilibrium temperature whereas the phonon temperature is equal to the ambient equilibrium temperature. The heat diffusion process is characterised by parameter τ e in the case of a thin sample as compared with the electron cooling length, while time τ e becomes the characteristic relaxation parameter for long samples. The thermoelectric response is obtained and the analysis is made for the long and short heat pulses.


We present an experimental technique to investigate the effect of speckle pattern illumination on holographic recording and reconstruction. In this work, we apply speckle field illumination for digital holography and present our preliminary experimental results. The technique is applied for recording and reconstruction of the complete wavefronts and compare with conventional holographic approach. This technique is expected to play an important role in studying the polarization sensitive materials and opens up a new approach for holographic imaging with high field of view for polarization objects.


A number of sulfamides were obtained by reaction of (5-(dichloromethylene)-2-oxoimidazolidin-4-ylidene)sulfamoyl chloride with anilines, benzylamines, Boc-protected piperazine, methylalylamine, and amino acids methyl esters with primary and secondary amino group. The antiviral and anticancer activity of new derivatives was evaluated. The most effective compounds against Human cytomegalovirus were sulfamides based on anisidine (1b), N-Boc-piperazine (1h), and the derivatives 1n,o with fragments of nipecotic and azetidine-3-carboxylic acids, respectively. Anticancer activity was most significant for sulfamides based on p-methoxybenzylamine (compound 1d), benzylmethylamine (compound 1f), and allylmethylamine (compound 1g).


As an introduction, I will recount a personal experience that was crucial in making me decide I wanted to work on violence against women and children from a combined feminist and psychoanalytic perspective. When I decided some years ago to volunteer at a domestic violence programme as a helpline worker, I was greeted by the group leader who identified herself as a feminist and counselling psychologist. Being asked what had brought me to the group, I said I was interested in feminism and in violence against women and children. I added that I was also interested in psychoanalytic theory. In a joking but rather accusatory style, she said that we would need to chat, as she felt very disappointed by Freud's 'disbelief in what his women and children patients had told him about abuse committed against them'.1 She added that, in her opinion, psychoanalysts, from Freud onwards, have always been uninterested in seriously considering abuse. She saw this as immoral. While listening to her, I was aware of feeling guilty. I felt pressured to justify my interest in both feminist and Freudian theory. At the same time, this conversation really piqued my curiosity. I wanted to know whether a combined feminist and psychoanalytic perspective was possible when researching violence against women and children. I am now doing, some years on, a theoretical PhD on exactly these issues. I soon discovered that, within psychoanalysis, child abuse and trauma are, perhaps surprisingly to many feminists, popular areas of study. In fact, they are central themes in recent psychoanalytic debates (De Zulueta, 1993; Fonagy, 2005; Leys, 2000; McCluskey and Hooper, 2000; Scott, 1996; Sinason 1998; Sinason 2004[2002]) on


Machine learning techniques are increasingly being used in fundamental research to solve various challenging problems. Here we explore one such technique to address an important problem in quantum communication scenario. While transferring quantum information through a noisy quantum channel, the utility of the channel is characterized by its quantum capacity. Quantum channels, however, display an intriguing property called super-additivity of coherent information. This makes the calculation of quantum capacity a hard computational problem involving optimization over an exponentially increasing search space. In this work, we first utilize a neural network ansatz to represent quantum states and then apply an evolutionary optimization scheme to address this problem. We find regions in the three-parameter space of qubit Pauli channels where coherent information exhibits this super-additivity feature. We characterised the quantum codes that achieves high coherent information, finding several non-trivial quantum codes that outperforms the repetition codes for some Pauli channels. For some Pauli channels, these codes displays very high super-additivity of the order of 0.01, much higher than the observed values in other well studied quantum channels. We further compared the learning performance of the Neural Network ansatz with the raw ansatz to find that in the three-shot case, the neural network ansatz outperforms the raw representation in finding quantum codes of high coherent information. We also compared the learning performance of the evolutionary algorithm with a simple Particle Swarm Optimisation scheme and show empirical results indicating comparable performance, suggesting that the Neural Network ansatz coupled with the evolutionary scheme is indeed a promising approach to finding non-trivial quantum codes of high coherent information.


Wine made or stored in clayware ceramic pots attracts the attention of consumers, but this practice is less studied than when classic stainless steel tanks or wood barrels are used. It is known that wine can be influenced by the container in which it is aged. To analyse the influence of ceramics on the chemical composition of wine, Armenian clay-based ceramic tablets were immersed in model wine and aged from 1 hour up to 16 months at 25 °C in darkness. The concentrations of 26 elements (namely: Al, B, Ba, Be, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, P, Pb, S, Sr, Ti, V, W and Zn) in 19 samples were determined by ICP-AES analysis. Proton time domain NMR relaxometry was used to characterise the iron redox processes that occurred in the model wine in contact with a ceramic. A fast increase in the pH of the model wine in contact with the bare ceramic tablet (from 2.35 to 5) was recorded in 4 days. The coating of the ceramic tablets with beeswax showed a significant effect on the interaction between the model wine and the ceramic.


The title compound, C10H9NO2, was isolated and characterized from an EtOAc extract of marine Streptomyces sp. 060524. All atoms, except the methyl H atoms, are nearly coplanar. There is an intermolecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bond in the crystal stucture. The compound is cytotoxic against K562 human chronic leukaemia.


Stroke is the third leading cause of death in industrialized countries but efficacious stroke treatment is still an unmet need. Preclinical research indicates that different molecules afford protection from ischemic neurodegeneration, but all clinical trials conducted so far have inexorably failed. Critical re‐evaluation of experimental data shows that all the components of the neurovascular unit, such as neurons, glia, endothelia and basal membranes, must be protected during the ischemic insult to obtain substantial and long‐lasting neuroprotection. Here, we propose the nuclear enzyme poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase (PARP‐1) as a key effector of cell death in the various elements of the neurovascular units, and assert that drugs inhibiting PARP‐1 may therefore represent valuable tools for pharmacological treatment of stroke patients.


The technological parameters of the epitaxial layer in a power device are very important for defining their sensitivity to Single Event Effect (SEE). In particular, when the range of impacting ions is comparable with the thickness of the epitaxial layer and its doping is not large enough, instability can be triggered after the impact which can causes device failure [1]. The objective of this paper is to understand how the presence of a very thin epitaxial layer may influence the SEE sensitivity of SiC power devices. We report on a study about SEEs induced by heavy ion irradiation on both SiC Schottky and power MOSFETs rated at 1200 V-6 A and 24 A, respectively. The results of irradiations with 79Br ion beams at different energies, corresponding to different Linear Energy Transfer (LET) values and ranges, are presented.


Summary Total body water and blood volume were determined in mice with the hereditary obese hyperglycemic syndrome and in littermate controls. Only 12% of the excess weight of obese animals was found to be represented by water. Blood volume was not increased in obese animals. The total body water and percentage of weight represented by water in young obese animals was similar to those in non-obese animals of the same weight.


Objective To improve EHR-centered health information system and to promote casemix mode in medical management in China.Methods With casemix in other countries discussed,the application environment of casemix mode in China was analyzed and studied.Results The implementation of casemix mode called for an interoperable health information system integrating HL7,ICD,SNOMED and UMLS.Conclusion To conquer the problems in medical management in China,EHR-centered health information system has to be emphasized on.


Despite vigorous research on risk communication, little is known about the social forces that drive these choices. Erev, Wallsten, & Neal (1991) showed that forecasters learn to select vague or precise risk estimations as a function of what best serves the group's collective interests. This study extends the notion and further investigates whether evaluation apprehension contributes to the selection of the risk expressions. We hypothesize that group size and public feedback can engender apprehension and affect the learning of risk communication. Experiment 1 reproduced Erev et al.'s (1991) results and in addition showed that forecasters in small groups learned the optimal mode faster than those in larger groups. Experiment 2 contrasted social versus personal feedback and showed learning was faster in the personal feedback condition.


Introduction : Pain is a symptom that most people often complained about, which drive people to look for therapy. Some of analgesic drugs have many side effects which harming, for that need to looked for more safe alternative from nature. One of the therapies that have been used to alleviate the pain is herbal medicines,such as Piper retrofractum Vahl (Long Pepper). The objective of this research is to discover the analgesic effect of  the ethanol extract of Long pepper. Methods: the research was a true prospective experimental study with Complete Randomize Trial Design that has comparative characteristic. The trial of analgesic effect was accomplished with thermal method as a pain inducement. The female mice Swiss Webster strain with ± 25 grams of weight were devided into five groups (n=5).The 1st, 2nd, 3rd groups were given The Ethanol Extract of Long Pepper (EECJ) with  the dose of 0.75 g/KgBW, 1.5 g/KgBW, and 3 g/KgBW, 4th group was given CMC, and 5th group was given asetosal 0.42 g/KgBW. The data measured was the reaction time of the first pain response, such as lift or lick the forefoot, or jump, after the mice had been put against the hot plate.Data is analyzed using one way ANOVA, then followed by Tukey HSD mean different test, α=0.05. Results: the reaction time of group EECJ dose 0.75 g/KgBW, 1.5 g Kg/BW and 3 g/KgBW were significantly different if it was compared to control group with  p of  0.000 respectively. Conclusion : The Ethanol Extract of Long Pepper has an analgesic effect on mice.


In suspensions of rigid spheres at high solids fractions, a large portion of the particles are in near-contact with their neighbors. In such cases, near-field interactions play an important role in the particle trajectories. The prediction of these trajectories therefore hinges on a correct representation of the near-field interactions. It is shown in this study that traditional BEM techniques do not capture near-field interactions adequately, with unpredictable effecs on the resulting trajectories. A methodology for combining analytical near-field interactions with numerical BEM solutions is described. The methodology is benchmarked against known semi-analytical solutions. It is found that lubrication interactions are accounted for with good accuracy, resulting in accurate trajectory predictions even for very small inter-particle distances. Using this method, it becomes possible to study the effect of sources of irreversbility (such as surface roughness) in a fully quantitative sense.


The invention provides a technique for preparation of synthesis raw gases by pretreating coking gas and partial oxidation of coking gas and its devices to reach the purpose of producing large-scale synthesis ammonia and methanol device. The said technique mainly includes electrical tar collecting of coking gas, naphthalene-removing, deoxidation, desulfuration, pretreatment of coking gas, partial oxidation of coking gas, steam conversion and reaction heat utilization of reformed gases. The invention pretreats coking gas containing 20 %-30 % methane to get the coking gas, oxygen and water vapour to perform partial oxidation and steam conversion in converter according the purpose of synthesis raw gases by selecting oxidants with different components and reach a balance of selfheat. After the conversion reaction, the synthesis raw gases containing less than 0.5 % of methane content are obtained. The consumption of the coking gas reduces by 15 %-20 % compared with traditional conversion process, the consumption of the vapor reduces by 50 %-55 %, the investment reduces by 10 %-15 %, which can eliminate the discharge of the flue gas and protect the environment.


The paper presents the results of numerical modeling of heat treatment of concrete of a monolithic floor using a heating wire in winter conditions, depending on factors such as ambient temperature, wind speed, isothermal curing temperature, and others. The following parameters were taken as the main parameters for calculating the heat treatment of concrete: the geometric dimensions of the concreting area, the type and dimensions of the thermal insulation layer to ensure thermal protection of the monolithic structure during the heat treatment of concrete, the type and characteristics of transformers that provide the necessary power for preheating and heating concrete of monolithic floors, as well as the class of concrete, cement consumption and type of heating wire. As a result of calculations, the values of the required power for heating concrete of monolithic structures, the number of transformers, the voltage on the transformer for heating the concrete, as well as the duration of the periods of heating, isothermal curing and cooling during the heat treatment of concrete were obtained. As a result of the performed numerical experiments, the modes of heat treatment of a monolithic floor were deter-mined, which ensure the achievement of the required strength of concrete of monolithic structures. This type of heat treatment of concrete during winter periods has established itself as energy efficient and versatile, since heating wires can be used in structures of any type, configuration and reinforcement. With the correct use of heating wires, it is possible to obtain high-quality reinforced concrete structures erected at negative ambient temperatures.


Language is the main aspect of education. Improving English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' speaking skills is a crucial communication requirement. In speaking skills, aspects of speech such as pronunciation, intonation, tone, stress, and fluency are highly emphasized. Furthermore, mental processes such as understanding, reasoning, adapting, turn-taking, and responding also play an essential role in speech. Turn-taking is a hugely important thing in conversation, especially in discussion. To take a turn in conversation is a big deal. Personality should consider factors in learning a second language. Extroverts and introverts have different learning styles, which will affect their speaking English learning. This research aimed to seek the used turn-taking pattern and strategies between student extroverts and introverts. This research was conducted using a qualitative-descriptive approach design to the comprehensive summarization of specific events experienced by individuals or small peer groups. The subjects of this research were students in the English Education Department of Universitas Muhammadiyah Surabaya for the 2021 final examination. As a result, Extroverted students are more comfortable and eager to take the lead in initiating conversations and introverts are more comfortable in the role of responders. While introverts and extroverts utilize similar strategies for turn-taking, their implementation differs; introverts may employ structured pauses and thoughtful contributions, whereas extroverts often engage in dynamic and spontaneous exchanges to ensure active conversation participation.


The wettability of the paraffin by aqueous solutions of sodium decyl, dodecyl and tetradecyl sulfate have been studied. A slight but distinct discontinuity of the slope in the curve of the cosine of the receding contact angle vs. the surface tension of the solution was observed for the solution of sodium decyl, dodecyl and tetradecyl sulfate. The discontinuity of the slope appeared at the surface tension of about 40 dyn./cm. It was found that the wetting isotherm which had been proposed by the present author, and which had been found valid for the wetting of paraffin by the aqueous solution of fatty alcohol homologues, was also valid for this experiment in the dilute aqueous solution of sodium alkyl sulfates. The adsorption energy was 588.9 cal./mol. CH2 and 534.7 cal./ mol. for the paraffin/solution and air/solution interfaces respectively.


Spinal cord injury (SCI) in humans frequently causes intractable chronic pain. Females are susceptible to worsened pain compared to males, and females may show higher pain prevalence after SCI. Despite this difference in clinical prevalence of SCI pain, few preclinical studies have systematically studied in rodents sex differences in SCI-elicited pain symptoms. Here, we leverage data from a large cohort of mice to test whether contusion SCI consistently causes pain symptoms in mice, and to establish whether female (vs. male) mice display heightened hypersensitivity after SCI. Mechanical and heat sensory thresholds were assessed using the von Frey test and Hargreaves test, respectively. In an initial experiment, female mice receiving moderate 60 kDyn SCI or moderate-to-severe 75 kDyn SCI at T9 both exhibited mechanical and heat pain symptoms compared to sham controls. 75 kDyn SCI caused excess motor deficits that confounded defining pain sensitivity at acute times, so the moderate SCI force was used for subsequent experiments. Next, adult female and male C57BL6/J mice received sham surgery or T9 moderate contusion SCI. Comparing female to male mice after SCI, we reveal that mice of both sexes displayed mechanical and heat hypersensitivity compared to sham controls, from acute-to-chronic post-injury times. Females had amplified SCI-elicited hypersensitivity compared to males. Our data suggest that thoracic contusion SCI elicits consistent and persistent pain symptoms, which are more intense in female vs. male mice. These results have important implications for uncovering sex-specific mechanisms and therapeutic targets to ameliorate neuropathic pain after SCI. male-SCI, (two-way main effect main effect 0.001). our data show that below-level in female and male and that females have amplified SCI-driven pain symptoms compared to males. allodynia in within compared Our results demonstrate that moderate T9 contusion SCI caused mechanical and heat hypersensitivity in mice of both sexes from acute-to-chronic times post-injury. Similarly, others have explored neuropathic pain after SCI in rodents. Detloff et al. (Detloff et al., 2008) revealed that T8 SCI in rats elicited below-level mechanical allodynia similar to at-level allodynia caused peripheral nerve injury. Further, SCI-induced inflammatory activation in the lumbar spinal cord correlated with neuropathic pain symptoms. Carlton et al. (Carlton et al., 2009) showed that T10 SCI in rats caused above-level mechanical and heat hypersensitivity, which co-occurred with heightened glial reactivity in the thoracic and cervical spinal cord. In accordance, SCI causes neuropathic pain symptoms in mice, which can be dampened using anti-inflammatory modulators (thoracic cervical Others have divided subjects into cohorts that pain or do not exhibit pain, then analyzed these cohorts separately 2005; We and others find that this practice is unnecessary using the thoracic contusion injury model SCI and reproducible pain by


1. A method for increasing the yield of corn, which is produced by many plants, vklyuchayuschiyodnogo or more plants of the inbred maize line having increased sensitivity to stress in one or more stages of development as compared with neinbrednymi corn plants; ikontaktirovanie said inbred corn plants with a composition comprising at least one cyclopropene derivative, wherein the contacting is carried out at the time when the inbred corn plants are outside the building and said contacting is carried out during at least one of said (s) of one or more razvitiya.2 steps. A method according to Claim. 1, wherein the composition is zhidkoy.3. A method according to Claim. 1, wherein the composition comprises a complex of cyclopropene derivative and encapsulating agenta.4 molecule. A method according to Claim. 1, wherein the at least one derivative of cyclopropene is 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) .5. A method according to claim. 3, wherein the encapsulating agent is a molecule selected from alpha-cyclodextrin, beta-cyclodextrin, gamma-cyclodextrin or their kombinatsiy.6. A method according to Claim. 1, wherein the abiotic stress is an stress.7. A method according to Claim. 1, wherein the stress is caused by environmental stress.8. A method according to claim. 7, wherein the stress due to the environment is a stress caused by drought and / or thermal stress.9. A method according to Claim. 1, wherein the stress is a mechanical stress.10. A method according to Claim. 1, wherein the contacting is carried out during the formation of panicles and / or cultural rasteniya.11 pollination. A method according to Claim. 1, wherein the contacting is carried out for a period of


With the development trend of the large-scale production of the HTR coated fuel particles,the original manual control system can not meet the requirement and the automation control system of coated fuel particle fabrication in modern industrial grade is needed to develop.The comprehensive analysis aiming at successive 4-layer coating process of TRISO type coated fuel particles was carried out.It was found that the coating process could be divided into five subsystems and nine operating states.The establishment of DCS-type(distributed control system) of automation control system was proposed.According to the rigorous requirements of preparation process for coated particles,the design considerations of DCS were proposed,including the principle of coordinated control,safety and reliabililty,integration specification,practical and easy to use,and open and easy to update.A complete set of automation control system for coated fuel particle preparation process was manufactured based on fulfilling the requirements of these principles in manufacture practice.The automated control system was put into operation in the production of irradiated samples for HTR-PM demonstration project.The experimental results prove that the system can achieve better control of coated fuel particle preparation process and meet the requirements of factory-scale production.


The invention relates to a reversible belt tightener comprising: - an electric motor (2); - a belt shaft (1) onto which a safety belt can be wound; - a driving wheel (10) that is coaxial to the belt shaft (1); and - a coupling (11) between the belt shaft (1) and the driving wheel (10). The electric motor (2) includes a protruding drive shaft (12) via which the electric motor (2) is connected directly to the driving wheel (10).


The oribatid mite fauna of the Bu Gia Map National Park (southern Vietnam) consists of 86 species belonging to 65 genera and 31 families. A list of known species collected during Joint Russian–Vietnamese Biological Expedition in November 2013 is provided. Six species, Dendrohermannia monstruosa, Reteremuloides bifurcatus, Tecteremaeus incompletus, Arcoppia serrutala, Dolicheremaeus cf. baloghi and Leptotocepheus murphyi, and four genera, Dendrohermannia, Reteremuloides, Granuloppia and Leptotocepheus, are recorded in Vietnam for the first time; A. serrutala and Granuloppia are recorded for the first time in the Oriental region. Two species of the genus Dolicheremaeus, D. angustus and D. murphyi, were transferred in the genus Leptotocepheus. Two new species, Hermanniella bugiamapensis sp. nov. and Granuloppia vietnamensis sp. nov., are described. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:41B5BAB1-555A-499D-95C7-337D7B767940


Detailed calculations are presented of the mean-square amplitudes of vibration of atoms in 20 alkali halides and four alkaline-earth oxides. The results are presented from 10\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K to the melting temperatures. The computation has been carried out by setting up the dynamical matrix for a shell model and calculating the eigenvalues and eigenvectors at a number of points in the reciprocal space. Shell-model parameters fitted to neutron data available for NaF, NaCl, NaBr, NaI, KF, KCl, KBr, KI, RbF, RbCl, RbBr, RbI, LiF, CsF, CsCl, CsBr, CsI, MgO, and CaO have been used in the computation. For five crystals, LiCl, LiBr, LiI, SrO, and BaO, the shell-model parameters have been computed using experimental data on elastic constants, ir optical and dielectric parameters. The theoretical results have been compared with the x-ray scattering and M\"ossbauer data.


Differently weighted experimental scattering data have been used to extract partial or differential structure factors or pair distribution functions in studying many materials. However, this is not done routinely partly because of the lack of user-friendly software. This paper presents MIXSCAT, a new member of the DISCUS program package. MIXSCAT allows one to combine neutron and X-ray pair distribution functions and extract their respective differential functions.


The article studies internal and external factors of functioning of trading companies of consumer co-operation. It offers author's vision of the essence and specific features of influence of these factors upon further development of competitive strategies of development of companies under modern economic conditions. In particular, the external factors that influence formation of competitive strategies of trading companies of consumer co-operation are as follows: state of the macro-environment, market situation, direct competitors, state of the public opinion and consumer behaviour. The internal factors that influence formation of competitive strategies of trading companies of consumer co-operation are as follows: parameters of strategic alternatives of companies, communication orientation of activity of trading companies, skills and resources, strengths and weaknesses of the use of marketing possibilities.


The issue provoked probably most anxiety in the profession is that of claims in negligence in the performance of screening. The most high profile case in this area is that of Penney, Palmer and Cannon v East Kent Health Authority. Here it was held that the recording of a number of cervical smear tests as negative, rather than borderline, was negligent. The case is viewed as significant not only in respect of the standard of care in this speciality but also in terms of potentially indicating a shift in the approach of the courts toward establishing medical negligence. To put it at its simplest, the established test in medical negligence is that of accepted professional practice (the Bolam test) and the same standard applies to all healthcare professionals, including cytology screeners. It will be obvious that this test relies very heavily on expert evidence. Using expert evidence has some clear merits. The judiciary are not experts in the area of health care practice and it might seem peculiar for judges to decide which out of various approaches should have been employed or whether the way in which care was given, where there are variations of practice, was appropriate. There will often be more than one way of approaching diagnosis and treatment and differences of opinion between practitioners as to which would be best for an individual patient. The problem is that a distinction can be made between empirical considerations and normative ones. Empirical considerations broadly concern evidence of what actually happens in practice and the reliability of that evidence. Normative considerations on the other hand deal with what should happen rather than what does happen. Generally the judiciary are expected to exercise a normative judgement and not rely on empirical evidence alone. The usual legal principle is that judges are the arbiters of what constitutes acceptable practice, not a professional body. However, the way that the courts approached cases after Bolam seemed to suggest that in medical negligence cases they were more concerned with empirical matters than normative ones and as such were arguably not properly exercising the function of a legal forum. Following the case of Bolitho, it has been suggested that the courts may be showing signs of a greater willingness to hold healthcare professionals to have been negligent, despite expert evidence that the approach adopted was acceptable. In doing so, the courts in some cases, like Penney, appear to be engaging in a risk/benefit analysis toward the standard of care given and exercising a more independent judgement on this. Thus in Penney it was held that it would be riskier to err on the side of indicating a false negative than a false positive and that screeners should be applying a test of 'absolute confidence' before classifying a slide as negative. While it would be wrong to suggest that expert evidence is no longer crucial in medical negligence cases, the extent that it will be determinative is perhaps now more open to doubt.


The present invention relates to a drill for Free cementing classifying means by an upper joint (1), the pressure sleeve (4), fall tube (5), the jacket (6), the collar (7), close the sleeve (14), open sleeve (16), the inner tube (21) and a lower joint (22), with the pressure sleeve (4) set off on the sleeve (5), the inner tube (21) set in the shedding sleeve (5); upper joint (1 ) in the gland sleeve (4); closing sleeve (14) set in the pressure sleeve (4), close the sleeve (14) sets the inner cylinder (21); open sleeve (16) inner cylindrical sleeve (21); a lower joint (22) sets the inner cylinder (21); a housing (6) are sequentially set to the joint (1), close the sleeve (14), open the sliding sleeve (16) and a lower joint (22 on); linker (1), housing (6) and a lower fitting (22) threaded successively. The present invention is mainly used for continuous fractionation cementing cementing operation.


A method of real-time monitoring of milling cutter was presented based on cutting force,according to the practical operating conditions.Considering that cutting parameters were certain,the model between cutting force and flank wear was built.Through extracting the average value of the cutting force,the monitoring module was established.Under the premise that machine tool was little altered,the fixture with force sensor was designed that made the achievement of monitoring process more simple and feasible.


We have realized an in-plane half-adder (HA) structure based on monolithically interconnected GaAs-AlGaAs Y-branched nanojunctions. A self-switching effect of the junction from an internal gating regime to a regime dominated by the ballistic injection of electrons from different terminals is observed at room temperature and exploited to demonstrate HA operation.


In recent years, human disturbance and natural factors have led to great changes in the coastal wetland system of the Pearl River Delta, and the research on the changes of coastal wetland landscape pattern has become a hot topic. Based on the remote sensing data in recent 35 years, this paper studies the dynamic changes of coastal wetland landscape in the Pearl River Delta, and analyzes the driving forces of the changes of coastal wetland landscape pattern in the Pearl River Delta.


This study aimed to examine the importance levels of mathematics-specific trend variables in PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) 2003 and 2012 in predicting mathematics performance across years with a two-step analysis method. The sample of the study was 9703 Turkish students (N2003=4855 and N2012=4848) selected by clustered and systematic sampling methods. As data analysis methods, multilayer perceptron and radial basis functions techniques of artificial neural networks and multiple linear regression were used. In the two-step analysis, first, the least erroneous model was selected as the analysis method. Then, variable importance analysis was performed with this method. The results with the lowest relative errors were obtained by the multilayer perceptron when compared to radial basis functions. The results of neural network analysis had similar or lower error rates when compared to multiple linear regression. In both PISA cycles, significant predictors were mathematics self-efficacy, mathematics interest, student-teacher relations in school, attitudes towards the school, mathematics self-concept, mathematics instrumental motivation, and teacher support in mathematics classes, respectively. The results were discussed in the light of relevant literature.


ABSTRACT In 1797 the British government relieved the Bank of England of the obligation to pay specie for its notes upon demand; then, after bitter debate and sustained inflation, it restored this burden in 1821. The episode is studied as the "Bullion Controversy", and it is commonly assigned high significance in the development of monetary theory. Yet the Bank stood as an old target for so-called "country" thought, which suspected commerce of corroding virtue and undermining the proper functions of Parliament. Both the Bank and the Whig regime that created it in 1694 had withstood such attacks, but in the nineteenth century these critical voices were joined by political economists who reworked the existing lines of attack, above all by presenting themselves not as defenders of an ancient virtue but as the champions of a modern, commercial society that was being endangered by the government's and the Bank's ignorance and self-interest. This paper thus examines the Bullion Controversy in relation to the history of political thought, and reveals how the return to convertibility represented an early victory for political economy's self-styled "theorists" in reforming the state's institutions in the nineteenth century.


Trichotillomania is a chronic mental illness with an elevated rate of psychiatric comorbidities. Patients with Trichotillomania often have a low insight putting them at risk for serious health problems such as depression, social dysfunction, body damage, malnutrition, even death in severe cases if untreated. Not all patients have access to health care, most of them live in difficult environments with different cultural variations and attitudes toward mental illness making them more vulnerable. The literature suggests that there is a variety of psychotherapies and medications that may help in managing Trichotillomania. The present case is of a woman with no prior history of mental illness, who was brought by her father for behavioral issues. During her evaluation we observed various symptoms associated with different pathologies, exemplifying the difficulties to diagnose individuals with Trichotillomania and to prepare a treatment plan for them


A novel phosphorus-containing copolyester (PET-co-DDP)/barium sulfate (BaSO4) nanocomposite was synthesized by in situ polymerization. The oxygen index values of the resulting nanocomposites decreased with increasing the content of BaSO4 nanoparticles, but their antidripping behaviors were improved obviously through the UL-94 test. The flammability tests based on the cone calorimetry showed that the introduction of nano-BaSO4 to the copolyester decreased remarkably the heat release rate and effective heat of combustion. The thermal oxidative decomposition behaviors of PET-co-DDP/BaSO4 nanocomposites were studied by a conventional dynamic thermogravimetric analysis in a flowing air atmosphere with a heating rate of 20°C/min. The activation energies determined from Kissinger method, Flynn-Wall-Ozawa method, and Friedman method had a same variation trend. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 564–570, 2006


This paper presents an exploration of tribal spirituality in India. The study sought to understand the spiritual worldview of tribal communities in India within the context of a community engagement program between a university in India and a tribal community outside Mumbai. The purpose of the engagement was for students and academics to have a deeper understanding of tribal communities, and to formulate community development interventions that could improve their individual and family well-being. A qualitative research approach was utilized to guide the study. The data was collected from two samples, namely, six social work academics and 23 students. Semi structured interviews and focus group discussions were used to collect data from these aforementioned samples following a two-year immersion within this community. The data was analyzed as one dataset using thematic analysis. Three broad themes emerged from the data which focused on the characteristics of tribal communities, tribal spirituality and the healing methodologies used.


Numerous experimental observation and clinical researches demonstrated that the majority of the forms of syringomyelia are found in combination with inherent or acquired hindbrain abnormalities [1,2]. Although hydrodynamic disorders play an important role in the pathogenesis, these forms of syringomyelia, several aspects of this disease are dif icult to explain only on the basis of hydrodynamics. Different theories of pathogenesis of syringomyelia were proposed such as "cranio-spinal pressure dissociation", transmedullary passage of CSF, impaired venous drainage [2,3]. However, the precise pathogenesis of "hindbrain related" syringomyelia is unknown. There are some references of possible role antibodies in the development of syringomyelia. Researches in this ield are of great interest. It is undoubted, that experimental studies can be used in the explanation of the nature of this important group of neurological disorders, as we do not have possibilities to study directly the human central nervous system.


This study examined the types of sentence conditions imposed on domestic violence offenders, the combination of conditions that formed offenders' sentences, and the relationship between the type of sentence received and recidivism. A total of 66,759 individuals charged with a domestic violence offense from 2004 through 2006 in Washington State courts were included in the study, 41% of whom had conditions imposed at sentencing. Over 100 different types of conditions were used during the study period, which were then reduced to 14 condition categories. Offenders received, on average, over six different conditions. Proscriptions, fines, jail, and probation were the most common conditions imposed, each included in over half of all sentences. The combinations of conditions within sentences were then examined, and ten types of sentences were selected for analysis. Logistic regression was used to predict both domestic violence recidivism and any type of subsequent offense, controlling for a number of offender and case characteristics. Results indicated that, when compared to offenders who received sentences involving only fines and/or proscriptions, those who also complied with either probation, victim-oriented treatment, or probation and treatment had lower odds of committing another domestic violence offense during the five-year follow-up period. Any sentence that included a jail term along with fines and/or proscriptions was associated with higher odds of domestic violence recidivism. Results were similar when examining recidivism in general with one exception; sentences that included anger management interventions were also associated with lower odds of recidivating. Offenders who completed state-certified domestic violence treatment, on the other hand, did not have significantly lower or higher odds of recidivating when compared to offenders who received only fines and/or proscriptions. Results suggest a need to reexamine how domestic violence offenders are sentenced as well as whether current models of domestic violence treatment are effective in preventing further violence.


The chemokine C-X-C Motif Chemokine Ligand 10 (CXCL10) has been found to be elevated in those patients with psoriasis (PsO) who will develop psoriatic arthritis (PsA), thus being proposed as a predictor of joint involvement [1]. CXC10 progressively declines in these PsO patients until the diagnosis of PsA and further, in parallel with the duration of the disease [2]. In contrast, CXCL10 remains invariable on time in the rest of PsO patients. Subclinical ultrasound synovitis may be considered a pre-disease state of PsA [3]. CXCL10 serum levels in patients with preclinical PsA are still unknown.To better characterize the preclinical phase of PsA and to assess the relationship of CXCL10 levels with subclinical joint involvement in PsO patients.62 patients with PsO without PsA were included, all of them naïve to biological therapy. Ultrasonography (US) was performed on the wrist and metacarpophalangeal 1–5 joints (MCP), proximal interphalangeal 1–5 joints (PIP), and distal interphalangeal 2–5 joints (DIP) bilaterally, and grey scale (GS) synovitis were scored semiquantitatively (0–3) using the OMERACT scoring system. Serum CXCL10 levels were also determined by ELISA in all the patients.31 men and 31 women were recruited. GS synovitis ≥1 was present in 30 patients, 10 men and 20 women, while only 7 patients exhibited GS synovitis ≥2, 4 men and 3 women. The mean logCXCL10 was inferior in patients showing any grade of GS, both in the whole group and after stratifying by sex (Table 1), although the difference was only statistically significant for grade 1 of GS in men (p=0.02) and grade 2 of GS in women (p=0.02).PsO patients with subclinical synovitis show lower serum levels of CXCL-10 than patients without it, as occurs in patients with established PsA. This finding confirms a close relationship between this biomarker and joint involvement in PsO and supports its potential use as a predictor marker in the preclinical phase of PsA.[1]Arthritis Rheumatol. 2016 Dec;68(12):2911-2916. [2] Br J Dermatol. 2020 Nov;183(5):920-927. [3] Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2021 Apr;17(4):238-243.GroupVariableCategoryLogCXCL10 Mean ± SDpp*PsOPresence of GS synovitis ≥1 in handsYes(n=30)3.3 ± 1.10.070.13No(n=32)3.8 ± 1.1Presence of GS synovitis ≥2 in handsYes(n=7)2.9 ± 0.90.150.22No(n=55)3.6 ± 1.1Male PsOPresence of GS synovitis ≥1 in handsYes(n=10)2.9 ± 0.90.020.02No(n=21)3.9 ± 1.2Presence of GS synovitis ≥2 in handsYes(n=4)3.4 ± 0.51.000.96No(n=27)3.6 ± 1.3Female PsOPresence of GS synovitis ≥1 in handsYes(n=20)3.5 ± 1.10.760.98No(n=11)3.6 ± 1.0Presence of GS synovitis ≥2 in handsYes(n=3)2.2 ± 0.80.020.03No(n=28)3.7 ± 1.0*Adjusted by sex and age at the study in the PsO group and by age at the study in the male and female PsO groups.This study was funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) through the project PI20/00059, co-funded by European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and by NVAL19/22 (IDIVAL) awarded to JR-G. VP-C is supported by PI18/00042 (ISCIII), co-funded by ERDF. RL-M is recipient of the grant CPII21/00004 (ISCIII), co-funded by the European Social Fund. MSM-G is supported by TRANSVAL22/01 (IDIVAL). JR-G is beneficiary of a program of intensification funded by 'Fundación Española de Reumatología (FER)´.Verónica Pulito-Cueto: None declared, Susana Armesto: None declared, Sara Remuzgo-Martínez: None declared, Raquel López-Mejías: None declared, María Sebastián Mora-Gil: None declared, J. Gonzalo Ocejo-Vinyals: None declared, Alfonso Corrales: None declared, Vanesa Calvo-Río: None declared, Ana María Salas Martínez: None declared, Marcos González López: None declared, Cristina López-Obregón: None declared, Elena Aurrecoechea: None declared, Luis Rodriguez Rodriguez: None declared, Carolina Aguirre Portilla: None declared, Miguel A González-Gay Speakers bureau: Abbvie, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, Lilly, Celgene, MSD and GSK, Grant/research support from: Abbvie, MSD, Jansen and Roche, Ricardo Blanco Speakers bureau: Abbvie, Pfizer, Roche, Bristol-Myers, Janssen and MSD, Consultant of: Abbvie, Pfizer, Roche, Bristol-Myers, Janssen and MSD, Grant/research support from: Abbvie, MSD and Roche, Fernanda Genre Romero: None declared, Javier Rueda-Gotor: None declared.


The invention discloses a synthesis method of a beta-alanine methyl ester salt product, and relates to the technical field of beta-alanine methyl ester salt production. The method includes the following steps of firstly, adding beta-alanine to methyl alcohol to be stirred, and adding concentrated sulfuric acid; secondly, conducting backflow after feeding of concentrated sulfuric acid ends; thirdly, concentrating a methyl alcohol solution of beta-alanine methyl ester salt; fourthly, adding the concentrated solution to purified water to be evenly stirred, adjusting the PH of a water solution of beta-alanine methyl ester salt through ammonium hydroxide, and storing the prepared water solution of beta-alanine methyl ester salt at low temperature. The method has the advantages of being high in yield, easy to operate and easy to control; the method is free of toxic and corrosive gases in the synthesis process, small in environment pollution and beneficial to large-scale production.


In this thesis we present three results about the ferromagnetic quantum XXZ model:
 1) Existence of a spectral gap above all infinite-volume ground states in one dimension for
 any choice of spin S>1/2 (for S=1/2 this was already known); 2) Characterization of
 one-dimensional "droplet" states as ground states of the spin-1/2 model with up spin
 boundary fields; 3) An upper bound for the spectral gap above the spin-1/2 interface ground
 states in dimension two and higher. The upper bound vanishes as 1/R^2, where R is the
 linear size of the system. This thesis contains research performed in collboration with
 other authors: O. Bolina, P. Contucci, T. Koma, B. Nachtergaele.


The paper deals with Merleau-Ponty's critic of the scientific theories of human behavior, first of all of behaviorism and Gestalt theory. The Mearleau-Ponty's understanding of the concepts of behavior, structure, sense and existence in the light of phenomenological philosophy, is given in the paper. .


The automation of network service observing through message classification software permits a great increase in the rate at which observations can be made, thus allowing the monitoring of network links as well as switching nodes. This paper develops and analyzes a quality control algorithm which is suitable for monitoring the performance of direct (end-office to endoffice) links via high-volume service observing data. This algorithm processes a sample of successful as well as unsuccessful call attempts sequentially and in real time to quickly and effectively detect deteriorations in the performance of a link. Discussion of the performance qualities and the robustness of this algorithm is presented. The discussion is supported by quantitative results.


Malignant proliferating trichilemmal tumour is a rare cutaneous malignant neoplasm usually occurring in elderly women. We present a case of malignant trichilemmal tumour in a young lady of 26 years of age with a previous history of proliferating trichilemmal tumour at the same site.


An estimated 15% to 25% of patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection have relapse after treatment with pegylated interferon plus ribavirin. Even


Objective:To exam the pyridinoline cross-linked carboxy-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen(ICTP),anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide(CCP) antibody,rheumatoid factor(RF) and C-reative protein(CRP) and to evaluate the clinical value of combined detection in rheumatoid arthritis(RA) early diagnosis and monitoring.Methods: Serum levels of ICTP,anti-ccp antibody were measured by ELISA,RF and CRP by immunonephelometry assay in 116 RA and 57 non-RA patients and 48 normal controls.The clinical and laboratory data were recorded,including gender,age,course of disease,time of morning stiffness,counts of swelling and painful joint,and so on.Results:(1) The serum levels of anti-ccp antibody,RF and CRP in RA patients were higher than non-RA patients and normal controls(P0.05);There was no significance about the level of anti-ccp antibody among in non-RA patients and normal controls(P0.05);The concentration of ICTP just in mid-advanced RA group was higher than in early RA patients and the other groups(P0.05),early RA patients did not differ from non-RA patients(P0.05),but significant difference was found between RA,non-RA patients and normal controls(P0.05).(2) The sensitivity of RF and the specificity of anti-ccp antibody was higher than the other each individual antibody as a better diagnostic discriminator in early RA,Combination of anti-ccp antibody and either one increased the specificity,the specificity to diagnosis of early RA of anti-ccp antibody combinding with ICTP,RF,CRP was 100%.(3) ICTP and anti-ccp antibody,RF,CRP were correlated with the counts of damaged joints,and bone erosion;The concentration of ICTPand anti-ccp antibody,RF,CRP in multi-articalationbone erosion early RA patients were higher than in oligo-articulation,non-bone-erosion(P0.05).(4) The serum level of ICTP in early RA patients was improved after treatment with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs(NSAID) only,but as compared with normal controls,did not show significant decreases after treatment with disease modifying antirheumatic drug(DMARD)(P0.05);Compared with normal controls,The level of anti-ccp antibody decreased obviously after treatment with DMARDs(P0.05).Conclusion: Combining anti-ccp antibody and ICTP,RF,CRP can increase diagnosis specificity early RA,indicating it is a useful laboratory marker for earil diagnosis of RA,and could effectively monitor the disease development in time,which exhibits great sense on impede arthrosis damage,so anti-ccp antibody and ICTP can plays an important role in the earil RA clinical phase.


Modular education refers to the division of conventional courses into smaller components or modules. Each module enables students to obtain a partial certificate that can be combined into a qualification. This article evaluates whether modular education, which is widely used in secondary and tertiary education, has been effective in reducing school dropout. For this purpose, the study exploits a policy change in the Flemish Community of Belgium, which recently introduced modular education for some programmes. Using a difference‐in‐differences framework with diverse adoption dates per school, the results indicate that modular education may significantly reduce school dropout by 2.5 percentage points, with the largest effects on foreign origin students. Therefore, modular education is likely to be an effective policy to tackle school dropout and reduce the ethnic attainment gap. Additionally, students enrolled in modular education are more likely to be employed and to incur higher earnings on the labour market.


This work investigates the effects of anthraquinone in bleached kraft pulp mill effluents and their biological treatability and acute toxicity to aquatic organisms. Effluents with and without anthraquinone were treated in laboratory-scale activated sludge reactors. No differences in treatability or effluent characteristics were observed between the two effluents. Samples of effluent after biological treatment with and without anthraquinone were tested on the fathead minnow and Daphnia and found to be nontoxic. No difference between survival in the two effluents was observed for the fathead minnow or Daphnia.


The purpose of this study is to develop a learning media for fundamentals physics course based on scientific literacy using the Google Sites platform. This study was carried out using the Research and Development method with Borg and Gall's (1989) development design. The developed media was validated by nine science learning media experts and tested on 31 students of fundamentals physics course on temperature and heat topic to determine the user's response. The results shows that the developed media is valid and suitable for use with very good classification, which includes: content quality, learning objectives suitability, feedback and adaptation, motivation, presentation design, interaction usefulness, and accessibility. User response to the developed media is positive in aspects which include; Attractiveness, clarity, efficiency, reliability, stimulation and novelty. It can be concluded that the developed learning media is feasible to use in fundamentals physics course.


The main back-bone operation in elliptic curve cryptosystems is scalar point multiplication. The most frequently used method implementing the scalar point multiplication, which is performed in the top level of GF (Galois field) multiplication and GF division, has been the double-and-add algorithm, which is being recently challenged by the NAF (non-adjacent format) algorithm. In this paper, we propose a more efficient and novel approach of a scalar multiplication method than existing double-and-add by applying redundant recoding which originates from radix-4 Booth's algorithm. We call the novel algorithm quad-and-add. After deriving the algorithm, we created a new GF operation, named point quadruple, and verified it with calculations of a real-world application. The derived numerical expressions were verified using both C programs and HDL (hardware description language). The proposed method can be utilized in many elliptic curve security applications for handling efficient and fast calculations.


The introduction of vaccines against infectious diseases has been one of the most important contributions to public health of the last century. Diseases like smallpox, polio, measles, mumps, whooping cough, and rubella were far and away the major killers of human beings until the beginning of the twentieth century. Nowadays, these diseases have been dramatically reduced or even eliminated, as a result of large-scale vaccination programs. A very large majority of parents voluntarily enrol their children because they are convinced by the beneficial effects of vaccination. At the same time, since the introduction of these programs certain groups of parents have persistently refused to vaccinate their children. Until recently, non-vaccination in the Netherlands was mainly confined to 'pietistic reformed' protestant communities (bevindelijk gereformeerden) in the Bible Belt. However, in the last two decades, a broader anti-vaccination movement has emerged. This is a multifaceted movement, including anthroposophists, homeopaths and adherents of 'natural' and 'alternative healing.' They question the self-evidence with which government provides and promotes large-scale vaccination programs. Some argue that diseases such as measles could – in the case of otherwise healthy children – contribute to mental growth and to immunity building. This, so they argue, provides someone with greater resilience against diseases like cancer and allergies later in life. Others emphasise the negative effects of vaccines, because, so they argue, they contain dangerous toxic chemicals and overwhelm the immune system of young children. The most famous example of such a backlash against vaccination programs is the MMR-vaccine causes autism-controversy a decade ago, in the wake of the publication of Andrew Wakefield's notorious 1998 paper in The Lancet.1 By now, the claim is debunked, the paper is retracted, and the author is stripped of his medical license and academic reputation.2 Still, the suggested vaccine-autism link remains 'the most damaging medical hoax of the last 100 years.'3 The claim was widely reported in the media and went viral on anti-vaccination websites. It resulted in a sharp drop in the vaccination rates in the UK and Ireland, followed by an significantly increased incidence of measles and mumps, and ending in severe


The European Green Deal (EGD) signing has kicked off a "long-haul route" that European companies must take to protect the environment and mitigate climate change. To what extent the Romanian companies have started, we can only find out if they are willing to provide information in the annual reports. The elements presented in this regard through integrated reporting and the informative role will influence the decision-making regarding the future of the economic entity regarding the operational activity, financing needs, or investment possibilities. All this considers risks and opportunities and the geographical space in which the economic entity operates. In this article, we aim to identify the information provided by companies on the actions taken to achieve the purpose of the European Green Deal. In this regard, there were analyzed annual reports elaborated by the companies whose securities are traded on the Bucharest Stock Exchange and carry out their activity in the fields with impact on the environment and climate, respectively, the extractive industry and the energy-producing industry. We extracted financial and non-financial information from the annual reports regarding the companies' actions to protect the environment, maintain sustainability, reduce pollution, and develop an ecological lifestyle. As a result of the research, we identified the differences and similarities in presenting information in the annual financial reporting before (2017-2018 period) and after the end of the European Green Deal (2019-2020). We consider that the analysis of the information – regarding the protection of the environment, the climatic neutrality, the ecological life profile, the economic growth – disclosed in the financial statements of the companies subjected to the case study in the light of the EGD represents the authors' contribution.


The present invention relates to anti-CDH3 antibody, it can use labelled with radioisotope.In addition, the invention provides and comprise anti-CDH3 antibody as the pharmaceutical composition of activeconstituents and method.Due to CDH3 strong expression in pancreas, lung, colon, prostate gland, mammary gland, stomach or liver cancer cell, the present invention is useful in pancreas, lung, colon, prostate gland, mammary gland, stomach or liver cancer treatment.


This work presents a large-scale texture classification method using a novel texture feature Projected Spectral Mapping (PSM) based on audio-tactile crossmodal congruence in unconstrained tool-surface interactions. We describe a quick-computable extraction process for PSM from the proposed crossmodal inter-band spectral mapping (IBSM) that relates the frequency components in different bands between the modalities. We conducted a texture classification on the LMT Haptic Texture Dataset with 69 textures in 9 categories to evaluate the PSM feature by both random sampling train-test split and participant-specific cross-validation. Compared to a variety of texture features from previous work, the results showed that our PSM feature reached >74 % classification accuracy by 3 out of 4 classifiers and outperformed all other features with significant improvement.


Black phosphorus (BP) has recently attracted significant attention due to its exceptional physical properties. Currently, high‐quality few‐layer and thin‐film BP are produced primarily by mechanical exfoliation, limiting their potential in future applications. Here, the synthesis of highly crystalline thin‐film BP on 5 mm sapphire substrates by conversion from red to black phosphorus at 700 °C and 1.5 GPa is demonstrated. The synthesized ≈50 nm thick BP thin films are polycrystalline with a crystal domain size ranging from 40 to 70 µm long, as indicated by Raman mapping and infrared extinction spectroscopy. At room temperature, field‐effect mobility of the synthesized BP thin film is found to be around 160 cm2 V−1 s−1 along armchair direction and reaches up to about 200 cm2 V−1 s−1 at around 90 K. Moreover, red phosphorus (RP) covered by exfoliated hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) before conversion shows atomically sharp hBN/BP interface and perfectly layered BP after the conversion. This demonstration represents a critical step toward the future realization of large scale, high‐quality BP devices and circuits.


1.0 THEORY OF CARBON MEMBRANE PROCESSES, GENERAL PROPERTIES OF CARBON MEMBRANES 1.1. Principles and properties of carbon membranes 1.2. Separation mechanisms 1.3. Carbon membrane configurations/classifications 1.4. Challenges in carbon membranes development 1.4.1. Mechanical stability 1.4.2. Membrane aging 1.4.3. Sorption of trace components 2.0 METHODS OF CARBON MEMBRANE PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION DESIGN OF CARBON MEMBRANE MODULES 2.


Martin Daunton and Rick H alp era, eds., Empire and Others: British Encounters with Indigenous Peoples, 1600-1850. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1999. 400 pp. $24.95 p/b. Joe Snader, Caught Between Worlds: British Captivity Narratives in Fact and Fiction. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2000. 339 pp. $34.95. Roxann Wheeler, The Complexion of Race: Categories of Difference in Eighteenth-Century British Culture. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2000. 371 pp. $65.00; $26.50 p/b. Joshua David Bellin, The Demon of the Continent: Indians and the Shaping of American Literature. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2001. 274 pp. $49.95; $24.95 p/b.


Abstract This paper describes a solution to the problem of "stick-slip" for an electro-pneumatic system. The phenomenon of "stick-slip" may appear during the mechanical static state when the position is fixed but the pressures continue to evolve in each actuator chamber, until exceeding the dry friction zone. The system is then in partial equilibrium. The idea to avoid this phenomenon is a switching control law between the tracking position control and the pressure regulation.


One of the main reasons for rejection of wheel castings is the formation of shrinkage defects at the spoke-rim junction. Industrial trials show that the severity of defects is accentuated by the addition of grain refiner beyond an optimum level. Subsequent laboratory castings also found that the addition of grain refiners beyond this optimum level increased the size of the defect at hot spots in a casting. This is explained by a decrease in the size of interdendritic channels during feeding when the grain size is reduced. Therefore feeding becomes restricted earlier in grain refined castings and thus a larger amount of shrinkage needs to be accommodated in the hot spot. It was also observed that when plentiful fresh oxide films are present then the nucleation of porosity is favoured. However, when fresh oxide films have not been generated, then external shrinkage (slumping of the casting surface) is more likely to occur.


The invention discloses a technological method for rare earth fractional extraction and separation through adopting double feed inlets, which can be used for processing a misch metal liquid formed by two kinds of liquids with the same or similar rare earth elements and a certain difference in contents of rare earth elements, and particularly is realized through two technological schemes, namely, the bastnaesite and ionic adsorption type yttrium riched europium rare earth ore Nd/Sm grouped separation as well as high-yttrium misch metal and ionic adsorption type low-yttrium misch metal Y/non-Y separation. According to the method, a reagent with phosphorous or carboxylic acids is an extraction agent, kerosene or sulfonated kerosene is an organic solvent, and hydrochloric acid is a detergent; a double feed-inlet fractional extraction system includes an extraction section, a middle section and a washing section, and an organic phase enters the fractional extraction system from the first stage; the first kind of rare earth liquid enters the fractional extraction system from the joint of the extraction section and the middle section; the second kind of rear earth liquid enters the fractional extraction system from the joint of the middle section and the washing section; cleaning solution enters the fractional extraction system from the last stage. The technological method provided by the invention has the advantages of low consumption of chemical reagent, high product purity, low waste water quantity, low cost and the like.


Background There are limited sensitive evaluation methods to distinguish people's symptoms of peripheral fatigue and central fatigue simultaneously. The purpose of this study is to identify and evaluate them after acute exercise with a simple and practical scale. Methods The initial scale was built through a literature review, experts and athlete population survey, and a small sample pre-survey. Randomly selected 1,506 students were evaluated with the initial scale after exercise. Subjective fatigue self-assessments (SFSA) were completed at the same time. Results The Acute Exercise-Induced Fatigue Scale (AEIFS) was determined after performing a factor analysis. In the exploratory factor analysis, the cumulative variance contribution rate was 65.464%. The factor loadings of the total 8 questions were 0.661–0.816. In the confirmatory factor analysis, χ2/df = 2.529, GFI = 0.985, AGFI = 0.967, NFI = 0.982, IFI = 0.989, CFI = 0.989, and RMSEA = 0.048. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the scale was 0.872, and it was 0.833 for peripheral fatigue and 0.818 for central fatigue. The intra-class correlation coefficient for the scale was 0.536, and the intra-class correlation coefficients for peripheral fatigue and central fatigue were 0.421 and 0.548, respectively. The correlation coefficient between the total score of the AEIFS and the SFSA score was 0.592 (p < 0.01). Conclusion Our results demonstrate that the AEIFS can distinguish peripheral fatigue and central fatigue and can also reflect their correlation. This scale can be a useful evaluation tool not only for measuring fatigue after acute exercise but also for guiding reasonable exercise, choosing objective testing indicators, and preventing sports injuries resulting from acute exercise-induced fatigue.


1-yl) butoxy] -1H-quinolin-2-one or a salt thereof as an active ingredient, a disintegrating agent having a disintegrability of 7- [4- (4- benzo [b] thiophen- Especially tablets having excellent storage stability and high light stability, especially tablets having 7- [4- (4-benzo [b] thiophen-4-yl-piperazin-1-yl) butoxy] -1H- 2-one or a salt thereof as an active ingredient, and may contain excipients such as lactose, corn starch and crystalline cellulose, disintegrants such as low-substituted hydroxypropylcellulose, croscarmellose sodium and carboxymethylstarch sodium, A tablet containing a binder such as propyl cellulose and a lubricant such as stearate and a coating layer containing a high promoose, a talc, a titanium oxide, a colorant and the like is coated.


Small droplets of smectic A liquid crystal have a single facet parallel to the substrate, while larger droplets do not. By considering the elastic energy of various smectic layer configurations, we show that there is a critical droplet volume below which layers are parallel, with facets and steps on the free surface. For intermediate droplet sizes, there can be angular matching between the facet and the macroscopically curved part of the droplet surface. For larger droplets, the top smectic layer bends parallel to the free surface, and there are edge dislocations in the bulk. Estimates of the critical droplet volume are close to the observed values. The theory illustrates how in a liquid crystal, surface effects (steps) may not so neatly be separated from volume effects (edge dislocations) as they can be in ordinary crystals. Thus the crystal-shape problem for a liquid crystal has qualitative differences from that of an ordinary


This study uses data collected on students enrolled in a software development course to explore the role of Creative Self-Efficacy, Playfulness, and Self-Efficacy in the quality of the students' software development process and projects using a theoretical model proposed by Chiravuri and Ambrose [4]. Instruction in the Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute's Personal Software Productivity (PSP) techniques was coupled with traditional software engineering topics providing an opportunity to measure both the student's software development process and the quality of the software developed. Creative Self-Efficacy and Self-Efficacy were found to have a modest impact on the quality of the students' software product.


This edition of Shock yet again presents a plethora of articles that provide unique information allowing better understanding the mechanisms and processes occurring during sepsis, ischemia/reperfusion, trauma, and shock. The first article by Kasten et al. (1) extensively reviewed the literature to elucidate the role of T cells as early mediators in the response to sepsis. In this review, one becomes aware of significant lymphocyte apoptosis that occurs within the first 24 h of septic insult. They postulate two mechanisms by which T-cell apoptosis reduction improves survival and bacterial clearance. The first is via reduction in production of IL-10 and transforming growth factor " secondary to decreased T-cell phagocytosis by macrophages, and second is via generation of interferon + and IL-17 by T cells, which can enhance the innate immune function to blunt bacterial infection. However, they highlight that many of these cytokines have divergent effects that depend on the severity of sepsis and that the role of T-cell response in sepsis is yet to be fully elucidated. Novel treatment and therapeutic strategies to improve outcomes from sepsis depend on better understanding of the protective versus pathological T-cell response. In the article by Bingold et al. (2), the possible role of IL-22 in sepsis is investigated. Previously, animal studies had suggested a crucial role for IL-22 in sepsis. In this single-center study, the level of IL-22 was measured in healthy volunteers, patients undergoing abdominal surgery without sepsis, and those with positive diagnosis of abdominal sepsis. The authors found a significant increase in serum levels of IL-22 that they postulate can contribute to host defense and stabilization of mucosal barrier function in sepsis. The mechanisms are not entirely clear, but this represents an important novel aspect that may explain increased gut permeability subsequently leading to bacteremia. This study provides a novel platform that other investigators may now use to determine whether in other diseases IL-22 may play a central role. Decembrino et al. (3) determined the safety and efficacy of protein C (PC) concentrate administration in neonates with sepsis-induced coagulopathy. The authors included 18 neonates between 1 and 28 days who had severe sepsis or septic shock with coagulopathy and acquired PC deficiency and received PC concentrate. They found that in neonates that normalization of PC levels is safe, as the authors could not find any adverse effects, and speculate that normalization of PC levels is effective in modulating the inflammatory response and in controlling coagulopathy. This study is a wonderful preliminary study, adding to the growing evidence that PC plays a central role in sepsis-induced organ damage and needs further investigation. We completely agree with the authors who state clearly that a prospective randomized trial is necessary to fully evaluate the efficacy of normalizing PC levels. Cuschieri et al. (4) looked at the relationship between IL-6 levels after injury to the development of organ failure. Previous studies had suggested that IL-6 might serve as a biomarker for excessive inflammation. They evaluated patients within a multicenter developmental cohort with hemorrhagic shock. The IL-6 levels were measured within 12 h of injury, and the clinical and outcome data were prospectively obtained. An optimal IL-6 level was defined by developing a receiver operating characteristic curve and was evaluated within a singlecenter validation cohort. They determined an IL-6 level of 350 pg/mL to have the highest sensitivity and specificity. They subsequently determined that levels greater than 350 pg/mL were associated with increased multiorgan dysfunction syndrome scores, multiorgan dysfunction syndrome development, ventilator days, intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay, and hospital length of stay. However, elevation of IL-6 was not associated with increased mortality, but seems to correlate well with poor prognosis. They conclude that IL-6 level measurement may be a useful biomarker and help identify patients at higher risk for adverse outcomes. Having identified this crucial cutoff value, this opens multiple novel aspects: can IL-6 values be altered with perturbations to change patient outcomes? Will this cutoff hold true in a prospective setup? Is IL-6 a modulator or a response element? All these questions are of importance, and thus, this excellent study adds many fascinating aspects and questions. Lin et al. (5) examined the predictive value of outcome scoring systems in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patients in the ICU. They retrospectively assessed data of critically ill patients with ARDS in two medical ICUs. They identified that Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IV (APACHE IV), a-a O2 gradient, age, sepsis, and maximum rifle score on days 1 and 3 were independent predictors of hospital mortality. They also determined that the survival rates at 6 months after discharge were significantly different between APACHE IV mortality rate 35% or less and APACHE IV mortality rate 35% or greater. They also concluded that APACHE IV and RIFLEmax scores are predictors of mortality in ARDS patients. Similar to the study mentioned above, these fascinating data now need to be tested in a more prospective setup to determine whether they will hold true. In the article by Venet et al. (6), the alterations in leukocyte count were assessed in correlation with the diagnosis of septic shock. The decrease in circulation lymphocyte count has been


PURPOSE: A method for storing broadcasting contents and a display apparatus are provided to enable a user to easily view headline news according to the daytime. CONSTITUTION: A method for storing broadcasting contents comprises the following steps of: classifying unit segments of the first event from a broadcast signal received from an external broadcast contents provider(410); determining one or more keywords for representing the first event(420); storing the first event as low-level contents of the first sub contents group according to the determined keyword(430); and arranging the first sub contents group in sequence of time(440).


Climatic extremes in the past few thousand years have severely affected societies throughout the Mediterranean region and have changed the outcome of historical events in some instances. Climatic extremes—droughts, floods, prolonged cold and heat—affect society in a variety of ways, operating through famine, disease, and social upheaval.

These topics were discussed at an interdisciplinary symposium at the National and Kapodistrian University, in Greece, that brought together climatologists, paleoclimatologists, anthropologists, geologists, archaeologists, and historians working in the greater Mediterranean region.


Rechargeable potassium-ion batteries (KIBs) are promising alternatives to lithium ion batteries for large-scale electrochemical energy storage application owing to the abundance and low cost of potassium resources. However, the development of KIBs is hampered by the lack of stable and high-capacity cathode materials. Herein, a functionalized porphyrin complex [5,15-bis(ethynyl)-10,20-diphenylporphinato]copper(II) (CuDEPP) is proposed as new cathode for rechargeable potassium batteries. The spectroscopy data and molecular simulation studies show that both PF 6 -  and K +  interact with porphyrin macrocycle allowing four electrons transfer. In addition, the electrochemical polymerization of the ethynyl functional groups in CuDEPP results in self-stabilization of the cathode, which renders highly stable during cycling. This unique charge storage mechanism enables CuDEPP to provide a capacity of 181 mAh g -1 with an average potential of 2.8 V (vs. K + /K). These findings could open a pathway towards designing new stable organic electrodes for KIBs.


In the present work a multi walled carbon nanotube modified pencil graphite electrode (MWCNT-PGE) was used for the detection of Usnic acid (UA) from lichen species. Usnic acid was extracted from Usnea pseudosinensis, fruticose lichen. H and C NMR confirm the structure of UA. UA was successfully oxidized by MWCNT-PGE using CV and DPV technique. The MWCNT-PGE shows excellent electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of UA. UV-Vis data shows the characteristic absorption peaks of UA. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of UA. © 2011 Universal Research Publications. All rights reserved


Social robots have been extensively studied in educational settings for children and their positive impacts on children's learning are reported. The aim of this study was to find out whether embodied educational technologies such as robot tutors can also yield similar results with adult learners. An experiment was conducted in a secondary education mathematics classroom, where 15 students (of ages 17 to 20) worked on math exercises in two conditions. In one condition, a Nao robot was present as a math tutor to read the questions, collect answers and provide feedback. In the other condition, students practiced math exercises on a laptop which is a non-social and non-embodied technology. Results indicated that students in secondary education do not seem to favor using a robot tutor over traditional technologies. This implies that there is a difference between children and adults in the way they experience this technology in its current state-of-the-art for their education.


OBJECTIVE To discuss the relation between the cardiovescular disease danger factor and the abdomen obisity in the middle ages. METHODS We observe about 200 middle age people whose age from 35 to 59 years old. Among them the abdomen obisity group includes 100 people and the contrast group 100 people,too. Each group we study the BP,BMI,CHO,ECG and UCG. And we analyse the relativity of cardiovascular disease danger factor,according to the observe results. RESULT The abdomen obisity in middle ages has significant positive relativity with the danger factor of cardiovascular disease. CONCLUSIONS Abdomen obisity is a good predict index to the generation and development of metablic syndrome ,and it is also a independent danger factor of cardiovescular incident ,and we shall interfere early to those abdomen obisity people who have danger factor of cadiovescular disease.


In this special section of the Canadian Journal for the Study of Discourse and Writing/ Redactologie (CJSDW/R), we are pleased to share three articles that were originally presented at the 2018 Canadian Writing Centres Association / L'Association canadienne des centres de redaction (CWCA/ACCR) conference in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. This introduction situates those articles within the context of the work of other writing centre scholars and practitioners at the conference. The 2018 CWCA conference call invited attendees to share and explore ways that we, as writing centre practitioners, can engage in anti-oppressive educational practices. 1 Participants in the conference took up the invitation to explore the 2018 theme, "Politics and the Writing Centre: Inquiry, Knowledge, Dialogue, and Action," in many ways. In general, though, four main themes were evident throughout the conference: Indigeneity and decolonization, the politics of space, identity, and labour.


In this paper, an improved and simple self-consistent effective-medium theory is developed. The effect of dispersed second phase particle on the ionic conduction of ionic conductors is discussed by the theory. It is found that the theoretical result is consistent with experiments. The theory can perdict the effect of microscopic feature of the material on the macroscopic ionic conduction.


Cloud classification is a great challenge in meteorological research. The different types of clouds, currently known and present in our skies, can produce radioactive effects that impact the variation of atmospheric conditions, with consequent strong dominance over the earth's climate and weather. Therefore, identifying their main visual features becomes a crucial aspect. In this paper, the goal is to adopt pretrained deep neural networks-based architecture for clouds image description, and subsequently, classification. The approach is pyramidal. Proceeding from the bottom up, it partially extracts previous knowledge of deep neural networks related to original task and transfers it to the new task. The updated knowledge is integrated in a voting context to provide a classification prediction. The framework trains the neural models on unbalanced sets, a condition that makes the task even more complex, and combines the provided predictions through statistical measures. An experimental phase on different cloud image datasets is performed, and the results achieved show the effectiveness of the proposed approach with respect to state-of-the-art competitors.


We consider an undetermined coefficient inverse problem for a nonlinear partial differential equation describing high‐intensity ultrasound propagation as widely used in medical imaging and therapy. The usual nonlinear term in the standard model using the Westervelt equation in pressure formulation is of the form ppt. However, this should be considered as a low‐order approximation to a more complex physical model where higher order terms will be required. Here we assume a more general case where the form taken is f(p) pt and f is unknown and must be recovered from data measurements. Corresponding to the typical measurement setup, the overposed data consist of time trace observations of the acoustic pressure at a single point or on a one‐dimensional set Σ representing the receiving transducer array at a fixed time. Additionally to an analysis of well‐posedness of the resulting pde, we show injectivity of the linearized forward map from f to the overposed data and use this as motivation for several iterative schemes to recover f. Numerical simulations will also be shown to illustrate the efficiency of the methods.


- Internet of Things (IoT) plays a pivotal part in our daily life by controlling all electronic devices using network. By observing the important parameters and controlling of the power house system by generator controlling methods can be performed in which produces important pieces of information by keeping in mind the functioning of these e-devices. Instantaneously, the same information will be transmitted to these important statistics through the transmitting devices. It also saves the same information on the cloud as a supplementary and safety procedure to use them later. The outcomes of the environmental observations are associated with this scrutiny; for example, sensors are used inorder to measurement of temperature and humidity. The collected data can be used to produce some actions such as heating devices, dominant cooling, or long-term statistic. By networking or any-other android application, the data can be uploaded to cloud storage. In present study, Arduino UNO, Wi-Fi module is used which helps in process and transfer of sensed data to cloud. Thus, the parameter received will be stored in the cloud platform. The changes in the environment are updated in the form of a database through cloud computing method. This project includes continuous automated process in industry .


The present invention relates to a laser welding jig cylindrical battery case, which comprises a table, clamping means and the support means; the clamping mechanism is in the table, including one for each end of the clamping chuck and the battery two for driving the first axis of its own chuck drive means for rotating a rotation axis; said support means is located on the working table, having a support surface and the cylindrical surface of the battery cut or coincide. With the above construction, when the battery clamping, the support surface of the support mechanism can well ensure the rotational axis and the clamp axis coincides battery, when the cartridge is rotated, round beating a smaller amount of the battery, thereby improving the quality of laser welding, the battery leakage rate is reduced.


Introduction:
 Cardiac remodeling occurs across the lifespan and predicts clinical outcomes. We hypothesized that inter-individual variability in left ventricular (LV) structure and function parameters in early adulthood would be independently associated with incident adverse LV geometry and ejection fraction (EF) <50% in middle age.

 Methods:
 We included CARDIA participants with echocardiograms at study years (Y) 5, 25, and 30. Geometry and EF analyses included only participants free of the outcome at Y5 (i.e., normal geometry or EF≥50%, respectively). We assessed associations of indexed Y5 LV parameters, including end-systolic (ESD/ht) and -diastolic (EDD/ht) dimensions, mass (M/ht
 2.7
 ), septal and posterior wall thicknesses, and EF, with incident Y30 adverse geometry (defined as LV concentric remodeling [CR], concentric hypertrophy [cLVH], or eccentric hypertrophy [eLVH]) and EF <50%. We used multivariate polytomous (for geometry) or dichotomous (for EF) logistic regression, adjusting for demographics, heart rate, and cumulative (Y5-Y25) clinical risk factor burden.

 Results:
 Participants (N=2335) were 56% female, 44% black, and ages 23 to 35 and 48 to 60 in Y5 and Y30, respectively. With increasing age across the 3 study echocardiograms (Y5, Y25, and Y30), unadjusted mean LV M/ht
 2.7
 and EDD/ht generally increased, while ESD/ht and EF changed minimally. Y5 LV ESD/ht and M/ht
 2.7
 were most consistently associated with the odds for incident abnormalities in Y30 LV geometry and EF (Table). For example, Y5 LV ESD/ht and M/ht
 2.7
 were each associated with incident eLVH by Y30 (OR 1.48 [1.25-1.74] and 1.55 [1.28-1.88] per 1 SD increment, respectively). Y5 ESD/ht was also associated with EF <50% by Y30 (OR 1.84 [1.46-2.31]).

 Conclusions:
 In young adults with categorically normal LV geometry and systolic function, inter-individual variation in LV parameters is associated with incident concentric remodeling, hypertrophy, and EF <50% over 25 years, independent of demographics and cumulative clinical risk factor burden.


CONCLUSIONS: Studies show that the energy envelope approach, which involves rehabilitation methods, helps patients with ME/CFS pace activities and manage symptoms and can significantly improve their quality of life.


The regulation of health insurance is an important and often controversial issue. Rules intended to improve access to insurance for high risk consumer have the potential to reduce overall coverage by inducing adverse selection. This paper examines the issue of adverse selection in the context of the market for private health insurance in Australia, where premiums are required to be community rated. In 2000, the Australian government reformed the community rating rules in an eort to reverse a long decline in private insurance coverage by attracting a greater number of younger consumers into the market. I estimate the cost of adverse selection prior to this reform and evaluate the eect of the policy on the composition of the private insurance risk pool and on the main determinant of premiums, benefits paid by insurers.


Stem Cells In Orthopaedic Surgery – Current Knowledge And Evidence Lee Eng Hin NUS Tissue Engineering Program, National University of Singapore The immense interest in stem cells has arisen as a result of the belief that they have the potential to regenerate new tissues and organs, to cure diseases that hitherto are incurable and to delay or prevent diseases associated with aging. Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs) are currently widely used clinically in bone marrow transplants for hematologic malignancies. Pluripotent stem cells such as Embryonic Stem Cells (ESCs) are associated with both ethical and scientific issues. Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) have less ethical issues but the scientific issues still remain. Adult stem cells such as Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) currently have more potential for clinical use as they have less ethical and scientific issues associated with their use in humans, especially if autologous cells are used. This talk examines the current knowledge in the area of adult stem cells and the evidence for their efficacy in clinical use for orthopaedic indications. Pre-clinical studies done in our centre on the effects of stem cells on cartilage, ligament and meniscus repair will be presented. The path to the clinic involves clinical trials which have to be properly planned and executed. The cells have to be processed under GMP conditions and there must be compliance to ethical and regulatory guidelines. To date there have been few approved trials for hESCs and iPSCs. There are however many clinical trials for adult stem cells from various sources such as bone marrow, fat and peripheral blood, most of which lack appropriate controls and are not randomized. The majority of these studies are with autologous cells and tend to report good results in the short term. Level 1 and 2 studies for orthopaedic indications will be analyzed and presented. There is a need for well-designed randomized controlled studies with a longer term follow up to establish the efficacy of cell therapy. Guest Keynote Lecture 1 Efect Of Shock Waves On Macrophages: A Possible Role In Tissue Regeneration And Remodelling Naths Grazia Sukubo, Elisabetta Tibalt, Stefano Respizzi, Massimo Locati, M.Cristina d'Agostino Introduction Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT) is broadly used as a non-surgical therapy in various diseases for its pro-angiogenic and anti-inflammatory effects. However, the molecular mechanisms translating tissue exposure to shock waves (SW) in a biological response with potential therapeutic activity are largely unknown. As macrophages take part in both the onset and amplification of the inflammatory response, and well in its resolution, we investigated the effect of SW on their biology. Methods Human monocyte-derived macrophages were polarized to classic (M1) pro-inflammatory macrophages or alternative (M2) anti-inflammatory macrophages and exposed to SW ad different intensities. Expression levels of marker genes of macrophage activation were measured by qPCR at different time points. Results SW did not induce activation of resting macrophages at any energy level used. Conversely, when used at low energy SW caused a significant inhibition of some M1 marker genes (CD80, COX2, CCL5) in M1 macrophages and a significant synergistic effect for some M2 marker genes (ALOX15, MRC1, CCL18) in M2 macrophages. SW also affected cytokine and chemokine production, inducing in particular a significant increase in IL-10 and reduction in IL-1α production. Conclusions Macrophage exposure to low energy SW dampens the induction of the pro-inflammatory profile characterizing M1 macrophages and promotes the acquisition of an anti-inflammatory profile synergizing with macrophage alternative activation.


An exhaust gas reduction system of a diesel engine using a plasma reactor is provided to reduce the amount of particular materials and nitrogen oxides discharged from the diesel engine. An exhaust gas reduction system of a diesel engine using a plasma reactor includes an engine(2), a DPF reproduction device(3), a recirculation device(4), and a plasma reactor(5). The engine receives fuel from a fuel tank and burns the fuel. The DPF reproduction device is installed at an exhaust pipe(6) through which an exhaust gas from the engine is discharged. The recirculation device supplies a portion of the exhaust gas discharged to the exhaust pipe into the engine. The plasma reactor is installed to increase efficiency of the DPF reproduction device and the exhaust gas recirculation device. Products generated from the plasma reactor are supplied to the exhaust pipe to increase the temperature of the exhaust pipe so as to increase efficiency of the DPF reproduction device.


(F–) Anion exchange resins used as a polymer-supported reagent are a source of 'naked' fluoride and give use to clean SN2 reactions as shown by the preparation of epimerically pure 3-fluoro-steroids and of both diastereoisomers of ethyl 2-fluoropropionate. Fluoro-sugars are also prepared from the corresponding toluene-p-sulphonates. The remaining water of the resin enhances the basic behaviour of F–, as in phase-transfer catalyst techniques, but careful dehydration drives the reaction to clean substitution.


A diamagnetic oxo-bridged chromium(V) complex, [Cp*Cr(O)(CF3)]2O, has been synthesized through exposure of a hexane solution of Cp*Cr(CO)3(CF3) to air in the presence of light and characterized by a single-crystal X-ray diffraction study. DFT calculations have been employed to probe its structure and properties and to provide a comparison between CF3 and CH3 ligands in Cr(V) and Cr(II) analogues.


The wide use of microbicide is mainly depends on its effectiveness, less frequent application, ready availability and most important cost. The aim of this work was to develop affordable microbicide mucoadhesive gel formulation of synthetic anti HIV drug, stavudine and to characterize it in terms of its physical properties, mucoadhesiveness and spreadability. The purpose of the present study was also to compare different dissolution media used for vaginal dosage form.


Soil and stand density were found to be promising predictive variables associated with damage by the emerging disease of eastern white pine, Caliciopsis canker, in a 2014 survey with randomly selected eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.) stands. The objective of this study was to further investigate the relationship between soil and stocking in eastern white pine forests of New England by stratifying sampling across soils and measuring stand density more systematically. A total of 62 eastern white pine stands were sampled during 2015–2016. Stands were stratified across soil groups and several prism plots were established at each site to measure stand density and determine stocking. Caliciopsis canker incidence in mature trees was greater in sites with drier or shallow soils compared to sites with loamy soils and in adequately stocked stands compared to understocked stands (p < 0.0001). Caliciopsis canker signs and symptoms were observed in all size classes. Live crown ratio, a measure of forest health, decreased with increasing Caliciopsis canker symptom severity. The fungal pathogen, Caliciopsis pinea Peck, was successfully isolated from cankers on trees growing in each soil group. Forest managers will need to consider damage caused by Caliciopsis canker related to stand factors such as soil and stocking when regenerating white pine stands.


The three renewable energy technologies discussed in this paper are based on water, but differ markedly in terms of the size of the available potential resource, the maturity of the associated conversion technologies, the extent to which they have been exploited to date, and the current research effort being devoted to their future development. Hydro-electricity and tidal power are both very mature technologies. The exploitation of Australia's relatively limited potential for hydro-electric development began over a century ago and the opportunities for further hydro-electric development are now very restricted. The country's significant tidal power resources, on the other hand, have not been exploited for electricity generation to date, but continual assessment of the feasibility of tidal power projects has been undertaken over the past half century. Although Australia has large ocean wave energy resources, ocean wave energy conversion technology is not yet fully commercial and no commercial wave generation plants are operating in Australia. A small number of wave energy conversion devices, however, are at the pilot testing stage.