Monoclonal IgG and IgM antibodies (mAbs) directed against serum galactosyltransferase (GalTase) activities were prepared and characterized for their relative specificity for GalTase isoenzymes I and II (GalTase I and GalTase II). After immunization of mice with purified GalTase, 7 of 1680 fusion products screened were positive for anti-GalTase activity in a solid-phase assay; of these 7, 2 were found to bind GalTase I in a somewhat selective manner while 1 (C6) was relatively specific for GalTase II. The Ka for anti-GalTase mAbs ranged from 2.7 x 107 to 1.1 x 108 M-'. Enzymatically active GalTase could be recovered from an affinity column of C6 coupled to Sepharose 4B following application of a cell extract from a human colon cancer cell line, confirming that the mAb is directed against GalTase. A sandwich RIA was developed to measure soluble GalTase II in serum by using a combination of two isoenzyme nonspecific mAbs (F5 and V1O) coated on a solid-phase support followed by the addition of antigen and GalTase II-specific 125I-labeled C6. This assay was specific for GalTase II with a sensitivity of approximately 10 ng/ml. Evaluation of 240 sera demonstrated higher levels of GalTase II in patients with gastrointestinal cancer (48 ng/ml). However, in contrast to previous results with a radiochemical assay, some normal sera contained GalTase II (mean, 14 ng/ml) and some patients with liver disease had elevated levels (mean, 23 ng/ml). These studies demonstrate the production of moderate-affinity antibodies directed to serum GalTase isoenzymes and the development of an RIA useful in the study of GalTase. Alterations in the relative amounts of various cellular glycosyltransferase (GalTase) activities have been noted in a number of cells after malignant transformation (for review, see ref. 1). Similarly, studies of GalTase activities in malignant tumors have shown differences from those found in normal tissues (1-3). These observations, coupled with the fact that cells may shed or secrete GalTases, have stimulated interest in these enzymes as potential serologic markers of malignancy (4-5). A number of authors have reported the association of a variety of cancers (e.g., breast, ovarian, bladder, gastrointestinal, colorectal, and pancreatic cancer, as well as melanoma and various leukemias) with elevated levels of serum fucosyltransferase, sialyltransferase, and/or GalTase activities (6-11). However, it is unclear whether any of these markers are sufficiently sensitive or specific to serve as useful tools for screening, diagnosis, or monitoring of malignant disease. Measurement of tumor-related GalTase activity is also confounded by the presence of substantial amounts of these enzyme activities in normal serum, although some tumors may be associated with distinctive forms of various serum GalTase activities (12, 13). The association between serum GalTase and a variety of gastrointetinal tract cancers has been examined in earlier studies (12, 14-16). Total serum GalTase was found to correlate poorly with the presence of cancer. However, subsequent characterization of serum GalTase activities demonstrated the presence of an electrophoretically distinct form of GalTase, termed GalTase II, in the serum of patients with a variety of cancers. GalTase II was found to represent a small proportion of total serum GalTase, the latter comprised largely of faster migrating activity(ies) termed GalTase I. Subsequent studies demonstrated an association of GalTase II with the presence and extent of malignancy. However, more extensive studies to delineate the nature and utility of this marker were impractical using earlier described electrophoretic methods. Thus, studies were undertaken to prepare monoclonal antibodies to GalTase to develop a practical immunoassay. Others have reported some success in the preparation of conventional antisera to GalTase activity (17, 18). In this report, we describe the production and characterization of anti-GalTase monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and their application to the study of GalTase and its relationship to malignancy. MATERIALS AND METHODS Immunization. Mice (BALB/c, B10.Br, and B10.A strains; Charles River Breeding Laboratories, Wilmington, MA) were immunized with purified GalTase prepared as described below, at various concentrations and in the presence or absence of adjuvants (complete Freund's adjuvant or dried Salmonella minnesota) by various routes (s.c., i.p., or i.v.). Secondary immunization carried out 3-6 wk later in a manner similar to the primary immunization. In some instances, tertiary and quaternary immunizations were carried out at similar intervals. All animals received one or two further doses of antigen by i.v. injection on days 4 and/or 3 prior to fusion. Fusion Technique and Production of Monoclonal Antibodies. Splenocytes from immunized animal were prepared and fused with P2-NS1/1-Ag 4-1 (NS1) myeloma cells essentially as described (19-21). Hybrids were selected by use of medium containing hypoxanthine/aminopterin/thymidine (HAT) on days 3, 4, and 5 after fusion. Medium from surviving hybrids was assessed for anti-GalTase activity after transferring to 24-well culture plates (Costar). Hybrids producing anti-GalTase activity was double cloned at limiting dilution in complete medium on 3T3 monolayers previously treated with mitomycin C (1 ,ug/ml). After the second cloning cycle, larger amounts of mAbs were obtained by inoculating BALB/c mice i.p. (105 cells per animal) 1 wk after priming with pristane and subsequently collecting ascitic fluid. Assay of Anti-GalTase and Anti-GalTase Isoenzyme Activities. Anti-GalTase activity was assessed using a solid-phase sandwich RIA. Polystyrene beads [0.25 in (6.35 mm); PreciI Abbreviations: GalTase, galactosyltransferase. mAb, monoclonal antibody. 2529 The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge payment. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. §1734 solely to indicate this fact. 2530 Medical Sciences: Podolsky and Isselbacher sion Ball Co., Chicago, IL] were coated with purified human GalTase (see below) by incubation of 50 pug of GalTase, 10 ml of bicarbonate buffer (pH 9.2), and 40 beads overnight at room temperature with gentle shaking. Coated beads were incubated at 370C for 60 min with either 10% bovine serum albumin or conditioned NS1 medium, washed three times, and then incubated with 200 41 of test sample (medium or diluted serum) at 370C for 60 min. After washing three times with water, the sandwich was completed by incubation with 125I-labeled sheep anti-mouse Ig Fab (100,000 cpm per assay mixture; specific activity, 7.3 uCi/mg; 1 Ci = 37 GBq; New England Nuclear) in 150 kd of buffer containing 0.01 M Tris HCl (pH 7.5), EDTA at 2.0 Ag/ml, and thimerisol at 50 pg/ml (IA buffer) at 370C for 60 min. Bound radioactivity was measured after extensive washing with distilled water. Activity 3-fold greater than negative control (medium from NS1 cells or diluted serum from unimmunized animal) was considered positive. Positive samples were subsequently assayed for specific anti-GalTase I and GalTase II activity by modification of the described method; beads were coated with purified GalTase I or GalTase II separated by PAGE from purified mixed GalTase as described below. Anti-human Ig activity was measured in a similar manner using beads coated with purified human Ig. Purification and Characterization of mAbs. For isotypic analysis of anti-GalTase mAbs, medium supernatant from double-cloned anti-GalTase hybridomas was incubated first with GalTase-coated polystyrene beads and then with 125[_ labeled goat anti-mouse IgG, IgG2, IgA, or IgM, and subsequently bound radioactivity was determined. Alternatively, isotype determinations were carried out using a commercially available peroxidase-linked immunoassay kit (Boehringer Mannheim, Catalog no. 100-036). IgM anti-GalTase mAbs were purified from ascitic fluid by gel exclusion chromatography on Sepharose 4B. IgG mAbs were purified from ascitic fluid by chromatography on Staphylococcus A-Sepharose 4B (Pharmacia) using previously published methods (22). Purity of mAbs was assessed by NaDodSO4/PAGE followed by staining with Coomassie blue (23). Antibody binding of GalTase and GalTase II was studied using mAb-coated polystyrene beads as above. Beads were incubated with 12 I-labeled GalTase or 11 (1.2 x 105 cpm) at various temperatures and pH conditions, in a variety of buffers, and for various times. Subsequently, beads were washed three times with distilled water and radioactivity was measured. Purified mAbs (50 ,ug) were radiolabeled with Bolton-Hunter reagent (24) (New England Nuclear). Apparent association constants (Ka values) between GalTase or GalTase II and mAb were determined by binding of 125I-labeled anti-GalTase mAbs (of known specific activity) to GalTaseor GalTase II-coated polyvinyl microtiter plates (Fisher Scientific, Medford, MA). Various concentrations of 125I-labeled anti-GalTase were incubated with coated plates for 8 hr prior to determination of bound antibody, and Ka values were determined by Scatchard plot analysis. mAb Affinity Chromatography of GalTase. Crude soluble GalTase was prepared from a human colon carcinoma-derived cell line (HCT-8) grown in RPMI 1640 medium/5% fetal calf serum. Cells were harvested, washed three times with phosphate-buffered saline and crude soluble GalTase was obtained in buffer containing 1% (3[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammoniol-1-propane sulfonate (CHAPS) (Sigma) as described (25). Purified anti-GalTase mAb C6 (3.3 mg) was coupled to CNBr-activated Sepharose 4B (1.0 g) using previously described methods (26). Coupling was =70% efficient as judged by retention of tracer 1251I-labeled C6 mAb following extensive washing. The affinity resin was packed in a Pasteur pipette and some of the GalTase-containing sample (either 125I-labeled GalTase II, purified GalTase,


There are ample surviving references in the witchcraft trial material to indicate that the witches' sabbath became an important feature of the crime of witchcraft in Scotland. Comparison of the trial material has revealed numerous discrepancies between individual and group accounts of the witches sabbath. The frequent inability of the witches to agree upon a time, date or place that the witches' sabbath took place have indicated that, in the case studied, the witches' sabbath was not a genuine historical event. Elite beliefs and ideas about the witches' sabbath were frequently introduced during interrogations, and certainly left their mark upon the witchcraft records. However the examination process was often a negotiation between witches and their interrogators, and as such allowed many witches to incorporate their own beliefs and ideas into their descriptions of the witches' sabbath. Close reading of the trial material, combined with an analysis of contemporary presbytery records and popular ballads, provides evidence that many witches were drawing upon popular beliefs about fairies, magic and the supernatural, as well as their experiences at real life celebrations and festivities, to compose their descriptions of the witches' sabbath. The majority of confessions that contain descriptions of the witches' Sabbath are the product of this interrogation and negotiation process, but this research has also explored the possibility that the witches' Sabbath might have been a real visionary experience for some witches, and that these visionary experiences were fantasies induced by psychological trauma, or a waking or sleeping vision similar to those experienced by tribal shamans. This research has demonstrated that may pre-existing popular beliefs contributed to the formulation of the witches' descriptions of the witches' Sabbath and also stresses the importance of the influence of the interrogation process on the initial presence of the witches' sabbath in confessions. Although this research has been carried out within the context of Early Modern Scotland, it is likely to have wider implications for the study of the witches' sabbath in a European context.


Visible light communication (VLC) is an upcoming wireless communication technology. In a VLC system, signal integrity under low illumination intensity and high transmission frequencies are of great importance. Towards this direction, the performance of the analog front end (AFE) sub-system either at the side of the transmitter or the receiver is crucial. However, little research on the AFE of the receiver is reported in the open literature. Aiming to enhance signal integrity, three pre-amplification topologies for the VLC receiver AFE are presented and compared in this paper. All three use bipolar transistors (BJT): the first consists of a single BJT, the second of a double BJT in cascade connection, and the third of a double BJT in Darlington-like connection. In order to validate the performance characteristics of the three topologies, simulation results are provided with respect to the light illumination intensity, the data transmission frequency and the power consumption. According to these simulations, the third topology is characterized by higher data transmission frequencies, lower illuminance intensity and lower power consumption per MHz of operation.


ABSTRACT Recent contributions in the fields of psychology, sociology, and theology reveal opposing attitudes about the subject of calling or vocation with regard to one's work. Whereas psychologists have rediscovered the concept, theologians increasingly show reluctance to accept a vocational view of work. In offering an alternative perspective, this article argues that an approach to calling from biblical theology is capable of inspiring Christian workers in a psychologically meaningful way, while avoiding the inadequacies of the understanding that "work is vocation" that was developed during the Protestant Reformation. In a biblical-theological approach, work is not equated with calling. Rather, it is perceived as practicing the love command and hope for a restoration of God's intentions for creation, emanating from the call into fellowship with Christ and a vision for the kingdom of God.


The current demand for quality and reliability in the manufacturing processes has a direct impact on the process automation level. Besides, the faster is the detection of n targets; the lower is the impact on the part production costs. Considering that the grinding operation is in most of the cases the last step in the manufacturing chain, the statement above become even more PC-based open-architecture numeric control in machine tools enabled the easier implementation of end application and also the acquisition of machine information with minimum requirement of external sensors. Information such as: actual axis position, feed rate, and spindle RPM, among others, is available to be gathered from the numeric control using standard interfaces. By intranet or Ethernet, information can be disseminated among all enterprise levels. The current scenario allows the implementation of monitoring and supervisory systems for data acquisition of the machining processes. The aim of this paper is the development of a web based supervisory system for plunge grinding operation. The MTConnect standard was used t adding further machines to the system, regardless the using Ethernet can be divided in three main categories: machine, process and production. The parameters to be monitored were selected. Particular combinations of those parameters were determined to define current machine status. For measuring the start diameter acoustic emission and capture of the machine coordinates when a skip signal is detected was used. The proposed web based system interface allowed local and remote client stations (Ethernet/Internet). Finally, the key features of the system were presented.


1. By substantially homogeneous composition of erythropoietin protein, said composition comprising a plurality biantennyh N-linked glycan attached to erythropoietin, wherein said plurality of N-linked glycans comprising greater than 25 mol.% N-linked glycan consisting essentially of structure which is selected from the group consisting of GlcNAc2Man3GlcNAc2Gal2NANA2; GlcNAc2Man3GlcNAc2Gal2; GlcNAc2Man3GlcNAc2; GlcNAc2Man3; GlcNAc2Man5GlcNAcGalNANA; GlcNAc2Man5GlcNAcGal; GlcNAc2Man5GlcNAc and GlcNAc2Man5. ! 2. By substantially homogeneous composition of erythropoietin protein comprising a plurality biantennyh N-linked glycan attached to erythropoietin, wherein greater than 25 mol.% Of said plurality of N-linked glycans consists of GlcNAc2Man3GlcNAc2Gal2NANA2. ! 3. The composition of claim 2 wherein more than 50 mol.% Of said plurality of N-linked glycans consists essentially of GlcNAc2Man3GlcNAc2Gal2NANA2. ! 4. The composition of claim 2 wherein more than 75 mol.% Of said plurality of N-linked glycans consists essentially of GlcNAc2Man3GlcNAc2Gal2NANA2. ! 5. The composition of claim 2, wherein said N-glycan GlcNAc2Man3GlcNAc2Gal2NANA2 present in a concentration of at most about 5 to about 80 mol.% Than that of the next most predominant structure of N-linked glycan of said plurality of N-linked glycans. ! 6. By substantially homogeneous composition of erythropoietin protein comprising a plurality biantennyh N-linked glycan attached to erythropoietin, wherein greater than 25 mol.% Of said plurality of N-linked glycans consists of GlcNAc2Man3GlcNAc2Gal2. ! 7. The composition of claim 6 wherein more than 50 mol.% Of said plurality of N-linked glycans consists essentially of GlcNAc2Man3GlcNAc2Gal2. ! 8. The composition of claim 6 wherein more than 75 mol.% Of said plurality of N-linked glycans consists essentially of GlcN


Deposition of Ti-Si-C thin films by magnetron sputtering was examined using elemental targets of titanium, silicon and carbon, in order to investigate the effects of substrate temperature on the formation of carbide compounds such as TiCx and/or Ti3SiC2, and thereby on mechanical properties and on physical properties of the thin films. It was found that Ti-Si-C thin films of both excellent electrical conductivity and high hardness could be formed by depositing at much lower temperature than the conventional depositing temperature such as 800 degree centigrade. And it was noteworthy that the Ti-Si-C film of electrical resistivity around 200μΩcm and hardness higher than 10GPa could be obtained by depositing at 500 degree centigrade.


This paper describes a Markov Random Field model for coupled range and confidence signals. Beamforming is a method used to bring a range image from backscattered echos of acoustic signals. Another information is confidence of signal which associated point by point with this range data. In the proposed algorithm, the range and confidence images are modeled as Markov Random Fields whose probability distributions are specified by a single energy function. The optimization of this model gives reconstructed range and restored confidence images and an approach to the optimization is suggested for the real-time implementation of this method.


Decimal arithmetic is desirable for high precision requirements of many financial, industrial and scientific applications. Furthermore, hardware support for decimal arithmetic has gained momentum with IEEE 754-2008, which standardized decimal floating-point. This paper presents a new architecture for two operand and multi-operand signed-digit decimal addition. Signed-digit architectures are advantageous because there are no carry-propagate chains. The proposed signed-digit adder reduces the critical path delay by parallelizing the correction stage inherent to decimal addition. For performance evaluation, we synthesize and compare multiple unsigned and signed-digit multi-operand decimal adder architectures on 0.18μm CMOS VLSI technology. Synthesis results for 2, 4, 8, and 16 operands with 8 decimal digits provide critical data in determining each adder's performance and scalability.


Our objective was to determine whether Type 1 diabetic patients with microalbuminuria are less sensitive to the effects of insulin on glucose metabolism and skeletal muscle blood flow, compared to those with normal albumin excretion, after careful matching for confounding variables. We recruited 10 normotensive Type 1 diabetic patients with microalbuminuria and 11 with normoalbuminuria matched for age, sex, body mass index, duration of diabetes and HbA1c. Peripheral and hepatic insulin action was assessed using a two-step euglycaemic hyperinsulinaemic clamp (2 ha t 0.4 mU kg −1 min − 1 ,2ha t 2.0 mU kg − 1 min − 1 ) combined with isotope dilution methodology. Skeletal muscle blood flow was determined by venous occlusion plethysmography. During the clamps, glucose infusion rates required to maintain euglycaemia were similar in the microalbuminuric subjects and controls (step 1, 8.2 1.4 (SE) vs 9.21.3 mol kg −1 min − 1 : step 2, 30.92.7 vs 32.0 3.8 mol kg − 1 min − 1 ), as was hepatic glucose production basally and at steady state in step 1. In step 2, hepatic glucose production was lower in the microalbuminuric group (2.90.9 vs 6.40.7 mol kg − 1 min − 1 , P =0.005). During step 2, skeletal muscle blood flow increased significantly above baseline in the normoalbuminuric group (4.10.5 vs 3.2 0.4 ml 100-ml − 1 min − 1 , P= 0.01) but not in the microalbuminuric group (2.40.3 vs 2.30.4 ml 100-ml − 1 min − 1 ). In conclusion, microalbuminuria in Type 1 diabetes was found to be associated with impairment of insulin-mediated skeletal muscle blood flow, but not with insulin resistance. © 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.


In order to explore the role of interdisciplinary concept mapping in interdisciplinary knowledge integration,this study designed an intervention program of interdisciplinary concept mapping,chose secondary school students as the participants,and used the approach of comparing experimental and control groups to examine the effect of interdisciplinary concept mapping on interdisciplinary academic achievement. The results indicated that:(a) the intervention of interdisciplinary concept mapping significantly improved the learners' interdisciplinary academic achievement; (b) as for the learners with different levels of academic achievement,the intervention significantly improved interdisciplinary academic achievement of the low and medium achievers,but no significant effect was found on that of high achievers. Those suggested that interdisciplinary concept mapping,as an intellectual tool of adaptation,can effectively learners' interdisciplinary academic achievement,but its effect varies for different levels of achievers.


Harvey Friedman has shown the following completeness theorem: Theorem 0.1 (Friedman) Any countable consistent theory has a Borel model of size continuum. We show a kind of incompleteness theorem at the Borel level: Theorem 0.2 There is a complete, consistent Borel theory of size continuum with no Borel model. The proof works in stages: First we construct a Borel theory T; then we show that all its omega models have the same theory; then we let T be the theory of those omega models; then we observe that T has no Borel model. It might be relevant to point out that the proof gives a slightly stronger incompleteness result. Usually logicians require all models to have the equality relation inside models equal to true equality, however it does make sense to think in terms of models M where (=) is an equivalence relation with more than one point in each equivalence class. Even with this more generous notion of model, our theory T will have no Borel model.


Abstract:This essay discusses Sylvia Plath's religious beliefs and her expressions of these beliefs in her literary works. Describing herself as 'pagan-Unitarian at best', Plath disbelieved in God. She found such belief attractive, but she refused to share it. For Plath, the individual is responsible for creating her own life in the world, the only life she will have. Although open to the possible reality of occult phenomena, Plath's writing about the occult is also, finally, sceptical. Plath's ultimate concern is a kind of feminist materialism. For her, traditional religions and philosophies describe men's experience and are therefore useless to women. Theological ideas and images, whether Christian or occult, are true only to the extent that they represent material human experiences, especially those of love and suffering. Women's material lives, especially the experiences of love, home, and family, are more valuable in Plath's work than any theological or transcendental ideas devised by men.


The 2022 VGTC Visualization Significant New Re-searcher Award goes to Arvind Satyanarayan in recognition of his work on new methods for authoring interactive visualizations and insights into how visualizations are used in the public sphere


A progress report is given on the upgraded facilities at the Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility to support (p, n) and (n, p) charge-exchange studies at intermediate energies. These include a beam-swinger system, a 600 m flight path and neutron polarimeter for (p, n) reactions, and a medium-resolution spectrometer with a focal-plane polarimeter for (n, p). A general overview of the physics program being planned is also presented.


The effect of ageing was evaluated on quality parameters (pH, electrical conductivity (EC), osmolality, drip loss (DL) and cooking loss (CL)), proteins, fat and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH-D) total levels and antioxidant status (malondialdehyde (MDA) and catalase (CAT) activity) in meat of camels during storage at 4 ± 1 °C. Samples were taken from the brachial triceps muscle (triceps barchii) and were stored at 4 ± 1 °C for 10 d. Quality parameters, chemical composition and antioxidant status were assessed at 3 h and 24 h postslaughter and 5, 7 and 10 d postmortem during cold storage. CAT activity significantly decreased while osmolality, EC, DL, CL and MDA contents significantly increased, from the 5th or 7th postmortem day of cold storage of the camel meat. However, proteins, lipids and 25-OH-D total contents showed no significant differences during all period of ageing. In conclusion, in the dromedary camel, ageing time of triceps muscle influenced significantly its quality characteristics and antioxidant status from the 5th or 7th postmortem day of refrigerated storage, without any variation of proteins, fat and 25-OH-D contents.


JOHN MACKENZIE OF BECHUNALAND. 1835-1899. A STUDY IN HUMANITARIAN IMPERIALISM Anthony Sillery. Cape Town. A. A. Balkema 1971. xii / 236 pp. Maps. Illus, Rand. $7.50. A carefully researched study of this missionary giant who served in what is now Botswana 1858-99. a period of great uncertatnity and danger for this frontier area. with Europeans threatening to grab land and foster other schemes of exploitation. Mackenzie. with a keen sense of the realities of power in restricting evil and providing opportunities for development. went all out in his efforts to have Britain assume control and take responsibility for Bechauna land, even serving for a while as Depury Commissioner. Many of his attitudes would be considered paternalistic today, but he was far ahead of his day in recognizing Africans as real people whose culture and property deserved respect, whose religion while in error deserved understanding, who were capable of exercising rights of citizenship. He insisted that the great task was to avoid polarizing black and white and to find the way tor the "various races to live together in one country peacefully and helpfully. "


The Philosophical Cream is a curious opuscule added to the end of the editions published after its author's death: what does it tell us about the tradition of The Works of Rabelais ? And how should we read it ? These are the two questions that are discussed in this thesis. In the first part, we have retraced its critical reception (17th-20th c. ), then its editorial tradition in the editions of the 16th century. After which, the issue of its attribution gives place to three hypotheses : the complete authenticity, the partial attribution (translated opuscule) and, finally, the unauthenticity. In the second part, after describing the stakes involved and the different types of quaestio - the genre to which this opuscule pertains, belonging to the history of scholasticism -, the tradition of criticisms is discussed, this being the object in the frame of the battle of arts, since then a frontal debate in the Reformation times. Then, as an anticlimax, several opuscules of parodic nature are discussed, as belonging to the festive production of clergymen, always in relation with the quaestio. Finally, the internal study as well as the comparison between these data and the previously examined texts enable us to state that the work is an opuscule, at the borderline of several discourse spheres, lying on a strategy of mimetic satire. Several procedures are consistent with the Rabelaisian use of figures. But this opuscule in particular confirms the necessity to confront the history of literature with the history of University. The study is complemented by the first critical edition of this opuscule, followed by wide appendixes containing several other opuscules, remained unpublished in French.


This article is aimed at providing evidence in support of the existence of a new class of Ca2+ antagonist, the prototype being pinaverium bromide, which exhibits selectivity for the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. It should be recalled that Ca 2 + is implicated at different levels in the functions of the GI tract. As examples, Ca2+ plays roles in excitation contraction coupling in smooth muscle of the esophagus, stomach, and intestine, it is involved in the regulation of blood flow (alterations of which could be related to the formation of ulcers), and Ca 2 + overload can lead to hepatocellular injuries. Aspects related to GI motility will be emphasized herein. Certain drugs (e.g., anticholinergics, opiates, phenothiazines) are currently used to treat functional GI motility disorders [e.g., irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), esophageal spasm, nausea, nonulcer dyspepsia, chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction]. However, their effects have not been adequate in many cases, particularly in the treatment of IBS, indicating the need for a new approach. Spasmolytic doses of competitive anticholinergic spasmolytic agents (e.g., N-butylscopolamine) are recommended for controlling increased tone and/or motility of the GI tract (e.g., for IBS therapy). However, the use of such agents in treating IBS has several major shortcomings (1). Musculotropic spasmolytic agents are also being employed, but have not provided significant benefit in many cases. Although IBS can be pharmacologically modulated by using certain centrally-active drugs (e.g., antidepressants, anxiolytics, antidopaminergic agents), their efficacy also remains questionable.


This study investigated the behaviors of the gabled hyperbolic paraboloid shell structure subjected to differential settlement and the horizontal displacement due to the elongation of tie rod/beam on supports. Two types of shell structure with different roof slopes are used in study; conventional type which has perimeter beams around the shell panel, and simple type which removes the edge beams along the slab edge line. The effect of the removal of edge beam under vertical or horizontal displacement on supports, and the roof slope was compared using the finite element analysis.


Information technology is changing the classroom teaching mode. It is the goals of the combination of information technology and mathematical teaching in middle school that contributes to the realization of the course goal of the new curriculum standard, improvement of students' ability to study and teachers' ability to teach and research. It sticks to the principle of subjectivity, interactivity and efficiency. The main methods for combination are the providing of hardware environment, the master of using software, the creating of effective setting, and the launch of exploratory activities.


We have grown high-conductivity textured ZnO films by the photo-MOCVD method using DEZ (diethylzinc) and H2O as reactant gases. It was found that the UV light irradiation during the growth was very effective in the improvement of electron mobility. The improvement of the electron mobility could be caused by the chemisorption of the oxygen at the grain boundaries. The boron-doped ZnO films were also grown by photo-MOCVD using B2H6 as dopant gas. The resistivity of the films grown with UV irradiation was one order of magnitude less than that grown without UV irradiation, and the minimum resistivity of 6.8×10-4 Ω·cm was obtained by the photo-MOCVD method.


As a sub-discipline of anthropology,economic anthropology is interlocutory of anthropology and economy.In 1940s,economic anthropology rose in America and quickly developed to a new interdisciplinary subject of concerning economic part in anthropology.In 1980s,theory and methodology of western economic anthropology began to be introduced into China,and after twenty-year slow development,economic anthropology evolved as an important sub-discipline in anthropology in China.At present,the theory and methodology of economic anthropology is experiencing"localization"of Chinese practice.


Recently, we have shown that metal ions free in solution may be determined at low levels by fluorescence anisotropy (polarization) measurements. Anisotropy measurements enjoy the advantages of wavelength ratiometric techniques for determining metal ions such as calcium, because anisotropy measurements are ratiometric as well. Furthermore, fluorescence anisotropy may be imaged in the microscope. An advantage of anisotropy not demonstrated for wavelength ratiometric approaches using indicators such as Fura-2 and Indo-1 is that under favorable circumstances anisotropy-based determinations exhibit a much broader dynamic range in metal ion concentration. Determinations of free Zn(II) in the picomolar range are demonstrated.


The ongoing impact of engagement with the Springboard Initiative has been shown clearly in the hard data from measurement of key factors. However, this data was also validated through direct elicitation from service users themselves. This is a case study based on a family which was in many ways representative of the typical experience of families which engaged with Springboard. It focuses on the experience of being supported by the team, what happened subsequently, and aspirations for the future. It is taken from the outcome of two semi-structured interviews with a mother of six children and the pastoral manager for the school at which all the children attended.


Since the beginning of the nineties, when the concept of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) was defined and agreed upon (Rio WCED '92 and Noordwijk WCC '93), an animated debate upon costal area boundaries delineation has taken place. It was realized that: (i) the very boundary of coastal zone are scale and purpose dependent i.e. they should extend as far inland and as far seaward as necessary to achieve management objectives; (ii) the concept of ICZM should be widened in order to include the area of neighbouring river basins to cope with key environmental issues. Within the outlined debate, the aim of this paper is twofold. The first is to provide evidence of the need for the integration of Coastal Zone Management policies within broader Environmental Management schemes on a regional scale, particularly in the case of semi-arid Mediterranean landscape where ephemeral stream basins connect natural coastal environment with sub-coastal ones. The second objective is to discuss an analytical methodology aiming at the construction of multi-discipline and multiple-scale interpretative patterns able to provide the means for both the delineation of a coherent global strategy and the implementation local policies in such a region. For the purpose of both objectives the study takes into account evidences resulting from expert (GISbased) and common (community based) analyses preliminary to the establishment of a protected area in the catchments area of an ephemeral stream in the south-east of Italy: Lama San Giorgio (BA). 1. INTEGRATED COASTAL ZONE AND RIVER BASIN MANAGEMENT 1.1 From the development of Coastal uses to Integrated Coastal Zone Management From the beginning of the 1970s there has been an increasing recognition of the need for Coastal Zone Management policies to deal with coastal issues and problems. During these decades, subsequent to the world-wide rise of environmental concern and of the diffusion of complexity theory, global awareness in relation to coastal management moved from a sectorial to a comprehensive and integrated approach often known as Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM). Itis possible to identify a few significant steps in this process: the first was in 1972 when the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment took place in Stockholm, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Report was set up in Boston pointing out the need to design and implement environmental protection strategies. In the same year with the passing into USA legislation of the Coastal Zone Management Act the concept of Coastal Zone Management came into being and the need for Coastal Management Programmes and Policies became evident worldwide. According to the United Nations, DIESA, (1984) at that date there were two coexistent principles: (i) the economic principle -aimed to obtain the best benefits at the lowest cost; (ii) the ecological principle according to which the natural environment was considered an interconnected set of elements deserving protection, not to endanger current and future uses. Starting from that moment these two principles evolved towards a merge with a claim of 'Sustainable Development' and 'Integrated Coastal Zone Management' principles according to which the uses can be developed only if they do not jeopardize ecosystems conservation and future generations' enjoyment.


Five patients with abnormalities of the chordae tendineae of the posterior (mural) cusp of the mitral valve have been treated by plication of the cusp, annulus, and atrium in continuity (modified McGoon valvoplasty). They had acute symptoms with physical signs characterized by sinus rhythm and an apical pansystolic murmur radiating to the base of the heart. Investigation showed high left atrial systolic pressures in small atria. Apart from one patient who died of cerebral air embolism with a good haemodynamic result, all were immediately improved and had smooth post-operative courses. Improvement was maintained at follow-up without embolic complications despite stopping anticoagulants.


The morphology of the marginal part of the Sudetes between Dobromierz and Paszowice reflects above all lithological and structural differences within bedrock. Major landforms include watershed surfaces of low relief, monadnocks and intramontane basins. Drainage pattern changes were associated with the decay of the early Saalian (Odranian) ice-sheet, whilst stages of further development of fluvial systems are well documented by multiple terrace levels. The mountain front of the Sudetes, genetically related to the Sudetic Marginal Fault, is only up to 100 m high and overall strongly degraded. In contrast to southern sectors of the Sudetic mountain front, active Quaternary tectonics played minor part in the landscape development.


This thesis adds a new dimension to the analyses of the sport media nexus by examining the scope of the roles the media adopt during a crisis event in sport. Specifically, this thesis explores the ways in which the print media represents crisis events in sport, how the representation of crisis events is influenced by the organisational and commercial context and the extent to which this representation evolves over time. The thesis is comprised of three case studies: the debate over the South Melbourne Football Club's relocation to Sydney in 1981; the Footscray Fightback campaign to save the Footscray Football Club in 1989; and the Fitzroy Football Club's merger with the Brisbane Football Club in 1996. In each instance the case study is analysed using a theoretical framework of analysis, developed from the literature. As a result of the analyses, a new theoretical framework of analysis for the print media representation of context specific crisis events in sport is proposed.


INFORM is a traffic information system for Long Island drivers. The INFORM corridor is 40 miles long and about 5 miles wide. It goes from Queens in New York City, through Nassau County, and out into Suffolk County. At the far end is Hauppauge, where the control center is located. Mr. Powell provides a brief overview of the key system elements, and summarizes some of the major points from an evaluation of the system done by JHK & Associates and funded by FHWA. He also provides information on the cost of the system, the annual operating costs of the system, the staff of the INFORM system, the variable message signs, the ramp metering, and the benefit/costs of INFORM.


As the land-grant institution in the state of Mississippi, Mississippi State University has historically been identified with activities focused on improving the education of Mississippi's citizens, both on the university campus and through a variety of outreach programs. Outreach activities in the College of Engineering have traditionally focused on students in grades 7-12. Summer camp offerings have been very successful in helping the College of Engineering to recruit bright high school students to campus to pursue degrees in engineering.


OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effect of thymosin α1combined with chemotherapy on immune function in patients with advanced gastric cancer and quality of life. METHODS:90 patients with advanced gastric cancer were randomly divided into observation group and control group with 45 cases in each group. Control group was treated with FOLFOX4 chemotherapy plan(sodium oxaliplatin+calcium folinate+fluorouracil),and observation group was additionally treated with thymosin α11.5 mg subcutaneously,once a day,on the basis of control group. A treatment course lasted for 3 weeks,and both received 3 courses of treatment.The immune function and quality of life were evaluated in 2 groups. RESULTS:The effective rate of observation group was57.8%,and that of control group was 53.3%;there was no significant difference between 2 groups(P0.05). The incidence of leukopenia in observation group was 24.4%,which was significantly lower than control group(55.6%),with statistical significance(P0.05). There was no statistical significance in CD4+,CD8+and NK score between 2 groups before chemotherapy(P0.05). After treatment,above index of observation were all higher than those of control group,with statistical significance(P0.05). The total health QLQ-C30 EORTC score in observation group was higher than in control group after chemotherapy,with statistical significance(P0.05). CONCLUSIONS:Thymosin α1combined with chemotherapy can significantly improve the immune function and quality of life.


This article aims to examine the implicit and explicit motivations behind the compulsory schooling reform in England as well as its unintended and long–term effects by analysing publicly available policy documents and key scholarly literature. The analysis indicates that even though the 19th century's schooling project appeared to focus on pursuing some explicit goals, such as creating more qualified and educated labour force and citizens with religious and moral values, in reality it hides several implicit targets, such as controlling the working–class and maintaining the class segregation. Moreover, this article points out the unintended effects of the compulsory schooling reform, including low attendance in schools, low quality of education, increasing demand for higher education and Church resistance, as well as its long–term effects existing in today's English education system, namely the continuing class segregation and evolving state and Church partnership.


I. INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW OF THE REPORTThe Energy Bar Association's Ad Hoc Committee on Energy Law Education is honored to present this Report on energy law education in the United States, addressing how energy law is currently taught and how it can be strengthened to meet the needs of a growing and changing industry. The Committee is composed of academics, recent students, and seasoned practitioners from government and private industries. (A list of participants is included at the end of this Report.)The Committee developed the Report for the EBA; this long-term project was conceived by then-Vice President of the Association, Richard Meyer, with the approval of then-President, Adrienne Clair. However, the Committee expects it to be useful to a wider audience, including law students, prospective law students, educators, educational advisors, prospective employers, and other interested bar associations. The Report discusses the variety of career options within the field of energy law and ideas to better connect energy law education to practice. It also discusses the differences among law school energy programs and approaches in order to inform law students, pre-law students, and career counselors about the field and the variety of study options available, which the Committee hopes will assist aspiring la wyers in making choices appropriate for their interests and career goals. The Committee has sought to identify and share best practices and develop new ideas in order to assist law schools in expanding and enhancing the options available to students. The Committee has also addressed recommendations to the Energy Bar Association, potential employers, and other interested parties on measures they can take to further energy law education.Through our months of meetings and information gathering, the Committee has come to appreciate the complexity of teaching this subject. "Energy" includes a number of discrete sectors, each of which has its own set of laws and policy concerns but which also have various interdependencies and commonalities. Further, energy lawyers apply a diverse set of skills and draw on multiple areas of the law in their everyday work, including cross-overs into many other legal and non-legal disciplines. Simply untangling this web of relationships creates an educational challenge and makes it difficult to structure or recommend "tracks" of study that could serve as a common guide. There are many career options in energy law and many paths by which to secure the knowledge needed.A benefit of this complexity is that energy law is suited to a wide variety of students with diverse undergraduate majors. The Report includes an appendix that maps the types of skill sets students may have developed as undergraduates, including in the hard sciences, social sciences, business, and liberal arts, to areas of energy law practice.As a result of the complexity of the subject and the differing goals of various schools, energy law curriculums vary greatly in depth, breadth, and focus. For example, a number of law schools focus on aspects of energy production that are important to the economies of their region, such as oil & gas, coal, or wind. Others have a stronger bent toward environmental law and policy issues. Depending on the number of students interested in energy law, a law school may offer anywhere from one to a dozen or more courses for which energy is the predominant focus. The diversity in programs has value because it provides students who are potentially interested in energy law, and are deciding among schools, with a wide variety of options. However, it also means that any attempt to develop a model curriculum, or specify in the narrative a specific set of courses, would necessarily reflect the lowest common denominator and thus not provide useful guidance. Therefore, the Committee concluded that the Report could not identify a single "best" curriculum or recommend a syllabus for any particular course, but rather should be a broad narrative that reflects the variety of ways in which energy law may be taught, and share ideas that can be adapted to different circumstances. …


NURSING STAFF cutbacks and the increased use of unlicensed assistive personnel, the American equivalent of healthcare assistants, are jeopardising the quality and safety of patient care, a survey published at the convention has found.


FIELD: oil and gas industry. SUBSTANCE: fire-resistant polyurethane foam contains two reaction mixtures. The first reaction mixture comprises a polyisocyanate and optionally a surfactant, and the second mixture comprises a natural polyol in which substantially all of the hydroxyl groups are free, a surfactant, an aqueous foaming agent, a catalyst, a flame retardant, and optional additives. The amounts of the first and second reaction mixtures are such that the obtained isocyanate index is from 20 to 50. EFFECT: the resulting polyurethane foams show a high degree of resistance to fire and have a high index of biomaterial content, and also have a high "green" index according to ASTM standards. 31 cl, 9 dwg, 8 ex


The concurrency in a distributed and parallel system can be used to improve the performance of that system by properly distributing the tasks among the processors. However, the advantage of parallelism may be offset by the increased complexity of load balancing techniques. Scheduling is proven to be an effective technique for load balancing in any distributed and parallel system. Studies indicate that for applicationspecific systems static scheduling may be the potential choice due to its simplicity. In this paper, we analyze the performance of load balancing by static scheduling for distributed and parallel systems. Using VisualSim, we develop a simulation program that models a system with three processors working simultaneously on a single problem. We obtain the response time and completion time for different scheduling algorithms and task groups. Simulation results show that load balancing by scheduling has significant impact on the performance of distributed and parallel systems.


An ultrasonic vibration apparatus for molding a plastic part instantly. An ultrasonic vibration device of the present invention includes a mold Kyabyiti 31 in (a) the mold (M), an inlet 16 for supplying plastic material into the chamber 32, the access opening 33, (b) having an ultrasonic vibrator 1 connected to the ultrasonic vibration generator, and a drive means for producing relative movement between the (c) the end portion 1a and the mold (M). The chamber 32 is facing the mold Kyabyiti 31 on the opposite side of the distal end of the access opening 33. The ultrasonic vibrator 1 is in the chamber 32 has an end portion 1a which is inserted through the access opening 33. Said end portion 1a, the the ultrasonic vibrator 1 is activated, applying a predetermined pressure to the plastics material. .FIELD 1


The invention discloses a RCD absorption circuit of a NPC-type three-level switch module. The NPC-type three-level IGBT module comprises a first inner tube Q1, a second inner tube Q2, a third inner tube Q3, and a fourth inner tube Q4. The absorption circuit comprises a first clamping circuit used to reduce stresses of the second inner tube Q2, and a second clamping circuit used to reduce the stresses of the third inner tube Q3. The RCD absorption circuit of the NPC-type three-level switch module can effectively reduce voltage stresses of the NPC-type three-level inner tubes.


Driving style can characteristically be divided into two categories: "typical" (non-aggressive) and aggressive. Understanding and recognizing driving events that fall into these categories can aid in vehicle safety systems. Potentially-aggressive driving behavior is currently a leading cause of traffic fatalities in the United States. More often than not, drivers are unaware that they commit potentially-aggressive actions daily. To increase awareness and promote driver safety, we are proposing a novel system that uses Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) and smartphone based sensor-fusion (accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, GPS, video) to detect, recognize and record these actions without external processing. Our system differs from past driving pattern recognition research by fusing related inter-axial data from multiple sensors into a single classifier. It also utilizes Euler representation of device attitude (also based on fused data) to aid in classification. All processing is done completely on the smartphone.


Older rapeseed lines had problems with high content of erucic acid and glucosinolate. High erucic acid content is desirable for some industrial uses, but is unacceptable for cooking oil. Glucosinolate levels are not significant with respect to oil quality, but do affect the quality of meal for livestock feed following oil extraction. High glucosinolate levels in meal are toxic to livestock. The "canola" designation denotes those rapeseed varieties that contain oil with less than 2 percent erucic acid and less than 30 micromoles of glucosinolate per gram of meal. Common rapeseed has levels of around 1.5 percent glucosinolate.


In this paper we demonstrate how coevolutionary algorithms (CEAs) can be employed for optimization of image enhancement filters. Specifically, we take the example of an impulse noise filter constructed using the fuzzy paradigm, and show how a CEA could be effectively used for its optimization. The fuzzy impulse filter we take results from our research where it was seen that the shape and the corresponding parameters of the membership functions used in the fuzzy inference process, play a major role in the quality of the enhanced image, apart from the proper selection of the fuzzy rule base. This is true, both in terms of objective and subjective evaluations of the processed image. During our experiments, we employed a CEA (having a blend of cooperativeness and competitiveness) to optimize the rule base and to select the best shape of the membership function used in the fuzzy inference process, and we present the results for several real images, to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.


This paper proposes an inductorless full-bridge DC-DC converter for step up applications. The proposed converter can achieve ZVS of all switches by utilizing transformer leakage inductance and MOSFET output capacitance. Owing to negligible duty cycle loss and use of voltage doubler, the proposed converter has greatly reduced turn ratio, which makes this voltage-fed converter viable for high step up application. In addition, the proposed converter does not necessitate a clamp circuit at the secondary since the diodes are turned off under ZCS. The diode voltage rating is fixed at the output voltage regardless of input voltage. Further, the transformer VA rating is reduced compared to the conventional converter due to the absence of circulating current. Therefore, the proposed converter is suitable for application with wide input voltage range. Experimental results on a 1kW prototype are provided to validate the proposed concept.


Abstract Convenient syntheses of new fluorescent derivatives of guanosine nucleotides are described. The analogs bear a fluorescent group attached by an aliphatic linker containing 2 or 4 methylene groups on the N-2 position of the guanine base. They interact with the small GTPases H-Ras and cdc42 with an accompanying increase in fluorescence yield and display kinetic constants which are similar to those of unmodified nucleotides. The derivatives thus appear to be attractive alternatives to the widely used 2′(3′)-O-methylanthraniloyl derivatives and are likely to be useful for GTPases which do not tolerate modifications of the sugar moiety of the nucleoside.


This descriptive research was designed to evaluate health promotion pattern development in workplaces via employee leaders' participation and employee health leaders' achievement in 2 sessions of action conference for 3 days in 2011. The sample group was 34 employee leaders from 19 companies in Samut Sakhon Province. Data was collected via healthy behavior evaluation form, physical competency evaluation form, on-activity observation report and performance report documents. It was found that the workplaces employed the following processes of health promotion pattern development : (1) development of employee leaders' competency by giving knowledge on health promotion, sharing experiences on health promotion in workplace, setting activity pattern via group's participation, and finding buddies to do activity by choice; (2) undertaking the designated activity for not less than 3 months; and (3) conclusion on the operation and select "model health promotion workplace buddies." Results showed 9 buddies and 9 projects yet 2 were cancelled due to employee transfer/resignation. The best workplace buddy was awarded for work-stress reduction project. Health achievement showed the sample group with improved muscle strength scoring better on health behavior on average yet showing increasing obesity. Therefore, the 4th Regional Health Promotion Center Ratchaburi should increase the operation period to 6 months and up in order to assess the full operation more clearly. Also it should study the knowledge, attitudes and realizations about health promotion and healthy behaviors among the employee leaders in order to develop the health promotion protocol in the workplace more effectively. Key words: pattern development, health promotion, workplace


39 HIV-infected children with bacterial anginas of moderate severity are examined, which at the moment of entering had no immunosuppression. The positive effect from use of a preparation «Triglobulin» in a complex with enterosorbentum «Atoxil» is received, that was shown by reduction of a level of endogenous EТ in 2,4 times in blood serum of patients, and also more dynamical regress of the basic clinical manifestation of disease.


This paper reports the results of measurements of fluxes, and of seawater and air concentrations, of the halocarbon species CH3Cl, CH3Br, CH3I and CHBr3 at a large coastal lagoon in southern Portugal. Flux measurements were made using a dynamic chamber. A particular focus is on the influence of seagrass and tidal action on the emissions and concentrations. Field measurements were made in a spring-time period and a summer-time period. The carbon-13 isotopic ratios were also determined for many of the halocarbon samples.


Foreword -- Preface -- Introduction to the study of social control -- Introduction -- The diversity of deviance -- Researching deviance -- Traditional approaches to studying deviance -- Anomie/strain theory -- Social disorganization theory -- Differential association and social learning theory -- Social control theories of deviance -- Social constructionist approaches to studying deviance -- Labeling theory -- Marxist/conflict theories of deviance -- Critical theories of deviance -- Responses to deviance -- Social control of deviance -- Deviant careers and career deviance.


Design ofamineelectric powersystem requires thatpower flowstudies beconducted toguarantee thatallmotoroperating and starting loads canbemetwhile maintaining acceptable busvoltage levels. Iffuture loads areoverestimated, thentheiterative technique usedtosolve forthesystem voltage profile will often diverge, leaving noclueforthe designer astothecause ofthedivergence. A newpower-flow formulation based onNewton's methodisdescribed which canaidindetermining the areaofthepowersystem inwhichaloadhasbeenincorrectly estimated. Experimentation withthis formulation showsthatmismatches tendtobe concentrated atanoverloaded bus.Inspection ofthemismatches saves thesystem designer timebypointing outareas ofthesystem wherea problem, suchasanincorrectly specified busload, mayexist.


This paper shows that acoustoelasticity in one-dimensional (1D) multilayered isotropic hyperelastic materials can be understood through the analysis of elastic wave velocities as a function of applied stress. This theoretical framework is used for eigenvalue analyses in stressed elastic structures through a reformulation of the stiffness matrix method, obtaining modal solutions, as well as reflection and transmission coefficients for different multilayered configurations. Floquet wave analysis for the stressed 1D structures is supported using numerical results. V C 2018 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY)


Nanomedicine has recently experienced unprecedented growth and development. However, the complexity of operations at the nanoscale introduces a layer of difficulty in the clinical translation of nanodrugs and biomedical nanotechnology. This problem is further exacerbated when engineering and optimizing nanomaterials for biomedical purposes. To navigate this issue, artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms have been applied for data analysis and inference, allowing for a more applicable understanding of the complex interaction amongst the abundant variables in a system involving the synthesis or use of nanomedicine. Here, we report on the current relationship and implications of nanomedicine and AI. Particularly, we explore AI as a tool for enabling nanomedicine in the context of nanodrug screening and development, brain–machine interfaces and nanotoxicology. We also report on the current state and future direction of nanomedicine and AI in cancer, diabetes, and neurological disorder therapy.


The schematic research of the properties of the ore charge for blast furnaces has been continuing for over 30 years in Czechoslovakia and since 1971 in the Ferrous Metallurgy Research Institute (VUHZ). Measurements have been taken of the main physico-chemical characteristics of iron ores, sinter and pellets, and ' equipment has been developed for evaluating the reductibility and thermoplastic properties of these materials / 1, 2/. Despite the fact that the directly measured parameters of the ore charge cannot be used for comparing the applied properties of different ore charges, attempts have been made to carry out complex evaluation which would make it possible, on the basis of the laboratory tests, to estimate the parameters of the output of the reduction process and the consumption of the reduction agent. Specifically, it is important to determine the specific consumption of car' bon in the production of pig iron in the blast furnace or in the direct reduction system . In solving this problem, classic laboratory research is based on the statistical sets of laboratory and production data . A completely new approach is provided by the chemical engineering methods applied to the blast furnace process for the first time by Rist / 3/ and, in particular, by mathematical modelling of reduction In the counterflow started by Coore / 4/ . l'n the basis of these studies, the Instit ute of Theoretical Fundamentals of Chemi~ al Technology (UTZCHT) of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences in cooperation \, i th the Ferrous -Metallurgy Research Institute have developed and improved a new ~ethod of evaluating the results of labordtory reductibility tests and prepared a ~ roc edure for calculating the actual con'i ilmption of coke in the blast furnace . The aim of this article is to describe he main steps of the calculations and , resent the initial results .


This paper presents a multi year (19 month) dataset of glider and complimentary ocean colour net primary production (NPP) data with a variety of complementary ancillary products for a study in the North Atlantic. The data set in and of itself is new (although similar approaches have been implemented elsewhere to produce comparative data sets in support of physical-biogeochemical research). I found the supporting article to be appropriate and well articulated. Although I was unable to access the data itself, from the accompanying text it appears that the data set is of high quality with appropriate metadata and consideration of constraints and limitations. It is however not clear to me whether all steps in the data processing are retained in the data set to allow for a user to edit one or more of the authors steps in their post processing if need be e.g. to implement a different quenching correction method or an adjusted Kd PAR calculation or whatever the case may be. I believe that this data set meets the ESSD criteria of producing a data set that can be further reused for the benefit of Earth system science research, in particular by providing additional insight into that characteristics of regional, seasonal and sub-seasonal variability in the biological response to physical drivers at high resolution. That being said, to do so effectively would, I think, require the accompanying Temperature and Salinity profile data from the respective glider deployments, which from Table 3, do not seem to be included in data the set. This needs to be rectified. This comment raises several valid points, which we will address in turn.


Results on the centrality dependence of two-particle correlations in Au+Au collisions at S 200GeV are presented. A particular focus is devoted to investigating any anomalous behavior in the centrality dependence of correlation functions, as previous results suggest existence of such tendencies around Npart _ 50. Correlation functions are calculated for a wide kinematic region of IArl < 3 from data obtained by the PHOBOS experiment at RHIC. The RHIC layout and the PHOBOS detector setup is discussed. Data acquisition method employed by the PHOBOS experiment, data processing procedures and event selection criteria are presented. The two-particle correlation function is defined and calculation procedures are described. Decomposition analysis is explained as the fit function and the constituting components are introduced. Analysis results for correlation functions and fits are presented. The results suggest that in the kinematic region covered by the analysis of this thesis, no anomalous trends in component behavior exists. Thesis Supervisor: Gunther Roland Title: Associate Professor of Physics To Soyoung, my Immortal Beloved.


This paper summed up systematically some achievements on application of numerical method, such as finite element method and discrete element method and so forth , to study the stratum subsidence owe to mining in recent years. The former is applied to study a shaft's deformation and sliding of a protecting pillar in a panel of an upright well in Xi'an Coal Mining, Liaoyuan mining bureau. The result indicates that the shaft's displacement occurs in the juncture of fault and shaft, at the same time a plastic failure area turns up apparently in its surrounding ; the latter is used to research the dynamic development processing of stratum subsidence resulting from mining, it is important to guide mining under structures and buildings. Research shows that the numerical simulating method is feasible and effective to analyze stratum subsidence containing rock mass with substructure.


Drug repurposing offers the opportunity for approved chemotherapy agents to be used to re-establish sensitivity to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy. Here we investigated the clinical and translational aspects of an early phase II study of azacitidine and carboplatin priming for anti-PDL1 immunotherapy (Avelumab) in patients with advanced ICB resistant melanoma. 20 participants with ICB resistant metastatic melanoma received 2 x 4 week cycles of azacitidine and carboplatin followed by ICB re-challenge with anti-PDL1 avelumab. The overall response rate (ORR) determined after 2 x 4 week cycles of azacitidine and carboplatin priming was 10% (2/20) with 2 partial responses (PR). The ORR determined after priming followed by 6 cycles of avelumab (week 22) was 10%, with 2/20 participants achieving iPR. The clinical benefit rate (CBR) for azacitidine and carboplatin priming was 65% (13/20) and after priming followed by 6 cycles of avelumab CBR was 35% (n = 7/20). The median PFS was 18.0 weeks (95% CI: 14.87 - 21.13 weeks) and the median OS was 47.86 weeks (95% CI: 9.67 - 86.06 weeks). Translational correlation analysis of tumour biopsies at baseline, after priming and after 6 cycles of avelmuab confirmed HLA-A generally increased after priming with azacitidine and carboplatin, particularly if it was absent at the start of treatment. Average methylation of CpGs across the HLA-A locus showed a consistent decrease in methylation after priming and T-cells, in particular CD8+, showed the greatest increase in infiltration. Priming with azacitidine and carboplatin can induce disease stabilization and re-sensitisation to ICB for metastatic melanoma.


The mass formulas and decay constants of electrically charged and strange pseudoscalar mesons are analyzed within the combined framework of Nambu -- Jona-Lasinio model and the $1/N_c$ expansion up to $\mathcal O(1/N_c^2)$. The light quark masses explicitly violating $SU(3)_L\times SU(3)_R$ chiral symmetry of the strong interactions are taken to be of order $\mathcal O(1/N_c)$. The Fock-Schwinger proper-time method and the Volterra series are used to derive the effective action. A set of sum rules is obtained that relates the phenomenological values of the masses of pseudoscalar mesons to the mass ratios of light quarks. It is shown that combining the new sum rules with the experimental data on the decay width $\eta\to 3\pi$ allows to establish limits for the ratios: $0.47<m_u/m_d<0.59$ and $18.60<m_s/m_d<19.66$. A comparison with the results of similar calculations in $1/N_c$ chiral perturbation theory is made.


The paper builds a simplified model for rotary machine structure noise analysis according to the general characters of rotary machines. With this model, the paper analyzes various influence factors to structure radiant noise using the union of revolution and numerical calculation method and finds that the joint stiffness between the rotor and the frame is the most sensitive parameter of structure radiant noise and each parameter's effect is mutual compensatory, which lay a foundation for the research of method to reduce the structure radiant noise of rotary machines.


Abstract The mean sensitivities of the same 8 central test points were compared in two different programs of an automated Octopus perimeter in normal subjects and in patients recovered from optic neuritis (visual acuity 0.8 or better). The programs differed in terms of the size of the stimulated visual field. One program tested the central 30 degrees and the other, central 8.4‐degree visual field. It was found that the mean sensitivity tended to become higher when stimulating small field size in both normal persons and patients with optic nauritis.


The passionate periphery - Cornwall and romantic fiction, Ella Westland stories of bewilderment - current Scottish fiction, Dorothy Porter Aztecs in Troedrhiwgwair - the Welsh novel, Tony Bianchi writing on the edge of catastrophe, Wil Owen Roberts fiction in conflict - Northern Ireland's prodigal novelists, Eve Patten remembering poverty - fiction from the North-East, Penny Smith mother to legend (or going underground) - the London novel, Ken Worpole regional crime squads - location and dislocation in the British mystery, Stephen Knight stop making sense - travel narratives in contemporary Britain, Ian A. Bell writing from the margins - the lost community of the novel, George Wotton.


This paper examines the reasoning lines in PM Alexis Tsipras' political discourse in critical moments of SYRIZA's tenure as the ruling party in Greece. Adopting a CDS perspective, we zoom in on the patterns that underlie the (de)legitimization of the crisis-ridden EU in three seminal speeches by PM Tsipras during the Greek/EU financial crisis. To this end, we integrate systemic-functional and cognitive linguistic tools with a view to scrutinizing representational meaning, before turning to employ the notions of endoxon and topos/locus as a means of studying the particular argumentative inferences, triggered by the respective discursive representations. Through this lens, we show how the overall argumentation can be seen as supporting the (de-)legitimation of dominant EU austerity perspectives while transforming SYRIZA into a pro-austerity voice.


This paper solves a regulation problem for a reaction-diffusion equation. More precisely, for a given bounded observation, we design a boundary controller so that the setpoint output of the equation converges to a prescribed reference signal. The control law is finite-dimensional and is obtained by coupling a pole-placement control law with an observer. The proofs are based on a Lyapunov function and relies on the properties of Sturm-Liouville operators.


This study clarifies the relationship of breath training with the capability of maintaining correct posture for ballet dancers to express steady and beautiful motion. For this purpose, this study divided the ballet dancers into the breath training group and non-breath training group. For the breath training group, it implemented the "yeok'(reverse) breath training group of 12 weeks. This study was to examine to analyze lung function by the groups(breathing training group, non-training group) and periods (before training, 6 weeks, 12 weeks). The subjects of this study were 23 female students (12 in breath training group, 11 in non-breath training group) who were the ballet dancers enrolled in Department of Dancing at K University, and the breath training group had the breathing training and ballet bar center, and non-training group had the ballet bar center for 5 times in 12 weeks. In the lung function analysis, the vital capacity, forced vital capacity, and maximum voluntary ventilation had the breathing group having the higher figure for the third try than the first and second try, however, the non-breathing group did not shown much of significant difference. As a result of summarizing the above, the breathing training brings to promotes the capability to maintain breathing for a long period of time and make critical role in expressing the accuracy and artistic nature of the dancing motion in the work activities of the ballet dancers in the future.


The mission of ONR's Human and Bioengineered Systems Division is to direct, plan, foster, and encourage Science and Technology in cognitive science, computational neuroscience, bioscience and bio-mimetic technology, social/organizational science, training, human factors, and decision making as related to future Naval needs. This paper highlights current programs that contribute to future biomedical wellness needs in context of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. ONR supports fundamental research and related technology demonstrations in several related areas, including biometrics and human activity recognition; cognitive sciences; computational neurosciences and bio-robotics; human factors, organizational design and decision research; social, cultural and behavioral modeling; and training, education and human performance. In context of a possible future with automated casualty evacuation, elements of current science and technology programs are illustrated.


The femtosecond laser electronic excitation and tagging (FLEET) method has been used to measure three components of velocity and acceleration for the first time. A jet of pure N2 issuing into atmospheric pressure air was probed by the FLEET system. The femtosecond laser was focused down to a point to create a small measurement volume in the flow. The long-lived lifetime of this fluorescence was used to measure the location of the tagged particles at different times. Simultaneous images of the flow were taken from two orthogonal views using a mirror assembly and a single intensified CCD camera, allowing two components of velocity to be measured in each view. These different velocity components were combined to determine three orthogonal velocity components. The differences between subsequent velocity components could be used to measure the acceleration. Velocity accuracy and precision were roughly estimated to be +/-4 m/s and +/-10 m/s respectively. These errors were small compared to the approx. 100 m/s velocity of the subsonic jet studied.


This article is devoted to the problem of applying the concept of magic in the study of Chinese Taoist pseudo-medical practices, particularly the therapeutic and apotropaic rituals of zhuyou 祝由, using incantations and talismans (fu 符). It addresses the question of whether, in the current state of sinological research, the use of the term "magic," which originated in Western culture, is still legitimate, and whether the phenomena in question meet the criteria for magicalness. This is an important issue because of the dissonance between the trends in contemporary theoretical research on magic, showing a tendency to interpret it as a parareligious phenomenon in which the concepts of religion and magic intermingle, and the practical approach of sinologists, who still clearly distinguish magical phenomena from religious phenomena and consistently use the term 'magic'. The article also attempts to answer the question of how classical definitions of magic should be modified to be consistent with the concept of magic actually used in sinological research.


The problem of Rayleigh waves in compressible orthotropic elastic half-space overlaid by a thin elastic layer of which principal material axes are coincident have been researched by many scientists. However, the problem with the conditions that the half-space and the layer have only one common principal material axis that perpendicular to the layer while the remains are not identical has not gotten enough attention. This paper presents a traditional approach to obtain an approximate secular equation by approximately replacing the thin layer by effective boundary conditions of third-order. The wave then is considered as a Rayleigh wave propagating in an orthotropic half-space, without coating, subjected to the effective boundary conditions. This explicit approximate secular equation is potentially useful in non-damage assessment studies.


This paper proposes a MAC scheme to schedule node according to its location on the routing path.The scheme aims to reduce energy consumed on idle listening and reduce latency caused by sleep.Simulation results conform that the scheme is energy efficiency and helpful for reducing latency.


Experiences of application of PLC in tail gas drying system were summarized. The characteristics, process and working principle of the system were introduced. The hardware configuration of the system was discussed as well as software programming method of the system. Common faults of the system were analyzed; the logical sequence and method to investigate faults based on the process characteristics were put forward.


A multi-layered model centering on critical success factor/capability maturity model/technology acceptance model(CSF/CMM/TAM) was proposed to improve the efficiency and success rate of radio frequency identification(RFID) adoption for small and medium-sized discrete manufacturing enterprise(SM-DME).Main-obstacles of RFID adoption were analyzed;differences between RFID and other enterprise information systems(EIS) were compared;CSF,CMM and TAM for RFID adoption were researched.Then a multi-layered model for RFID adoption(RFID-AMM) consisting of business layer,application layer,management layer,factor layer,ability layer,user layer,method layer,implementation layer,integration layer and target layer was constructed,and its function mechanism was described using formal language.A RFID adoption assisted analysis platform(RFID-AAAP) was developed to simplify computation.Practical application in a garment manufacturer proves that the proposed model can meet the need of RFID adoption for SM-DME.


Angiotensin II is a key mediator of inflammation, and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) plays a critical role in various inflammatory diseases, including acute pancreatitis (AP). This study sought to elucidate the mechanism mediating angiotensin II involvement in angiotensin II type 1 (AT1) receptor-mediated NF-κB activation, and ultimately in proinflammatory actions of AP pathogenesis. A rat model of obstructive pancreatitis was induced by ligation of the common biliopancreatic duct. Pancreatic injury was determined by assessing pancreatic histology, myeloperoxidase activity, and serum interleukin-6. Protein levels of pancreatic angiotensinogen and AT1 receptor as well as NF-κB inhibitory subunits (IκBα and IκBβ) and phospho-NF-κB p65, κB-related proteins (intercellular adhesion molecule-1, cyclooxygenas-2, and interleukin-1), and NADPH oxidase isoforms p67 and p22 were examined by Western blot. Nuclear κB binding activity and degree of oxidative stress were determined by electrophoretic mobility shift assay and glutathione/nitrotyrosine examination, respectively. The effects of losartan, an AT1 receptor antagonist, on NF-κB-mediated proinflammatory actions were also assessed. Induction of AP was associated with a time-dependent increase in pancreatic angiotensinogen levels. AT1 receptor blockade with losartan improved the pancreatic histological damage, myeloperoxidase activity, and serum interleukin-6. Losartan treatment also reduced AP-associated depletion of IκBβ and elevation of phospho-NF-κB p65 protein expression as well as the enhanced nuclear κB binding activity and elevated levels of κB-related proteins. In addition, losartan treatment suppressed pancreatic glutathione and nitrotyrosine levels, which were consistent with decreased NADPH oxidase expression. These data provide substantial evidence that angiotensin II is involved in AT1 receptor-mediated NADPH oxidase-dependent NF-κB activation; thus, it might ultimately promote proinflammatory actions during AP pathogenesis.


The present research aims to understand the relationship between the "Job Stress and Burnout syndrome in the administrative staff to the public the Cayetano Heredia Hospital 2016". Such research is correlational descriptive research design correlational was used, with a sample of 84 employees, with the application of surveys, one for each variable, applied to a to the entire population, the results are evident through tables and graphics, and Rho Spearman correlation coefficient for the hypothesis test was used. Data were analyzed using correlation coefficient Spearman Rho in which the results show a value of 0.427, affirming that there is a moderate positive relationship job stress and Burnout syndrome. So therefore it concluded that there is a relationship between job stress and Burnout syndrome of the administrative staff to the public the Cayetano Heredia Hospital 2016.


Anionic and cationic waterborne polyurethane were synthesized by using the same amount of toluene diisocyanate and polyester glycol as raw materials under the same mole ratio of NCO/OH.These two waterborne polyurethanes were characterized by FTIR,TGA,particle size analysis,water absorption rate test and mechanical properties test.The results showed that there was no residual —NCO in anionic waterborne polyurethane,and it had smaller particle size,lower water absorption rate,larger tensile strength,larger breaking elongation,and better water resistance than cationic waterborne polyurethane.


ACADEMIC ABSTRACT This paper illustrates research on the application of the theory of planned behavior to predict employment status choice for undergraduate business students at a university in the United States. This study replicates a study conducted on Norwegian students which found support for the theory of planned behavior as applied to employment status choice intention. Gender and self-employment experience were found not to influence actual employment status. The most important relationships found that self-employment intentions are directly influenced by attitude and pressure from social norms but not from perceived behavior control. This implies that students lack the self-confidence required to be self-employed.


In animal contests, winners of previous contests often keep winning and losers keep losing. These so-called 'winner-loser effects', can have dramatic impacts on future contests and seem to play a key role in stabilizing the resulting dominance hierarchies. However, the cognitive mechanisms through which these effects occur are unknown. Winner-loser effects are often accompanied by a change in the aggressiveness of experienced individuals, which suggests individuals may be adjusting their self-assessment of their abilities based on this newly gained information. This updating of a prior estimate is ideally described by Bayesian updating. Here we show that Bayesian updating provides a mechanism to explain why winner-loser effects occur and makes clear predictions for the behavior of individuals and social groups. We implement an agent-based model to compare Bayesian updating to other possible strategies. We first show that Bayesian updating reproduces empirical results of the behavior of individuals and groups in dominance interactions. We then provide a series of testable predictions that can be used in future empirical work to distinguish Bayesian updating from other potential mechanisms. Our work demonstrates the utility of Bayesian updating as a mechanism to explain and ultimately predict changes in behavior after salient social experiences.


This paper discusses a power rectifier based on a cascaded topology composed of a three-leg cell and three H-bridge cells. Each leg of the three-leg cell is cascaded connected to an H-bridge cell. Since different types of converter are series-connected, the topology is assumed to be hybrid. The capacitors of the H-bridge cells operate as floating capacitors. It is shown that the discussed topology permits the operation even if the grid voltages present harmonic components without the need to increase the capacitor voltages. Control and Pulse Width Modulation strategies are explained in order to adjust the capacitor voltages and grid currents. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate the validity of the discussed strategies and the feasibility of the system. The hybrid topology has its harmonic distortion and semiconductor losses values compared to the ones obtained with the conventional three-leg converter.


Multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) type 1 is an autosomal dominant disease, commonly characterized by neoplasms of parathyroid glands, pituitary gland and pancreas islet cells. The anesthesia management in such patients for surgical procedures is challenging due to multiple endocrine gland involvement and its resultant implications, making every case a unique entity. The anesthesia management for MEN type I patients pose unique challenges to the anesthesiologist requiring meticulous preoperative evaluation, intraoperative anticipation, prevention and management of potential complications along with postoperative monitoring. We present a case of successful management of excision of a sellar mass in a patient with MEN type I syndrome with full postoperative recovery with the use of propofol, dexmedetomidine and desflurane anesthesia. Anesthetic Management of a Sellar Mass Excision in a Patient of Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1 Syndrome: A Case.


Soybean peptide is low molecular peptide mixture which is hydrolyzed by soybean protein. It is composed of 3-6 amino acid residues,with a total molecular weight below 1000u. Soybean peptide has many excellent physical and chemical properties and physiological activities,which can be applied in various areas.This article discussed the production process,the formation of bitterness,disbettering method and its application in food industry. The research situation,research level and development trend of soy peptide were also analyzed in this article.


B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a kind of natriuretic hormone that contains 32 amino acids, distributed in the brain and cardiac ventricle. In the early stages of research, the physiology of BNP was concentrated on natriuretic, diuresis, and the inhibition of aldosterone and adrenergic nerves. However, in later research, BNP has been connected with atherosclerosis in many fields. This article summarises the recent research into BNP and atherosclerosis.


A graphene oxide-fluorescein derivative nanohybrid, which was based on the covalent functionalization of graphene oxide with a fluorescein-derived tert-butyldiphenylsilyl ether, demonstrated distinctive photocurrent depending on the cleavage of Si–O bond triggered by F− ions.


Underlying claims about a 'standard of civilisation' are questions about what it means to be human. Those that assert membership of a higher civilisation do so on the basis of the extent to which a particular grouping has been able to separate itself and become independent of nature. Such contentions reproduce the duality between the human and non-human nature in that the civilised are considered as separate/superior to the non-civilised, and on the grounds of that superiority have a right of dominion over them in ways that parallel human relations with non-human nature. The process of othering that any claim of civilisation requires thus involves a claim about the less than human status of the other. Following a brief discussion of posthumanism, we assess the considerable literature on the 'standard of civilisation' and, focusing on the language of race, consider the ways in which claims about civilisation are based on notions of a separation from nature. In the third section we assess the implications of such a separation. In the final section we turn the notion of civilisation on its head, by pointing to developments that suggest that those groupings who make the claims to be most separated from nature are those posing the gravest ecological threats.


On-farm survey and characterization of Tarime zebu cattle was carried out to
describe their phenotypic characteristics, reproductive performance and adaptive qualities. Data on physical characteristics were collected through onsite observation of 626 animals. Data on reproductive and lactation performances were collected through individual interview of 120 farmers from six villages using a structured questionnaire. Body measurements (body weight, wither height, body length and heart girth) were obtained by
measuring 84 animals. The coat colour of most animals was brown (14.2%), fawn (13.4%) or brown mixed with other colours (21.4%). In most animals muzzles were brown (71.4%), hooves were grey (73.8%), naval flap was either absent (69%) or small (28.6%) and the dewlap was medium in size (83.3%). The majority of Tarime zebu cattle had small udder size (92.3%), small front quarter size (61.5%) and medium sized teats (80.8%). The
estimated average live weights of mature cattle were 292 ± 32, 319 ± 35 and 249 ±.23 kg for entire males, castrates and females, respectively. Average age at first calving and calving interval were 4.3 ± 3.3 years and 17.6 ± 5.1 months, respectively. Average lactation length was 8.2 ± 2.3 months and average daily milk yield for the whole lactation period was 1.4 ± 0.6 litres. Most farmers reported that Tarime zebu cattle were tolerant to diseases
(80.5%) and drought (75.8%), had good grazing ability (34.2%) and were better draught animals (24.2%). It is concluded that Tarime zebu cattle are preferred to pure and crossbred dairy breeds because of their ability to withstand diseases and adverse environmental conditions. Tanzania Veterinary Journal Vol. 25 (1) 2008: pp. 60-74


1. Soviet historians studying the modern history of foreign countries have in recent years contributed much that is new to the investigation of this field.


This paper introduces several educational materials developed by ICER (Innovation Center for Educational Resource) of Kyushu University Library and considers about what are better designs for mobile educational materials through their development experiences and their investigations about its learning effectiveness. The introduced materials are various types and have several ICT(Information and Communication Technology), e.g. serious games for medical fields, web application-based educational materials using HTML5-based technologies, online educational courses such as OCW (Open Course Ware) and MOOC (Massive Open Online Course), etc.


The "cry baby" victim, Alyson Cole argues, forms an essential construct as the negative referent against which to erect neo-conservative remedies. The campaign against victims, what Cole has dubbed "anti-victimism," has spread through U.S. political discourse since the 1990s, in both left and right varieties. The Left has been trying to disassociate itself from what is derisively called "victim politics," characterized as weak, parasitic, and effeminate. The Right, on the other hand, has been trying to find a place in it by attacking self-anointed phony victims and claiming to know/be the true victims. This "Cult of True Victimhood" results in a perverse discourse, actually creating new victims out of those in dominant groups who claim they are victimized by nondominant subjects. Thus, caregivers for people with disabilities are victimized by those they care for, and innocent white people are victimized by people of color taking what are positioned as properly their jobs or admission slots to universities.


The authors explore the interactions between retailer conflict, types of competition, and retail regulation. Their study is set within the wider debates surrounding the attempts to retheorise retail geography, and, more specifically, in the context of retail competition within interwar Britain. The specific focus is on the attempts to control large-scale corporate retailing, and the failure of such strategies. The authors also draw on comparisons with the situation in the USA and show that the British case was very different, as illustrated by the failure of the 'Balfour Bill'. Within this context they debate a number of reasons why the attempts to regulate retailing failed in Britain. On a broader front they also demonstrate the need for further research into the complex relationships between retailer conflict and regulatory control.


The 2023 2nd International Conference on Smart Energy and Energy Internet of Things (SEEIoT 2023), held from June 16th to 18th, 2023 in Guilin, China (virtual event), was a premier academic conference on smart energy and energy Internet of Things for research groups working on related fields. It allowed researchers to share their experiences with other groups from all over the world by presenting scientific work and potential innovations in this research area and in the social events promoting informal get togethers. The works presented in this paper volume cover a broad range of topics including Actuators and Sensors for Smart Grids, Power Grid Dispatching and Automation Control, Ubiquitous Electric Internet of Things, Intelligent Energy Management, etc. The Conference was intended to give students and research groups an opportunity to learn more about smart energy and energy Internet of Things as an important tool in their applications and development. It represented a unique opportunity to meet colleagues and friends, exchanging ideas, and learning about new developments and best practice, while working to advance the understanding of the knowledge base that we will collectively draw upon in the years ahead to meet future challenges. Participants attended the academic presentations by scholars representing both institutes and academia. The Proceedings of SEEIoT 2023 included some excellent papers selected via a peer review process. The Conference Program featured keynote speeches by three world-leading scholars and many sessions for regular paper oral and poster presentations, attracting over 60 participants. Professor Zhenbin Zhang from Shandong University, China gave a speech on Bias-Free Fast Start-Up Strategy and High-Performance Predictive Control Method for DC Energy Routers. Energy routers based on Dual Active Bridge (DAB) converters are key components of hybrid micro-energy systems. They facilitate efficient bidirectional energy flow, and flexible integration of renewable energy sources. Three technical shortcomings are associated with conventional control methods for the DAB converter, viz., poor startup performance, slow dynamic response, and poor parameter robustness. His research in deed proposed effective solutions to these challenges. In making this Conference possible, we want to acknowledge our deep appreciation to all our conference authors for their excellent contributions and reviewers for their hard work on reviewing all the submissions; to all the Committee members for their effort and enthusiasm. Particular thanks go to the staff of Journal of Physics: Conference Series for their time and outstanding publishing work. The Committee of SEEIoT 2023 List of Committee Member are available in this pdf.


Purpose. To study medical social rehabilitation possibilities of the congenital cataract surgery with primary IOL implantation in children of thoracal age. Material and methods. At preschool age (6 years) there were analyzed the results of surgical treatment of congenital cataract with primary intracapsular implantation of Acrysof Natural IOL (Alcon, USA) in 19 children (29 eyes) operated at thoracal age (5.4Ѓ}2.6 months) – the main group, and in 20 children (31 eyes) operated in the period of the early childhood (2.3Ѓ}0.7 years) – the comparative group. Both analyzed groups were representative in the congenital cataract clinical forms, condition of anterior and posterior segments of eyes, severity and nature of neurologic burdens and frequency of postoperative YAG discissions of secondary cataract (p>0.05). Results. According to the obtained data in children with congenital cataract operated at thoracal age relatively to the comparative group, an average value of visual acuity of pseudophakic eyes by the preschool period increased 1.6 times, a specific gravity of children with a stable binocular vision was enlarged 1.4 times, a quantity of children with the bilateral pseudophakia who were capable to be trained at the comprehensive school was raised 1.9 times. Conclusion. The congenital cataract aspiration with a primary IOL implantation in children of thoracal age allows to achieve a high rehabilitation effect (visual acuity increase up to 0.5 and more in combination with binocular nature of vision) by the preschool period 2.5 times more often in comparison with the period of the early childhood.


The individuality of mangrove ecotope determined the diversity and specificity of symbiotic microorganisms and their metabolites. However, being confined by the knowledge and cultivation means, the field on mangrove symbiotic microorganisms was on starting. In this paper, the progresses on symbiotic microorganisms of mangrove were reviewed, which hint the essentiality and trends of that field.