Abstract Background CAR-T cells therapies turn out to be a breakthrough, particularly for B-cell malignancies. However, its application in solid tumor remains a challenge. The main limitations are: few highly specific tumor associated antigen (TAA), low T cell penetration and an immune-suppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Thus, our aim was to develop a new immunotherapeutic strategy against HLA-G, an immune-tolerogenic molecule involved in tumor immune escape, frequently upregulated on tumor cells. HLA-G is a CMH-Ib molecule and exerts its immuno-inhibitory activity through specific binding with two inhibitory receptors, ILT2 and ILT4, leading to the inhibition of all immune cell subsets and the induction of suppressive immune cells. HLA-G was recently identified as an ICP molecule, could be highly neo-expressed in cancer, i.e.: ccRCC (98%) and associated with malignant transformation. HLA-G is found on tumor cells and is rarely observed in healthy tissues defining it as a remarkable TAA. RNAseq analyses show that HLA-G is a far better tumor specific antigen than PD-L1. However, no immunotherapy against HLA-G-expressing tumors has been developed. Indeed, neither stimulatory functions nor cellular responses directed against allogeneic HLA-G have been reported. Methods Highly specific antibodies against HLA-G, generated by our team, strongly bind to multiple HLA-G isoforms and their scFv were used to develop 3rd generation chimeric antigen receptors (CARs). Results Anti-HLA-G CAR-T were specifically cytotoxic for HLA-G expressing target cells (K562-HLA-G1 and Jeg-3 cell lines), with resulting IFNg secretion and activation phenotype and also inducing a long-term T effector memory phenotype. Finally, in vivo assays demonstrated that anti-HLA-G CAR-T cells had strong anti-tumor activity controlling tumor progression up-to 50 days of experiment. Conclusion We report here for the first time CAR-T cells specifically targeting HLA-G expected to disrupt the tumor micro-environment related to HLA-G and solid tumors. Legal entity responsible for the study Invectys (Paris, France). Funding Invectys (Paris, France). Disclosure The author has declared no conflicts of interest.


In this paper, we study some properties of locally convex I-topological vector spaces in the sense of Katsaras by using a family of the generalized fuzzy semi-niorms, such as separation, convergency of a net of fuzzy points,boundedness of fuzzy sets and comparation between "coarser" and "finer" of two locally convex I-topologies on the same set and so on.


Alkali-Activated Materials (AAMs) are a group of free clinker binders that are based on aluminosilicate powder and an alkali activator. AAMs have shown high performance in many areas and have attracted great interest because of their lower environmental impact compared to ordinary Portland cement. The aim of this paper is to offer a first assessment on the safety of application of AAMs in marine environments, or where de-icing salts are used. The paper focuses on the alkali-activated ground-granulated blast furnace slag in combination with other by-products originating from Southeast Europe. The setup used to evaluate the corrosion behaviour consists of structural steel plates covered with a layer of mortar, and with tap water or a simulated seawater solution. The corrosion behaviour of structural steel plates was monitored by means of the Open Circuit Potential (OCP).


Piezoelectric transducer (SAW devices) is a very important device in industry but it is very difficult to simulate it using any circuit-simulation program. This paper proposes a practical method to simulate the Mason's model of piezoelectric transducer directly with no approximation for different values of the model's components using PSPICE. The paper also improves the simulated circuit component values using a Genetic Algorithms module. This optimization of the simulated circuit parameters minimizes the difference between the real output behavior of the piezoelectric transducer and the output of the simulated circuit using PSPICE. The paper also contrasts the new method with two other methods that simulate the Mason's model of the piezoelectric transducer. 1. Introduction In the last 20 years, the signal-processing field has turned its attention to devices based on surface acoustic wave (SAW) propagation. The interest in acoustic devices is a result of the very low velocity of acoustic modes of propagation. Thus, an acoustic wave device is smaller than equivalent electromagnetic devices by the same range.[1] There are some devices like Piezoelectric transducers have electric, mechanic and acoustic behaviors. So, it is very hardly to represent them using simulation-programs like PSPICE because the mechanical and acoustic behaviors must be converted to electrical behavior in order to simulate the device. The other problem is that how to improve the result output behavior in order to reach the real output behavior of the transducer. Another problem that face most of circuit analysts and designers that use the simulation programs when trying to achieve a desired output they starting to make trial and errors techniques in order to reach to the right values of the circuit parameters that achieve the specified output. In this paper, a direct method to simulate piezoelectric transducer is presented, Then, a new method that combines the genetic algorithm search technique and the PSPICE program is used to optimize the simulated circuit behavior. This module could be generalized and used as an assistant for the researchers or circuit designers who tries to achieve a specific output function from any simulated circuit rather than trial and error techniques. The sections are arranged as follows : section 2 introduces the mason's Model of equivalent circuit of Piezoelectric transducer and then two methods that simulate Mason's model. In section 3, a direct method to simulate piezoelectric transducer with no approximation is presented. In section 4, a simple genetic algorithm is introduced. In Section 5 , the new method to improve the values of the simulated circuit's components in order to minimize the difference between the real output behavior of the Piezoelectric transducer and the output of the simulated circuit, is discussed. Section 6 , shows the results of applying the new method on the Mason's model and the improvements of the output behavior in contrast with the previous methods. 2. Previous Methods to Simulate the Piezoelectric Transducer In this section, the Mason's model of piezoelectric transducer that is used in the simulation is presented. Then, two methods that simulate Mason's Model either by approximate components' values of the model or by using controlled-source rather than traditional transformer to model coupling between the electrical and mechanical systems in the model are represented. In each method, there was a clear difference between the output behavior of the simulated circuit and the real output behavior of the piezoelectric transducer.


Milrinone and nesiritide are vasoactive agents used for the treatment of acute and chronic decompensated congestive heart failure (CHF). Milrinone is a phosphodiesterase III inhibitor that has inotropic and vasodilatory properties and acts via a cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-mediated pathway


In "Proofs That Really Count" A. T. Benjamin and J. J. Quinn provided several identities involving Fibonacci numbers and left some unproven ones. They posed questions to find the combinatorial proofs of these identities. Among these identities, the following one caught our attention because of concerning parity: ∑k=0n(−1)k fk= 1+(−1)nfn−1. . Krzykowski found that the coverings in an area with dimension 2 × n can be enumerated by Fibonacci numbers. In this paper, we give an involution throughout the interpretation of Fibonacci numbers given by Krzywkowski to explain the above identity and answer the question provided by Benjamin and Quinn.


This article discusses the defence of fair dealing for the purpose of research or private study in the law of copyright. A recent decision of the High Court has identified some of the operative problems with this defence, and has ruled that the defence applies to commercial research. This article supports the spirit behind the ruling. It is contended that a literal interpretation of this defence will give rise to serious problems, and that a purposive interpretation should be adopted. This article also urges legislative reform to clear up any possible doubts with this area of the law.


Objective:The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between Insertion/Deletion(I/D) polymorphism of Angiotensin-converting enzyme(ACE) gene and schizophrenia in Korean and Han Chinese population. Method:We examined the frequency of a polymophism characterized by the insertion of a 287bp in intron 16 of the ACE gene(located on chromosome 17q23). A sample of 153 Korean schizophrenics, 154 Korean healthy controls, 82 Han Chinese schizophrenics and 88 Han Chinese healthy controls were genotyped by size-analysis of polymerase chain reaction products. Results:There was significant difference in genotype frequencies and allelic frequencies of ACE I/D polymorphism between Korean schizophrenics and controls. There was no difference in genotype frequencies and allelic frequencies of ACE I/D polymorphism between Han Chinese schizophrenics and controls. There was significant difference in genotype frequencies and allelic frequencies of ACE I/D polymorphism between the Korean and Han Chinese controls. Conclusion:The present study reveals significant association of ACE gene I/D polymorphism in Korean schizophrenics. And there was ethnic diffence between the Korean and Han Chinese polulation.


The authors show that use of biologically active additions to food Bio-Normalizer, Oxine, Gonsyn and Lovsin is effective method of immune correction of human functional state. These biologically active additions to food lead to increase 15-25 per cent of T-helper activity, activates 20-32 per cent of B-component of immune system, enhance of immunocompetent cells cooperation and rise human antibacterial resistance. That all optimizes immune response and increases resistance to extreme impacts.


The early nineteenth century has often been cited as a crucial period of Atlantic history in which the ties that had bound together the people of the Atlantic world began to unravel, in no small part because of the Age of Revolutions. The rise of new independent states is seen as part and parcel of the decline of the Atlantic world. Another story, however, emerges from the experience of the men who sailed from the United States as privateers commissioned by the new nations of Spanish America. These privateers formed new connections between North and South America as they acquired commissions and returned to port with cargoes. In between, they also developed new loyalties. Following the actions of Spanish American privateers, therefore, shows the transformation of the Atlantic world in action as privateering encouraged people to make new ties, sometimes in spite of the emergence of new nations and, sometimes, because of it.


Small RNA pathways play evolutionarily conserved roles in gene regulation and in defense from pathogenic and parasitic nucleic acids. The character and expression patterns of small RNAs show conservation throughout animal lineages, but specific animal clades also show variations on these recurring themes, including speciesspecific small RNAs. The monotremes, with only platypus and four species of echidna as extant members, represent the basal branch of the mammalian lineage. Here, we examine the small RNA pathways of monotremes by deep sequencing of six platypus and echidna tissues. We find that highly conserved microRNA species display their signature tissue-specific expression patterns. In addition, we find small RNAs with unusual features that are unique to monotremes. Platypus and echidna testes contain a robust piRNA system which appears to be participating in ongoing transposon defense. [Supplementary Figures 1 and 2 and Supplementary Tables 1 – 7 can be found online at < >]


It is desirable to evaluate the ratcheting behavior of biomedical magnesium under cyclic loading with and without precorrosion, due to the promising future in biomedical implant field. This study focuses on the investigation of the uniaxial ratcheting strain evolutions of ZEK100 magnesium alloy sheet under various loading conditions and different corrosion time. To illustrate the ratcheting response in detail, the effects of several factors on the ratcheting strain evolution were discussed, including mean stress, stress amplitude, specimen orientations, loading history, and precorroded duration. A series of asymmetrical multistep stress-controlled ratcheting tests were conducted. The mean stress, stress amplitude, and precorrosion duration have significant influence on the ratcheting response of material. ZEK100 magnesium alloy is sensitive to loading history. ZEK100 magnesium alloy exhibits anisotropic behavior, and it is found that the final ratcheting strain of transverse direction (TD) specimens is always larger than that of rolling direction (RD) specimens. The corrosion behavior of ZEK100 magnesium alloy in phosphate buffered solution (PBS) simulated physiological environment was also studied. The corrosion process is characterized by pitting corrosion, and the corrosion rate of material stabilizes at about 2.4 g/(m^2 d) after an exponentially decrease at initial stage.


Alveolar epithelial cell (AEC) injury is central to the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis. Epithelial Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) signalling is essential for recovery from hyperoxia- and influenza-induced lung injury, and treatment with FGFs is protective in experimental lung injury. The cell type(s) involved in the protective effect of FGFs are not known. We hypothesized that FGF signalling in Type 2 AECs (AEC2s) is critical in bleomycin-induced lung injury and fibrosis. To test this, we generated mice with tamoxifen-inducible deletion of FGF receptors 1, 2 and 3 in SPC+ AEC2s (SPC-TCKO). In the absence of injury, SPC-TCKO mice had fewer AEC2s, decreased Sftpc expression, increased alveolar diameter, and increased collagen deposition. After intratracheal bleomycin administration, SPC-TCKO mice had increased mortality, lung edema, and BAL total protein, and flow cytometry and immunofluorescence revealed a loss of AEC2s. To reduce mortality of SPC-TCKO mice to <50%, a 25-fold dose reduction of bleomycin was required. Surviving bleomycin-injured SPC-TCKO mice had increased collagen deposition, fibrosis, αSMA expression, and decreased epithelial gene expression. Inducible inactivation of individual Fgfrs 2 or 3 revealed that Fgfr2, but not Fgfr3, was responsible for the increased mortality and lung injury after bleomycin administration. In conclusion, AEC2-specific FGFR2 is critical for survival in response to bleomycin induced lung injury. These data also suggest that a population of SPC+ AEC2s require FGFR2 signalling for maintenance in the adult lung. Preventing epithelial FGFR inhibition and/or activating FGFRs in alveolar epithelium may therefore represent a novel approach to treat lung injury and reduce fibrosis.


Wehave reported the purification of hen egg white ly- sozyme inhibitor (Hewli) from the culture supernatant of Bacillus subtilis I-139.1) Hewli, which appeared to be a lipoprotein or lipopeptide, inhibits animal lysozymes indicating its uniqueness among the lysozyme inhibi-tors2~7) so far studied.


neostigmine prices soared. Pharmacists report that the cost of a vial of neostigmine increased from less than $4 (£3, EU3) to between $40 (£30, EU33) and $70 (£52, EU59) (personal communication). Even if the primary focus were pharmaceutical expenditure, cost-benefit analyses must take into account national (or even institutional) pricing structures. We are puzzled by the statement that return of neuromuscular function of the respiratory muscles is 'another potential problem with sugammadex' [1]. Return of airway muscles function is precisely the indication for sugammadex administration, and it is one of its greatest strengths, not 'problems'. Should clinicians not expect upper airway obstruction following tracheal tube exchange for a laryngeal mask airway (LMA) in the absence of neuromuscular block, if the depth of the anaesthetic were insufficient? The fact that 'the problem' was resolved by application of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) further indicates that a light plane of anaesthesia resulted in laryngospasm, likely triggered by airway manipulation. A light plane of anaesthesia is also suggested by McGuire and Dalton's third patient [7, 8], who exhibited complete closure of the vocal cords when examined fibrescopically. Finally, we encourage clinicians to differentiate between 'statistics' and 'patients'. Although 0.22 mg.kg 1 may be sufficient for 95% of patients to acquire a TOF ratio of 0.9 or greater, the other 5% of patients did not reach recovery. Again, are we doing a huge disservice to our patients' safety here, by speaking of 5–95% intervals, when in fact, we should be discussing the six-sigma concept that was embraced so widely (but seldom is used correctly to improve health care quality) [9] just a few short years ago? We sincerely believe that it is time to expect and require peri-operative objective monitoring of neuromuscular block based on science and evidence.


The comparison between the experimental and theoretical simulations of a desiccant cooling system under various climatic conditions (outdoor temperature and relative humidity) on the system performance has been presented. The performance of the system is evaluated using Cooling Capacity (CC) parameter. The system under a typical summer day of hot and humid climate was tested. A remarkable decrease about 40-65% in the specific humidity and with a supply air temperature lower than 25°C of the proposed system was observed. The study is important and helpful to improve the effectiveness of this kind of liquid desiccant system in hot and humid places.


An analytical study was conducted to assess the performance and mass of Brayton and Stirling nuclear power systems for a wide range of future NASA space exploration missions. The power levels and design concepts were based on three different mission classes. Isotope systems, with power levels from 1 to 10 kilowatts, were considered for planetary surface rovers and robotic science. Reactor power systems for planetary surface outposts and bases were evaluated from 10 to 500 kilowatts. Finally, reactor power systems in the range from 100 kilowatts to 10 megawatts were assessed for advanced propulsion applications. The analysis also examined the effect of advanced component technology on system performance. The advanced technologies included high temperature materials, lightweight radiators, and high voltage power management and distribution.


ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to identify structures for the practice of physical activities (PA) in Brazilian Schools and relate them to the Human Development Index (HDI), Basic Education Development Index (IDEB) and quality indicators from the Report Card Brazil (RCB). This is a descriptive study that used secondary data from INEP-Brazil to identify and classify structures for the practice of PA in Brazilian schools based on the presence of "schoolyards", "sports courts" and "sporting materials", organized by elementary and high schools. Data were organized by Macroeconomic Region and related to HDI, IDEB and Report Card Brazil Quality Classification Criteria. Thus, for "Elementary School", positive and significant relationship was observed between HDI and the presence of "schoolyards" (r=0.53; p=0.004), "sports courts" (r=0.855; p<0, 01) and "sporting materials"(r=0.764; p<0.01), while for IDEB, values followed the same logic, associated to the presence of "schoolyards" (r=0.475; p=0.01), "sports courts" (r=0.676; p<0.01) and "sporting materials" (r=0.535; p<0.01). For "High School", relationship was observed between HDI and the presence of "sports courts" (r=0.517; p<0.01) and "sporting materials" (r=0.499; p<0.01), while for IDEB, relationship was only observed with the presence of "sporting materials" (r=0.508; p<0.01). It could be concluded that the Northern and Northeastern regions of Brazil have schools with lower presence of structure for the practice of Physical Activity and that there is positive relationship of this structure with HDI, IDEB and quality indicators of the Report Card Brazil.


New gamma imager - portable gamma camera with a rotated mask for the remote measurement of radioactivity in the reactor areas was developed. The constructions and main parameters of this instrument are described. The imaging with instrument is based on combined position sensitive detector: scintillating plate + fiber optic taper + image intensifier with 2 MCP + digital video camera with industrial CCD. Scintillating plate has useful diameter 38 mm and thickness 3 mm. As the aperture for gamma imaging is used rotated coded mask (hURA) of 9 ranks. Interesting feature of masks of type hURA consists that the mask turns to the contrast - an antimask at turn on 60°. Mask turn on 600 is carried out by the electromotor, established on the device case. Procedure a mask-antimask allows: 1) to lower influence of background radiation on the detector, 2) to eliminate influence imperfect of the mask having a finite thickness. The dimensions of detecting head are: length ∼50 cm and diameter ∼12 cm. A special portable computer with software package is used for control all gamma imager sub-systems by operator, for processing of gamma images, storage and displaying and for operation with images. The distance between detecting head and computer may be up to 50 meters.


Taking the hard stem of 2~3 year-old as test materials,the effects of cuttage rooting rate by different cuttage medias,different branches location,different concentrations of rooting agent with randomized block experiment were studied.The results showed that the rotting rate was the highest on getting the middle and top of branches,using peat as substrate,150 mg/L rooting agent processing.


He mentions the improvement of Henry's health. He did some plowing and her mother helped him with the bushels. He talks about the weather. Her mother has eggs and butter to take to town. He says that the small pox is still bad. The cases in McKinney he feels are lies spread by Dr. Wiliy. He sold his cow and mentions the foods they have. He discusses on how she will get home.


Rarely continuous rain happenes in Zhejiang Province in early spring of 2010,which has heavy precipitation intensity,duration long and the highest record of historical total process precipitation.Using the objective analysis data,the circulation characteristic,thermal and dynamic conditions in the continuous rainy weather process are studied,and these characteristic with those of the same period in history are compared.The results show:(1)The northerly flow in the front of Ural long-wave ridge provides the cold air condition for continuous rainy weather.The northward and westward location of the West Pacific Subtropic High is advantageous to establish enduring and steady water vapor channel on its northwest side.(2)The structure of meridional temperature difference makes upper-level westerly jet branches.Zhejiang Province just lies in the upper-level divergent zone on the south side of north jet axis,the formation and dispersion of north jet is ahead of the starting and endding time of the continuous rain.(3)Lower-level southward cross-equatorial flow is weaker than usual one during the rainy process.Southwesterly flow between the South Sea and Southeast China coast seems to be extraordinarily stronger than that in average year.The formation of southwesterly flow is main northwesterly flow from Bay of Bengal rightward to passing through Indo-China Peninsula,then it swerves to form,which provides the abundant water vapor for the continuous rainy days.(4)Rain belt is on the north side of water vapor flux moist tongue area,which roughly concides with frontal zone of equivalent potential temperature energy.The cold air activity plays an important action in aggravation of rainfall intensity during the second stage of the continuous rainy process.(5)The dynamic structure of the continuous rainy weather is typical configuration of upper-level divergence and lower-level convergence.The height of divergent district gradually increase after the beginning of rainfall,and then stable on the upper troposphere.


This study investigates the connection between delayed gratification and listening comprehension of 108 EFL Iranian students. The study focuses on any significant difference between listening comprehensions of those EFL learners who are more successful in delaying gratification in comparison with those who fail to delay gratification. For this purpose, a 22-item on Bredehoft-Slinger Delayed Gratification Scale(BSDGS) was given to each participant, then they listened to an audio selected from Longman Preparation course for the TOEFL test and answered to 32 listening comprehension questions. Once the questionnaire and the listening comprehension test were collected, SPSS 22 substantiated the data into numerical mode. Spearman's rho correlation test between DG and listening comprehension indicated a positive strong relationship between Delayed Gratification and Listening Comprehension. The results of the T-test revealed that female EFL learners perform better at delaying gratification rather than male EFL learners and this finding was in line with the previous findings indicating the difference between men and women in delayed gratification, (e.g. Bjorklund&Kipp,1996).


historical and economic drivers shape daily experience, there is promise in collective action. Without deliberate steps toward mental health equity through multiple routes, the global mental health project falters. One route to global mental health equity is through quality mental health research. The increased investment in mental health research in lowand middle-income countries has led to an expanded evidence base on effective interventions now being implemented in diverse sociocultural settings. Greater resources for research and research capacity-building provide opportunities for more diverse ethnic and cultural populations to contribute to the evidence base, to shape research questions and the approaches to answering them, thereby increasing the likelihood that research outcomes will be of relevance to all of us. Global diversity in mental health research participants will also permit more progress in the search for etiologies of mental illness. Our understanding of the genetic architecture of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder relies largely on Northern European data. Funding flows, partnerships, and opportunities to engage new populations and pursue locally relevant research are far from equitable and this must remain a goal of global mental health. Equity in improving population mental health outcomes will require a commitment to designing interventions to tackle social problems that limit the effectiveness of care oriented to the individual. Community leadership and empowerment, alongside engagement of service users to help transform service delivery, could be hallmarks of these interventions. Equity in the production and dissemination of global mental health knowledge requires prioritization of local cultural perspectives. Leveraging global relationships need not negate local experience. Rather, one strategy of the global mental health community should be to make known the innovation and ideas that come from communities which seldom find a global audience. In a recent initiative on suicide prevention among Arctic Indigenous people, a method was developed to build consensus across a diverse group of international stakeholders. Some members of the team called for a parallel process that would use culturally acceptable methods to relay the particular experiences of specific Indigenous communities. The group applied both methods and integrated the findings in the final report. Even widely experienced processes, such as deinstitutionalization, provide context-specific lessons about leveraging political opportunities into gains for mental health. In many settings, deinstitutionalization and innovations in community mental health coincided with the establishment of post-colonial governments, the end of military dictatorship, or the entry of democracy. For example, the expansion of community mental health services in Jamaica after its independence developed in alignment with local cultural values, distinct from the colonial era. These creative approaches to mental health care are valued, though not always widely disseminated. Nevertheless, the influence of innovative approaches to mental health from settings with scarce resources pervades global mental health. Integrating peers, lay health workers, primary care providers, as well as technology, into mental health care adds flexibility to mental health service delivery, breaks down traditional hierarchies, and makes care more accessible. Diverse ethnic and cultural groups in high-income countries that face challenges in access to and engagement in care can make use of such varied approaches. It is possible that the global reach of the social, emotional and economic shocks of 2020 will thrust communities around the world into innovation that benefits mental health. If so, the movements, resources and networks that represent people and projects engaged in global mental health may become increasingly widely accessible. The field offers a transnational community for diverse stakeholders with distinct perspectives who value its aims.


[Objective]To Understand the situation of potential e conomic loss caused by death due to injury among residents in Zhengzhou city in the last few years.[Methods]Analysis was made on potential ec onomic loss caused by death due to injury among residents in Zhengzhou city from 1999 to 2003,with the method of WYPLL x PMGDP.[Results]The average mortality rate caused by injury was 47.85%/100 000 among residents in Z hengzhou city from 1999 to 2003,the constituent ratio was 9.81%,ranked 4th;T he rate of WYPLL was 12.66‰,the constituent ratio was 33.95%,ranked 1st.I njury was ranked top in potential economic loss caused by the 18 leading causes of premature death each year,reaching up to 74 627.77-1 410.747 millions Yu an.Compared in injury loss,road accident,suicide,killing and poisoning were among the leading four each year in the mortality rate,WYPLL rate and potentia l economic loss.[Conclusion]Injury has become a serious publi c health problem endangering people's life and heath in Zhengzhou city and also the leading cause of death in loss of labor WYPLL and potential economic loss.Therefore in disease control at the beginning of the century,more attention sho uld be paid to injury control and prevention such as road accident,suicide,kil ling and poisoning.


We propose a method to determine the indium concentrations x and y in the InyAl1−yAs/InxGa1−xAs metamorphic structures. This approach is based on the combination of two experimental techniques: (i) reciprocal space mapping (RSM) to determine the average In composition in the InAlAs layers and (ii) transmission electron microscopy (TEM) using the intensity measurements of the chemically sensitive (002) reflection from dark-field images to determine the composition in the InGaAs quantum well. We apply this method to a InyAl1−yAs/InxGa1−xAs metamorphic high electron mobility transistor, with x and y approximately equal to 0.35. Furthermore, we present an original and straightforward way to evaluate experimental errors in the determination of composition and strain with the RSM procedure. The influence of these errors on the TEM results is discussed. For In concentrations in the 30%–40% range, the accuracy of this simple method is about 0.5% on the In composition in the InGaAs quantum well.


To measure the volatility spillover effects between gold market and stock market, a VAR-DCC-BVGARCH model is utilized to analyze the relationship of both. The bivariate GARCH model (BVGARCH), employed to simultaneously capture the conditional volatilities of both assets and the dynamic conditional correlation model, used to estimate their time-varying conditional correlation are combined. Empirical results show that the volatility spillover effects of both gold and stocks persist in the long run. Especially, the spillover effects from gold prices to stock prices are more obvious. Furthermore, the time-varying correlation between two assets is also found and is more significant as the volatilities of gold prices increase. These results can help investors to better manage risks and returns of the portfolio including both assets.


As the contemporary form and the advanced form of troops fighting capacity,information fighting capacity is the core capacity in the informational wars.To be specific,the information fighting capacity refers to the ability with which national armed forces take on information fighting tasks in the information age.It highly depends on information,information systems,information network,information soldiers and information weapons.It is displayed as an organic information supporting ability,accurate fire blowing ability,information conducting operation ability in multi-territory and information protecting ability in all sides.It is displayed in three layers including information planning ability and information deterrent force in strategy,information aggregating ability and information control ability in campaign and information damaging ability and information protecting ability in battle.


The influence of strain rate and temperature during friction stir processing (FSP) on texture and tensile behavior of Mg alloy was investigated. By varying key processing parameters systematically, i.e., rotation and travel rates of the tool, a series of FSP specimens were prepared with a wide range of thermo-mechanical input in terms of Zener-Hollomon parameter (Z). Neutron diffraction results show a dramatic change in texture as Z increases and the resulting tensile behavior in stir zone also illustrates the influence of Z.


Spatial variations in frictional properties on natural faults are believed to be a factor influencing the presence of slow slip events (SSEs). This effect was tested on a laboratory frictional interface between two polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) bodies. We studied the evolution of slip and slip rates that varied systematically based on the application of both high and low normal stress (σ0=0.8 or 0.4 MPa) and the far‐field loading rate (VLP). A spontaneous, frictional rupture expanded from the central, weaker, and more compliant section of the fault that had fewer asperities. Slow rupture propagated at speeds Vslow∼0.8 to 26 mm s−1 with slip rates from 0.01 to 0.2 μm s−1, resulting in stress drops around 100 kPa. During certain nucleation sequences, the fault experienced a partial stress drop, referred to as precursor detachment fronts in tribology. Only at the higher level of normal stress did these fronts exist, and the slip and slip rates mimicked the moment and moment release rates during the 2013–2014 Boso SSE in Japan. The laboratory detachment fronts showed rupture propagation speeds Vslow/VR∈ (5 to 172) × 10−7 and stress drops ∼ 100 kPa, which both scaled to the aforementioned SSE. Distributions of asperities, measured using a pressure sensitive film, increased in complexity with additional normal stress—an increase in normal stress caused added complexity by increasing both the mean size and standard deviation of asperity distributions, and this appeared to control the presence of the detachment front.


A new mesh refinement technique for unstructured grids is discussed. The new technique presents the important advantage of maintaining the original grid skewness, thanks to the capability of handling hanging nodes. The paper also presents an interpretation of MacCormack's method in an unstructured grid context. Results for a transonic convergent–divergent nozzle, for a convergent nozzle with a supersonic entrance and for transonic flow over a NACA 0012 airfoil are presented and discussed. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Large amount of observed data analysis showed that influence of dilution of precipitation on atmospheric pollutant concentration, because of the variation with seasons has complicates.much snow precipitation the pollution heavy.Weather of snow precipitation has wind speed small and moisture biggest,atmospheric stratification has constant,diffusion decreased,in winter,precipitation on PM10 dilution have greater forces,especially influence of dilution on NO-2 has biggest.High moisture cold temperature and east precipitation on pollutant concentration will been decreased,in spring,precipitation≥10.0mm high temperature high moisture,precipitation intensity has bigger on pollutant concentration forces greater,in summer,in high moisture low pressure precipitation below 10mm on pollutant dilution forces,in autumn.


FOR A DECADE NOW, the national courts of the former Soviet satellite states of Central and Eastern Europe have been presiding over the establishment of democratic norms and the rule of law, as institutions central to the consolidation of democracy. With a number of these states' accession to the European Union in 2004, scholars' analyses shift from documenting democratic transition efforts to studying the specific judicial institutional arrangements used to secure democratic constitutionalism in these postcommunist democracies (Herron & Randazzo, 2003, Ishiyama Smithey & Ishiyama, 2002). While constitutional adjudication is fundamental to constitutional democracy, it is by no means the only or even the most critical task facing national courts during consolidation; moreover, in this task national constitutional courts play a large but by


Cohesive-zone models have been widely used for the analysis of interface debonding. In this paper, three of these models are used to study a set of debonding problems. A comparative analysis of the three models is carried out; results are presented and discussed for numerical simulations referring to both single-mode and mixed-mode situations. The results show that the differences between the load-deflection curves obtained for the three models considered, become more evident by increasing the stiffness of the specimen. Considering that the most common joint configuration in automotive industry is the lap-shear joint, the main conclusion of this work is that the joint stiffness will not affect the computational response obtained with the three different models studied here.


The present account describes the summary of the recent developments to the design of helical self-assemblies of linear π-conjugated molecules, particularly of oligo(p-phenylenevinylenes) (OPVs) and oligo(p-phenyleneethynylenes) (OPEs). The design strategy involves functionalization of π-conjugated backbones with achiral and chiral alkoxy side chains and hydroxymethyl end groups. Self-organization of these molecules in nonpolar hydrocarbon solvents resulted in a variety of supramolecular architectures such as tapes, helices, vesicles, and tubules. These supramolecular structures eventually lead to the formation of entangled networks resulting in gelation of solvents. It has been observed that OPVs in nonpolar solvents prefer to form supramolecular tapes whereas the corresponding OPEs form nano- to microsized vesicles and bundled fibers. Attachment of chiral motifs to OPVs and OPEs resulted in the formation of helical structures with a preferred handedness. The "sergeants and soldiers" co-assembly approach to chirality induction and amplification is efficient in these systems in the gel state. These results highlight the importance of the subtle difference in the strength of π-π interaction in gel forming linear π-systems to the creation of hierarchical architectures with different size and shape, particularly helical structures.


These three cases were examples of rhesus iso immunisation. All three cases were managed successfully using current conservative guides in ultrasonography for rhesus iso-immunization. The use of Uitrasound doppler had helped us to decide the timing and immediate neonatal management. In an ideal situation detection of fetal anaemia less than 9g/dl is an indication for intra uterine transfusion guided through cordocentesis. The transfusion is done using O Rh negative leucocytes depleted washed irradiated red cells crossed matched for maternal blood. However we are in the process of arranging this facility through national blood bank. At present we adopt a policy of cordocentesis for fetal Hb in suspected cases of fetal anemia and timely delivery while arranging the neonatal backup for exchange transfusion. This article further discusses the important aspects like pathophysiology, role of different Ultrasound scan parameters and their limitations.


An interactive computer code library for the simulation of charged particle beam transport is presented. It allows to calculate the transport of multicomponent beam through a set of quadrupoles, solenoids, bends, accelerating sections.


PURPOSE: A method for preparing a high purity montelukast sodium salt is provided to enable a worker to work in a safe environment and to obtain the high purity montelukast sodium salt. CONSTITUTION: A method for preparing a high purity montelukast sodium salt comprises: a step of coupling a methanesulfonyl compound of chemical formula 5 with a compound of chemical formula 6 under the presence of a hexamethyl disilane alkali metal salt; a step of adding an alkali metal base to a product and heating the product for hydrolysis to prepare a compound of chemical formula 7; a step of reacting the compound of chemical formula 7 with 4-tert-butylcyclohexylamine and purifying a product to prepare an amine salt of chemical formula 8; and a step of converting the amine salt of chemical formula 8 into a sodium salt.


Identification of parameters of a solid-state wave gyroscope in the forced and free-run modes under nonlinear resonator oscillation is considered. By using the Krylov-Bogolyubov averaging method, calibration equations are deduced for determining the mathematical model coefficients. These coefficients contain an oscillation nonlinearity coefficient and parameters characterizing resonator defects including frequency difference and damping anisotropy, orientation of main axes of stiffness and dissipation. Suggested identification methods allow us to perform testing at large oscillation amplitudes. Numerical simulation of parameters identification is carried out. It is shown that accounting for nonlinearities in case of large oscillation amplitudes significantly increases the accuracy of parameters identification.


We propose a large N vector quantum mechanics as the theory describing a D-particle probe in bubbling supertube solutions. We compute the effective action of this quantum mechanics and show that it coincides with the D-particle action in a certain decoupling limit, up to quadratic order in the velocity. The angular momentum of the D-particle, including the contribution of the Poynting vector, is reproduced as the vacuum expectation value of the SU(2) R current.


Privacy preservation is the major concern while real time datasets are handled. Especially, when the data are accessed from cloud, firm privacy algorithms has to be adhered to ensure there is no leak of sensitive data. A specific topic, privacy preserving data mining (PPDM), completely deals with data modification, but also limits information loss. Data perturbation is one of the PPDM techniques, which mostly deals with numerical data and concentrates on retaining statistical properties of data. Perturbation is of two types, additive perturbation and multiplicative perturbation, where generated random data is either added or multiplied with the data, which results in a random modified data. In this paper we propose a model in which the perturbation is done by randomisation, where the data is generated in intervals based on the level of privacy generated from a fuzzy system based on various inputs. Our model is proved to be successful from the experimental analysis performed by validating the model using classification algorithms.


The gas and steam utilization of typical iron and steel plants are introduced.The gas and steam generation schemes and main thermal system are analyzed.The difficulties and solutions of saturated steam generation technology are highlighted.


VSEP is a high performance liquid/solids separation system capable of attaining high flow rate over conventional crossflow membrane system. It is because that the filter pack moves in a vigorous vibratory motion tangent to the face of the membranes which prevent the membranes from fouling and plugging.Application of VSEP were studied for paper mill effluent of white water and color coat waste water. For white water, permeate water quality was similar level to make-up water for recycle in the plant, although it needs periodical chemical cleaning which interval is considered to be prolonged. For the experiment of color coat concentration, VSEP was able to concentrate up to 40% suspended solid and which result shows that the recovered color coat is able to be reused in the plant and also has benefit such as to reduce the load of waste water treatment facility to which the color coat waste stream is large loading.


This articles reports on the conclusions from a multiphase study of civic and political participation of migrant youth and the importance of gender and age (16-18 years old, and 20-26 years old). Insights from focus groups conducted with Brazilian youth allow us to explore experiences of participation, meanings about integration, immigration policies, prejudice and discrimination. Results suggest that Brazilian migrant youth have few experiences of civic and political participation; they consider participation important to their integration but see it as having very low effectiveness; they identify institutional and political opportunities to participate, although there are complains that those opportunities were not being put into practice; and youth mentioned the existence of strong prejudice against Brazilian women. The importance of furthering studies on the civic and political participation of migrant communities is discussed.


Objective: This study aimed to distinguish between daily experiences of gratitude and indebtedness through three stages - emotional appraisals, motivations to reciprocate and behavioral tendencies. Through these three stages, I aimed to gain a better insight of the emotional process involved before and after receiving favors. Method: 196 participants were recruited from Singapore Management University to take part in a 14-day diary study. Every two days, participants were asked to report a favor they received over the past two days and evaluate the favor based on their appraisals of the experience. They were also asked to report their motivation to reciprocate each favor received. Upon completing the diary study, participants attended a follow-up session where were asked to report their behavioral tendencies over the past week. Results : Gratitude and indebtedness were associated to varying extends with different benefit appraisals. For instance, gratitude was positively associated with perceived benevolence and indebtedness with perceived expectations of repayment. Gratitude was also found to motivated reciprocity via the desire to affiliate, while indebtedness motivated reciprocity through the desire to adhere to the norm of reciprocity. Finally, gratitude was associated with increased reports of affiliative behaviors while indebtedness was associated with the likelihood of repaying the favor. The theoretical implications, practical implications, and future directions of these findings were discussed.


Predictions concerning voting outcomes in crisp spatial models rely heavily on the existence of a core, in the absence of which political players choosing among a set of alternatives by majority rule will not be able to arrive at a stable choice. No matter which option they might initially choose, most voting rules will permit another option to defeat the previously chosen one. Such problems particularly plague majority rule spatial models at dimensionalities greater than one. In a series of recent papers, we have argued that fuzzy spatial models offer a partial solution to this problem. In this paper, we explore the existence of a fuzzy core. Our major conclusion is that a fuzzy core is more likely in two or more dimensions as the number of players increases.


In this paper, we study solutions of general matrix equations by using the iterative method and present gradient-based iterative algorithms by applying the hierarchical identification principle. Convergence analysis indicates that the iterative solutions always converge fast to the exact solutions for any initial values and small condition numbers of the associated matrices. Several numerical examples are included.


This paper describes the performance prospect of scaled cross-current tetrode (XCT) CMOS devices and demonstrates the outstanding low-energy aspects of sub-30-nm-long gate XCT-SOI CMOS by analyzing device operations. The energy efficiency improvement of such scaled XCT CMOS circuits (two orders higher) stems from the " source potential floating effect " , which offers the dynamic reduction of effective gate capacitance. It is expected that this feature will be very important in many medical implant applications that demand a long device lifetime without recharging the battery.


The existing IEEE-STD 1128 on "Recommended Practice for RF Absorber Evaluation in the Range of 30 MHz to 5 GHz" was published in 1998. The standard has been referenced frequently and used as a guide for RF absorber evaluations. The document has several aspects which need updating, including the frequency range of coverage, requirements for newer test equipment, advances in test methodologies and material property evaluation, measurement uncertainty considerations, and absorber high power handling and fire testing requirements. The working group is divided into task groups and is in the final stage of collecting inputs from these subgroups. The next step is to consolidate the inputs and produce a draft standard for a wider distribution before being submitted for balloting. The subgroup contributions can be found on the IEEE imeetcentral website (https://ieee-sa.imeetcentral.com/pl128). The sections which have received substantive updates include bulk material measurements, instrumentation, absorber reflectivity measurements, and power handling test. In this paper, we will provide some detailed discussions on the planned updates from these contributions. For areas which did not receive sufficient input, the working group plan to table those topics for future considerations.


Aim: Abnormal prostate growth is the most prevalent pathological sign in aged human males, reflected by high incidence of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) and Prostate Cancer (PCa). The successful isolation and cultivation of prostate cells, is a prerequisite need for establishing model cell line for understanding the pathogenesis, unique biological properties and also various evidences suggest role of stem cells in pathogenesis of these conditions for therapeutic point of view. Methods and results: Here we isolate a candidate pluripotent stem cell population from BPH patients underwent TURP which include the isolation of an enriched population of prostate stem cells through cell culture techniques and the cultivation of prostate stem cells in vitro and characterization of these cells and their stem potential, including in-vivo teratoma generation. Cytogenetic analysis by G-banding assay demonstrated an aneuploid karyotype with a model chromosome number of 60 and normal Y chromosome. Characterization of isolated cells showed the presence of ONS pluripotency stem cell markers. Beside this these cells were also found positive for stem cell surface markers such as CD49b, CD44, CD117, CD34 and prostatic tissue specific markers like p63 and Androgen Receptor. In-vitro differentiation of the cells demonstrated formation of a tri-germinal layer into ectodermal, endodermal and mesodermal cell lineages with defined medium conditions and In-vivo teratoma formation in excised tumor in Balb/c mouse. Conclusion: we report here isolation, establishment and characterization of human prostate-derived pluripotent stem cell line. The cell line eventually serves as a potential tool for studies in prostate adult stem cell research, understanding etiopathophysiology and the regulation of BPH and PCa.


The paper analyzes the importance of public spaces as structuring element of sociability and organization of the territory in Spanish cities. Taking as a case study a path and a plaza in the city of Madrid, it aims to explore how these different typologies and scales of public space influence the spatial organization, the mobility and the sociability of these cities. To perform the analysis of these spaces were explored the concepts of imageability, liveability and local management, through the methodologies developed respectively by Lynch (1960), Gehl (2013) and Carmona (2008). The paper looks to comprehend how each typology of public space contributes with local dynamics, and which are the characteristics that should be more studied in order to achieve dynamics public spaces in the city.


This paper focuses on the change of consumption traditions in terms of re-unification of a country. The discussion bases on the movie, "Good Bye Lenin!"(2003) and chases the transformations on consumption trends in order to understand how the re-unification of East and West Germany influences the practices of everyday life after a four decade long segregation. The movie displays the 1990's Germany during the times when the Berlin Wall falls and frames a family portrait which is dominated by an idealist and traditional mother character in the last days of her life.


Abstract: The study examines stereotypes of and emotional reactions to singles by choice and singles not by choice. Participants (N = 480 ) read a scenario describing persons, who were either single by choice or single not by choice and rated their thoughts and feelings about these persons. Singles by choice are perceived as more lonely and miserable, and as less warm and sociable, than singles not by choice. However, they are perceived as more successful and potent. Anger and sympathy mediate the relations between choosing singlehood and stereotyping levels. These findings extend the way in which the Attribution Theory explains activation of stereotypes.Key words: singles, singlism, stereotypes, emotions, a ttribution theoryIn recent years, researchers have increasingly used the term "socially single", which suggests that what matters most in everyday life is whether a person is in a significant romantic relationship or not, regardless of his or her legal marital status (DePaulo & Morris, 2006). The goal of our study was to examine whether "socially single" people are perceived differently than coupled people, and to determine whether a choice to remain single affected the intensity of stereotypes. In addition, we examined whether the emoFu tions experienced regarding people who are single by choice and people who are single not by choice mediate the activation of stereotypes.The Increasing Phenomenon of SinglehoodThe rate of single people in the Western world is constantly increasing. In the United States, 50.2% of the adult population - 124.6 million people - were single in August 2014. For comparison, the rate of adult single people in the US was 37.4% in 1976 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014). Israel has also witnessed such a trend: since 1970, the rate of single men has doubled, and the rate of single women has tripled (Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, 2012).Stereotypes of Single PeopleWhile the rate of single people is increasing, negative stereotyping of and discrimination against single people (i.e., "singlism"; DePaulo & Morris, 2006) has been well-documented in the United States (DePaulo & Morris, 2005a, 2005b, 2006; Morris, DePaulo, Hertel, & Taylor, 2008) and in Germany (Greitemeyer, 2009; Hertel, Schutz, DePaulo, Morris, & Stucke, 2007).When American students were asked to list traits describing married or single people, they described married people as more mature, stable, honest, happy, kind, and loving than single people. In contrast, they described single people as more immature, insecure, self-centered, sad, lonely, and ugly than married people (Morris, DePaulo, Hertel, & Taylor, 2008). Greitemeyer (2009) reported that single targets were perceived as less extraverted, conscientious, agreeable, sociable, physically attractive and satisfied with their lives than coupled targets. In his study, single targets were also perceived as lonelier and as having a lower self-esteem than partnered targets. In another study, German participants rated single people higher than married people on measures of loneliness and misery, and lower on measures of warmth and concern for others (Hertel et al., 2007).What Moderates Stereotypes of Singles?Age and gender were tested in previous research as potential moderators of stereo-types of singles. Young, 25-year-old singles are perceived less negatively than older, 40-year-old singles (Hertel et al., 2007; Morris, DePaulo, Hertel, & Taylor, 2008). One explanation for this finding is that, according to the Developmental Life Tasks Model (Morris, DePaulo, Hertel & Taylor, 2008), getting married (or at least taking steps toward marriage by becoming coupled) is considered an important developmental milestone, and that mission should be accomplished by a certain age. Younger singles might be perceived as able to eventually find a partner, whereas the probability of finding a partner decreases with age. …


A conventional, transversely excited CO2 discharge module is fitted with a pulse‐forming network to produce current and laser pulses with a duration of ≥20 μs. Detailed measurements of laser pulse energies and small‐signal gain coefficients are made for both 12CO2 and 13CO2 gas mixtures, and the results compared with a computer model. In the long‐wavelength band, the two isotopes are found to give very similar performance; the ratio of gain coefficients is measured as 1.00±0.05, while the 12CO2 pulse energy exceeds that of 13CO2 by approximately 20%.


Hot pin pull test is frequently used for the pad crater evaluation. Although it carries several merits, it still has certain drawbacks such as time consuming and causing potential thermal impact on the PCB during the pin attachment process. In this paper, an innovative cold pin pull test method with pre-fabricated pin arrays is introduced. A set of fixture is designed and manufactured in advance. An array of pins can be attached to the test board at one time. With this fixture, instead of attaching the pin one by one, the test panel with pin arrays can be prepared after only two times of reflow without severe thermal impact. Compared with the conventional cold ball pull tests, this newly developed method cannot only equally exhibit the pad crater characteristics of the PCB, but also reduces the scattering in testing results. These conclusions are well proven by the experimental data generated in the present study.


In many cases, rolling element bearing defect is attributed to be one of the main causes of breakdown in devices. So that impede troubles, continuous condition monitoringis highly recommended. The following paper deals with several analysis techniquesof rolling element bearings.


The youth is seen as a subject of the State youth policy and youth family policy in the article. Various approaches to the definition of "youth" are also discussed in the article.


The reaction can also be conducted under conventional heating conditions at 80°C giving slightly lower yields of the desired products.


Abstract The object of this research is to investigate experimentally the principal parameters concerning a system for water desalination by air humidification-dehumidification. A test rig was designed and constructed to carry out this investigation. The main parts are the humidifer, the dehumidifer, and the heating equipment for heating both air and feedwater before humidification. The variables examined are the inlet water and air temperatures to the humidifier, both water and airflow rates through the system, and the inlet cooling-water temperature through the dehumidifier. Computer programs were developed to correlate the experimental data using multiregression and variance techniques. The relationships obtained were utilized to study the influence of the different parameters on the system responses: the system productivity, performance, feedwater recovery ratio, and size and productivity factors of the main system components. It was found that the inlet water temperature to the humidifier has the mos...


. This essay analyzes Dom Casmurro in the perspective of contemporary theories about feelings and emotions. Feelings like hunger, pain, and joy are basic forms of human self-awareness that must be encoded contintiously into culturally communicative emotions. Emotions reach out into the world but can never connect to it directly. In its sketch of the role played by the arts (texts, plays, opera) as both personally and culturally relevant mediators in this process, Dom Casmurro displays a peculiar kind of theoretical sophistication. Within this framework, a trivial story about jealousy turns into a complex, if unreconciled exploration of what Martha Nussbaum has called the intelligence of emotions.


The KEYNOTE‐659 study evaluated the efficacy and safety of first‐line pembrolizumab plus S‐1 and oxaliplatin (SOX) (cohort 1) or S‐1 and cisplatin (SP) (cohort 2) for advanced gastric/gastroesophageal junction (G/GEJ) cancer in Japan. Herein, we update the results of cohort 1 and describe the results of cohort 2. This open‐label phase IIb study enrolled patients with advanced programmed death‐ligand 1 (PD‐L1)‐positive (combined positive score ≥ 1) human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)‐negative G/GEJ adenocarcinoma. The primary end‐point was the objective response rate (ORR). Other end‐points were duration of response (DOR), disease control rate (DCR), progression‐free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety. One hundred patients were enrolled. In cohorts 1 and 2, median follow‐up time was 16.9 and 17.1 months; ORR (central review), 72.2% and 80.4%; DOR, 10.6 and 9.5 months; DCR (central review), 96.3% and 97.8%; median PFS (central review), 9.4 and 8.3 months; and median OS, 16.9 and 17.1 months, respectively. Treatment‐related adverse events (TRAEs) occurred in all patients, including peripheral sensory neuropathy (94.4%, cohort 1), decreased neutrophil count (82.6%, cohort 2), nausea (59.3% and 60.9% in cohorts 1 and 2), and decreased appetite (61.1% and 60.9% in cohorts 1 and 2). Grade 3 or higher TRAEs were reported by 59.3% (cohort 1) and 78.3% (cohort 2), including decreased platelet count (14.8%, cohort 1) and decreased neutrophil count (52.2%, cohort 2). Pembrolizumab in combination with SOX or SP showed favorable efficacy and safety in patients with PD‐L1‐positive, HER2‐negative G/GEJ adenocarcinoma.


Anti‐hypertensive treatment is much less successful at reducing coronary artery disease than at reducing mortality from stroke and congestive heart failure. The effects of the α‐adrenergic antagonist doxazosin on progression of atheromatous lesions and functional responses of isolated coronary arteries from cholesterol‐fed rabbits have been investigated.


The objective of this investigation was to study the effect ofextractive content on the wood sorption isotherms of six Sudanese hardwoodspecies i.e. Acacia nilotica, A.senegal, Anogeissus leiocarpus, Boswelliapapyrifera, Ailanthus excelsa and Calotropis procera growing in North andSouth Kordofan States. For each species, wood samples were collected fromsix trees, from which specimens were prepared. The effect of extractives onequilibrium moisture content was studied by comparing the equilibriummoisture content of hot water extracted and unextracted wood. Experimentalequilibrium moisture content values for extracted and unextracted specimenswere obtained at different levels of relative humidity. These specimens wereplaced in a closed desiccator, which contained saturated salt solution ordifferent concentrations of sulphuric acid to maintain relative humidity andthen kept in an oven at the specified temperature (60 ○C) until equilibriummoisture content was obtained. Desorption and adsorption isotherms of thesix wood species exhibited sigmoid curves. The results showed directrelationship between equilibrium moisture content and relative humidity thatcould be well explained by third-order polynomial functions. The effect ofextraction was significant at few relative humidity values in some species;unextracted wood had higher equilibrium moisture content than extractedwood.


Both sensing techniques, FBG wavelength shift and FCG intensity, were applied in a train axle counting system. Their structure and the process of changing strain data into accurate axle numbers are discussed.


The principles and methodologies of brassica napus leaf area measurement by using computer vision technology were introduced in this paper.In the area measurement of the three types of rapeseed leaf,with the paper weight method as a standard,the accuracy of ruler and computer vision method was compared.The results showed that the computer vision method was superior to the ruler method in accuracy,especially for the no petiole leaf,with the average relative error of computer vision method at 3.09% which was significantly lower than ruler method,at 10.49%.According to the measured value of standard method,the corrected coefficient of ruler method for no petiole leaf was found that 0.75 is more appropriate.


In the time of globalisation and growing international relations the transparent and comparable financial information plays a highly important role. The purpose of this diploma thesis is to provide an overview of implementation process of IFRS standards for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Republic of Belarus. The thesis should also examine whether the implementation of IFRS for SMEs will result in essential differences in financial data and whether this process is worth its cost for the organisation.


3D shape retrieval based on content is short of local description for 3D shape. Aiming at this problem,this paper proposes an algorithm based on POint Description Image(PODI) . On the 3D shape,it chooses a set of points from the 3D shape within some rule,calculates PODI of local shape distribution,gets a POint Description Image Set(PODISet) of PODI. PODISet is as the 3D shape descriptor. Experimental result shows that PODISet has better performance of local shape distribution compared with other two kinds of algorithm.


Drawing upon the theory of human–robot interaction (HRI), this study examined the relations among perceived characteristics of fashion robot advisors (FRAs), consumers' negative preconceptions toward robots, and positive dispositions toward technology to identify network differences in adoption and nonadoption groups. For interviews, pretests, and main data collection, we presented video clips of FRAs as stimuli. Based on the data (n = 464) collected via an online survey, we conducted psychological network analysis to explore defining factors that differentiate adoption and nonadoption groups. The results indicate that perceived characteristics of social intelligence, humanlikeness, and knowledgeableness combined with a positive disposition of technological self-efficacy lead to adoption of FRAs. This study contributes to the literature on the theory of HRI and technology acceptance models, particularly in fashion retail sectors. Furthermore, this study provides a new graphical approach to networks that conceptualizes shoppers' adoption of technology as a complex interplay of psychological attributes.


Security through trust presents a viable solution for threat management in the Internet of Things (IoT). Currently, a well-defined trust management framework for collaborative applications on the IoT platform does not exist. In order to estimate reliably the trust values of nodes within a system, the trust should be measured by suitable parameters that are based on the nodes' functional properties in the application context. Existing models do not clearly outline the parametrization of trust. Also, trust decay is inadequately modeled in most current models. In addition, trust recommendations are usually inaccurately weighted with respect to previous trust, thereby increasing the effect of bad recommendations. A new model, CTRUST, is proposed to resolve these shortcomings. In CTRUST, trust is accurately parametrized while recommendations are evaluated through belief functions. The effects of trust decay and maturity on the trust evaluation process were studied. Each trust component is neatly modeled by appropriate mathematical functions. CTRUST was implemented in a collaborative download application and its performance was evaluated based on the utility derived and its trust accuracy, convergence, and resiliency. The results indicate that IoT collaborative applications based on CTRUST gain a significant improvement in performance, in terms of efficiency and security.


This paper presents a Monte Carlo technique for sampling configurations of a kinematic chain according to a specified probability density while accounting for loop closure constraints. A key contribution is a method for sampling sub-loops in unbiased fashion using analytical inverse kinematics techniques. Sub-loops are then iterated across the chain to produce samples for the entire chain. The method is demonstrated to scale well to high-dimensional chains (>200DOFs) and is applied to flexible 2D chains, protein molecules, and robots with multiple closed-chains.


This paper describes a method used by EG&G Energy Measurements, Inc., to obtain high performance in a fast streak camera by using a magnification-equals-zero in the time direction. This method improves the dynamic range and temporal resolution and lowers chromatic aberrations. The results of the measurements on the streak tube and camera are provided herein.


Education experts continue to improve the learning of the Arabic language in Indonesia to obtain an optimal method and a good approach. This research aims to provide a clear understanding of learning Arabic vocabulary with the sociolinguistic approach and how to learn Arabic vocabulary with the sociolinguistic approach, as well as the contribution of the sociolinguistic approach to learning Arabic vocabulary. This study is considered very important because the research did not find a sociolinguistic approach to learning Arabic vocabulary in particular. The research used was qualitative research from desk research. The sociolinguistic approach to learning Arabic vocabulary provides a broader understanding of language usage in social contexts. By learning Arabic vocabulary in social and cultural contexts students can develop more realistic communication skills and understand the nuances of language used in everyday situations. This research has many limitations, so the researcher hoped to continue with more in-depth research on the sociolinguistic approach to vocabulary learning.


To obtain high quality argan seedlings (Argania spinosa L. Skeels) in the nursery, eight types of containers and three different substrates for off-ground cultivation (shredded composted branches of Acacia cyanophylla, composted hulls of Tetraclinis articulata seeds, commercial peat) mixed with leaf mould in different proportions were tested. Physico-chemical analysis of the substrates showed that the two locally produced types of compost were better indicated for the production of high quality argan seedlings. These substrates could be an alternative to costly, imported peat-based substrates. Compost can be produced satisfactorily from shredded Acacia cyanophylla branches to meet the needs of local tree nurseries. Changes in morphological parameters and analyses of the seedlings after seven months in the nursery showed that a 400 ml container is suitable for the production of argan seedlings of similar quality to that obtained with 800 ml polythene bags. These results are a first step towards mastering techniques for off-ground production of argan seedlings and other indigenous Moroccan tree species. Further study would be needed on other aspects of seedling production in Moroccan nurseries, such as irrigation, fertilisation and mycorhization. Trial plantations are under consideration to confirm the results of this study.


The present study was carried out in Akola block of Akola district of Maharashtra to identify the extension priorities of cotton farmers as well as to assess the comparative effectiveness of selected extension agencies, viz. Department of Agriculture, KVK, Input agencies and NGOs against selected service quality indicators.Descriptive statistics were used to analyse extension priorities of the cotton farmers. Major information and training needs were related to pest management and pesticide application while timely access to seeds, fertilizers and pesticides was the major service required. Seventeen indicators under seven dimensions namely 'access', 'assurance', 'empathy', 'reliability', 'responsiveness', 'tangibility' and 'timeliness' were used for comparison of agencies using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP).The comparison of overall effectiveness of the selected agencies showed that input dealers were most effective followed by department of agriculture and KVK.


This final report presents the evaluation of the Population Welfare Training Institutes (PWTIs) in Pakistan carried out as part of a World Bank funded Technical Assistance Contract of the Population Council office in Pakistan with the Ministry of Population Welfare (MOPW). The objectives of the evaluation were to: 1) gain more specific knowledge of the MOPW needs regarding non-clinical training; 2) design a model that could fulfill the needs of the MOPW; 3) evaluate the functioning of the PWTIs against their mandate and the model; and 4) formulate a strategy and recommendations to adapt the functioning of the PWTIs to meet the needs of the Ministry. The first part of the report deals with an introduction to the context of the evaluation the historical background and examples of evaluations. The second part presents the objectives and the methodology used while the third part is a description of the existing status of the PWTIs. This is followed by an analysis of the situation of the PWTIs regarding their mandate including a critical review of the mandate itself and the proposal of a model to improve the PWTIs. Finally immediate mid-term and long-term recommendations for action are provided.


The last few years have seen major reforms to the delegation of powers and post-delegation supervision of the European Commission. In light of these reforms, Rulemaking by the European Commission: ...


Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs) allow for effective and easy interaction with digital information by encapsulating them into a physical form. Especially in combination with interactive surfaces, TUIs have been studied in a variety of forms and application cases. By taking advantage of the human abilities to grasp and manipulate they ease collaboration and learning. In this paper we study the effects of TUIs on spatial memory. In our study we compare participants' performance of recalling positions of buildings that they priorly placed on an interactive tabletop either using a TUI or a touch-based GUI. While 83,3% of the participants reported in their self assessment that they performed better in recalling the positions when using the GUI our results show that participants were on an average 24.5% more accurate when using the TUI.


This article describes the Gironacel® project—a virtual learning environment produced by the University of Girona. The purpose of this tool is to make it easier for students studying quality management courses within engineering schools to understand what the 'quality culture' is and how to implement the ISO 9001:2000 standard in a very practical way. The tool creates a fictitious virtual company, called Gironacel®, that is used as an example. The original aim was to provide companies using the tool with all kinds of information concerning the challenges that the Gironacel® company faces during its evolution—and all the difficulties and consequences that come with these challenges. In this paper we explain how this new tool was designed and implemented. We also outline the nature of the results that we expect to gain from its use.


The intervertebral disc is comprised of complex components that provide the disc with nonlinear, viscoelastic and anisotropic mechanical properties. The annulus fibrosus (AF) is a highly organized structure composed of concentric layers of collagen fibers embedded in a proteoglycan matrix. The AF has a high tensile stiffness and supports the large loads encountered by the disc. Mathematical models are needed to interpret and elucidate the meaning of experimental measurements made in mechanical tests. Based upon the classic work of Spencer [1], the AF has been modeled as a fiber-induced anisotropic hyperelastic material [e.g.,2–6], using the principle invariants of the Green deformation tensor and structural tensors representing the collagen fiber populations. Contributions of other AF components to mechanical behaviors are less understood than the fibers or matrix and may include connections between collagens and proteoglycans that can be incorporated into models through fiber-matrix interactions [2–4]. The previous models, however, have not been applied to experimental data from both nondegenerate and degenerate tissue. Constitutive modeling applied to nondegenerate and degenerate AF may elucidate microstructural changes with degeneration, will be useful for finite element models [5], and provide targets for disc treatments, such as tissue engineered constructs [7].Copyright © 2008 by ASME


Objective To compare the clinical safely of laryngeal mask with that of endotracheal intubation in patients during ventriculoscopic operation for airway protection. Methods Forty patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists Ⅰ-Ⅱ) performed vetriculoscopic operation during July to December 2003 were randomly divided into laryngeal mask group (n = 20) and endotracheal intubation group (n = 20). Atropine (0.5 mg) and midazolam (3 mg) were IM injected routinely before operation in all patients. Anesthesia was induced by midazolam (2 mg), fentany (0.2 mg) and porpofol (2 mg/kg) in both groups, while additional rocuronium (0.8 mg/kg) was injected in endotracheal intubation group for establishing artificial airway. Anesthesia was maintained by IV injection of remifentaniliva 0.2 μg/(kg·min) and propofol 0.7 mg/(kg·min) in both groups, while rocuronium 30 μg/(kg·min) was also IV injected in patients of endotracheal intubation group. The blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), pulse, oxygen saturation and end expiratory CO2 pressure were monitored. The adverse effects such as cough, body movement, vomit, incorrect inhalation were recorded during operation, the time of artificial airway establishing, operation and resuscitation were also recorded. All the patients were checked everyday postoperatively by fibrolaryngoscope to record the anesthetic complication of upper airway. Results The mean arterial pressure, HR of patients in endotracheal intubation group were significantly higher than that in laryngeal mask group at the points of artificial airway insertion, 1 min and 3 min thereafter (P 0.05 or P 0.01). Eleven patients in endotracheal intubation group occurred irritating cough (n = 6) and swallowing (n = 5), while none of these adverse effects occurred in laryngeal mask group, the difference between two groups was significant (P 0.05). The time of artificial airway establishing and resuscitation were (2.3±0.6) min, (7.3±1.6) min in patients of laryngeal mask group and (3.7±1.3) min, (10.9±3.1) min in endotracheal intubation group, which were significantly lower in former group than that in later (P 0.01). Seven cases occurred mild edema of vocal cord in endotracheal intubation group but none in laryngeal mask group, the difference between two groups was significant (P 0.01). Conclusion The advantages of laryngeal mask in ventriculoscope operation are quick induction of anesthesia, rapid resuscitation, less damage of upper airway mucosa and rare occurrence of anesthetic complication. The airway protection effect of laryngeal mask is superior to that of endotracheal intubation.


Background: Psychological distress is a prominent problem among older people with heart failure. It not only hampers their emotional quality of life, but also triggers more sympathetic autonomic responses, which are most detrimental to their compromised cardiac function. Yet, there is a dearth of study identifying effective psychological intervention that can enhance the health outcomes of the older people with CHF. Mounting evidence indicates that the effects of relaxation therapy extend well beyond improving psychological status to inducing favorable parasympathetic physiological changes among patients of other cardiac diseases. The generalizability of such therapeutic effects to older people with CHF deserves prompt attention. Methods: In a longitudinal, randomized, placebo-controlled study, a consecutive sample of older people with CHF (n = 121), who discharged from a university-affiliated hospital in Hong Kong, was randomly assigned to either the experimental (n = 59) or the control group (n = 62). The experimental group attended a relaxation training program, which consisted of two weekly group-based relaxation training sessions, one revision workshop, a tape-directed relaxation self-practice schedule, and biweekly telephone calls, within one week after hospital discharge. The control group received regular follow-up telephone calls at a schedule similar to that for the patients in the relaxation program contacted with the intervener as an attention placebo. Main outcome measures, including psychological distress (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), dyspnea and fatigue (Chronic Heart Failure Questionnaire – dyspnea and fatigue subscales), were taken at baseline, the 8th week and the 14th week. Results: By using repeated-measure analysis of covariance, the experimental group reported a greater reduction in psychological distress over the 14-week study period, with F (1.77, 2.7.2) = 8.15, p = .001. The partial eta square (2 = .07) for the interaction effect indicated that relaxation therapy has achieved a medium effect size in reducing psychological distress. Patients practicing relaxation therapy, however, only demonstrated a non-significant trend of greater improvement in symptom status. The compliance rate to relaxation home practice [9.13 /week (SD = 2.05)] was significantly correlated with the reduction in the level of psychological distress. Conclusion: This study endorsed the therapeutic value of relaxation therapy in enhancing the psychological status of older heart failure patients. Future study should use placebo in a more effective manner to clarify the effect of PMRT on their symptom status.


Let α and β be real numbers. We prove that the functional inequality $$\Gamma(x)\Gamma(y)\leq\Gamma(x\Gamma(y)^{\alpha}+y\Gamma(x)^{\beta})$$ holds for all positive real numbers x and y if and only if $$\alpha=\beta=\frac{1}{\gamma(1-\gamma)}=4.09772\ldots. $$ Here, γ denotes Euler's constant.


HILL COUNTRY is characterized by its steep slopes, differences in aspect, and variability in microtopography. The soils are often shallow, and erosion through slipping and slumping a serious problem. Because of the steepness of slope, most hill country cannot be cultivated and improvement' must be brought about by oversowing and other management practices. New Zealand is characterized by such country throughout its length. However, this discussion will be limited to hill country located in the mild, humid areas comprising the southern half of the North Island. Soils of this hill country area are largely central yellow-brown earths and related steepland soils with intergrades into central yellow-grey earths and central yellow-brown loams. Fertility varies considerably depending on slope, parent material, rainfall and previous forest cover. Levels of fertility as determined by parent material are higher on siltstones and mudstones, moderate in some soils from argellite and greywacke, and low in soils derived from coarse sandstones. However, phosphate is universally limiting, pH is generally 1.0~ and, on more leached soils, plantavailable molybdenum is low (N.Z. Soil Bureau, 1968). Low sulphur levels have also been reported (Blackmore et al., 1969).


1. The NOMAD-SO database and retrieval procedure

The NOMAD-SO channel [1] is an infrared spectrometer onboard ExoMars TGO working in the 2.2 to 4.3 µm spectral range (2200-4500 cm-1). During a solar occultation measurement, NOMAD-SO scans six diffraction orders each second. These diffraction orders are recorded on four bins leading to a vertical sampling lower than one km. We use vertical profiles of calibrated transmittance and evaluated noise from level 1 data provided by the PI team. These level 1 scans are pre-processed by an in-house algorithm set up to clean the data of possible spectral shifts and/or bending. In order to retrieve the extinction vertical profile due to aerosol we use the model a state-of-the-art line by line radiative transfer forward model code called KOPRA, in conjunction with the iterative non-linear inversion scheme RCP, conceived and developed at the Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research (IMK) of Karlsruhe Institude for Technology and previously used in [2]. A priori and first guess profiles of the atmospheric thermal structure and composition, required by RCP, are taken from specific runs of the LMD Mars-GCM available through the MCD [3]. To minimize vertical error propagation we adopted a global fit inversion instead of a classical onion-peeling method. A first order Tikhonov regularization matrix is used for the aerosol extinction retrieval. For stability, RCP uses Levenberg-Marquardt damping method. Pre-processing and regularization parameters required fine-tuning, a task performed using a sample of orbits. We confirmed that these parameters are valid for all other scans.

2. Aerosols characterization and vertical profiles

Aerosols in Martian atmosphere play a major role in several chemical and radative processes, affecting local to global dynamics and energy budget (see [4] for an exhaustive review of this subject). One crucial parameter is the aerosol composition and distribution, i.e the dust, water ice or CO2 ice content and its variation with with altitude, with a better vertical resolution than previous instruments. TGO offers an excellent opportunity to study it in detail for the first time because of its high vertical resolution. Using the vertical profile of aerosol extinction obtained from NOMAD-SO measurements as described above, we then apply a model/data fitting strategy of the aerosol extinction, as described in [5] in order to evaluate key parameters of the aerosol’s content in the martian atmosphere. We compare the retrieved aerosol extinction to a precomputed look-up table in the same spectral range from a Lorenz-Mie code to compute the scattering properties of an ensemble of polydisperse spherical particles [6] and using refractive indexes for martian dust, water ice and CO2 ice. This procedure allow us to evaluate two other key parameters besides the composition of aerosol present in the martian atmosphere, namely, the effective radius (reff) and the effective variance (νeff). These characteristic parameters of the aerosol’s distribution are of great interest constraining microphysics and dynamics. We will detail this procedure and compare the early results with available data for several chosen scans of NOMAD-SO observation during the first year of TGO operations, which include the GDS 34 [7].

Acknowledgements

The IAA/CSIC team acknowledges financial support from the State Agency for Research of the Spanish MCIU through the "Center of Excellence Severo Ochoa" award for the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (SEV-2017-0709) and funding by grant PGC2018-101836-B-100 (MCIU/AEI/FEDER, EU). ExoMars is a space mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) and Roscosmos. The NOMAD experiment is led by the Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (IASB-BIRA), assisted by Co-PI teams from Spain (IAA-CSIC), Italy (INAF-IAPS), and the United Kingdom (Open University). US investigators were supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

References

[1] Vandaele, A.C., et al.: “Science objectives and performances of NOMAD, a spectrometer suite for the ExoMars TGO mission, Planet”. Space Sci., Vol. 119, pp 233-249, 2015.

[2] A. A. Jurado-Navarro. “Retrieval of CO2 and collisional parameters from the MIPAS spectra in the Earth atmosphere”. PhD thesis, Universidad de Granada, 2015.

[3] E. Millour, F. Forget, A. Spiga, M. Vals, V. Zakharov, L. Montabone, F. Lefèvre,F. Montmessin, J.-Y. Chaufray3 M. A. López-Valverde, F. González-Galindo, S. R.Lewis, P. L. Read, M.-C. Desjean, F. Cipriani and the MCD development team. “Mars climate database.” From Mars Express to ExoMars, 2018.

[4] Kahre, M. A., Murphy, J. R., Newman, C. E., Wilson, R. J., Cantor, B. A., Lemmon, M. T., & Wolff, M. J. (2017). “The Mars dust cycle.” In R.M. Haberle (Ed.), The atmosphere and climate of Mars (pp. 229– 294). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

[5] Luginin, M., A. Fedorova, D. Belyaev, F. Montmessin, V. Wilquet, O. Korablev, J. -L. Bertaux, and A. C. Vandaele. “Aerosol Properties in the Upper Haze of Venus from SPICAV IR Data.” Icarus, 277. 2016.

[6] Mishchenko, Michael I., Larry D. Travis, and Andrew A. Lacis. Scattering, absorption, and emission of light by small particles. Cambridge university press, 2002.

[7] Liuzzi, G., Villanueva, G. L., Crismani, M. M. J., Smith, M. D., Mumma, M. J., Daerden, F., et al. . Strong variability of Martian water ice clouds during dust storms revealed from ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter/NOMAD. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 125, 2020.


This article draws on an ethnography of road construction in the Peruvian Andes to explore how engineering projects operate as sites of contemporary governance. Focusing on the way in which engineering projects entail a confrontation with dangers of various kinds, we explore how people caught up in road construction processes become preoccupied with the problem of anticipated harm. Drawing on the notion of 'codes of conduct', we suggest that the governmental effects of practices which attempt to deal with the uncertainty of the future might be analysed as a tension between the enactment of two different kinds of codification. Building on the notion of coding as a situated material practice, we investigate the appearance of two different ways of encoding a relationship with an uncertain future which we term 'machinic' and 'emergent'. The article builds on a description of these two ways of encoding uncertainty to explore how formal mechanisms of dealing with anticipated harm, such as the regulations of health and safety, are both unsettled and reinvigorated by more affective and relational dimensions of practice.


Correction for 'Comparing different geometries for photovoltaic-thermoelectric hybrid devices based on organics' by José P. Jurado et al., J. Mater. Chem. C, 2021, 9, 2123–2132, DOI: 10.1039/D0TC05067A.


We study a notion of distance between knots, defined in terms of the number of saddles in ribbon concordances connecting the knots. We construct a lower bound on this distance using the X-action on Lee's perturbation of Khovanov homology.


The occurrence of parasites, parasitic disease, some non-parasitic diseases, and certain anomalous conditions in the Columbian black-tailed deer, Odocoileus hemionus columbianus (Richardson), in southern British Columbia is outlined. The parasitological findings are in two categories: those based upon a random sample of 40 wild deer, and those based upon 25 additional deer examined in their entirety and others in part. Twenty-five species of parasites, 8 arthropods and 17 helminths, were recovered. Comparison of parasitism in young and adult deer reveals a few differences in the species of parasites present but both age groups are almost equally susceptible to arthropods and to helminths. Five species of parasites, Cephenemyia jellisoni, Oesophagostomum venulosum, Dictyocaulus viviparus, Fascioloides magna, and Nematodirus filicollis, were found to induce disease that was not infrequently fatal. Some evidence was secured that cursorial predators selectively remove the more heavily parasitized deer.Ten ano...


In Turkey approximately 20,000 vegetation releves do exist. However, there is no central database for Turkish vegetation releves. We started building a vegetation database based on grassland vegetation releves from published and unpublished data from Turkey. The database contains dune, steppic, alpine and subalpine grassland vegetation. Approximately 1,878 releves have been entered in TURBOVEG format. Plots were georeferenced using the Google Earth plugin integrated in the TURBOVEG software. Typical header data were entered when available. Most of the releves belong to the classes Astragalo-Brometea and DaphnoFestucetea. This report describes the available content in the Vegetation Database of the Grassland Communities in Anatolia (GIVD ID AS-TR-001).


A 14-bit 2-GS/s DAC with a high speed programmable interpolation filter in 65nm CMOS Technology is presented. The filter can be programmed in four interpolation rate (x1/x2/x8/x16) as test modes for the DAC. It can provide test data with a signal to noise ratio (SNR) better than 85dB at 2GHz data rate. Segmented structure, thermometer decoder and INL bounded switching sequence techniques are applied to improve the static performance. Performances at high frequencies are enhanced by using "always on" biasing and quad-switch techniques. Complexity reduction technique is applied to reduce area and power consumption of thermometer decoder. Simulation results show that: SFDR of the DAC core is greater than 70dB at 2GS/s across the whole Nyquist band, and IMD3 with two-tone signal of 900MHz ± 1MHz is -82dBc.


Much scientific work remains before spectrometric characterization of artificial space objects can be used reliably in an operational context. In particular, a detailed study of the dependence of spectral reflectance on a varying Sunobject-sensor geometry has yet to be described. A thorough understanding of this last problem is considered critical if reflectance spectroscopy is to be used to characterize active low Earth orbiting spacecraft, in which the Sunobject-sensor geometry varies considerably over the course of a few seconds, or to study space debris that have uncontrolled and varying attitude. It is with the above issue in mind that an observational experiment was conducted at the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory (DAO) using the 1.8-metre Plaskett telescope and its Cassegrain spectrograph. The objective of this experiment was to gather time-resolved spectrometric measurements of active geostationary satellites over extended periods of time per night. This class of satellites was selected because their attitude is controlled and can be estimated to a high level of confidence. We present red/blue color ratios derived from these measurements that shows that the shape of the spectral flux varies significantly with changing Sun-object-sensor geometry and that the rate and amount of change of the spectral flux varies between spacecraft. The lessons learned from this experiment show that reflectance spectroscopy applied to space surveillance is a complex technique that must be used with specific caveats and under certain conditions.


Different geochemical kinetic models of first order reaction were used to describe the cl osed system petroleum generation simulation under constant temperature from 30 0-600℃. The calculated activation energies and apparent frequency factors for the reactions of kerogen to gas are 48.8-114.3kJ/mol and 1.91×10 2-4.99×10 2s -1 respectively, the calculated apparent activation energies for the r eactions of oil to gas are 50.9 - 120.7 kJ/mol, much less than the result based on the Rock Eval pyrolysis. The reasons causing this severe difference in clude: (1)the apparent frequency factors and activation energies have no physica l meaning, they vary with the reaction degree; (2)hydrocarbon generation reactio n is not generally of first order. There are obvious theoretical problems in kin etic models for petroleum generation, applying these models in hydrocarbon evalu ation should be paid enough attention.


In this paper, we propose a new method for the best ranking of OCR word hypotheses in order to increase the chances that the correct hypothesis will be ranked in the first position. This method is based on the images construction of the OCR word hypotheses and the calculation of the dissimilarity scores between these last constructed images and the image to recognize. To evaluate the new proposed method, we compare them with a classic method which is based on the ranking of OCR word hypotheses under the recognition process. The experimental results of these two methods on the database of 1000 word images show that the new proposed method led to the best ranking of OCR word hypotheses.