Information available from full cycle maize trials regarding the inheritance of phosphorus (P) efficien- cy in tropical maize is limited. This type of information is essential to establish selection strategies for these charac- teristics. The objective of this study was to investigate the inheritance and relationships between characteristics relat- ed to phosphorus efficiency in tropical maize. Six tropical maize lines with contrasting P efficiency and seven F1 crosses derived from these lines were used in this study. The parental lines, the F1's, F2's, BC1P1, BC1P2, BC2P1 and BC2P2 from each of the seven crosses were evaluated in three low P and two high P environments. Efficiency traits evaluated were: grain yield (GY), stover yield, (SY), grain P concentration (GPC), stover P concentration (SPC), P acquisition efficiency (PAE), P internal utilization efficien- cy (PUTIL), P harvest index (PHI) and the quotient of P utilization (QUTIL). Anther silk interval (ASI), which has been related to drought tolerance, was also determined. For each trait, the following parameters were estimated: mean effect (m), additive effects (a), dominant effects (d) and epistatic digenic effects (aa, ad, dd). A 47% mean yield reduction was observed at the low P level compared with the high P level in the soil. Dominance effects and epistatic effects (when detected) were more important than additive effects for the majority of the traits studied. A low correlation for PAE was observed between low and high P environments, suggesting that different mecha- nisms of soil P acquisition occur in low and high P envi- ronments. For the PUTIL a high correlation was observed between low and high P environments, suggesting that similar plant internal mechanisms occur in both soil P lev- els. A medium and negative correlation was observed be- tween ASI and GY at low P environments. Our results suggest that the selection criteria adequate to select for P efficiency include GY under low P environments to deter- mine PAE under low P soils, and grain P concentration under high P environments to determine PUTIL.


The author justifies his work showing the need for standardization in experiments involving human beings. Major international and Brazilian regulations to that effect are referred to in order to establish main items that should guide an experimentation with human beings under ethical requirements.


The Three Gorges Reservoir of China is a remarkable water conservancy project. It is thus significant to study the dynamics of the reservoir ecological system and plankton distribution. In this study, we used Sanger-based sequencing of the clone libraries of the 18S rRNA gene to analyze the picoeukaryotic diversity (size class 0.7-5 μm) from two sampling sites along the Three Gorges Reservoir during the four seasons in 2013. The community investigated by our approach was dominated by three main phyla, Cryptophyta (30.88% of clones), Chlorophyta (9.6%), and Bacillariophyta (8.7%). In spring, the parasitic population of chytrids in the reservoir is high and may limit the abundance of diatoms. Moreover, the spatial pattern prevails over temporal variability in picoeukaryotic community structure of the Three Gorges Reservoir. Further analyses show that the spatial differences in community structure are mainly caused by the variability of non-dominant phyla. This leads to the hypothesis that the injection of tributaries will have a certain effect on the plankton community structure of the main stream of the Three Gorges Reservoir.


The present study was conducted in six panchayat samities out of which Bikaner panchayat samiti was selected. Out of thirty one Gram panchayat in Bikaner panchayat samiti four Gram panchayat were selected one village was selected on the basis of random sampling technique. Findings revealed that the result of training needs of rural women regarding health and nutrition practices showed that "Nutrition for children 0 to 6 years", 'Nutritional Recipes', 'Balanced diet', Family planning', 'Care of pregnant and lactating mother', 'Child care' were perceived by the rural women as the most important training areas for improved nutritional and health status whereas, 'Low cost recipes', and 'Function of food', 'Environmental sanitation', were perceived as the somewhat important training area by the rural women.The variables namely "family income, education, mass media contact, extension contact were positively and significantly correlated with training needs of the rural women about health and nutritional practices at 1 per cent level of probability. Whereas, age, training participation had negative significant relationship with training needs of the rural women about health and nutritional practices.


Abstract : Let K(t,s) be the Cauchy function of the linear equation (g sup n) = Summation of ((g sub k)(t)(y sup k)). (1) It is shown that if g sub k is summable in any interval, there are found n points s sub i such that the functions (y sub i)(t) = K(t, s sub i) (i = 1,...,n) are linearly independent. If g sub k is sufficiently smooth (e.g. the equation adjoint to (1) has continuous coefficients), the points s sub i can be chosen arbitrarily within the non-oscillation interval, i.e. an interval in which any non-trivial solution of Eq. (1) has no more than n-1 zeros. The existence of the conditions of smoothness is not clarified. Criteria are given for the sign-preservation of K(t,s). (Author)


The present invention relates to a process for diluting hypochlorous acid and hypochlorite compositions that can produce stable compositions. The composition of the present invention comprises an allergen-attached surface, a hard surface, a food contact surface, a hospital surface, a food surface, a kitchen surface, a bath surface, a human surface, an animal surface, a military surface Can be used to treat equipment, transport equipment, children's toys, plant surfaces, seeds, outdoor surfaces, soft surfaces, air, wounds, and medical equipment.


Pharmaceutical industry drug development portfolios vary in breadth and depth. For each firm, however, the objective of improving the success rate of their marketing applications is paramount. Understanding some of the characteristics associated with marketing application success and alternatively some of the pitfalls associated with application failure may assist firms in developing more efficient drug development strategies. The purpose of this article is to review briefly some of the research that has been conducted, take note of current trends, underscore potential biases, and affirm the contribution that regulatory professionals can bring to the drug development process.


In Shillong, the capital of the northeastern Indian state of Meghalaya, Indo-Aryan languages from the plains meet the Tibeto-Burman and Austro-Asiatic minority languages of the hills, and the result is a degree of multilingualism that is high even by Indian standards. English is widely used by academic groups everywhere in India, but structured interviews with all 17 faculty members of two departments at North-Eastern Hill University in Shillong reveal special reasons why some parents now choose to use English with their children rather than their own mother tongue. Caste imposes fewer barriers in this part of India than elsewhere, and marriages across ethnic groups are common, but con ?icting kinship practices can bring complications. If a woman from a matrilineal group marries a man from a patrilineal group, both families will, according to their traditions, consider the children to belong to their kinship group. Using English with their children, rather than choosing the language of just one set of grand-parents, can be a way of avoiding potential con?ict. Thus, in addition to the use of English in higher education, increasing geographic mobility, and the general prestige of English, the con?icting demands of different kinship systems needs to be considered among the factors contributing to the spread of English at the cost of local languages in Northeast India.


In this paper, Finite Element technique is adopted to ta ke the numerical simulation of mining machine cutter's thermal spraying process. First, a FE model of flat particle is built to analyze the temperature distribution during the process of flat particle's heat exchange with base metal. Then, in order to simulate the temperature distribution and stress field variation with time as the molten drops deposit and solidify on base metal, the indirect coupling method, which loads previous results of temperature field on the model, is used to calculate the stress distribution in flat particle. Based on LS-DYNA module, the stress and strain distributions of spraying particle in the process of collision, deposition and deformation are analyzed, and the contour maps of stress or strain and energy curves in the collision process are obtained. Accordingly, the effect of preheating temperature of base metal on stress distributions is analyzed further. The results of this study not only provide theoretical support for the deposition and forming technique of plasma drop, but also offer a new research tool for studying spraying temperature, velocity and the optimization of coating interface.


A geometric spanner with vertex set P IRD is a sparse approximation of the complete Euclidean graph determined by P. We introduce the notion of partitioned neighborhood graphs (PNGs), unifying and generalizing most constructions of spanners treated in literature. Two important para meters characterizing their properties are the outdegree k 2 IN and the stretch factor f > 1 describing the 'quality' of the approximation. PNGs have been throughl y investigated with respect to small values of f . We present in this work results about small values of k. The aim of minimizingk rather thanf arises from two observations: a) k determines the amount of space required for storing PNGs. b) Many algorithms employing a (previously constructed) sp anner have running times depending on its outdegree. Our results include, for fixed dimensions D as well as asymptotically, upper and lower bounds on this optimal value of k. The upper bounds are shown constructively and yield efficient algorithms for actually computin g the corresponding PNGs even in degenerate cases. 1Partially supported by EU ESPRIT Long Term Research Project 20244 (ALCOM-IT) and DFG Grants Me872/7-1 and Me872/4-1


The author points out the problem of a low level of students' mastering the norms of orthoepical culture. As a way of solving this problem the author suggests the elective course contributing to the avoidance of orthoepical mistakes and to elevation of oral speech culture in whole.The diagnosis of pronunciation norms conducted during the course, allows imagining a picture of the students' culture of speech and finding out the methods of speech perfection.


The geometry of a river bed surface is determined by the arrangement and size of the particles that form the bed. In gravel-to-boulder bed rivers, the surface geometry around any individual particle may be complex and highly variable, and tends to include multi- particle structures. These textural and structural characteristics influence whether an individual particle is entrained. The effect on entrainment is generally described as particle hiding and protrusion, which together define the degree to which an individual particle is sheltered by surrounding particles. Two variants of a cellular automata (CA) model are used here to investigate the effect of controls on sediment entrainment resulting from particle sheltering. One model variant uses the degree of sheltering as a threshold constraint; the other variant uses the degree of sheltering as an extremal condition. There is a striking contrast in the spatial pattern of particle sizes that result with these different entrainment rules. The extremal rule results in a patchy distribution of particles sizes, in which groups of adjacent cells tend to have the same particle size. The effect of the extremal rule is roughly analogous to considering a sequence of flow events that progressively increase the overall stability of particles on the channel bed, so that over time successively higher flows are required to mobilize particles. In contrast, the threshold rule results in a channel bed that tends to coarsen with time.


The invention discloses a method for screening an alternaria alternata resistant germplasm material from a petri dish. The method comprises the following steps of: a, culturing alternaria alternata on an agar culture medium; b, carrying out shaking culture of the alternaria alternata in a Czapek culture solution; c, coarsely extracting alternaria alternata toxin; d, determining activity of the toxin by using a biological assay method; e, adding water for diluting a toxin solution and preparing a culture medium; f, carrying out 121-DEG C moist heat sterilization on a toxin-containing culture medium for 15-30min; g, disinfecting tobacco seeds; h, culturing the tobacco seeds on the toxin-containing culture medium; and I, identifying the alternaria alternata resistant tobacco germplasm material according to the condition whether a tobacco shoot root grows in the culture medium. According to the invention, the toxin-containing culture medium is prepared by using the toxin generated by the alternaria alternata, the tobacco seeds are cultured on the culture medium, and the alternaria alternata resistant germplasm material is directly screened from the tobacco seeds rapidly, economically, conveniently and reliably. The method can replace field test screening and can be used for screening the alternaria alternata resistant germplasm material in the petri dish.


A fuzzy controller of automated mechanical transmission (AMT) clutch in starting phase is developed based on driverpsilas experiences. Focused on the problem that ordinary fuzzy controller design has a lot of subjective factors and the fuzzy controller is difficult to optimize, the fuzzy control model of the AMT clutch was optimized based on adaptive-network-based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) algorithm and the training, test and simulation analysis were performed for the fuzzy neural network model. The results prove that the membership functions of fuzzy model obtain the satisfactory effect. Applying the optimization model in the simulation, the new control system can avoid the start jerk and better respond to the starting intention of driver.


The present invention discloses a cotton knit fabric production process, the process is as follows: turning → woven cloth → pretreatment → mercerized singeing → → → dehydration → dyeing slitting → drying → → finished silky finish. In weaving, the yarn length of the yarn 10 to 20% increase in the yarn length based on conventional weaving; in the mordenite, the mordenite identified possible speed and mercerized formulation, and by making the lateral width of fabric overfeed expansion of 15 to 25 %; the former process, the following material selection: bath of caustic soda wrinkle agents, alkali refining penetrant, cotton, and hydrogen peroxide; in dyeing, sodium sulfate and sodium carbonate addition time are longer than conventional; in finishing silky, silky finish using amino-modified silicone polyether polyurethane-based and water-based finishing agent in a weight ratio of 1.8: 1 to 2.2: 1 complex. The advantages: by the production process of the present invention, that the cotton knitted fabric having a high elasticity and silky feel, smooth fabric, the size of a good shape stability and excellent drape performance.


IN THE USE OF PREFABRICATED METHODS OF CONSTRUCTION IN PRESTRESSED CONCRETE BRIDGE BUILDING, LONGITUDINAL BEAMS ARE FIRST PRODUCED, WHICH ARE THEN JOINED TO THE DECK SLAB AND TRANSVERSE BEAMS IN A PLATE CONSTRUCTION. THE HEAVY PRESTRESSED CONCRETE BEAMS MAY ALSO BE CONCRETED ON SITE BY MEANS OF SLIDING STEEL FORMWORK. ONLY A HALF SHUTTER IS THEN REQUIRED, WHICH CONSISTS OF A PRESTRESSED HOLLOW BOX GIRDER. THE SHUTTER SOFFIT IS SUSPENDED UNDERNEATH. PARTIAL PRESTRESSING COMPENSATES FOR THE SELF WEIGHT MOMENTS. DURING CONCRETING PRESTRESSING IS APPLIED GRADUALLY. A WARM AIR PLANT WITH A VENTILATOR PRODUCES THERMAL ENERGY AND A WARM AIR CURRENT. ONE BEAM PER DAY IS PRODUCED. THE FOLLOWING SAVINGS ARE ACHIEVED: CONCRETE 10 - 20%, TRANSVERSE REINFORCEMENT 40%, NORMAL STEEL REINFORCEMENT 20 - 40%. COMPLETED STRUCTURES ARE DESCRIBED.


Working parents often use out of-school time (OST) learning and enrichment programs to help meet their need for child care, and these programs are incredibly diverse. Over the summer and during afterschool hours, thousands of programs are run by child care centers, public and private schools, universities, community-based organizations, libraries, parks, recreation centers, faith-based organizations, housing authorities, police athletic leagues, families, friends, neighbors, and others. These programs offer valuable learning and enrichment experiences to millions of children and youth. A variety of program topics spark excitement and learning, including arts, music, sports, literacy, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), character development, and community service.


The effects of misting frequency and temperature regime on basidiospore infection and lesion development of target spot of tobacco were determined. Three isolates of Thanatephorus cucumeris (Rhizoctonia solani AG-2-2) produced hymenia and basidiospores equally when exposed to moderate temperatures and extended periods of high relative humidity. Optimum temperatures for hymenium production, infection, and lesion development were 16-30, 20-26, and 20-30 C, respectively. Hymenium production was very minimal at temperatures above 30 C or at any temperature in the absence of misting (...)


The present application discloses a method and apparatus for monitoring network performance data access site, comprising: a data acquisition module acquires the source network site session data in real time; data building block according to the source data session and the session identifier collation station to the storage buffer device; calculating data module for each session classified in a new classification session data cache, then the effect of the new access data of the new session data corresponding to the calculation, the effect of the new access data combining the total effect prior to accessing the data, to obtain access to the latest total effect data; when the clearing module calculates cached session failure classification performance data session expires, the session fails to effect the latest data on the total combined accessing data in effect; the failure to clear data session from the session storage device. With the present invention, the processing efficiency can be improved access site monitoring network performance data, improve real-time monitoring.


Objectives : Antioxidant, Anticancer and Antibacterial Activities of Naesohwangryntang and its composition oriental medicines. Methods : We were experimented anti-oxidation effect and growth inhibition ability on cancer cells and antibacterial activity on various kinds of bacteria of skin. Results : The results were obtained as follows : Electron donating ability(EDA) of water extract Naesohwangryntang and ethanol extract Naesohwangryntang was 60% and 70% at 1000 ppm concentration. In the test of SOD-like activity, ethanol extract showed more activity with 27.4% in 700 ppm, while water extract was low in 19.6%. Clear zones formed by sample against the human skin-resident microflora indicated that anti-microbial activity of ethanol extract Naesohwangryntang was higher than that of water extract Naesohwangryntang. The growth inhibition rates of each sample on lung-cancer(A549), at 1000 ppm cancer cell was over 40%. The growth inhibition rate of the each sample melanoma-cancer(B16F10, G361), at 1000 ppm was over 80%. Conclusions : The results indicated that, ethanol extract which is superior in its anti-oxidation and antibacterial effect is useful to be applied in cosmetic industry.


Objective To study the variation of comprehensive immune state and red cell indices of patients with psoriasis before and after the treatment of Xiaoyin Decoction combined with external medicine.Methods 90 patients with psoriasis in our hospital from March 2010 to March 2012 were selected as research object,and they were randomly divided into control group(Zetar Lotion group) and observation group(Xiaoyin Decoction combined with Zetar Lotion group),with 45 cases in each group,then the serum immunoglobulin,peripheral blood T lymphocyte subsets and erythrocyte CD35 molecule,erythrocyte CD59 molecule,mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration(MCHC),erythrocyte mean corpuscular volume(MCV),RBC rosette forming enhancement rate(RFER),RBC rosette forming inhibitor rate(RFIR) of two groups before and after the treatment at second and fourth week were compared.Results The immunoglobulin A(IgA),immunoglobulin G(IgG) and complement C3,C4 of observation group after the treatment at second and fourth week were all lower than those of control group,immunoglobulin M(IgM) were higher than those of control group,CD3+,CD4+,CD4/CD8 and NK were all higher than those of control group,CD8+ was lower than that of control group,erythrocyte CD35 molecule,erythrocyte CD59 molecule,RFIR and MCV were all lower than those of control group,RFER and MCHC were all higher than those of control group,there were all significant differences(all P 0.05).Conclusion Xiaoyin Decoction combined with external medicine can significantly improve the comprehensive immune state and red cell indices of patients with psoriasis,and it also plays an active clinical role in improving the disease state of patients.


Objectives: To evaluate the application of Crystal Vue in fetal gastrointestinal tract. Methods: We compared the Samsung WS80A Crystal Vue with two dimension and three dimension in 24 fetuses of different gestational weeks (GW) between January 2017 and January 2018, 1 case of 13 GW, 15 cases of 18∼25 GW, 5 cases of 28∼32 GW, 4 cases over 35 GW. Crystal Vue imaging were compared with 2D, 3D, MRI and pathologic examination in 4 fetuses with malformation, 2 cases with duodenal atresia (DA), 2 cases with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). Results: Crystal Vue could delineate the fetal intestinal wall and lumen in different GW, and is considered better than 2D, 3D and MRI T2WI. For the cases with CDH, the imaging of intestinal tract herniating into the thoracic cavity on Crystal Vue is similar to MRI; as for the cases with DA, the dilated esophagus, stomach and duodenum were better delineated on Crystal Vue than MRI. Conclusions: Samsung WS80A Crystal Vue is a non-invasive and convenient fast imaging technology, and is evaluable in evaluating the fetal gastrointestinal tract, not only in normal development, but also in diagnosis of gastrointestinal malformation.


+Deuerling, J M; Roeder, R K +University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN firstname.lastname@example.com INTRODUCTION: Decreases in the magnitude of the anisotropic elastic constants of human cortical bone have been correlated with aging [1] and microdamage accumulation [2], as well as bone diseases such as osteoporosis [3] and osteogenesis imperfecta [4]. Specimen-specific micromechanical models may be useful in the study of these conditions, in which concomitant, deleterious changes in multiple structural parameters may adversely affect mechanical properties. The objective of this study was to examine the relative influence of various structural parameters across multiple length scales on the magnitude and anisotropy of human cortical bone elastic constants using a multiscale micromechanical model. The micromechanical model was previously shown to accurately predict specimen-specific anisotropic elastic constants for human cortical bone specimens [5].


Abstract The CaGeO3 and SrGeO3 perovskites and CaGeO3, SrGeO3, and MnGeO3 pyroxenoids have been studied at high-temperature by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray absorption fine-structure spectroscopy (XAFS). The diffraction studies show that the back-transformation of the perovskite begins at lower temperature for SrGeO3 (~500 K) than CaGeO3 (~945 K). An intensity reduction of the Bragg lines and the presence of a diffuse band in the diffraction patterns show the occurrence of transient amorphous phases. This transient phase contains Ge in fourfold and sixfold coordination after the loss of CaGeO3 and SrGeO3 perovskites, respectively. The recrystallization of the stable pyroxenoids occurs at higher temperature in a second step of the transformation. For these compounds, the anharmonic character of the first Ge-O bond was extracted from the XAJFS analysis. For the perovskites, we observed that the bulk thermal expansion and the Ge-O bond anharmonicity are closely connected. Both parameters are higher for cubic SrGeO3 and simultaneously increase near 525 K. when CaGeO3 changes symmetry. For the pyroxenoids, our calculated tetrahedral thermal expansion is lower than for the bulk, with Ge-O bond anharmonicity very low. Close to the melting point, anomalous motion of the tetrahedral chains is suggested by a significant increase of the Ge-O bond length.


By understanding the productions of pop culture as spaces for the generation of meanings, affections and knowledge, this research is intended to evaluate how the funk acts when triggering the identity recognition of women. To elaborate the logic of thought, notions of gender, pop culture and identity are articulated. The analysis is made possible through the Funk de Mina web documentary, produced in Brazil in 2019. The methodological movement comes from the French Discourse Analysis. After theoretical and empirical research, it's noticed that funk is an agent that can promote ruptures (and new meanings of freedom) in the identity of women.


Objective: The objective is to develop an algorithm of initial antimicrobial treatment of urinary tract infection (UTI) concidering the etiological factor Enterococcus faecalis , having spontaneous resistance to cephalosporins. Methods: The analysis of 6438 results of urine bacteriological examination of children with UTI, having received the treatment in multi-field children's hospital for 9 years, and clinical manifestations of UTI associated with E. faecalis in 181 patients was carried out. Addirionally, antimicrobial susceptibility testing was carried out in 60 cultures of E. faecalis . Results: E. faecalis is occurred to be the second etiological factor of UTI in order of importance in children and had high priority in its development in newborns. The detected diagnostic markers of UTI associated with E. faecalis , and its antimicrobial susceptibility are represented in the author-developed algorithm of the initial antimicrobial treatment. Conclusions: The algorithm of the initial antimicrobial treatment of UTI caused by E. faecalis will help to prescribe a sustainable, early antimicrobial treatment at the stage of microbe identification.


A notable feature of the island studies literature is the gap at the level of research and data on gender issues. This paper look at the gender dimensions of political representation in two Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Indian Ocean: Mauritius and Seychelles. The paper discusses the gendered aspects of scale, boundedness, isolation and fragmentation that are characteristic of island states in the contexts of Mauritius and Seychelles. Mauritius and Seychelles both inherited British colonial structures and became independent in 1968 and 1976. Smallness is a salient feature of both islands, but women's political trajectories and success differ substantially. Drawing from published sources, this paper attempts to explain the different trends in gendered political presence in Mauritius and Seychelles. The paper also discusses the implications for women's political empowerment in SIDS.


Elderly patients frequently complain of dry eyes or mouth, and physicians often respond with an evaluation for rheumatologic disease and Sjogren syndrome. Maryland researchers studied 2,481 patients aged 65 to 84 years to assess the prevalence of dry eyes, dry mouth, or both, and associated …


For aesthetics circles,the research about Chinese aesthetic tradition was confined to objective and subjective thinking mode and often regard western aesthetic tradition as the consult frame.The appearance of life aesthetics has changed this state fundamently.The life aesthetics can explain Chinese aesthetic tradition deeply and penetratingly and explain Chinese aesthetics issue that ot her group can′t explain.So,the life aesthetic expounded the source and core of beauty vividly in studying China′s aesthetics tradition research.


The method is proposed for mosaicing the low overlap image sequence. The overlap areas of the low overlap images can be detected robustly by using the way of power-of-two square-image, and the computation of non-matching pixels can be reduced. The brightness of images is pre-processed in the way of diffusing brightness to eliminate the brightness difference in the panorama. The experiment shows that the method has good effect on mosaicing the low overlap images.


We review our recent results on the J PC = 0 −− exotic hybrid charmonium mass and J PC = 0 −+ , 1 −− and 1 ++ nonexotic hybrid charmonium spectrum from anisotropic improved lattice QCD and discuss the relevance to the recent discovery of the Y (4260) state and future experimental search for other states.


Abstract : The primary motivation for multi-sensor image fusion is to combine the complementary information derived from different modality sensors. Building on the work reported in two of our earlier papers from IRIS Passive Sensors 1996, we show how opponent-color processing and center-surround shunting neural networks can be used to develop a variety of image fusion architectures. By emulating single-opponent color processing cells in the retina, and double-opponent color cells in primary visual cortex, we demonstrate an effective strategy for color image fusion as applied to: low-light visible and thermal IR fusion for color night vision, 6-band multispectral fusion for camouflage detection, EO/IR/SAR multi-modal fusion from separate sensor platforms. We have also developed a realtime visible/IR fusion processor from multiple C80 DSP chips using commercially available boards, and use it in conjunction with the Lincoln Lab low-light CCD and an uncooled IR camera. Limited human factors testing of visible/IR fusion has shown improved human performance using our color fused imagery as compared to alternative fusion strategies or either single image modality alone. We conclude that fusion architectures which match opponent-sensor contrasts to human opponent-color pathways will yield fused image products of high image quality and utility.


In the last three decades, water shortages have become more common and have left an increasing and significant mark on the world economy. The lack of water in arid and semi-arid regions, along with the interest in water security in areas where the demand for water exceeds its availability, has caused water reuse to be considered as an alternative source in these areas and has prompted the authorities to change from the usual linear, take–make–use management approach to the circular management of resource preservation. This new approach to sustainable management, using the management of reduction, reuse, recycling, and recovery, is called the circular economy (CE). However, although the potential for the reuse of treated wastewater is still insipient, CE in the water sector has gained a lot of attention lately. The aim of this paper is to systematically examine existing research published in the last five years on CE implementation in the water and wastewater sector. A sample of 64 articles was found through interactive keyword selection. Using the dynamic reading technique, data were extracted, and articles were classified according to five research motivations, which include, political, economic, legal, institutional, technical, and environmental. Most publications were from institutions in Europe, followed by North America and Asia. A similar trend was observed in terms of the distribution by authors, countries, and regions.


Lili Luo Academy of Fine arts,Qujing Normal University Qujing, Yunnan, China 655011 Abstract: Watercolor painting is one of many forms of painting. Because of its strong expressiveness of context and rich connotation, it has a certain sense of hierarchy, and is highly sought after by art lovers. With years of development and evolution, watercolor painting has gradually formed a unique set of artistic aesthetic characteristics, and presented a more diversified development trend in artistic expression. This article discusses the artistic characteristics and artistic innovation of watercolor painting successively, in order to let more people understand watercolor painting and devote themselves to the research and learning of watercolor painting.


Digital Speckle Pattern Interferometry (DSPI) is one of modern optical measurement techniques. It has the advantage of non-contacting, whole field, high measurement accuracy and without special process of the surface to be measured. With the development of computer science and electronics, DSPI is used more and more widely. This paper systematically presents the principle of speckles and measurements by DSPI. Optical measurement system based on DSPI was built for demonstrate. In order to quantitative determination of the distribution of phase change, several imaging process and pattern evaluation methods are discussed and compared. Phase shifting techniques and phase pattern filter methods also were described in detail. In this paper, some experiments results were given, which clearly demonstrate that that the methods are effective for processing pattern.


It analyzes the father image of the hotel keeper in Hemingway's short story Cat in the Rain from the perspective of Speech Act Theoy.Firstly,it presents the frame work of Speech Act Theory.According to Austin,there are two types of sentences: performatives and constatives.Yule further presents the action performed by producing an utterance will consist of three related acts: locutionary act,illocutionary act,and perlocutionary act.Then it analyzes respectively the speech act of the husband,the hotel keeper,and the wife.Through the analysis,the daughter image of the wife and the coldness of the husband the reveal and accentuate the father image of the hotel keeper who is considerate to his daughter and gives his daughter selfless love.Furthermore,it unfolds a broader horizon for readers to understand and appreciate the story.


Objective:Purpose to investigate the relationship between the thyroid hormonelevel and the actute deficient syndrome according to the traditional Chinese Medicine theory.Methods Radioimmunoassay was used to measure the tridothyronine(T3),thyroxine(T4),thyroid-stimulating hormone(TSH) of 103 patients who were diagnosed with acute deficient syndrome. The patients were divided into 4 groups according to their deficiency of Qi, Blood, Yin and Yang. We also compare the levels of thyroid hormone between the acute Yin-deficient syndrome group and the acute Yang-deficient syndrome group.Results The mean level of thyroid hormone is significantly lower than the control group.The highest level of thyroid hormone is acute Qi-deficient syndrome group, while the lowest group is the acute Yang-deficient syndrome group.The thyroid hormone level increased when the patients were cured; while it decreased when the patients were not cured,which has significant differencte comparing with before treatment.Conclusions The thyroid hormone level is related to the acute deficient syndrome, manifested as abnormal syndromes with normal thyroid function which is different from traditional thyroid functioning diseases. The thyroid hormone level also has clinical significance to the prognosis and development of the diseases.


Residual stresses due to manufacturing process in steel sections reduce the column strength. This reduction is more important for medium slenderness ratio(40 < l/r < 120). So, the column strength curve should be based on analysis that includes the effect of residual stresses through the cross section. This paper presents a geometrically exact finite element formulation to consider material and geometric nonlinearities of steel plane frames, including distributed-plasticity analysis. The Corrotacional technique is used to obtain the element's tangent stiffness matrix, considering self equilibrated residual stresses. The formulation accuracy is showed in the examples. The strengths predicted by the proposed formulation are compared with those predicted by the NBR 8800/06 review project, proving the efficiency of this approach as an Advanced Analysis Method.


In order to reduce the brittleness of boron nitride (BN) coatings while maintaining a sufficiently high abrasion resistance, a composite material consisting of a cubical (c-BN) and additionally hexagonal (h-BN) variety was produced, slightly lowering the hardness, but significantly increasing the fracture toughness of the coating. For this purpose, the pulse plasma method was used, which made it possible to produce such material. In the presented tests, BN was produced with this method at various voltage parameters of the process, examining the influence of this parameter on the susceptibility of coatings to brittle cracking, the value of the critical load and the work of fracture for an average total crack length of 300 µm. The Palmqvist's method was used to assess the brittleness of the coatings. Through the use of different discharge voltage values, it was possible to obtain BN coatings with different structures and the share of chemical bonds. These studies contribute to the process of conscious design of coating materials with the most advantageous technological and operational properties. The final verification and selection of the variant of the anti-wear coating manufacturing process from the c-BN+h-BN composite material was made based on cutting ability tests. Based on cutting ability tests, diagrams of wear and durability of replaceable carbide inserts with composite coatings were determined for the assumed value of the blunting index VBmax = 0.7 mm.


Today, there is practically no gas chromatograph without a flame ionization detector. Besides the use of partition as the basis of separation and the open-tubular columns, it can be considered as the third most important invention in gas chromatography (GC). Most GC users take the flame ionization detector for granted, and very few are aware of its origin and the background behind its invention. This month's Milestones in Chromatography deals with this subject: the reasons that led to its invention, the development of the flame ionization detector, and its rapid triumph in becoming the universal detector in GC.


With the overwhelming use of the internet in the field of E Commerce and online trade, internet attacks has been increased from last decade. Among the different internet attacks, phishing is most popular attack. Phishing is technique to steal someone's sensitive information such as passwords, account details, or credit card numbers. Fake websites are the basic source of phishing attacks .The appearance of fake website is very similar to the original one. Moreover, malicious web sites, which look very similar to original one, are used to impersonate the victim's sensitive information. Thus different ways are presented by various researchers to overcome the problem of phishing. In this paper, a novel anti phishing framework is proposed to overcome these problems


In this paper,the zirconite cathodeluminescence and dating data are used to analyze the provenance of Hetaoyuan formation in Wuyang sag.It is firstly confirmed that the provenances of He-2 sections in Well Wucan-3 and Well Wu-8 are all from the southern margin of the sag.Namely,the sand bodies of braided river delta in the southern slope of Wuyang sag in the period of Hetaoyuan formation moved far toward the inner sag and those near the northern steep slope distributed along the boundary fault.This discovery plays a key role in petroleum exploration and deployment of Wuyang sag in the future.


Variable frequency speed constant pressure governing water supply is a kind of new technology in water supply.It has the characteristics of high efficiency and energy saving.However the system must run in the zone of high efficiency,otherwise,it will not show the energy saving superiority.The paper analyzes the way variable frequency speed governing pump and constant speed pump work in the zone of high efficiency.the paper indicates that,when selecting a series of variable frequency speed governing water supply facilities,corresponding warer pump must be calculated considering the constant pressure value set to ensure the feature of energy saving.


Fruit ripening has fostered the growth of a large-scale global industry in agricultural products. As a result of ripening techniques, fruits can be harvested while green, to be eventually sold with the appearance of full maturity in countries far from their point of origin. Given the size of the import market for fruits and vegetables in the United States, nearly fifty percent of all fruits and vegetables are imported. Arguably, consumers are highly dependent on the actions of regulatory authorities to ensure the food safety of imports. This paper will explore the use of calcium carbide in fruit ripening, specifically addressing the application of the chemical in the ripening of mangoes. After providing an overview of fruit and mango imports to the U.S., the paper will evaluate the known risks to human health from calcium carbide ripening. Following will be a discussion of current domestic regulatory protections specific to calcium carbide. The paper concludes with an evaluation of emerging risks and opportunities, promoting consumer education as a regulatory policing and risk mitigation strategy.


This research paper proposes an image processing algorithm for tracking nonrigid moving objects such as humans in outdoor locations. Since the camera itself moves, it is believed that an effective method extracts and tracks the movement object by using the differences in the flow against the background, rather than by using intensitybased background subtraction. However, since nonrigid objects are tracked outdoors, the flow is partially lost due to variation in the shape and aspect, occlusion due to obstacles, passage through high-contrast backgrounds, and other factors, so the tracking center of gravity is not stable, and tracking is often lost. In view of the above, tracking is carried out in the proposed method by using areas referred to as "temporally averaged silhouettes," which are obtained by accumulating small areas extracted by the difference between the background and the flow while positioning the small areas in pixel units across a number of frames. Since the flow is observed over a long period of time instead of carrying out detailed spatial calculations, the area of the moving object can be stably calculated even if the flow partially disappears, so computational efficiency is good. The results of experiments using scenes with humans in motion confirm that stable tracking results that are equivalent to or better than cases in which the flow is calculated for the entire image (about 1200 points) are obtained by using a flow with a small number of points (average: 64 points) in the combined moving-object and background areas. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 37(12): 69–81, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ scj.20490


The establishment of the project and the development process of the system are introduced.The main advancement in the design of the system in comparison with the traditional manual manage-ment and the main technologic innovations are described in detail.The application of the system is also introduced.In the whole process of design and development,the method and technology of software engineering are followed strictly,which makes the developed system very convenient,practicable and secure.


The onset of chronic illness or disability can have a significant impact on the quality of life of the individual. Chronic illness and disability (CID) may be assessed by their type of onset, life threat implications, course, level of controllability, and degree of imposed functional limitations. Among the most frequently experienced functional limitations are those of: mobility, manipulation, sensory, communication, consciousness, fatigue, cognitive, and social. Numerous internal and external variables typically interact to influence the individual's psychosocial adaptation to CID. Most frequently researched psychosocial reactions to the onset of CID include those of: anxiety, denial, depression, anger, and acceptance.

Keywords:

adaptation;
disability;
illness


Conglutinin and mannan-binding protein are serum proteins that have similar carbohydrate binding specificities toward high mannose-type oligosaccharides, and yet only conglutinin binds the complement glycoprotein iC3b, which contains oligosaccharides of this type. In the present study, the interactions of conglutinin and mannan-binding protein were evaluated with the complement glycoprotein C3, including various physiologically derived fragments of this glycoprotein, and neoglycolipids prepared from oligosaccharides released from C3 and its isolated alpha and beta chains. Several conclusions can be drawn. First, the interaction of conglutinin is profoundly influenced by the state of the protein moiety of the alpha chain in the vicinity of the glycosylation site Asn-917. Second, the binding to the C3-derived glycoprotein iC3b appears to be exclusively mediated through the Man8 or Man9 oligosaccharide on the alpha chain; there is no evidence for other N-linked oligosaccharides on C3 that are uniquely bound by conglutinin. Third, although conglutinin shows a more restricted binding relative to mannan-binding protein toward the oligosaccharides free of protein, it has a broader binding pattern toward the oligosaccharides as presented on C3-derived glycoproteins. From these and additional observations with RNase B, which contains high mannose-type oligosaccharides at Asn-34, it is clear that the protein moieties of these glycoproteins markedly influence the presentation of the oligosaccharides such that biological specificity is mediated by the commonly occurring high mannose-type oligosaccharides in the context of specific carrier proteins.


Microglial cells are thought to be major inflammatory cells in the central nervous system; however, sufficient information about the effects of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) in microglial cells is lacking. The present study compared the innate immune responses of the murine microglial cell line BV2 to dsRNA and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). It showed that the effect of dsRNA was similar to that of LPS treatment. The dsRNA induced several pro-inflammatory factors such as TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, and IL-1Ra. Furthermore, the expression level of COX-2 was increased after treatment with dsRNA. However, the induction level of IL-1β by dsRNA was less than those of the other cytokines that were measured. These results suggest that, although both dsRNA and LPS trigger pro-inflammatory responses, the intracellular signaling pathway and inflammation pattern of dsRNA and LPS may be different. Therefore, dsRNA produced during viral infection could precipitate neurological abnormalities through chronic inflammation.


. Increased urbanization of population can lead to an increase in urban population, this is also in line with the projected percentage of urban population in 2020 of 56.7%, in 2030 at 63.4% and in 2045 at 72.9% (BPS , Projection of Indonesian Population 2015-2045). The impact of increasing population and not coupled with the provision of space needs in this case the provision of housing facilities and infrastructure can cause urban problems. One of the urban problems that can arise is the problem of slums. Slums are settlements that are not suitable for habitation because of irregularity in buildings, high levels of building density, and the quality of buildings and facilities and infrastructure that do not meet the requirements (Law No. 1 of 2011, Article 1). Slums have sprung up and become a problem in several regions in Indonesia, especially big cities, such as Surabaya, Jakarta, Makassar, and also the City of Bandung. The city of Bandung as the capital of West Java Province is also experiencing problems of slums, one of the slum areas in the city of Bandung, which is located in Tamansari Village, Bandung Wetan District. Problems that occur in the Tamansari sub-district, especially the research sites in RW 12 and RW 13, are Environmental Degradation, Functional Degradation, and Visual Degradation. The purpose of this study is to create the concept of Renewal of slum areas. The approach method used is a theoretical approach, normative approach, comparative approach, participatory approach, and descriptive statistical approach. The results of this study in the form of Urban renewal concepts include the concept of structure (neigborhood unit), the concept of urban design elements (Hamid Shirvani, 1985) (land use concept, building mass management concept, green open space (RTH) concept, pedestrian path concept and network concept utility), and the concept of green city.


3 JULY 1921 * 13 JANUARY 2005 BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY is a venue not only for promoting useful knowledge, but for promoting deep and lasting friendships-many of which, indeed, go on in their own way to promote useful (and even interesting) knowledge. In the more than twenty-five years of my membership I have repeatedly experienced this, and nowhere more profoundly than in my friendship with Roland Mushat Frye. We were probably, if my departed Calvinist friend and colleague will permit me to use the word, "predestined" to such a friendship: he a historian of English literature, above all of Shakespeare and Milton, who devoted professional-level attention to the history of Christian doctrine; I a historian of Christian doctrine with a passion for studying not only the theological explosion of doctrine and creed but the cultural fallout from that explosion, especially in literature and the arts. We knew each other's publications, of course, but I don't think we had ever met in person before. Once we did meet, we found an inexhaustible supply of topics to discuss, and we managed to sit together at meetings and meals (as well as, of course, on the inevitable committees). He persuaded me to join the board of the Center for Theological Inquiry (which he had helped to found), under the chairmanship of the redoubtable James Iley McCord, president of Princeton Theological Seminary, of whom Roland and I used to say, in a mixture of good humor and awe, that in an undivided Christendom he would have been pope. At the joint meeting of the Society and the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei in Rome in May 1996, where I gave a paper on the interaction of Hellenic and Christian elements in Byzantine thought, Roland, in a presentation so gentle in its manner that this might have disguised the sheer bravado of the intellectual enterprise, probed the moral ambiguity of Macbeth as a key to the issues of character and power in twentieth-century totalitarianism. The paper was vintage Frye, combining an explication de texte with parallels and contrasts that others had not noticed. That combination of perspectives is powerfully at work in the book for which he is probably best known, Milton's Imagery and the Visual Arts (Princeton, 1978), which received the Holly Hanford Award from the Milton Society of America as well as the John Frederick Lewis Award from the American Philosophical Society (which went on in 1997 to award him its Thomas Jefferson Medal for Distinguished Achievement in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences). Presbyterian scholars are not generally known for their study of icons and other "graven images," and neither was the Puritanism out of which John Milton came. But Milton's epic poems, with their sonority of language and unforgettable rhythms that demand to be read out loud, are no less notable for their visual power. It is to the eyes, or to the inner eye of the soul, that Milton's description in Paradise Lost of the habitation of the fallen Satan as "no light, but rather darkness visible" speaks. Over and over again, the depth and beauty of the status integritatis violated by "man's first disobedience" are called back to memory by means of strikingly pictorial language. Probing for the sources of this language, the book looks at two bodies of material that are usually kept hermetically sealed (or hermeneutically sealed?) from each other in the division of labor between specialized scholars: the theological definitions of human nature, divine grace, and original sin that had been worked out for the Western church above all by Saint Augustine, in a schematism that largely survived the Reformation of the sixteenth century; and the artistic and iconographic tradition, with roots going back in some cases to the Byzantine icons, which reached its zenith in Renaissance and post-Renaissance painting and sculpture. With an uncanny eye for small details and their possible reflection of this or that doctrinal emphasis, Roland Frye reconstructed Milton's artistic and theological universe, which the poet then depicted in Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, and Samson Agonistes. …


Much of Richard hookers (1554—4600) career was spent in theological controversy concerning the constitutional provisions of the Elizabethan Settlement of 1559 (Kirby 2008: 1—26). In his capacity as Master of the Temple in the Inns of Court, Ih)oker preached a series of sermons in the mid1 580s on some of the central themes of Ref ormation theology, including A Lea,'ntd I)iscoiirse OJJJ/StlJIcatlon, an influential piece on the doctrine of faith and salvation first published in 1612 (Hooker 1977—90: 5:83ff.). Hooker's orthodoxy was formally challenged by the disciplinarian Puritan divine Walter Travers in A Supplication made to the Privy Council: he sharply challenged Hooker's strong appeal to the authority of reason and natural law in religious and ecclesiastical matters as inconsistent with the chief tenets of reformed doctrinal ortho doxy (Hooker 1977—90: 5: 261—9). Hookers formal Answer (Ilooker 1977—90: 5:227—57) to Travurs's objections laid the groundwork of the philosophical and theo logical system, which he expounded, in considerably greater detail, in his treatise of the 1590s, Of the Laws of Eccleiiastical Pout 3, From the outset the question of the consistency of Hooker's defence of the 'Erastian'' presuppositions of the Elizabethan religious settlement with his theological Premises — more specifically on the question of the unification of civil and ecclesiastical jurisdiction in the Crown — lay at the very heart of these disputes.


A mesoscale oscillatory baffled reactor ("meso-OBR") was used as a continuous screening platform to rapidly investigate the operating conditions for acid-catalysed production of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) from triglyceride feedstock. The acid catalyst used was 4dodecylbenzenesulphonic acid (DBSA), and the triglyceride feedstock was rapeseed oil (RSO). The parameter space was explored using a Design of Experiments (DoE) methodology. The variables screened were the oscillatory mixing intensity (the oscillatory Reynolds number: Reo), methanol-to-RSO molar ratio, catalyst-to-oil molar ratio and residence time (τ). The mesoOBR attained steady states rapidly (within 1.1 – 1.5 residence times) indicating rapid startup/changeover time, thereby minimising waste. The oscillatory mixing intensity required was low, at Reo ≥ 83, making the energy consumption relatively low. Over 98% conversion of RSO to FAME was found to be achievable at 60C, a methanol-to-oil molar ratio of 6.5:1, a catalystto-oil molar ratio of 0.48:1 and residence time of 120min. This molar ratio is significantly lower than that used for conventional acid catalysis (typically >9:1). Furthermore, the screening by DoE has led to identification of sets of conditions for high conversion at significantly lower a Corresponding author: Luma Sh. Al-Saadi Email: firstname.lastname@example.com temperatures than previously reported. Significantly, the temperatures are now below the ambient pressure boiling point of the methanol.


Patients with myasthenia gravis or other neuromuscular disorders are subject to increasing weakness of bulbar-innervated muscles, with resulting aspiration or catastrophic airway compromise. The available practical assessments of bulbar function in children are inadequate. We report our experience with the "slurp" test, a new bedside measure of bulbar function, in children with myasthenia gravis. Our experience suggests that the test is valuable for identifying patients with probable serious compromise of bulbar function, for monitoring such children during times of intercurrent illness, and for guiding therapy.


From 1948 through 1970, 164 histologically diagnosed cases of primary liver carcinoma were managed at Charity Hospital in New Orleans. The disease was five times more common in males, and most frequently occurred in the 6th and 7th decades of life. Weight loss, upper abdominal pain, anorexia, and jaundice made up the most significant symptom complex. Hepatomegaly was the most common physical finding. Approximately 85% of the cases were hepatocellular carcinoma. Extra‐hepatic metastases were present in 55% of the 120 cases which came to autopsy. Lung, regional nodes, adrenals, and bone were the favored sites. Tumor was limited to one lobe in 32% of cases. Cirrhosis of the liver was diagnosed in 56%. Six patients underwent hepatic resection; 1 lived over 3 years, and 1 is alive 3 1/2 years after operation. Twelve patients received chemotherapy; 1 was alive at 2 1/2 years. Forty‐nine patients had an intra‐abdominal operative procedure. Over‐all survival data for operated vs. non‐operated cases did not vary significantly. Twenty‐seven patients had percutaneous liver biopsy; the death of 3 was directly attributable to intra‐abdominal hemorrhage after this procedure. Cancer 33:1624–1629, 1974.


Key Laboratory of Functional Inorgan University), Ministry of Education, Schoo Harbin 150080, P. R. China. E-mail: jinglq@ College of Environmental and Chemical Science and Technology, Harbin 150027, P. † Electronic supplementary information XZnO–CN (A) and Ysilicate-bridged Zn XZnO–CN (A) and Ysilicate-bridged ZnO– 10ZnO–CN (B), 5silicate-bridged ZnO–CN 5silicate-bridged ZnO–CN (D) (inset indic and 5silicate-bridged ZnO–CN); Fig. S Ysilicate-bridged ZnO–CN and the ins wavenumber of 800–1150; Fig. S5 SS-SP and 5silicate-bridged ZnO–CN in diff responses of XZnO–CN (A) and Ysilicatecurves and the inset is the electrochem irradiation; Fig. S8 photocatalytic degrad Ysilicate-bridged ZnO–CN (B) and the r ZnO–CN for photodegradation of phenol Cite this: RSC Adv., 2015, 5, 37275


Cermet blades were successfully subjected to 100hour endurance tests at normal gas temperatures in a turbojet engine in order to evaluate two methods for mounting them. The method of support considered best for high-temperature operation was then used to mount a group of four cermet blades. This group was sublected to an average turbine-inlet gas temperature of 2000 F. Thermal distortion of the spacer band of the nozzle diaphragm might have caused the premature fracture or one cermet blade after 52 hours. Improved design of a service engine should preclude such failures. (auth)


The problems and defections of the existing methods of SVM multiclass classification are analyzed. To solve these problems, an SVM multiclass classification based on binary tree is put forward. In order to verify the effectiveness of this method, experiments have been made on UCI database, and the experimeatal results are satisfaoto-


Since the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) program began in 1992, activities have expanded and flourished. The three economic corridors are composed of the East-West, North-South, and Southern; these are the most important parts of the flagship program. This article presents an evaluation of these economic corridors and their challenges in accordance with the regional distribution of population and income, population pyramids of member countries, and trade relations of member economies.


Based on object-oriented analysis (OOA) and design (OOD) on the conception model and the software implementation model of lower-tier missile defense battle system, the paper discusses the object model of lower-tier missile defense battle and the object class conception of lower-tier missile defense battle . The object simulation model and the object classify structure of lower-tier missile defense battle is given .


For the development of hypersensitiveness caused by pheophorbide, light exposure is an essential factor. This paper deals with the effects of the intensity and irradiation schedule of the light on the development of the hypersensitiveness. When 5mg pheophorbide in 0.5ml dimethylsulfoxide were injected into the rat's peritoneum and exposed to visible light (100V, 300W) for 5hr, the rats were dead. However after injection, when the rats were kept in complete darkness for exactly 6hr, the rats were survived. It was not observed that the dosage of pheophorbide fed per os during a long period caused the deposit of the material. We found that the photodynamic sensitization of hypersensitiveness did not depend on the eyeballs but on the extent of epiderm. In order to compare with the full-haired rats they were depilated one-half. But the effect of depilation was not observed. (Received January 17, 1976)


Dibenzylideneacetone, (C6H5CHCH)2CO, with two degrees of rotational freedom imparted by the two single bonds between the olefin and the carbonyl group was studied to determine its stable conformers by 1H n.m.r. spectroscopy and by an INDO molecular orbital method. A solvent effect induced by benzene on the trans-olefinic protons and a least squares analysis of the temperature dependence of the internal chemical shift (δAB) between the olefinic protons have revealed support of the theoretical calculations of δAB that the major conformation is s-cis,cis and the minor one is s-cis,trans. An INDO calculation of the conformers concerned confirmed this deduction together with the absence of the s-trans,trans form. δAB is a characteristic parameter of the conformation with the values 0.5 and 1.5 p.p.m. for the s-cis and s-trans forms, respectively, in the olefinic portions of dibenzylideneaċetone.


The experimental study of in-out intermittency during the incomplete synchronization of two coupled, nonlinear, autonomous, fourth-order, chaotic, circuits is reported. The two circuits are unidirectionally coupled via a linear resistor. The dependence of laminar lengths, on the deviation of the control parameter from its critical value, and the mean laminar length distribution, are studied.


This report discusses existing methods for unmanned landing of civil aircraft. Their main disadvantages and advantages are evaluated. A new method is proposed, which is based on the use of system-based lidar. The main purpose is to describe the possibility of using lidar to provide airports with an auto landing system. An assessment is made of the energy parameters of the lidar for sounding at a distance of over ten kilometers.


Online education is evolving at a fast pace thanks to novel technology-mediated learning environments: Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), gamified learning, intelligent tutoring systems, citizen-science communities, informal learning groups are blossoming everywhere as novel opportunities for teachers and learners. However, the educational effectiveness of these solutions has to be proved and technological choices have to cope with scalability and increasing resource demands. This is the area of the Learning-at-Scale (L@S), whose aim is to involve large amounts of educational practitioners globally. The present research paper addresses the L@S context from the Massive Open Online Labs (MOOLs) perspective, as one of its most promising evolutions. Two technological paradigms are examined: the Mobile Crowd Sensing (MCS), which allows to scale on the number of involved users thanks to their mobile devices, and the Microservices Architectures (MSAs), which permit to scale selectively any educational platform architecture. A complete proposal for a L@S based platform aimed at engaging students in mobile-mediated scientific monitoring activities in the area of acoustics is presented. Modeling and implementation aspects as well as the validation from both a technical and educational perspectives is discussed.


Abstract : We found that IGFBP2 supports the activity of AML stem cells and AML development. Using the retroviral MLL-AF9-IRES-YFP transplantation AML mouse model, we showed that IGFBP2 was expressed in normal hematopoietic cells, leukemia cells, and bone marrow stroma. The IGFBP2-null mice have decreased ability to develop AML in our AML mouse model, suggesting that the environmental IGFBP2 positively supports AML development. Consistently, IGFBP2 upregulated the expression of a number of oncogenes, and decreased the expression of certain tumor suppressor genes in AML stem cells. IGFBP2 is expressed by a variety of mouse bone marrow stromal cells, enriched in CD29+ CD44+ SSEA4+ Sca-1+ cells; these IGFBP2- producing cells are adjacent to endothelial cells in mouse BM. The environmental effect of IGFBP2 on AML stem cells is not dependent on IGF signaling. These results, together with our flow cytometry analysis of the phenotypic AML stem cells, concluded that IGFBP2, as an environmental factor, supports the activity of AML stem cells.


Improvements over the past few years in essentially all modern operating systems coupled with the blurring of the boundaries between mainframes, workstations, and personal computers make the choice of platform often one of personal preference other than of necessity. A decade ago there were very distinct differences between the features offered by IBM PC and clones, the Apple Macintosh, and UNIX workstations. These differences included price, processing performance, OS features, look and feel, graphical capabilities, memory and disk limitations, networking capabilities, ease of- use, system stability, development tools, etc. Since then many of these distinguishing differences have evaporated making platform selection a more subtle issue, but also much less important. However, there are still a great many users thai tend to make such decisions based on their "religious" preference of platform rather than based on objective information.


Preparation and properties of a novel photocatalytic system containing magnetic cores coated with subsequently applied silica and titania shells are discussed. The underlying idea is to impart magnetic properties to the semiconductor particles that permits to control the rheological properties of the photo- catalyst dispersion and makes possible its separation from treated solution without invoking procedures of ltration or centrifugation. Preparation route yielding photoactive titania coating and silica interlayer, which prevents the undesirable doping of catalyst and parasitic charge exchange between titania shell and magnetic core, is described in detail.


Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) have been adopted by all United Nations Member states in 2015. There are 17 Global Goals where one goal to another is interrelated and they have to go hand-in-hand. The essential of the goals is to increase the people's quality of life all over the world. Every country has been pacing to achieve all goals by conscripting all national resources as well as all capabilities and masteries of the technology such as Artificial Intelligence (AI). To achieve SDG's goals, there has to be a guidance that guide all resources to have the same perspective and mind-set to what should have to be carried out not only in the short time but also in the medium and the long one. AI is believed can deliver solutions to most of Global Goals such as food security including life below water, water security, and energy security, increase the quality of health service, support the establishment of smart nation, and the most of them is AI has become a leveraging factor of a country's economy. Therefore, many countries have determined the action in utilizing AI for the good to their country and people by developing AI national strategy. In this paper, Indonesian initiative in form of a National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence will be delivered in a concise manner. The deliverables include four focus areas as the basis for AI ecosystem as well as the priorities of the AI usage for supporting Indonesia to achieve its national interests as well as the world goals through SDGs. We also deliver Indonesia's innovation in utilizing AI technology to cope with global pandemic which one of the technologies used is an Indonesian-original AI technology called Knowledge Growing System (KGS).


Talking in the abstract about the challenges and expectations of modern consumers can only go so far. The new kinds of redress and consumer protection programs that undergird THE NEW HANDSHAKE (ODR mechanism proposed by Amy J. Schmitz and Colin Rule in their book by that name) have already been launched, scaled, and tested by the big Internet intermediaries. The best example is the ODR process developed for the global eBay marketplace. The lessons learned from eBay's experiences are helpful in understanding the evolution taking place in global consumer protection. This draft Chapter from the book, THE NEW HANDSHAKE, will address these lessons.


This paper scrutinizes faults in a CAN controller that may result in masquerade failures, and suggests an even parity mechanism to detect them with minimum hardware overhead. To do this, a CAN controller is modeled by VHDL at behavioral level and is exploited to setup a CAN-based network composed of two nodes. A total of 5,500 faults are injected into essential parts of one of the controllers. The results show that about 3.44% of faults terminate in masquerade failures. The results, also, show that register bank in the CAN controller are the most sensitive portions in which 92.10% of faults occurring in the register bank result in masquerade failures. The even parity mechanism detects about 96.31% of all masquerade failures.


PURPOSE: A stamp service providing network, a user terminal for connection with the same, and a server thereof are provided to enable a user to access the user terminal with a wireless communication function to a stamp device, thereby accumulating stamps of a member store visited by the user. CONSTITUTION: A stamp device(100) is operated in a member store visited by a user. The stamp device uses wireless communication. A user terminal(110) includes a wireless communication module. The user terminal senses whether or not the stamp device accesses the wireless communication module. A stamp server(130) receives a stamp accumulation request for the member store of the user from the user terminal. [Reference numerals] (100) Stamp device; (120) Communication network; (130) Stamp server; (20) Accumulation request; (30) Accumulation notification; (AA) Accumulation; (BB) Close-field communication(member store DB, authentication key transmission)


This report presents the field investigation results on damage to building structures caused by the 1999 Athens earthquake. A total of 135 buildings were investigated during the field investigation, and severe structural damage including totally and partially collapsed building structures, especially reinforced concrete (R/C) building structures, were observed. The present report is a draft for Appendix of the AIJ (Architectural Institute of Japan) Report on Damage Investigation of the 1999 Kocaeli Earthquake in Turkey which will be published within the year of 2000.


Previous research identified the legal and regulatory frameworks of urban public transport (UPT). However, during the last years significant changes in these frameworks occurred or are starting to occur in several cities over Europe. Simultaneously, the European Comission (EC) started a process leading to an appropriate legal framework at European level, stressing the need of more transparent and competitive environments for public transport.


Background: Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) defined by Dix and Hallpike is one of the most common disorders causing vertigo. BPPV is more prevalent in adults and in women. BPPV mostly develops in the posterior semicircular canal. The main symptom of BPPV is vertigo induced by a change in head position with respect to gravity. The Dix-Hallpike test is the most commonly used test to confirm the diagnosis of posterior canal BPPV. Treatment options for posterior canal BPPV are Epley's maneuver, Liberatory maneuver and BrandtDaroff exercises. In modified epley's maneuver few modifications were done in original epley's maneuver without affecting outcome. Objective: To assess effectiveness of modified epley's maneuver as well as combination of modified epley's maneuver with Brandt-Daroff exercise in patients with posterior canal BPPV and to compare both treatment protocols. Methodology: All patients were examined by Dix-Hallpike test (D-H Test) and those suffering from posterior canal BPPV and fulfilling inclusion criteria were taken up for the study. Total thirty five patients took part in this study on a voluntary basis after signing consent form. The patients were randomly assigned to two groups. In group 1, combination of modified epley's maneuver and Brandt-Daroff exercise were given and in group 2 only modified epley's maneuver was given. All patients were reexamined after 1 week of treatment and were asked to come for follow up after 1 month. In follow up visits response to Dix – Hallpike maneuver and Dizziness Handicap Inventory(DHI) were assessed as outcome measures. Results: Data collected through this study showed highly significant improvement in DHI score and response to D-H test when intragroup comparison is made in both the groups after 1 week and 1 month of treatment at 1% level of significance. When intergroup comparison is made we found better improvement in group 2 after 1 week and in group 1 after 1 month of treatment. Conclusion: The conclusion of the study is that both treatment approaches are effective in reducing symptoms and improving independence level but combined approaches can give better result.


One report of a catfish sting is presented and 30 additional reports from the English language literature are reviewed. All of the reports involve catfish native to the United States. Freshwater catfish appeared implicated in 14 of the reports, madtom catfish in seven and saltwater catfish in ten. Pain and inflammation attributable to mechanical trauma and envenomation commonly occurred. A portion of the stinging apparatus became embedded in seven cases. Complications included infection, nerve and tendon damage, dry gangrene and possible anaphylaxis. One patient with predisposing disease died after developing a severe infection. Treatment of catfish stings includes control of pain, removal of foreign material and the use of antibiotics. Comparative studies on the toxins and normal flora of native catfish could provide more precise guidelines for treatment of stings.


. Based on the volume emission rate of the OH airglow observed by TIMED/SABER, we fitted the peak emission 9 rate and the peak height of the OH airglow and analyzed the seasonal and interannual variations of both. The results show 10 similar latitudinal variations in the semiannual oscillation (SAO) and annual oscillation (AO) of peak emission rate and peak 11 height: the amplitude of SAO is greatest in equatorial regions and AO is greatest in mid-latitudes. For interannual variations, 12 we find that OH airglow emission in equatorial regions is modulated by the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO), while the QBO 13 signal at other latitudes is much weaker than in equatorial regions and can be ignored. The QBO in OH airglow is consistent 14 with the phase variation of the QBO in the tropical lower stratosphere (30km), which is also consistent with the phase variation 15 of the QBO in the migrating diurnal tide. As an important kinetic process affecting OH airglow emission, we suggest that the 16 tides play an important role in the modulation of the OH airglow by the QBO. In addition, we have analyzed the relationship 17 between peak OH airglow emission and solar activity. The results show a good correlation between peak emission rate and 18 solar activity, with a correlation coefficient of 0.89, while peak height shows no significant solar cycle variation, with a 19 correlation coefficient of -0.66. The modulation of peak emission rate by solar activity has significant latitudinal variation. 20 The modulation effect is weakest in the equatorial region and greatest at mid-latitudes in both hemispheres.


Low-beta fusion research in open-ended magnetic geometries (mirrors) is reviewed. This material, extracted from the report of a USAEC panel convened to examine mirror research, has been edited and revised to include recent information. It is intended to present an overview of the achievements, methods and rationale of this area of fusion research. Topics covered include the scope of mirror research, classical end losses, and fusion economics, minimum-B stabilization of flute instability, theoretical and experimental results concerning loss-cone instabilities, and a summary of experiments and experimental techniques.


Due to the radio duty cycle restrictions in the sub- GHz unlicensed spectrum imposed in many regions, the downlink resources of the gateways in LoRaWAN are depleted fast even in the presence of moderate uplink traffic. To tackle the high demand for downlink traffic, additional gateways - from a pool of available positions - can be deployed. Not all gateways can initially be activated because of the extra operating costs that this action would cause. On the contrary, this paper studies the problem of dynamically activating the minimum estimated number of gateways in order to adapt the network to the traffic demands, and thus, improve the network reliability and energy consumption. The approach is based on theoretical foundations of downlink traffic as well as on empirical results and simple heuristics to select the gateway positions to be dynamically activated without taking into account the positions of the end-devices. Simulation results show that the proposed methodology in combination with the proposed heuristics exhibit a packet delivery ratio of over 90 % even with a single retransmission. The average energy consumption decreases considerably as well. Finally, the proposed approach presents similar results with an existing approach which, however, considers the positions of the end-devices as known.


Testing Hardy‐Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) in the control group is commonly used to detect genotyping errors in genetic association studies. We propose a likelihood ratio test for testing HWE in the study population using both case and control samples. This test incorporates underlying association models. Another feature is that, when we infer the disease‐genotype association, we explicitly incorporate HWE or a possible departure from Hardy‐Weinberg equilibrium (DHWE) into the model. Our unified framework enables us to infer the disease‐genotype association when a detected DHWE needs to be part of the model after causes for the DHWE are explored. Real data sets are used to illustrate the application of the methodology and its implication in genetic association studies. Our analysis and interpretation touch on issues such as genotyping errors, population selection, population stratification, or the study sampling plan, that all could be the cause of DHWE. Genet. Epidemiol. 2009. Published 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Abstract The Exponential Dispersion Family is a rich family of distributions, comprised of several distributions, some of which are heavy-tailed and as such could be of significant relevance to actuarial science. The family draws its richness from a dispersion parameter σ 2 = 1/λ which is equal to 1 in the case of the Natural Exponential Family. We consider three cases. In the first λ is assumed known, in the second a prior distribution for λ is given, and in the third the prior distribution of λ is not known and is derived by means of the maximum entropy principle, assuming the prior mean of λ can be specified. For these cases, a conjugate prior distribution for the risk parameter is assumed and credibility formulae are derived for the estimation of the fair premium.


The invention discloses a method for automatically adjusting Auto-Flicker of a liquid crystal module on the basis of machine vision. The method includes steps of starting an industrial digital camera and an embedded processor; sequentially writing V-COM (common electrode voltage) values into a V-COM chip of the liquid crystal module according to an ascending order of an effective V-COM range, and enabling the industrial digital camera to acquire n pictures when each V-COM value is written into the V-COM chip; performing matrix processing on the n pictures corresponding to each V-COM value to obtain matrix data M , M , M , M ,..., and M ; computing flicker point scale values K according to the matrix data; writing the flicker point scale values K and the corresponding V-COM values into a storage unit of the embedded processor; reading the minimum value K in the storage unit of the embedded processor, and writing the V-COM value corresponding to the minimum value K into a storage of the V-COM chip of the liquid crystal module to complete adjustment on the Auto-Flicker of the liquid crystal module. The method has the advantages that Flicker of a liquid crystal module production line can be automatically adjusted, images can be acquired in an integral display area of the liquid crystal module, and the display performance of the integral display area can be represented.


Investigating the role of physiology in communication research is a burgeoning area of study that has gained considerable attention by relational scholars in the past decade. Unfortunately, very few published studies on this topic have evoked important questions about the role of race and ethnicity. Exploring issues of ethnicity and race provides a more holistic and inclusive view of interpersonal communication across diverse groups and communities. This chapter addresses the gap in literature by considering the ways in which race and ethnicity matter in work on physiology and interpersonal interactions. More specifically, this chapter will first discuss the conceptual underpinnings of race, ethnicity, and other relevant concepts and then review extant research within and beyond the field of communication on race, ethnicity, interpersonal interactions, and physiology. These discussions set the foundation for this chapter to propose new lines of research that pointedly connect these four concepts and advance key principles that scholars should consider in future work.


Visiting a farm is a great summer activity. Selena Ledgerton Cooper suggests some barnyard activities for during and after the trip.


The recent development of cost‐effective high‐throughput DNA sequencing technologies has tremendously increased microbiome research. However, it has been well documented that the observed microbiome data suffers from compositionality, sparsity, and high variability. All of which pose serious challenges when analyzing microbiome data. Over the last decade, there has been considerable amount of interest into statistical and computational methods to tackle these challenges. The choice of inference aids in the selection of the appropriate statistical methods since only a few methods allow inferences for absolute abundance while most methods allow inferences for relative abundances. An overview of recent methods for differential abundance analysis and normalization of microbiome data is presented, focusing on methods that are accessible but have not been widely covered in previous literature. In detailed descriptions of each method, we discuss assumptions and if and how these methods address the challenges of microbiome data. These methods are compared based on accuracy metrics in real and simulated settings. The goal is to provide a comprehensive but non‐exhaustive set of potential and easily‐accessible tools for differential abundance and normalization of microbiome data.


Agreed by the Antimicrobial Advice ad hoc Expert Group (AMEG) 24 June 2014 Adopted by the CVMP for release for consultation 10 July 2014 Adopted by the CHMP for release for consultation 24 July 2014 Start of public consultation 1 August 2014 End of consultation (deadline for comments) 30 September 2014 Agreed by the Antimicrobial Advice ad hoc Expert Group (AMEG) 24 November 2014 Adopted by the CVMP 11 December 2014 Adopted by the CHMP 18 December 2014


For many years after the introduction of insulin the recommended injection technique was to raise a skin fold and insert the needle at an angle of 45°. With the advent of shorter 12-13 mm needles these two instructions were no longer thought necessary; the belief was that a full depth perpendicular injection would allow consistent deposition of insulin into subcutaneous adipose tissue.' This technique is shown in educational material provided by the syringe manufacturers for patients and nurses and indeed is the recommended technique for use of the recently introduced and increasingly popular pen shaped injectors. Further support for the method recently appeared in the patients' magazine of the British Diabetic Association.2 Nevertheless, evidence is increasing that the perpendicular technique may be far from ideal for many patients; it may be contributing to the variability of absorption that so impedes attempts to improve blood glucose control further. Frid and Linden have shown by computed tomography that in non-obese patients the subcutaneous fat in the thigh and abdomen is often less than 10mm thick.3 This meant that patients using the recommended injection technique had been giving themselves painless intramuscular injections. In a further study that used computed tomography in non-obese patients similar results were found with a mean (SE) depth of adipose tissue in the upper lateral thigh of 5 (1) mm in men and 11 (2)mm in women, albeit in a relatively small number of patients.4 Spraul et al showed with ultrasonography that the deltoid and abdominal subcutaneous fat layer was below 10 mm in all but two of 13 male volunteers, including some who were 6verweight.5 It may be concluded, therefore, that many injections given by patients using the perpendicular injection technique will deposit insulin into muscle at least on an intermittent basis. Is this of clinical importance? If the pharmacokinetic behaviour of injected insulin varies with the nature of the tissue into which it is deposited-that is, fat, muscle, or peritoneal cavity-then this would clearly be reflected in different rates of appearance of insulin in the blood and thereby in control of blood glucose. There have been conflicting conclusions from previous studies on the relative absorption rates of soluble (regular) insulin from subcutaneous and intramuscular injection sites, several showing no difference6 7 and others showing more rapid absorption from muscle.89 These earlier studies did not control for depth of injection by direct measurement of subcutaneous tissue, but some more recent work has used modern imaging techniques to allow accurate placement of the insulin. This has shown a 50% greater absorption of soluble insulin from an injection into a superficial thigh muscle when compared with injection into a subcutaneous site, but no such difference could be shown with injections into these two tissues in the abdomen.4 In this study the insulin depots were placed by using computed tomography to control the depth ofinjection. In another study comparing the rates of absorption of soluble insulin after true subcutaneous, superficial intramuscular, and deep intramuscular injections ultrasonography was used to define tissue depths.5 Similar results were found in that even superficial intramuscular injection resulted in more rapid absorption of the insulin. The new evidence shows, then, that if insulin is injected accidentally and intermittently into the superficial layers of muscle this will contribute to day to day variability in the control of blood glucose. Furthermore, the true rate of absorption of soluble insulin from subcutaneous fat is slower and even more unphysiological than was previously thought. Thus the time for the plasma insulin concentration to reach its peak is about 60-80 minutes,5 while the time to 50% absorption of an insulin depot as assessed by isotopic methods was greater than 180 minutes.4 Does the more rapid absorption of insulin from muscle confer a metabolic advantage over subcutaneous delivery? Theoretically hypoglycaemia excursions of the blood glucose at meal times and the risk of faster absorption would reduce between meals. Vaag et al recently showed more physiological absorption profiles at meal times with lower rates of absorption at five hours after injection when intramuscular injection was compared with true subcutaneous injection.'0 Perhaps of greater importance was their observation that there was less variability of blood glucose when it was monitored over a more prolonged period as evidenced by mean coefficients of variation of 33% after intramuscular injection and 43% after subcutaneous injection. But exercise had a greater potentiating and therefore unphysiological effect on intramuscular insulin absorption, an effect that must be of some concern if this route was used regularly by patients. Less attention has been paid to the pharmacokinetics of the intermediate acting insulin preparations with respect to their rate of absorption from different tissues. This is somewhat surprising because as a group these preparations constitute more than 60% of all insulin prescribed and are the origin of much of the day to day variability in the rate of insulin absorption." A recent study has shown that isophane insulin is more rapidly absorbed from muscle than from subcutaneous tissue and that variability from day to day and between patients was greater after intramuscular injection.'2 Overnight insulin absorption is often too rapid to provide adequate blood glucose control before breakfast, and thus true subcutaneous injection of isophane insulin results in an absorption profile that is better suited to providing overnight basal insulin delivery. '3 The coefficient of variation of the rate of absorption from subcutaneous tissue was lower than in previous studies at around 18%; possibly the lack of control for depth with resultant intermittent intramuscular injection may have been the cause of higher variability in past studies.9 Clearly the intramuscular route cannot be recommended for the intermediate acting insulins. Might pain from intramuscular injection mitigate against its long term clinical use? In practice this would seem not to be the case, at least in most patients. Patients in recent studies have noted almost uniformly that the superficial intramuscular route was no more uncomfortable than subcutaneous injection.35 In addition it would seem likely that many diabetic patients have been unwittingly injecting intramuscularly for many years without recognised problems.3 So we need to re-evaluate the recommendations for insulin injection. In order to reduce variability of absorption and to provide an adequate basal insulin supply overnight the extended acting insulins should be injected at an angle into a raised skin fold. The currently available 12-13 mm needles would be acceptable for this purpose. On the basis of present evidence the deliberate injection of soluble insulin into muscle


In a number of works ( for example [1]) it was revealed, that the structured plasma of discharge can effective change a flow regime and aerodynamic characteristics of flighing vehicles. The power efficiency of such plasma objects in aerodynamic experiment has appeared rather high. In the works [2,3] experimentally and theoretically the problem of shock wave propagation through the structured plasma was researched. The significant modification of shock structure and its intensity in such media has been revealed. It was shown in [1,4], that in microwave discharge in a supersonic flow of a gas it is generated a non-equilibrium plasma. For example, in [4] was measured, that the parameters of discharge plasma in a gas flow (M~2, Pst ~ 200Torr, Tst ~ 150K) were, the following,


The aim of the present study was to investigate the susceptibility of bacteria that play a role in respiratory tract and skin infections to the essential oils of catnip (Nepeta cataria), lemon catnip (N. cataria var. citriodora) and lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) with regard to their chemical composition. In addition, we wanted to assess whether antibiotic-resistant and -sensitive strains differ in their susceptibility to the oils and if there are cross resistances between standard antibiotics and essential oils. To evaluate the safety of topical application, cytotoxicity of the oils was studied in human keratinocyte and bronchial epithelial cell lines and irritation threshold concentrations were determined in ovo using the HET-CAM-test. The composition of the essential oils was analyzed by GC and GC-MS. Their MICs and MBCs were determined by a broth microdilution method against both reference strains from culture collections and clinical isolates with different susceptibility to standard antibiotics. Cytotoxicity was assessed by the MTT assay. Except for P. aeruginosa (MIC ≥2%), all reference strains tested were susceptible to catnip and lemon balm oils with MIC values ranging from 0.016 % to 0.25% (v/v). The clinical isolates were as susceptible to the oils (± 1 serial dilution) as the corresponding reference strains, regardless of their origin and resistance to standard antibiotics. The oils were cytotoxic to both keratinocytes and bronchial epithelial cells at CC50 values from 0.0012% to 0.015% (v/v). Lemon balm oil, whose main components were monoterpene aldehydes, exhibited the highest antibacterial and cytotoxic activity, followed by lemon catnip oil, which contained mainly monoterpene alcohols, and catnip oil, which was characterized by nepetalactones. Our results provide a rationale for the use of catnip, lemon catnip and lemon balm oils in the complementary topical treatment of respiratory tract infections, as the oils show a high antibacterial activity against respiratory tract pathogens, including clinical isolates with reduced susceptibility to standard antibiotics. However, cytotoxicity must be considered in topical therapy.


We examine the linear instability of low-density, line-driven stellar winds to runaway of the heavy minor ions when the drift speed of these ions relative to the bulk, passive plasma of hydrogen and helium approaches or exceeds the plasma thermal speed. We first focus on the surprising results of recent steady state, two-component models, which indicate that the limited Coulomb coupling associated with suprathermal ion drift leads not to an ion runaway, but instead to a relatively sharp shift of both the ion and passive fluids to a much lower outward acceleration. Drawing on analogies with subsonic outflow in the solar wind, we provide a physical discussion of how this lower acceleration is the natural consequence of the weaker frictional coupling, allowing the ion line driving to maintain its steady state balance against collisional drag with a comparatively shallow ion velocity gradient. However, we then carry out a time-dependent, linearized stability analysis of these two-component steady solutions and thereby find that, as the ion drift increases from sub- to suprathermal speeds, a wave mode characterized by separation between the ion versus passive plasma goes from being strongly damped to being strongly amplified. Unlike the usual line-driven flow instability of high-density, strongly coupled flows, this ion separation instability occurs even in the long-wavelength Sobolev limit, although with only a modest spatial growth rate. At shorter wavelengths, the onset of instability occurs for ion drift speeds that are still somewhat below the plasma thermal speed and, moreover, generally has a very large spatial growth. For all wavelengths, however, the temporal growth rate exceeds the already rapid growth of line-driven instability by a typical factor of ~100, corresponding to the mass-density ratio between the bulk plasma and the driven minor ions. We further show that this ion separation mode has an inward propagation speed that is strongly enhanced (at its maximum by a similar factor of ~100) over the usual "Abbott wave" speed of a fully coupled, line-driven flow, implying that in the context of this separation mode, the entire domain of any steady state solution can be considered as "subcritical." Finally, we note that, despite the extremely rapid linear growth rate, further analyses and/or simulations will be needed to determine whether the nonlinear evolution of this instability should lead to true ion runaway or instead might perhaps be limited by damping from two-stream plasma instabilities.


Comprising a chamber characterized by upper body attached to the lower body by reversibly collapsible sidewalls, the said upper body, downwardly extending needle is attached to the upper body was fluid coupled to the needle includes two paths is a second path that is fluidly coupled to the interior of the first path and the chamber, each of the two paths, is configured to receive fluid from outside of said chamber, said lower body is needle in comprises a barrier pierceable can puncture, the chamber has a collapsed state and a deployed state, the folded state, the side walls are folded, and that the needle penetrates the barrier pierceable the the features, the expanded state is not the needle penetrates the barrier pierceable above and, prior to Chamber medical infusion apparatus characterized by being capable of holding a fluid.