As students of law, it doesn't take a lot of research to know that the condition of detainees in a prison anywhere in the country is wretched and miserable. It has been over 60 years since our independence; granted there was no time or money for the comforts of the criminals at the time of independence or even a couple of years from then, but if these matters are given a pillion seat even after six decades of freedom then that is a serious drawback on the part of the administration of the country. The fact remains that criminals are to be punished for their sins; but then the fundamental assumption in criminal law is that a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction. So how do we ensure that the criminal justice system works in a manner conducive to the society in toto? There is the public on the one hand, who are desirous of witnessing the harshest punishments being meted out to the criminals; and then there are the ostensible criminals themselves on the other side, who expect justice to work in their favour. There are undoubtedly lacunae that allow the vile men to escape by manipulating the system and then there are the poor and under privileged, who are unrepresented and often become the victims without ever having knowledge of the machinery that was meant to protect them as well. The greatest misfortune however lies in the fact that we still rely on the archaic notion that people are aware of the law of the land. The Latin maxim ignorantia juris non excusat probably serves as one of the biggest fallacies in law. To assume that every person in the country knows the laws of the land is not only a misconception, but is absolutely delusional. The Government with its bountiful resources is engaged in finding the perpetrator but it very often loses sight of the fact that some innocent are also caught in the trap. Further, many are denied their due, either because they aren't aware of the rights guaranteed to them or they are denied the same. In either case, the result is morose. Over the years, several statutes and case laws have been developed to countermand this sad state of affairs, but their enforcement is still lacking. The Constitution and the Criminal Procedure Code are the pioneering legislative initiatives in this field. To add to this, the landmark case of D.K. Basu is another milestone that has streamlined the enforcement system. However we still suffer from major deficiencies, which are easily revealed from a comparative study of the world criminal enforcement. A glance at the American system reveals that the rights vested on a alleged criminal are a cause of serious concern for the enforcement mechanism, as failure to follow these cause significant ripples in the system, even leading to an acquittal. In India on the other hand, these rights are not only denied, but the enforcement machinery acts with complete impunity in this regard. Through the course if this article, we intend to analyse the present pre-detention procedures along with the duties imposed upon the enforcement machinery on a purely legal basis, as envisaged under the grund norm and other relevant statutes. The second part shall focus on the D.K.Basu case, which was a harbinger of hope for the alleged criminals. We shall also enter into an analysis of this case and a comparative study with the landmark case of Miranda which has etched its mark in the history of criminal enforcement. Finally we shall look at what the future hold for the country. What it needs and how we can strive to get there.


The author is surprised that those who teach temperature conversion formulas have not introduced the easier-to-retain relationship based on the fact that –40 F° is the same temperature as –40 C°.


Coherent elastic neutrino scattering on the 40Ar nucleus is computed with coupled-cluster theory based on nuclear Hamiltonians inspired by effective field theories of quantum chromodynamics. Our approach is validated by calculating the charge form factor and comparing it to data from electron scattering. We make predictions for the weak form factor, the neutron radius, and the neutron skin, and estimate systematic uncertainties. The neutron-skin thickness of 40Ar40 is consistent with results from density functional theory. Precision measurements from coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering could potentially be used to extract these observables and help to constrain nuclear models.


We study experimentally the collision between a sphere falling through a viscous fluid, and a solid plate below. It is known that there is a well-defined threshold Stokes number above which the sphere rebounds from such a collision. Our experiment tests for direct contact between the colliding bodies, and contrary to prior theoretical predictions, shows that solid-on-solid contact occurs even for Stokes numbers just above the threshold for rebounding. The dissipation is fluid-dominated, though details of the contact mechanics depend on the surface and bulk properties of the solids. Our experiments and a model calculation indicate that mechanical contact between the two colliding objects is generic and will occur for any realistic surface roughness.


The land use changes of farming-pastoral zone along the upper reaches of Haihe Ri-ver were obtained by analyzing NOAA/AVHRR data.Thus the dynamics of eco-environmental quality caused by land use changes were evaluated by using Costanza's method of evaluating the world's ecosystem service.The results indicate,the ecosystem service values of farming-pastoral zone along the upper reaches of the Haihe River have been diminished due to the land use change in the past10years.The loss of ecosystem service values is around2.5%~2.7%,equa-ling to4.18×10 7 ~4.90×10 7 US$.


Regaining Sri Lanka implies mobilizing our strengths as a diverse nation of peoples with a rich cultural heritage to face the future with creativity and optimism. The presentation views science and technology innovation (STI) as a neutral platform that can bring our peoples together in shaping such a future. Engineering research is a key ingredient of this endeavour and MERCon 2016 offers us an opportunity to explore into and initiate this transformation. This presentation is structured into three parts, viz. (1) The transdisciplinary context of future engineering research and STI; (2) The prospects offered by the J-SLIP initiative for balanced regional development; and (3) The design and execution of two propulsive projects related to human health and well-being


Three ULF wave events, all occurring in the dayside magnetopshere during magnetically quiet times, are studied using the Cluster satellites. The multi-point measurements obtained from Cluster are u ...


The Coming of Post Industrial Society by Daniel Bell is subtitled a "venture in social forecasting". Since the book has been greeted as a major turning point in sociological analysis by many, we might do well to recall for a moment one of Bell's earlier "ventures in social forecasting", The End of Ideology. Appearing at the end of the 1950s, The End of Ideology was an important document, but hardly because of the astuteness of its "forecasting". In fact, the book's central thesis, that radical ideologies had lost their appeal in the West, was rapidly disproved by events. In retrospect, The End of Ideology was significant because it communicated an understanding of 1950s America widely held by the American liberal intelligentsia. In this perspective an economically powerful America had solved, or could solve, the very social problems which had, in earlier times, prompted "ideological" or "utopian" thinking. Because of this in America the social basis of "ideological" thinking no longer existed. This was even more the case because all experiments at acting out "utopian ideologies" elsewhere-and particularly in the Soviet Union-had led to more social unpleasantness than they had originally set out to remedy. As "social forecasting", then, The End of Ideology was ideology, the wishful thinking of a generation of intellectuals, scarred by the battles of the '30s and '40s, who had become respected and important figures in the prosperous Cold War America.


We present two new approaches for the joint segmentation and classiJication of a time series. The segmentation is on the basis of a menu of possible statistical models: each of these must be describable in terms of an approximate sufficient statistic, but there is no need for these statistics to be the same, and these can be as complex (for example, AR coefficients) as fits. All that is needed is the PDF of each statistic under its own assumed model presumably this comes from training data, and it is particularly appealing that there is no need at all for ajoint statistical characterization of all the statistics. There is similarly no need for an a-priori specification of the number of sections, as both approaches use an appropriate penalization of an over-zealous segmentation.


The constant‐current‐stressed voltage‐time (V‐t) characteristics of the thin SiO2 films thermally grown on the silicon substrate has been analyzed by using a theoretical model which includes the effects of dynamic trapping (i.e., electron trapping and detrapping), positive charge generation, weak spots, and robust area. The experimental methods have been developed to extract the physical parameters concerned with electron trapping and detrapping as well as positive charge generation. The time‐dependent dielectric breakdown of the intrinsic thin SiO2 films under a constant current stress can be predicted through a criterion which assumes that the positive ions generated from impact ionization are aggregated near the interface between SiO2 and Si within the weak spots. Computer simulations using the proposed model indicate that the life of the intrinsic thin SiO2 film can be elongated if the trapping effect is less severe, the trapped electron centroid is closer to the anode electrode, the generated positiv...


This book analyses five of Chaucer's tales from a twenty-first century feminist perspective, namely The Wife of Bath's Tale, The Prioress's Tale, The Second Nun's Tale, The Franklin's Tale and The Merchant's Tale, plus their respective prologues and their character portraits in The General Prologue. In doing so, it demonstrates how Chaucer's treatment of women was progressive for his time. Chaucer's women rebel against society's expectations of the female ideal and seek empowerment in the male dominated society. Chaucer's depiction of these female protagonists bestows medieval women with autonomy, intelligence and an ability to manipulate men to better their own position in society. This is illustrated by the women's characterisation and their positions within the institution of marriage and the religious order. Chaucer's widely recognised ability to grant the reader interpretative power enables his writing to transcend time. Interpreted today, the modern reader is able to overlay a twenty-first century perspective to conceive the medieval poet as a proto-feminist.


Ongoing technology scaling has increased delay defects in integrated circuits. Some of the delay defects are due to crosstalk, supply noise, process variations, etc. They degrade the performance and field reliability of circuits. However, testing the circuits with path delay patterns under worst-case conditions helps to detect such defects. Estimation of patterns with worst-case path delay becomes difficult using the conventional techniques due to their unpredictable behavior. In this paper, we first describe the problem and then propose our approach in identifying a worst-case path delay pattern under the impact of process variations and supply noise. A delay probability metric ispresented in this work, for an efficient identification of worst-case path delay pattern, which is the basis of our ranking method. The simulation results of ITC'99 benchmark circuits show the feasibility of our delay probability metric.


We evaluated the role of p35 in the maturation of hippocampal granule neurons in offspring caused by developmental iodine deficiency. Two developmental rat models were established with either an iodine‐deficient diet, or propylthiouracil‐adulterated water (5 ppm) to impair thyroid function, in pregnant rats from gestational day 6 until postnatal day 28. The protein levels of p35, cyclin‐dependent kinase 5, β‐catenin, and N‐cadherin were assessed on postnatal day 14, 21, and 28. Dendritic morphogenesis of newborn granule neurons in dentate gyrus was examined. Developmental hypothyroidism induced by iodine deficiency and PTU treatment delayed the maturation of hippocampal granule neurons in the offspring and decreased the percentage of Dcx‐positive neurons that expressed β‐catenin on postnatal day 21 and 28. In addition, downregulation of p35 was observed in dentate gyrus of hypothyroid groups. Developmental hypothyroidism induced by iodine deficiency and PTU treatment could delay the maturation of newborn granule neurons in dentate gyrus, and this deficit may be attributed to the downregulation of p35. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 29: 847–855, 2014.


The present study aims at obtaining an efficient local formulation able to ensure both stability and increased penetration of the active ingredients in effective optimal concentrations without side-effects. The novelty of this study is the association in an encapsulated form (liposomes) of tretinoin to benzoyl peroxide as an innovative alternative capable of minimizing side-effects, but preserving at the same time their efficiency. The pharmaceutical forms using liposomes ensure the controlled release of medicine, as a result of the encapsulation of the active substances in the amphiphile structure�liposomes, with the possibility to diminish irritating secondary reactions in various forms of acne, and to provide efficiency, tollerability, conformity and cosmetic acceptability, to be proved in a future study.

https://revistadechimie.ro/pdf/13 TATU A 2 19.pdf


WARD, E. W. B., G. LAZAROVITS, P. STOSSEL, S. D. BARRIE, and C. H. UNWIN. 1980. Glyceollin production associated with control of Phytophthora rot of soybeans by the systemic fungicide, metalaxyl. Phytopathology 70:738-740. Hypocotyls of.soybean seedlings (cultivar Altona) inoculated with the metalaxyl-treated seedlings with Pms race 6 was similar to that in the race 4 compatible race 6 of Phytophthora megasperma var. sojae (Pms) developed incompatible interaction. This rate was not maintained over longer typical spreading watersoaked lesions. When the roots of seedlings were incubation periods, and maximum glyceollin levels, which were reached supplied with the systemic fungicide N-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-N-(methoxyafter 24-36 hr, usually were about two thirds as great as those present in the acetyl) alanine methyl ester (metalaxyl), the lesion development was incompatible interaction. Metalaxyl was taken up rapidly by roots and reduced. At metalaxyl concentrations of 20 gg/lml lesions became transported to the infection site. In metalaxyl-treated seedlings, race 6 gave restricted, brown, necrotic, and indistinguishable from lesions in untreated rise to an incompatible response even when treatment was delayed until 3 hr hypocotyls inoculated with the incompatible race 4 of Pms. Glyceollin after inoculation. production in the first 12 hr following inoculation of hypocotyls of Reilly and Klarman (15) reported that several fungicides The isomers of glyceollin do not separate in the systems used here stimulated the production of the phytoalexin, glyceollin, in and are treated as a single compound. For glyceollin soybean (Glycine max L., Merr.) hypocotyl tissues. They suggested determination, diffusate droplets and the inoculated sections (2 cm) that possibly phytoalexins might contribute to the effectiveness of removed from 10 hypocotyls were transferred to 6 ml of 95% fungicides in the field, especially if this exceeds expectations from ethanol in test tubes and steeped for 72 hr. They were then heated at in vitro activity. There have been several reports of compounds 100 C for 2 min by immersion of the tubes in a boiling water bath as with low in vitro fungitoxity that are effective fungicides in the described by Yoshikawa et al (20). The ethanol was removed and plant (6,8,12,13) and Cartwright et al (2) have presented evidence the hypocotyl sections were rinsed twice with 3 ml aliquots of that control of rice blast by dichlorocyclopropanes is accompanied absolute ethanol. The combined ethanol extracts were evaporated by phytoalexin production. to dryness and the residue was applied quantitatively in ethyl Recently, in tests with several systemic fungicides for control of acetate to two channels of a silica gel LK6DF (Whatman) thinPhytophthora rot of soybean (14), it was observed that limited layer chromatography plate and chromatographed in benzenehypersensitive necrotic lesions developed when control was methanol (95:8). Glyceollin was located on the chromatogram by successful. These lesions were similar to those which develop in fluorescence quenching in ultraviolet light and reference to a typical imcompatible interactions with the causal fungus, glyceollin standard. Silica gel in the glyceollin bands was scraped Phytophthora megasperma Drechs. var. sojae Hildeb. (Pms) and in from the plates and eluted (in a small column) with 3 ml of absolute which inhibitory levels of glyceollin accumulate (18). ethanol. Glyceollin was measured directly in the eluate using a In this paper we report that glyceollin is produced in inoculated scanning spectrophotometer by its absorbance at 285 nm and hypocotyls of soybean seedlings treated with the systemic fungicide calculated by using the extinction coefficient, 10,300. After metalaxyl (N-[2,6-dimethylphenyl]-N-[methoxyacetyl] alanine extraction, infected tissue was dissected from the hypocotyl tissues, methyl ester) and compare production of it under these conditions dried and weighed. Glyceollin is reported in micrograms per with that in a typical incompatible interaction. milligram dry weight of infected tissue. MATERIALS AND METHODS RESULTS Details of growth of soybean seedlings and Pms races, and of Lesions on hypocotyls inoculated with race 4 (incompatible) inoculation procedures have been given in detail previously (14,18). were restricted to the area of the inoculum droplet and surface cells Etiolated 5-day-old soybean (cultivar Altona) seedlings were displayed a typical hypersensitive response with limited brown placed horizontally in racks in glass trays and the roots were necrosis. This response was not influenced by metalaxyl treatment, covered with cellucotton soaked with deionized water or metalaxyl and the dry weight of infected tissue remained constant over a range solution. After incubation for 24 hr, or other periods as indicated, of concentrations (Fig. 1A). In contrast, race 6 (compatible), in at 25 C in the dark, the hypocotyls were inoculated with four 10-Ml untreated hypocotyls, spread rapidly and caused extending droplets of a Pms zoospore suspension (1 X 10" zoospores per watersoaked rotting lesions without browning. With increasing milliliter) spaced approximately 0. 5 cm apart starting 1.5cm below metalaxyl concentrations, the size of the lesions decreased, as the cotyledons. The trays were closed with plastic film and indicated by the dry weight of infected tissue ( Fig. I A). They incubated for 24 hr in the dark at 25 C. Races 4 and 6 of Pms were changed from watersoaked to intensely brown and necrotic and at used, these are incompatible and compatible, respectively, on the highest concentrations they were restricted and similar in soybean cultivar Altona. appearance to the hypersensitive lesions produced by race 4. Metalaxyl solutions were prepared in deionized water with an Largest quantities of glyceollin were produced in tissues analytical standard of the compound. inoculated with race 4 and these were not influenced by metalaxyl treatment (Fig. I B). Hypocotyls inoculated with race 6 produced 0031-949X/80/08073803/$03.00/0 only small amounts of glyceollin, but the amounts increased G 1980 The American Phytopathological Society extensively with increasing amounts of metalaxyl, up to about 60%


Large field of view surveys with a high density of objects such as high-z galaxies or stars benefit of multi-object spectroscopy (MOS) technique. This technique is the best approach to eliminate the problem of spectral confusion, to optimize the quality and the SNR of the spectra, to reach fainter limiting fluxes and to maximize the scientific return. Next generation MOS for space like the Near Infrared Multi-Object Spectrograph (NIRSpec) for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) require a programmable multi-slit mask. The European EUCLID mission has also considered a MOS instrument in its early study phase. Conventional masks or complex fiber-optics-based mechanisms are not attractive for space. The programmable multi-slit mask requires remote control of the multi-slit configuration in real time. A promising possible solution is the use of MOEMS devices such as micromirror arrays (MMA) [1,2,3] or micro-shutter arrays (MSA) [4]. MMAs are designed for generating reflecting slits, while MSAs generate transmissive slits. MSA has been selected to be the multi-slit device for NIRSpec and is under development at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. In Europe, an effort is currently under way to develop single-crystalline silicon micromirror arrays for future generation infrared multi-object spectroscopy [5]. By placing the programmable slit mask in the focal plane of the telescope, the light from selected objects is directed toward the spectrograph, while the light from other objects and from the sky background is blocked. Visitech is an engineering company experienced in developing DMD solution for industrial customers. The Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille (LAM) has, over several years, developed different tools for modeling and characterization of MOEMS-based slit masks, especially during the design studies on JWSTNIRSpec [6,7]. ESA has engaged with Visitech and LAM in a technical assessment of using a Digital Micromirror Devices (DMD) from Texas Instruments for space applications (for example in ESA EUCLID mission). The DMD features 2048 x 1080 mirrors on a 13.68μm mirror pitch (left-hand side of Fig. 1). Typical operational parameters of this device are room temperature, atmospheric pressure and mirrors switching thousands of times in a second, while for MOS applications in space, the device should work in vacuum, at low temperature, and each MOS exposure would last for typically 1500s with micromirrors held in a static state (either ON or OFF) during that duration. A specific thermal / vacuum test chamber has been developed for test conditions down to -40°C at 10-5 mbar vacuum. Imaging capability for resolving each micro-mirror has also been developed for determining any single mirror failure. Dedicated electronics and software allows us to hold any pattern on the DMD for duration of up to 1500s. We present the summary of this ESA study, the electronic test vehicle as well as the cold temperature test set-up we have developed. Then, results of tests in vacuum at low temperature, including low temperature stress test, low temperature nominal test, thermal cycling, and life test are presented. Results after radiation (TID and proton), and vibration and shock are also shown.


Rolf Huisgen explored the Diels-Alder reactions of 1,3,5-cycloheptatriene (CHT) and cyclooctatetraene (COT) with dienophiles maleic anhydride and 4-phenyl-1,2,4-triazoline-3,5-dione (PTAD) to determine the kinetics and mechanisms of various electrocyclizations and Diels-Alder reactions.  These reactions have been examined with density functional theory. Modern computational chemistry has provided information not previously available by experiment. Transition states for all the reactions have been identified, and their Gibbs energies are used to explain the experimental reactivities. Zwitterionic intermediates were not found in the [4+2] cycloadditions of both CHP or COT with PTAD and thus are not involved in these reactions. [2+2+2] cycloadditions as an alternative path to the Diels-Alder products are highly disfavored. Rapid double nitrogen inversion was found for the cycloaddition products with PTAD.


Gender differences in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) may be, in part, due to increased formation of the deleterious estrogen metabolite, 16α-hydroxyestrone (16αOHE1). Oxidative stress and Noxs have been implicated in the pathogenesis of PAH. We hypothesised that 17β-estradiol (E2) and 16αOHE1, specifically in human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs), leads to Nox-induced oxidative stress, which promotes PASMC damage. Cultured human PASMCs were stimulated with either E2 (1nM) or 16αOHE1 (1nM). ROS production was assessed by chemiluminescence (O2-) and Amplex Red (H2O2); antioxidants, regulators of Nrf2, and PCNA (marker of growth) expression by immunoblotting; and Nrf2 activity by ELISA. E2 increased superoxide (219%) and H2O2 (52%) in PASMCs (p<0.05 vs vehicle). E2 induced ROS was blocked by PHTPP (ERβ antagonist), tempol (SOD mimetic), ML171 (Nox1 inhibitor) and GKT137831 (Nox1/4 inhibitor). Thioredoxin (71%), NQ01 (78%) and peroxiredoxin1 (69%) protein levels were decreased by E2, even though Nrf2 activity was increased (38%), p<0.05 vs vehicle. 16αOHE1 exhibited a rapid (5 min) and exaggerated increase in superoxide (355%) and a decrease in H2O2 (65%) production, p<0.05. 16αOHE1-induced ROS was blocked by MPP (ERα antagonist), G15 (GPR30 antagonist), tempol and ML171. 16αOHE1 increased BACH1 (129%; p<0.05), a competitor of Nrf2, which was decreased (92%). E2 stimulation resulted in decreased PCNA expression (30%), while 16αOHE1 increased PCNA levels (150%); p<0.05. E2 and 16αOHE1 induced a rapid and sustained ROS generation in PASMCs derived from PAH subjects. E2 and 16αOHE1 did not increase superoxide production in VSMCs from resistance arteries of healthy subjects. In conclusion, E2 induces ROS production through ERβ-Nox-dependent mechanisms, while 16αOHE1 increases superoxide through an ERα/GPR30-Nox-dependent manner. The effects of E2 and 16αOHE1 on oxidative stress is present in PASMCs but not in VSMCs from peripheral arteries. and seems to be related to a dysregulation of the Nrf2 pathway. These processes may impact on molecular processes contributing to vascular remodeling in PAH.


The article deals with the inhumane practice of female genital mutilation which is practiced in a large part of the world even today. The practice not only affects the victims physically but it also traumatizes them for life. The article seeks to determine the scale at which it is practiced in different countries. The role of United Nations and its agencies have also been discussed. The author seeks for solutions in her research and discusses the methods already being implemented to end this menace of the society.


English language learning process of EFL learners is frequently evaluated through their performance in using the language, in particular their speaking performance. However, achieving spoken fluency is not an easy task for those learners due to many constraints ranging from linguistic aspects to personal aspects. Speaking is particularly complicated as it involves simultaneous processes: articulating and thinking process, and hence quite often people use typical words knows as Discourse Markers (DMs) to mediate the thinking process before they actually articulate ideas in their minds. In most occasions DMs are not explicitly taught in the EFL classroom; however, due to the advancement of technology, EFL learners can acquire them from their independent learning mainly through accessing English YouTube channels. In response to that, this paper examines DMs used in some popular YouTube videos, selected based on the number of their subscribers. The data which were in the form of words/phrases derived from the utterances contained in the videos were analysed qualitatively using Fraser's DMs construct (1991). The results indicated that DMs in the form of Discourse Activity markers functioning as clarifying occurred the most throughout the videos, represented by the use of DMs like (occurred 68 times), just (56 times), and really (36 times). Next trends, in sequence, were DMs in the form of Message Relationship markers functioning as presenting parallels and elaboration, represented by the use of DMs and which occurred 105 times.


There are many pastors who may not have properly understood the demands of the pastoral ministry but just chanced upon the latter while searching for a means of livelihood. There are others who may have arrived at the apostolate with preconceived ideas: A buoyant and flamboyant lifestyle, material comfort including wealth, power and sex. Now in an age of crass materialism, when many would do anything in order to achieve maximum wealth, success, comfort and popularity, when the human conscience has been stifled by inordinate desires and the temptation for material relevance, many men and women of God have completely lost their bearing concerning the essence of the good news of Christ. They have thrown overboard the demands of the Gospel message regarding moral rectitude, Christ-like modesty and the yearning for the spiritual all in pursuit of material gains at all cost. Using a critical philosophical analysis, the author argues against the misguided tenets of materialistic salvation as woefully lacking in appropriate models for authentic Christian life.


How to rebalance Chinese economy has become a topic of heated discussion. After years of fast economic expansion, now China faces a difficult crossroad. The global financial crisis provided clear evidence that China's traditional export-driven strategy is vulnerable to slumps of the external demand. China's heavy reliance on investment, which concerntrated in heavy-industry and infrastructure, is also unsustainable because of the diminishing return. Even worse, the investment-led growth model has already incured serious polution, corruption, insufficient provision of public servece, and many other problems. China needs to undertake a broad range of reforms to reconstruct its growth model. Beyond the traditional short-term macroeconomic management policies, ie, the fiscal and monetary policies, many other policies are often labeled as"structural reform". In China's context, structual reform includes urbanization, labour market reform, SOE reform, financial market reform, social welfare system reform a long list. But if structural reform means a major structural transformation of the economic activities and in the sources of economic growth, then the change of industrial structure, and in China's case, to be more specific, the relative importance of manufacturing and service sector, will be vital in the rebalancing of the Chinese economy. The good news is, after the global financial crisis, there is clear evidence that the development of service sector in China actually outpaced that of the manufacturing sector. There are indeed some "green shoots"of rebalancing. However, does it mean that China has found a new engine to replace the outworn ones? And if China further increase the proportion of service sector, can it finally return to the highway of fast economic growth? Probably not. We will argue that with the success of structural reform, and an expansion of the share of service sector to GDP, China's growth potential will fall even faster. However, it does not mean that structual reform is a bad idea. On the contrary, structural reform is more relevant than anytime, because it helps China to achieve a slower but more stable long-term economic growth and solve the potential social problems down the track. And the policy implication is, China has to get used to a "New normal", tolerate a lower growth rate, and shift its policy priority from growth to


Samuel Beckett Today is a collection of essays which aims to focus on Beckett's bilingualism. Some articles are in French and some in English (not translations), arranged by genre: fiction, poetry, drama, and film. The most useful article on the drama is written in French a wellinformed essay by Matthijs Engleberts which examines with rigour and clarity Beckett's use of narrative in the later plays. Paul Smith and Nic van der Toorn address (in French) the role of didascalies in Beckett's plays as texts to be read, and Tjebbe Westendorp considers Jonathan Kalb's assessment of Beckett's dramatic practice. Cobi Bordewijk's article, The Integrity of the Playtext: Disputed Performances of Waiting for Godot', though sometimes reductive in its arguments, includes useful material on productions opposed by Beckett, including those by George Tabori. I would also recommend an essay by Leslie Hill on mourning in the fiction, using the concepts of introjection and incorporation, which could be applied to dramatic texts such as Footfalls and Ohio Impromptu. The volume is worth consulting, particularly for francophones, and offers a welcome outlet for a European perspective on Beckett. The publication of The Beckett Country was designed to coincide with Beckett's eightieth year. Glossily produced, and containing striking black and white photographs by David Davison, the book is primarily an exploration and celebration of the place of Ireland, and particularly, of Dublin and the surrounding land and seascapes, in the life and work of Samuel Beckett. The foreword by J. R. Knowlson and the author's introduction raise pertinent questions about Beckett's creative use of his memories of specific places, figures, and incidents from his life in Ireland, although, on the whole, the author has chosen to leave critical interpretation of the material to the reader, juxtaposing images or descriptions with Beckett's own texts. These, however, are largely drawn from the fiction, poetry, or criticism, and for students or researchers specifically interested in Beckett's drama or in questions of dramatic form, the book contains little directly relevant material. The Beckett Country therefore invites rather than provides a re-interpretation of Beckett's texts in an Irish context, which it explores mainly in terms of people and places, with consideration, via the National Gallery, of an artistic context, and some brief references to Shaw, Yeats, Synge, and O'Casey.


The impact of solid waste disposal on water quality is gaining importance worldwide due to seepage of toxic metals through the soil into the groundwater. Urbanization, industrialization and changes in our life styles have compounded the problem of solid waste management in Nigeria. Poor waste management threatens the health of humans and animals, particularly those livingclose to these pollution point sources.The study area covers Jos-Bukuru and environs in North Central Nigeria. This study was aimed at investigating the chemical species present in groundwater as a result of the impact of solid waste dumpsites in the study area and to evaluate the contributions of the dumpsites to the chemical and physicochemical properties of groundwater around the dumps. Five (5) major dumpsites (Bauchi Road Jos, Rukuba Road Jos, Building Materials Market, Rayfield and Bukuru Town) were sampled for this study. Ten water samples from hand dug wells (two from each site) close to the dumpsites and three controls were collected and analysed for chemical composition and further speciation analysis was conducted on the chemical result to assess the various species present in the waters and possible human health related issues. Results show that the mean values of the pH, temperature, EC, TDS, of the water samples all fall within the WHO permissible limits for portable drinking water. Content of trace elements are generally low in the waters but toxic metal species such as Ba+2, Mn+2, Ni+2, Zn+2, Cd+2, and Pb+2 are common to all the water sources. This study shows that different dumpsites have impacted differently on waters in their different environments. There is the need to curtail the excesses of dumping waste in these areas so as not to add to the exiting contents of toxic metal species in the waters.


Sensor technology has been developed in the framework of the project "Smart Gallery". The technology can be used for light shows. This paper presents developments and current results which were achieved while working on the project.


The invention discloses a cultivation method of Chinese yam, which comprises the following steps: laminating the seeds for centralized grow seedlings, transporting the terminal buds as the seedlings, after the soil thaws, forming carriages after harrowing, ditching in the carriages, placing two rows of guide tubes in the trench sideways, placing the seedling roots in the guide tube and exposing the seedlings out of the tube mouth for 3-5 cm, fixing the seedlings and the guide tubes by soil, carrying out the routine field management, building frames when the seedlings grow to 10-20 cm, collecting the Chinese yam when the overground tendrils fully wilt, digging up the guide tubes and taking out the Chinese yam. The method can facilitate the Chinese yam to have aesthetic appearance, good quality, high yield, time-saving and labour-saving gains and low failure rate, and the method is not confined by the region and easy to popularize and apply.


A precise estimation of sediment transport capacity (Tc) is key to establishing process‐based erosion models. However, few data are available for estimating transport capacity on steep slopes and test materials sorted at high coarse grain values of >2 mm. Colluvial deposits with loose, coarse material and steep slopes make up the packed materials underlying the collapsing walls in benggang, which collapse due to hydraulic pressure and gravity. The objectives of this study were to investigate how flow discharge and slope steepness affect Tc and to examine relationships between Tc and flow velocity, shear stress, stream power, and unit stream power for colluvial deposits found on steep slopes. A nonerodible rill flume of 4 m long and 0.12 m wide was used. Slope steepness values ranged from 18% to 84%, and unit flow discharge values ranged from 0.56 × 10−3 to 4.44 × 10−3 m2 s−1. Tc increased as a power function with flow discharge and slope steepness with a Nash–Sutcliffe model efficiency (NSE) value of 0.99, and the effects of flow discharge were stronger than those of slope steepness. Tc was overestimated for a colluvial deposit when the equations of the ANSWERS, Zhang et al. and Wu et al. models were considered and when Tc exceeded 5 kg m−1 s−1, as the slope steepness used in our study was much higher than those used (<47%) in the other models. Regression analyses show that Tc can be predicted from linear equations of flow velocity, stream power, and unit stream power, and Tc can be fit to shear stress with power function equation. Flow velocity optimizes to predict Tc with NSE = 0.97, and stream power and shear stress can also be successfully related to Tc (NSE = 0.91 and NSE = 0.81, respectively); however, unit stream power performs poorly (NSE = 0.67). These results provide a basis for establishing process‐based erosion models on steep colluvial slopes.


RECONSTRUCTION AND REPRESENTATION OF THE OF THE 43 REPORT This article compares the journalistic reporting of Reforma and La Jornada newspapers with the report published by Grupo Interdisciplinario de Expertos Independientes (GIEI) Independent Expert Interdisciplinary Group-, about the disappearance of the 43 teacher-trainees of Ayotzinapa (Mexico) from 26th to 27th of September 2014. The analysis reveals that the news information is imprecise, confusing, and in many cases, misleading, in comparison to that offered by the GIEI. This way of constructing reality becomes a strategy for misinformation that contravenes not only the victims' right to lean the truth but also the readers' right to be informed.


The invention relates to a band sawing machine constant power sawing control method and an intelligent band sawing machine thereof; the intelligent band sawing machine comprises a control system, a saw frame system, a feeding system and a clamp mechanism; a rotary encoder is arranged on a rotary shaft of a driven saw wheel, and rotary speed of the driven saw wheel is detected in real time; a power sensor detects a frequency converter feedback current, and the current value is sent to a lower computer through the rotary encoder; the lower computer collects the rotary speed and torque data of a main motor, uses a feeding flow valve control motor to adjust the opening of the feeding flow valve, thus changing lifting speed of an oil cylinder piston rod; the lower computer can adjust the pressure of an electric-hydraulic proportional overflow valve through sensor feedbacks, thus controlling tensile force of a tensioning oil cylinder. The power of the driving main motor is fully used, sawing condition influences on the saw blade life and different material feeding force limit conditions are considered, thus realizing intelligent sawing of the band sawing machine, and effectively prolonging fatigue life of the saw blade.


Western and Chinese philosophies may have started off with similar considerations, but later took quite different paths. Socrates and Plato were first and foremost concerned about the good life, both for an individual as such (ethics), and for a citizen as a part of a well-ordered whole (political philosophy). This concern led the more influential Plato into epistemological paths of thinking through which he sought to ascertain true knowledge of ethical matters, paths that were largely influenced by the pre-Socratic natural philosophers. Certainly, epistemological considerations feature prominently in Plato's works, but they are nevertheless merely an aspect of his rich and insightful philosophy of the good society and the good life. The same can be said about Aristotle, although his works certainly offer a wide range of scientific explorations. Thus, the ancient Greeks were primarily concerned about the nature of the good life in much the same way as the Chinese. During the modern age, however, the age of Descartes and Kant, but, significantly, also the age of the scientific revolution, epistemological foci were given prominence as the proper subject matter of philosophy. Indeed, epistemology, the theory of how we know that we know what (we at least believe) we know, was now interpreted and understood as a methodological tool for science. Not only had the epistemological accent of modern Western philosophy been sealed, but it was taken for granted, e.g. by a disgruntled Martin Heidegger, that philosophy's theoretical, metaphysical and epistemological endeavour could be traced in a direct line back to the ancient Greek thinkers, which also significantly influenced the manner of studying their works.1 As Heidegger put it,


This paper describes a new method of in-process measurement and control of gap distance in the electrical discharge machining (EDM) process in order to improve the machining properties. A pipe electrode is used and the working fluid is supplied to the gap space through a fixed restrictor and the pipe electrode. Since the pressure between the fixed restrictor and the tip of the pipe electrode depends on the gap distance, the absolute value of the gap distance can be determined in-process by measuring the pressure. It is found that the EDM process can be carried out with maintaining the gap distance constant and that the fluctuation of the z-axis with maintaining the gap distance constant is much smaller than that with the conventional EDM servo mechanism. However, for the discharge conditions used in this study, the removal rate with the gap distance kept constant is smaller than that with the conventional EDM servo mechanism, because the discharge frequency becomes smaller.


This paper is a part of Fukushima Technical Evaluation Project [1, 2 and 3] which investigates various aspects of the Fukushima Daiichi event using the GOTHIC code [4]. The project was founded by Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and intended to support and augment analysis of the event using the MAAP5 computer code [5]. The analysis takes advantage of the capability of GOTHIC to model certain aspects of the system geometry and behavior in more detail than typically considered in containment performance analysis. GOTHIC is a general purpose thermal hydraulics code that is used extensively in the nuclear industry for system design support, licensing support and safety analysis. It has the capability to model 3-dimensional flow behavior including the effects of turbulence, diffusion and buoyancy [4]. This allows GOTHIC to be used in cases where mixing effects and stratification are important. The analysis presented here considers the events at Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1 (1F1) following the tsunami and leading up to the time of the hydrogen detonation in the 1F1 Reactor Building. The 1F1 MAAP5 Baseline Scenario [5] is used to define the steam, hydrogen and carbon-monoxide source terms from the primary system and the core concrete interaction. The model incorporates three dimensional modeling of the drywell (DW), wetwell (WW) and connecting vent system that can predict the 3-dimensional flow patterns and the temperature and gas distributions. The model also includes leakage to the surrounding reactor building and the wetwell vent to the stack. The 3D containment model includes models for the heat transfer from the steam and gas in the drywell vent system to the torus room, wetwell gas space and pool. Inclusion of vent heat transfer had a significant impact on the overall containment response for the 1F1 scenario, particularly during the steam and hydrogen release from the primary system following the postulated failure of reactor vessel. Condensation in the vent system reduced transfer of noncondensing gases to the wetwell resulting in lower containment pressure and higher gas concentrations in the drywell.


Stating the goals at the beginning of the instructions allows readers to familiarize themselves with the instructions more quickly, remember the instructions and feel reassured about their actions. Dixon, from the University of Alberta, Canada, studies the psychology behind using instructions. He makes a distinction between procedural instructions -- instructions that need to be completed in order - and any other type of instructions that can be completed in random order. For example, filling in the blanks on a survey in any order will yield the same results as filling in the blanks in order - the form will be complete. He suggests that procedural instructions are unique in that readers must construct a mental model before they can complete the task. Usually, any instructions that need to be completed in order also require additional pre-planning on the part of the reader. If people are able to familiarize themselves with the procedure, then they will be able to start planning how they would carry it out. The importance of the summary is not to provide detail about the steps. There is a section at the beginning of our conflict resolution manual that contains general information, an introductory message and an overview of the way that the manual is laid out. It talks about the broad areas involved in problem solving (they are labeled "get ready", "get set" and "go") and then more individual areas covering the six steps in any problem solving process. One way that we resolved the problem of having to present a summary to the reader was to show the information on the procedure as an introductory, double-paged spread. This double-paged spread introduces information about the broad areas involved in problem solving and briefly introduces all six steps. While Figure i shows a summary designed to be read as a double-page spread, Figure 2 is another way of presenting the information, organized differently, on one page. It is a much less detailed way of presenting the broad areas of problem solving and then giving the six steps. However, it gives the reader much more of an overall map of the procedure that is described in more detail on the subsequent pages.


The presence of heavy metals such as lead (Pb+2) in water bodies causes alterations in environmental quality and public health due to their solubility and capacity of accumulation in the food chain. Problems that can be increased by the accumulation of Eichhornia crassipes an aquatic weed with high invasive capacity whose presence in the aquatic ecosystems favors the processes of eutrophication and growth of pathogenic microorganisms vectors of diseases. As an alternative for the removal of heavy metals and the use of TEC stems and HEC leaves of E. crassipes, the adsorption capacity and removal efficiency of Pb+2 in aqueous solution of this biomass were evaluated. Initially batch tests were performed to analyze the influence of the adsorbent dose, contact time and solution pH. As final disposal method, the calcination was analyzed at temperatures of 700 and 800°C. The equilibrium experimental data were correlated using the Langmuir and Freundlich models. The best fit model was the Langmuir model with R2=0.9816 TEC and R2=0.9854 HEC, achieving a maximum adsorption capacity of 172.41mg/g TEC and 131.58mg/g HEC with 0.2 g Of biomass/200mL, pH 5.5 and 3h of contact. Pb+2 removals above 97% were achieved in all tests. Calcination tests indicate that at temperatures ≥800°C it is possible to stabilize the residual biomass by preventing the removed metal cations from being released from the biological matrix by the effects of low pH leaching solutions.


A method for producing a multilayer acoustic transducer with reduced electrical total impedance is described. The method is based on that two piezoelectric ceramic layers (2, 4) are attached to opposite metallized surfaces of a thin electrical conductor, then the upper and lower surfaces are electrically connected together to form a wrap-around electrode (12, 16 form 18) while a central conductor (6) forms a second electrode. The total electrical impedance of a two-layer ceramic stack, which consists of connected in this manner, the piezoelectric layers, a quarter of that is a solid ceramic member of the same size. This results in a better match of acoustic impedance to that of the stack of electrical cable, an increased penetration depth for imaging in the body and an improved sensitivity of the acoustic element.


Mango (Mangifera indica, L.) is a tropical fruit of high nutritive value as a good source of vitamins A and C (1,2,8). In Puerto Rico, this fruit grows and shows great adaptability to our warm climate (4). The most common varieties grown are the Mayagiiezano and Pasóte (5). The Agricultural Experiment Station of the University of Puerto Rico has introduced a large number of mango varieties suitable for the fresh market and for processing. As part of these studies, the composition of the varieties grown on the experimental farm at the Fortuna Substation on the Southern Coast of Puerto Rico was determined. This paper presents the data obtained from the analyses of 30 varieties.


The location of economic facilities has existed as a problem for some considerable time, yet its emergence as an integral part of total distribution planning seems quite recent. The development of techniques to solve particular, well defined problems has resulted in a wide range of algorithms, heuristics and simulation programs. Several of these are "packaged" by consulting organisations and indeed are quite successful in solving that part of the problem which can be represented in the required format. The role of location in the concept of total distribution is, however, rather more complex. For this reason, it is instructive to examine the progress of locational analysis from its origins in analytical geometry through the work of the economic geographers to the current emphasis on the systems approach to distribution. It is then possible to investigate how the historical development of the problem has influenced the decision‐making process, and to what extent this influence is now desirable.


Abstract The solution structures of α- and β-amanitin in dimethyl sulfoxide/chloroform (85/15) at 286 K have been examined through analysis of two-dimensional double-quantum-filtered correlated spectra and nuclear-Overhauser-effect spectra (NOESY). The NOESY data were analyzed by both a two-spin approximation and a relaxation-matrix analysis. Analysis of NOESY data acquired with a long mixing time (τm > T1) provides experimental verification that the two-spin approximation underestimates interproton distances greater than approximately 3.0 A. The interproton distances obtained from relaxation-matrix analyses were used in combination with distance-geometry-based calculations to compute a set of 10 solution structures for each compound. The sets of solution structures compare favorably with reported crystal structures for these compounds. A simplified relaxation-matrix-analysis procedure is presented which can estimate interproton distances from a set of references distances and a single NOESY volume matrix. This simplified analysis was used together with a cross-validation procedure to investigate the accuracy of computed distances. In the present case, distances obtained with the relaxation analysis are slightly more accurate than distances obtained with a simplified two-spin analysis.


In this work, the accurate representation of transmission lines for the d i g i t a l simulation of electromagnetic transients in power systems has been examined. A model has been developed that accounts for the frequency dependence and distributed nature of the line parameters over the entire frequency range. This model can easily be incorporated into a time-domain network solution of the complete power system. The model consists simply of a constant resistence in parallel with a current source evaluated at each time step of the solution. The equivalent resistance results from a f in i t e-step-width discretization of the differential equations of a resistance-capacitance (R-C) network that simulates the line characteristic impedance. The equivalent current source accounts for the time delays and attenuations of the different frequency components of the travelling waves and for the discretization of the timedomain equations. Rational-function approximations are used to synthesize the R-C network and the line propagation ("weighting") function in the frequency domain. These rational approximations allow the corresponding time-domain functions to be obtained directly in a closed-form, thus circumventing the need for numerical inverse Fourier transformations. The numerical technique used to obtain the rational functions yields very accurate, high-order approximations. This technique is based on a direct, step-by-step allocation (and reallocation) of poles and zeros and avoids the instability problems which can be encountered with optimization techniques based on search methods.


Low temperature combustion (LTC) in diesel engines was implemented to reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) simultaneously. However, like other advanced combustion regimes LTC is still limited to low load operating range. Thus, mode transition to conventional diesel combustion (CDC) must be well achieved in order to cover the entire operation range. Not only power output from the engine, but also combustion noise level must be stabilized during mode transition, for driver comfort. In this study, a series of injection strategies was conducted in a heavy duty diesel engine to investigate their effect on power output and combustion noise level during mode transition. Results showed that for a smooth mode transition, a gradual nonlinear shift in injection timing and duration is beneficial. It was also found that for some cycles, injection duration should be dropped to a level below the starting and ending level to fine-tune the power output. The finally achieved injection strategy showed an improvement in stability, represented by the coefficient of variation (COV) of indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP). It was also found that the maximum pressure rise rate (MPRR) was suppressed, denoting that combustion noise was successfully reduced.


This article analyses the role of capital buffers in containing the reduction of lending to the real economy during the COVID-19 crisis. Our results show that banks' use of capital buffers leads to better economic outcomes, without a negative impact on their resilience. Banks' willingness to use capital buffers is reflected in higher lending, with positive effects on GDP and lower credit losses, while the resilience of the banking system is not compromised. JEL Classification: G01, G17, C22, C54, G21


A function theoretic characterization is given of when a composition operator is compact on BMOA, the space of analytic functions on the unit disk having radial limits that are of bounded mean oscillation on the unit circle. When the symbol of the composition operator is univalent, compactness on BMOA is shown to be equivalent to compactness on the Bloch space, and a characterization in terms of the geometry of the image of the disk under the symbol of the operator results. ?


The static characteristics of water hydraulic artificial muscles (WHAMs) are related to operating parameters and manufacturing parameters. Operating parameters include working pressure and contraction ratio. Manufacturing parameters include initial braiding angle, fiber sleeve material, and initial rubber tube thickness. These manufacturing parameters fundamentally influence the static characteristics of artificial muscle. Orthogonal experiments were designed with an initial braiding angle of 25 degrees and 32 degrees, fiber sleeve of UHMWPE and aramid 1414, and initial rubber tube thickness of 2mm and 3mm to study the significance level of the effects of these factors and their interactions on the static characteristics of WHAMs. Experiments were carried out at different contractions to study the relationship between contraction force and working pressure, and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) analyzed the test data. The analysis results showed that the significance level of the initial braid angle on WHAM's static characteristics is the most significant; the significance level of fiber sleeve material and initial rubber tube thickness on the static characteristics of WHAMs depends on the working pressure and contractions. The analysis results help people fabricate different WHAM types according to the working conditions, which help people better control the contraction forces.


By using temperature,humidity,wind speed,wet bulb globe temperature(WBGT),and solar radiation data during May to September 2008 and May to July 2009 obtained from Tianjin boundary layer observation stations,through correlation analysis and multiple regression,a WBGT simplified calculation method is established.At the same time,by using Rayman model,based on the cloud cover the average radiation temperature is calculated,achieving the weather forecasting factors,combining with GB/T 17244-1998 and ISO 7243 standard systems,further using WBGT forecast products and giving a proposal about labor time arrangements in the next 6 hours,so as to reduce the injury from high temperature outdoor working.The results show that,the WBGT is highly related with dry-bulb temperature and solar radiation. Based on conventional meteorological data and average radiation temperature,the WBGT simplified calculation methods are practical and feasible.If the WBGT prediction products are applied to the future work schedule arrangements,there will be a better guide effect.


faces many challenges, including limited land and water resources, and climate change that directly affects the production process, which makes it unable to provide food at rates commensurate with population growth rates, resulting in reduced self-sufficiency and increased dependence on imports, The research aimed to study (1) the current situation and the future forecast of climate change in Egypt, (2) the current situation and the future forecast of the production and economic indicators of wheat and maize crops in Egypt, (3) the impact of climate difference on the production and water consumption of study crops and the resulting economic losses, (4) economic and climatic factors affecting the production of study crops, and (5) alternatives proposed to address the impact of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis on food security of wheat and maize. The research found that the greatest, low and average temperature is expected to increase by about 0.95°C, 0.9°C, 1.7 m° in 2026 compared to 2020 and the relative humidity is expected to increase by about 4.4%, and the amount of rain is expected to be about 5% lower than in 2020, This contributes to the negative impact on the production indicators of both wheat and maize, where the productivity of wheat is expected to stabilize at 2.7 tons in 2026, while the productivity of corn acres is expected to decrease to 3.22 Tons are 2.4% lower than in 2020, and the acre's water needs for wheat and maize are expected to increase by about 5%, 2.3% each, respectively. It was found that there is a statistically moral inverse relationship between average temperature and wheat production has been shown, as a 10% increase in average temperature leads to a 4.3% decrease in wheat production and vice versa, as well as a statistically moral correlation between the amount of rain, wheat cultivation and total production, as a 10% increase in total wheat production by 0.5%, 8.8% for both, respectively, It was found that there is a statistically moral inverse relationship between the area cultivated with sustainable clover as a competing crop and total wheat production, as a 10% increase in the area of clover leads to a 1.6% decrease in wheat production during the study period. It was found that there is a statistically moral inverse relationship between the average temperature and the production of maize, as the increase in the average temperature by 10% leads to a decrease in maize production by 4.9% and vice versa, as it was found that there is a statistically moral expulsion relationship between the area planted with corn and its total production, as the increase in the area planted with corn by 10% leads to an increase in total production of it by 6.5%, It shows that there is a statistically moral inverse relationship between the area planted with rice as a competing crop and total maize production, as a 10% increase in the area of rice leads to a 5.9% decrease in maize production during the study period.


We have investigated the antitomor effect of IL-2 mini-pellet on the therapy of murine Meth-A sarcoma in these years. In this study we used IL-2 mini-pellet with a small dose of nHuTNF-α and examined of its antitumor efficacy compared with the administration of IL-2 mini-pellet alone. Even a single administration of IL-2 mini pellet alone could inhibited the growth of Meth-A sarcoma that had transplanted in mice, the combined use was more effective. The lytic activity of splenocytes against YAC-1 cells was prolonged in the combined use, but the maximum level of that was same. In histological examination on day 7 afterthe administration, the infiltration of lymphocytes was found in a same extent.


Massive failures of software development projects have been recorded in the literature, and particularly in the popular press, over the years. Yet, rarely if ever have we seen any objective, detailed analysis of the causes of these failures. Indeed, we usually can only surmise how the projects were managed or what the development methodology or approach was. This chapter analyses some aspects of software development projects and development methodologies in terms of the success or failure potential of these methodologies. The conclusion arrived at is that the system development methodologies handed down since the late 1970s as the preferred development approach, generally known as Structured Methodologies, based on the Structured Design Life Cycle methodology (SDLC), bear the seeds of their own failure. It is asserted that they cannot succeed because of the inherent nature and assumptions embedded in those methodologies. After some analysis of these assumptions, considered to be highly flawed and unwork-able, the now not so recently published Agile Development methodologies are discussed and proffered as a workable and inherently successful approach to software system development.


Congestion in the truck transportation industry results in significant costs throughout the economy. For example, a 2011 survey of Washington state freight-dependent industries found that a 20% increase in congestion faced by the freight dependent industries would result in an impact of nearly 1,800 jobs lost and a reduction of $244 million in regional output from the state's Central Basin region alone (Taylor et al., 2013). Much of the output of the Central Basin is agriculturally-driven. The estimated impact is largely generated as a result of the freight dependent businesses increasing spending on resources to counteract the increased congestion. In turn, prices of freight dependent goods are increased and consumers must decrease purchases of services and non-freight dependent goods to pay for the increased costs of freight dependent goods. In essence, congestion causes general inefficiency, requiring the truck transportation industry to be less productive.


The main development trends of 300-mm plasma equipment, particularly etchers, are further increasing competition between capacitive and inductive plasma sources. Capacitive plasma sources increase excitation frequency in order to attain low-pressure high-density plasma conditions, while inductive sources essentially shrink the discharge gap and cover the low gas residence time range previously occupied exclusively by their capacitive counterparts. Both systems seem to be converging at the very limit for advanced oxide etchers. Wide-gap inductive sources are successfully replacing capacitive systems in polysilicon and metal etch. Microwave systems are still in the minority and will fail to occupy a noticeable place in the 300-mm market in the near future.


The understanding of the role of retailer, buying agent, factory and third party laboratory in the quality program of clothing sector is necessary to ensure the technical and commercial success of merchandise. The chapter first discusses importance of synchronisation of the activities of different stakeholders to deliver the right product within the stipulated time frame. The chapter then discusses the functional aspects of retailers, buying agents, factories and third party laboratories to engineer the apparel with compliance to quality standard.


This article describes the role and place of philosophical science in the formation of the worldview of military personnel. In the process of studying the science of philosophy, it was revealed that the military personnel broadened the perceptions of the being, the universe, society and themselves in which they lived, and the formation of their worldview. Ontological, dialectical, synergetic, epistemological, methodological, axiological, praxiological, logical, ethical and aesthetic approaches in military personnel as a science of philosophical wisdom are analyzed


Research suggests that teachers' beliefs about teaching are strongly influenced by their personal experiences with mathematics. This study aimed to explore Pacific Island pre-service secondary mathematics teacher's perceptions about good and bad mathematics teachers. Thirty pre-service teachers, enrolled in a mathematics teaching methods course during their third year of University study were asked to write reflections on their personal mathematical memories. Results indicate that pre-service teachers rate good mathematics teachers using a varied combination of characteristics.


Ion beam diagnostics are routinely used for quantitative analysis of the surface composition of mixture materials up to a depth of a few μm. Unfortunately, advantageous properties of the diagnostics, like high depth resolution in combination with a large penetration depth, no destruction of the surface, high sensitivity for large as well as for small atomic numbers, and high sensitivity are mutually exclusive. Among other things, this is due to the ill-conditioned inverse problem of reconstructing depth distributions of the composition elements. Robust results for depth distributions are obtained with adaptive methods in the framework of Bayesian probability theory. The method of adaptive kernels allows for distributions which contain only the significant information of the data while noise fitting is avoided. This is achieved by adaptively reducing the degrees of freedom supporting the distribution. As applications for ion beam diagnostics Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy and particle induced X-ray...


During recent years,The policy of women micro-lending in Gansu province has seen dramatic breakthroughs,Which support the development of agriculture and rural economy strongly and make some poor women and their families out of poverty quickly to took to the road to get rich.Based on the gansu rural women micro-lending,this article study the patterns and characteristics of this policy implementation and deeply analys the problems in the policy implementation process in order to explore the development and perfection of path and method.


Coastal oceans are vital to world health and sustenance. Technology that enables new observations has always been the driver of discovery in ocean sciences. In this context, we describe the first at sea deployment and operation of an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICPMS) for continuous measurement of trace elements in seawater. The purpose of these experiments was to demonstrate that an ICPMS could be operated in a corrosive and high vibration environment with no degradation in performance. Significant advances occurred this past year due to ship time provided by Scripps Institution of Oceanography (UCSD), as well as that funded through this project. Evaluation at sea involved performance testing and characterization of several real-time seawater analysis modes. We show that mass spectrometers can rapidly, precisely and accurately determine ultratrace metal concentrations in seawater, thus allowing high-resolution mapping of large areas of surface seawater. This analytical capability represents a significant advance toward real-time observation and understanding of water mass chemistry in dynamic coastal environments. In addition, a joint LLNL-SIO workshop was convened to define and design new technologies for ocean observation. Finally, collaborative efforts were initiated with atmospheric scientists at LLNL to identify realistic coastal ocean and river simulation models to support real-time analysis and modeling of hazardous material releases in coastal waterways.


Department of Chemical & Biochemical Engi Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 36 † Electronic supplementary information ( of 1, u-dibromoalkanes in THF; H NMR and 12); H NMR spectrum of PES-OCH PES-n-QA (n 1⁄4 3, 4, 6, 8, and 12); the ap the cross-section and (d) surface of PES molecules around each QA group (l) as a PES-n-QA membranes at 30, 60 and 80 (b) PES-6-QA and (c) PES-8-QA stored in 1 0 and 720 h, respectively; the proposed d PES-3-QA under alkaline conditions. See D Cite this: J. Mater. Chem. A, 2016, 4, 13938


The common faults of lifting hydrocylinder on the tamping device of tamping machine,a type of major maintenance machine for railway,are analyzed in details,including the breaking of cylinder rods,smoothed screw threads and leakage,et al.Aimed at the causes of faults,several measures and suggestions are proposed for the purpose of improvement,which provides reference for the design of tamping device on tamping machine.


The increasing awareness of the important role of very small amounts of chemical species in chemical, physical, and biological systems has greatly stimulated the refinement and extension of analyses at these levels. The analytical requirements imposed by the minute quantities and typically complex systems involved has led to the development of methodology and instrumentation so specialized as to warrant consideration as a distinct field of analytical chemistry-trace analysis. One of the aims of this symposium is to gain an accurate assessment of the current state of this field, and this paper is an attempt to present this status from an academic perspective. In order to discuss any specialty in analytical chemistry as carried on in colleges and universities, it is necessary to first review the current status of the whole discipline. It must be stated that the main missions of universities are teaching and research, and chemistry, one of the basic sciences, is an essential discipline in most colleges and universities. How does analytical chemistry fare in academe? A review of the American Chemical Society Directory of Graduate Research lists faculties, publications and theses in chemistry and other related disciplines at universities in the United States and Canada. A review of the 1985 edition, the latest available, reveals that of the 315 chemistry departments listed, 201 include analytical chemistry with 510 analytical faculty members. It is obvious that these departments cover a wide range of sizes, so that some of the smaller institutions are less structured. Of these 201 departments, 80 have at least three or more analytical chemistry faculty members. What becomes quite apparent from a review of the data is that while analytical chemistry is not formally included in every department, there are a significant number of strong analytical departments in the United States and Canada to advance the science adequately. In this environment we can now turn our attention to trace analysis. With regard to trace analysis research, two major approaches are evident: development of new techniques and methodology, and application to important problems. Because the field of trace analysis is so broad, I have chosen to limit my evaluation to trace element analysis, the area of my expertise. This specialty can be conveniently divided into three categories: bulk analysis, spatially resolved analysis, and speciation. In the area of applications, trace analytical research is being pursued by a good number of faculty to solve important biomedical, environmental, solid state materials, and geochemical problems. Among the techniques currently being employed for bulk trace analysis, electroanalytical, atomic spectroscopy, x-ray fluorescence, activation analysis, and mass spectrometry are the most advanced and most used. A review of bulk trace techniques over the past 40 years indicates continuous progress in each of these categories. See figure 1. Thus, each of these techniques has continuously been used and kept viable with novel research advances. The current exciting areas in each of these categories include modified electrodes, inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy (ICP), proton induced x-ray emission spectroscopy (PIXE), charged particle and prompt gamma activation analyses, and ICP-mass spectroscopy. While there will always be a need for more sensitive bulk trace methods of broad scope, there has been increased interest in recent years in localization of elements in solid samples. These spatially resolved methods of trace analysis can establish the distribution of many elements with spatial resolutions at the micrometer level or better. Table I lists


In this January 2019 interview with Li Jing, the playwright of Lu Xun, Professor Liu Hongtao from Beijing Normal University delves into how a "drama rookie" ended up writing such a groundbreaking award-winning script. They discuss her exhaustive research and the lessons she learned struggling with how to write a character that is already so firmly entrenched in the cultural consciousness.


ABSTRACT Over the past few decades, the mobility of young people abroad for education and labour has been rapidly increasing in Nepal, which has impacted both rural communities and household life. Based on ethnographic field data from Eastern Nepal, this paper explores how multilocality affects the socio-spatial dimensions of householding, i.e. how siblings negotiate their roles as movers and stayers in relation to household obligations, individual aspirations and shifting socio-economic opportunities. This paper draws on and contributes to scholarly debates on how migration impacts social transformation in places, with a particular focus on the dynamics of multilocal householding. We argue that a common agreement between generations and siblings that 'the house cannot stay empty' reinforces the importance of the household as a meaningful place exercised through the maintenance of traditional intra- and intergenerational contracts and the practice of rotating presence and absence.


Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) play an important role in indoor and outdoor air pollutants. In the present study, samples were analyzed from indoor (schools and houses) and outdoor air in urban, industrial, semi-rural and residential areas from Argentina (La Plata region) and Mexico (Mexico City region) to consider VOC exposure in different types of environments. VOCs were sampled using a passive sampling method with passive 3M monitors. Samples were extracted with CS2 and analyzed by GC/MS detectors. The results show significant differences in concentration and distribution between indoor and outdoor samples, depending on the study area. Most VOCs predominantly originated indoors influenced by local outdoor emissions (traffic and industry).


Objective To study the relationship and clinical meaning between the level of plasma homocysteine and intracranial and extracranial artery stenosis in patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease. Methods A total of 92 patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease experienced cerebral digital subtraction angiography( DSA) were selected. The patients were divided into intracranial and extracranial artery stenosis group and intracranial and extracranial artery without stenosis group according to their DSA findings.Three groups were categorized by distribution of artery lesion sites and the degree of artery stenosis. The homocysteine concent rations in each group were analyzed. Results The patients with intracranial and extracranial artery stenosis group had significantly higher blood Hcylevels than those without intracranial and extracranial artery stenosis group( P 0. 05). For the different groups of artery lesion sites:the proportion of subjects with high level of plasma homocysteine was not significantly different( P 0. 05). The level of Hcy in patients with severe artery stenosis were significantly higher than those in patients with moderated artery stenosis( P 0. 05). Conclusion The hyper homocysteinemia is an independent risk factor for cerebral vascular stenosis,and no selectivity for intracranial or extracranial artery injury. The level of plasma homocysteine is correlated with the severity of cerebral vascular stenosis.


Nondestructive testing (NDT) or Nondestructive evaluation (NDE) refers to techniques, which are used to detect, locate and assess defects or flaws in materials or structures or fabricated components without affecting in any way their continued usefulness or serviceability. The defects may either be intrinsically present as a result of manufacturing process or may result from stress, corrosion etc. to which a material or a component may be subjected during actual use. It is evident that techniques to detect critical flaws before they have grown unacceptably large are of vital importance in the industry for in-service inspection, quality control and failure analysis. There are several NDE techniques of which one of the widely used techniques is based on eddy currents. However, the conventional eddy current technique has the drawback that it can detect flaws upto a certain depth under the surface of the conducting specimen under investigation and is not suitable for locating deep subsurface defects. Such limitations can often be overcome with the use of high sensitivity SQUID sensor. Nondestructive evaluation of materials and structures using low temperature SQUID (LTS) as well as high temperature SQUID (HTS) has been proposed and the potential of the technique has been demonstrated during the last two decades (H. Weinstock, 1991 & G.B. Donaldson et al, 1996). The SQUID based NDE offers many advantages such as high sensitivity (~ 10 to 100 fT/Hz), wide bandwidth (from dc to 10 kHz), broad dynamic range (>100 dB) and its intrinsically quantitative nature; disadvantage of this technique is that the SQUID sensor operates only at cryogenic temperatures which makes it relatively expensive. However, despite the expensive cryogen and associated inconvenience in handling, SQUID sensors find a niche in areas where other NDE sensors fail to achieve the required performance (H.-J. Krause & M.V.Kreutzbruck, 2002).


Primary monolayer cultures of adult rat hepatocytes were used to study the temporal interaction of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and insulin in their stimulation of DNA synthesis. The hepatocytes were cultured both under defined conditions and with serum. EGF and insulin interacted synergistically. The entry into S phase (G1 exit) followed first‐order kinetics both in untreated and hormone‐stimulated cells. Addition of EGF and insulin at the time of plating did not alter the lag period before the DNA synthesis started (25–26 h), but the rate constant for the S phase entry increased five‐ to sixfold. Experiments where the time of hormone addition was varied indicated that insulin exerted its strongest effect at the time of plating, whereas the cells became more responsive to EGF after being cultured for up to 40–50 h. The responsiveness to EGF at these later stages required an early exposure of the hepatocytes to insulin. When the administration of EGF to insulin‐pretreated hepatocytes was postponed for 44 h after plating in serum‐free medium, the cellular sensitivity was increased as compared to EGF treatment at 0 h (a one‐log shift of the dose‐effect curve), the rate of S phase entry was more rapid, and the lag period for the onset of the EGF effect (i.e., shift of rate constant) was shortened (6–7 h vs. 26 h).


It has been more than halfa century since the idea of"Healthy First"was raised in 1950's.The country has also made a series of health education moves.But as shown from the results of various investigation,the health states of the young students,college students and intellectuals are not optimistic.The course"PE and Health"undertakes tasks of health and health education.It is important to clearify its responsibility in the school health education and thoroughly discover functions of health education,so as to embody and serve the idea of"Health First".


Conger, B.V., et al. (1987) "Somatic Embryogenesis From Cultured Leaf Segments of Zea mays". Plant Cell Reports, 6:345-347. Duncan, D.R. et al. (1985) "The Production of Callus Capable of Plant Regeneration From Immature Embryos of Numerous Zea mays Genotypes". Planta, 165:322-332. Edalo, et al. (1981) "Chromosomal Variation and Fre quency of Spontaneous Mutation Associated with in Vitro Culture and Plant Regeneration in Maize". Maydica, XXVI: 39-56. Green, et al., (1975) "Plant Regeneration From Tissue Cultures of Maize". CropScience, vol. 15, pp. 417-421. Green, C.E., et al. 91982) "Plant Regeneration in Tissue Cultures of Maize" Maize for Biological Research, pp. 367-372. US005731497A


Climate and viticulture are indisputably linked and thus knowledge of the predominant weather and climate conditions of a given area is essential for optimum variety selection, viable production and overall wine quality. In this study, an assessment of the current (1981–2010) and future conditions (2021–2050 and 2061–2090) through principal climatic elements and six bioclimatic indices (i.e. Growing season average temperature, growing degree‐days, Huglin index, biologically effective degree‐days, dryness index and cool night index) at 23 weather stations proximal to the key mainland, coastal and island viticultural areas of Greece was performed. Mainland locations were generally colder due to their wider variety of terroir aspects and elevation, while coastal locations and islands faced proportionally more extreme temperatures and drier conditions. Trend analysis revealed that minimum temperatures increased at higher rates than the respective maximum temperatures at most locations. Climate change scenarios derived from the regional climate model RegCM4 suggested significant shifts towards warmer and drier conditions across all locations in the future. These conditions are very likely to advance phenology and harvest beyond what is considered suitable and will likely have detrimental impacts on wine quality. Differences in impacts will likely be seen between wine areas currently cultivated with early ripening (reducing variety suitability) versus those with later‐ripening (increasing consistency in ripening) varieties. Overall, the changes projected for the future climate will challenge the Greek wine industry to increase its adaptive capacity through better understanding of temperature thresholds for the varieties grown and the adoption of new cultivation techniques and strategies.


Control applications often feature tasks with similar, but not identical, dynamics. We introduce the Hidden Parameter Markov Decision Process (HiP-MDP), a framework that parametrizes a family of related dynamical systems with a low-dimensional set of latent factors, and introduce a semiparametric regression approach for learning its structure from data. We show that a learned HiP-MDP rapidly identifies the dynamics of new task instances in several settings, flexibly adapting to task variation.


We present an alternative method for determining possible phase transitions and associated soft modes based on correlation criterion. This method avoids a free energy expansion. As an example, we have constructed a table of all possible phase transitions from D32d with translational indices 1, 2 and 4 showing space groups, soft mode symmetries and additional information gathered via Curie principle.


We report the complexity of the solution of triangular systems in parallel. We focus on determining which types of data layouts yield best results, under the assumptions of the BSP model. The Bulk Synchronous Parallel (BSP) model has been provided to play the same part as the traditional von Neu-mann model for sequential computation: a unifying abstraction of a general purpose computer which can serve as an eeective target for a variety of high level programming languages, while being eeciently realisable by a variety of hardware architectures. The study presented here points out that the usual distribution strategies, block row/column contiguous and block row/column wrapped have the same asymptotic complexity. Other data layouts are also studied and compared with the optimum BSP algorithm for solving triangular linear systems. Some experimental results obtained on a Convex SPP1000 and an IBM SP2 are included. The results reported in this paper seem to lead to the conclusion that the BSP cost model can be used to analyze the complexity of parallel algorithms and to eeciently predict performance on a given platform, mainly on scalable systems.


Objective: To summarize the clinical experience applying free tissue flap to repair the oral and maxillofacial defects.Methods: From 2001 to 2011,183 patients treated with vascularized free flap were involved in this retrospective study,which were included 91 free radial forearm flap,78 free fibular flap,14 anterior-lateral thigh flap.These flaps were used to reconstruct the defects of the tongue,palate,cheek,floor of month,maxilla and mandible.The free flap survival rate and postoperative complications were evaluated.Results: The success rate of free flap was 97.8%.The flap crisis rate was 2.2%.Survival rate of radial forearm flap was 96.7%,fibular flap was 98.7%,and anterior-lateral thigh flap was 100%.The forearm flap was the most common selected soft tissue flap in reconstruction of the defect.Anterior-lateral thigh flap was often used in reconstruction of combined defects.Maxilla and mandibula reconstruction only used fibular flap. Conclusions: Reconstruction with free tissue flap afforded the great possibility for oral maxillofacial tumor resection.


The aim of this study was to analyze the growth rate of whitefish, Coregonus lavaretus (L.), in Lake Go³dopiwo in the 1932-1999 period. The magnitudes of catches and stocking during the 1950-2005 period were also determined. Once the studied population reached the maximum density, the growth rate diminished distinctly but commercial catches remained at a very high level for the subsequent 21 years at an annual mean of 8181 kg, and 9.5 kg ha -1 . Throughout the entire study period, no significant relationship was noted between the magnitudes of catches and stocking. The cause of the collapse in whitefish exploitation in Lake Go³dopiwo must be sought for in disadvantageous changes in the environment and decreasing fisheries exploitation.


The last hundred years' social history of urban development in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second‐biggest city, has been given special characteristics by the city's closeness to South Africa and by the outcomes of controversies between national governments, the Bulawayo City Council and groups of urban residents over the form urban settlement for Africans should take. Policies before independence fluctuated between attempts at keeping African urban residents 'temporary' and underlining their basically rural identities, and modernising efforts at integrating them in town and establishing forms of social control that would discourage them from developing political demands for rights and citizenship equal to those of white urbanites. The culture and politics of Bulawayo's African townships were influenced significantly by initiatives to adapt to or resist such policies, and the article seeks to trace lines of continuity between the way in which people reacted to urban conditions and policies of urbanisation in colo...


Packaging products, in particular those made from plastic, are playing an increasingly significant role in our everyday life. Because of the environmental issues associated with packaging, European countries, in particular EU member states, have long applied various policies to deal with this issue. One policy option that is rarely applied to packaging is taxation in the form of material levies or product charges. However, Denmark has applied product charges in the form of weight based tariffs since 1999. The purpose of the product charge is to stimulate a decrease in the demand for virgin packaging (packaging newly entering the market). This paper examines the effectiveness of Denmark's packaging charge, with a focus on non-beverage plastic packaging. Applying a trade gravitation regression model incorporating import quantity as the dependent variable and a tax dummy amongst the explanatory variables, the analysis explores the effectiveness of the tax policy in reducing import demand. From a sample of 19 major exporters and an analysis covering the period between 1994 and 2007, we conclude that the product charge policy did not produce the desired effect. We conclude by suggesting that policy makers adopt a cautious approach to the adoption of environmental taxes. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment


Boliden Mineral Ab's mine in Garpenberg, Dalarna is going through a massiveexpansion. The annual ore production is being increased from 1,4 million tons to 2,5million tons in less than two years pe ...


The present invention provides an oil compensating device for use in compressors connected in parallel provided in which it is at least 3 compressor, wherein the oil equalizing means comprises a first oil equalizing line and a second oil equalizing line, the first oil equalizing line is connected to the oil vessels of all compressor, while the second oil equalizing line is not in communication with the oil tanks of the low-oil compressor, but only with the oil reservoirs of the remaining oil-rich compressor.


Corporate social responsibility is not a new subject now in India. With regard to corporate social responsibility India has secured a prominent place in the world corporate ladder. Social responsibility of business highlights moral obligation of business towards social development. In recent years, CSR has gained growing recognition as a new and emerging form of governance in business. CSR encourages open and transparent business practices that are based on ethical values and respect for employees, communities and the environment. The wider aim of CSR is to create higher standards of living while preserving the profitability of the corporation for people both within and outside the corporation. The paper looks to critically understand the nature of corporate social responsibility in India. Corporate social responsibility practices in India sets a pragmatic level of grassroots growth through coalition and partnerships with sustainable progress approaches. It further tends to reveal about the determinants, areas, motives, levels and cost-benefit analysis of CSR. The determinants that have lead to the increasing awareness among corporate organizations for CSR are globalization and the associated growth in competition, increased size and influence of companies, retrenchment or repositioning of government and its roles, war for talent, companies competing for expertise, growth of global civil society activism, and increased importance of intangible assets. The major areas of social responsibility that apply to business firms and other types of organization are ecology and environment, consumerism, community needs, corporate giving support for education, minorities and disabled personal, labor relation, stakeholder relation and economic activities. In spite of a real awakening, lack of understanding, inadequately trained personnel, non availability of specific and authentic data and lack of information on the type of corporate social responsibility activities have acted as barriers to know the effectiveness of corporate social responsibility activities in India. The total social responsibility of corporate entails the concurrent fulfillment of the firms' economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic responsibilities.


Practical tools, a. A body having a first end and a second end located opposite one another, b. It said placed within the body, and configured removable blade cartridge to project from the first end edge of the knife slides, c. And a first tool which is selectively connected to one of the first and second ends of the body.


Underloading is a situation in which the frequency of significant signals are very low.Signal detection was studied with intersignal intervals (ISI) varying from 1 to 90 minutesand with choice reactions (CR) varying from 2 to 8 signals. The main results were asfollows: 1. The phenomenon of "very long signal detection time" (over 20 sec. to 15 mi-nutes) under underloading conditions was observed. The probability of this phenomenonwas of a linear inclined function of ISI. As CR declined, the probability of the abovephenomenon also declined, but it could never be eliminated. 2. Under underloading conditions the logarithms of information transmissing werea linear declined function of ISI.


Tone-detection thresholds are the primary index of hearing. Although standard audiometry nominally estimates the stimulus level corresponding to 50% detection, thresholds are biased upward to an average of 98.1% at 500 Hz [Marshall, L. & Jesteadt, W. J Speech Hear Res 29, 82–91. (1986)]. This has been explained by the large difference in the probability of detection between stimulus levels near threshold. However, bias is greater than predicted for measured psychometric functions and does not change proportionally with step size. In standard audiometry, the stopping rule is defined with flexibility for clinical judgement. Our hypothesis is that upward bias is caused by stopping at the first opportunity, because it makes specific ordered combinations of hits and misses impossible, like hit-hit-miss. Monte Carlo simulations were used to compare audiometric thresholds obtained using different stopping rules. Thresholds obtained when stopping at the first opportunity had greater upward bias compared to a fixed-trial stopping rule independent of the total number of trials presented, as predicted. When a baseline test is biased upward by stopping at the first opportunity, a follow-up test may inadvertently miss a significant change in hearing by continuing to present stimuli after the first opportunity to stop. [Work supported by R01DC015051.]


In this paper a semi-classical model of the nonlinear operation of a laser is extended to describe a laser with a Gaussian mirror. Modified nonlinear self-consistent equations including transverse and longitudinal field dependence, gain saturation, spatial hole burning and nonlinear dispersion effects are derived. With the help of an energy theorem an approximate solution for steady-state single mode operation is presented, which relates the small signal gain to the output power and the laser system characteristic parameters. The laser output power characteristics are presented for various cavity configurations, especially, revealing an influence of the Gaussian mirror parameter on the power efficiency of the laser.