In recent years, a substantial amount of attention has been directed in the literature of economics and finance to the question of the investment behavior and portfolio performance of institutional investors.' Those investigations are natural ones, both because the relevant portfolio data are reasonably accessible and because the institutions involved are rapidly growing accumulators and traders of corporate equity securities. The traditional bulwark of the American equity marketplace-the individual investor-however, has been an object of scrutiny only in very aggregative terms. The trend of his apparent withdrawal from direct market participation has been amply documented,2 and the appropriate alarums expressed,3 but the causes of that phenomenon remain almost entirely conjectural. Indeed, virtually all


FIELD: chemistry. SUBSTANCE: this invention refers to method of methanesulfonic acid production. Offered method of methanesulfonic acid production consists that methanesulfonic acid is produced by electrolysis of 1.0-4.0 M aqueous solution of dimethyl sulfoxide with stock electrolyte in anode section of diaphragm electrolytic cell at current density 0.06-0.12 A/cm 2 . EFFECT: development of simplified effective methanesulfonic acid synthesis without strong oxidisers and catalysts. 1 cl, 6 ex, 2 tbl


In the present paper, the force‐fit connection of discrete ceramic components by means of geometrically interlocking surfaces is studied. These surfaces possess a concavo‐convex topology permitting assembly of structures in which each individual element is kinematically locked by its neighbors. Such structures have a tuneable bending stiffness, allow for large deformations and are tolerant to missing or destroyed elements. These properties of topologically interlocked structures make them particularly attractive in construction with brittle materials. The elements used were produced by freeze gelation of ceramic slurries, leading to near net shape with the coefficient of shrinkage below 3%. It is shown that planar assemblies of interlocked ceramic elements can withstand flexural deflections up to a ten‐fold of those a solid plate from the same material can sustain. The response of these structures to concentrated load can be divided into an elastic and a quasi‐plastic, i.e., irreversible, part. After the point of maximum load, the interlocked structures investigated were still able to withstand further deformation, whereas solid plates showed brittle failure.


—The purpose of this research is to investigate equalize of service quality in friendly Muslim hospitals and establish a conceptual framework that shows the relationship between service quality, patient satisfaction and loyalty. This research is founded on a comprehensive study of current literature on quality of hospital care, patient satisfaction, and patient loyalty. Important reviews of these literature studies have resulted in the determination and interpretation of service quality dimensions and the development of a relationship between service quality, patient satisfaction and patient loyalty. This paper determined five main aspects through which patients service quality in Muslim friendly hospitals. These five areas are tangibles, empathy, assurance, reliability and responsiveness. The framework indicates a direct link between quality of care, patient satisfaction and patient loyalty. Although many studies have been carried out on the standard of hospital services, neither of them would do project all the possible dimensions to calculate the same in a friendly hospital in Malaysia. The SERVQUAL Model adopted by this study determines all the potential dimensions of service quality in Muslim friendly healthcare.


An electrochemical current rectifier based on a ferrocene-monolayer-modified electrode in contact with an electrolyte solution containing sodium hexacyanoferrate(II) (sodium ferrocyanide) was constructed and evaluated. Rectification was accomplished via mediated ferrocyanide oxidation by electrogenerated ferricenium in monolayers of (10-mercapto-N-decyl)ferrocenecarboxamide with dodecanethiol and (7-mercapto-N-heptyl)ferrocenecarboxamide with nonanethiol on gold electrodes. The reverse reaction of ferricyanide reduction by immobilized ferrocene is thermodynamically disfavored, thereby providing the basis for rectification. A model proposed to describe the rectification process is reminiscent of earlier treatments of electron-transfer mediation at electrodes modified with redox polymers, with the important difference that, in the present system, long-range electron transfer across the monolayer replaces electron hopping through the polymer layer as a possible rate-limiting step. Steady-state current−voltag...


The present study concerns the development of a new class of carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRPs) with a nanomodified matrix based on prephene Nano species. The premium target is the increase of the interlaminar fracture toughness of carbon fiber composites enhanced with graphene Nano species under mode I and mode II loading. To investigate farther the damage tolerance of the aforementioned composites Impact and after Compretion after Impact was performed.
An in-house developed methodology for the dispersion of the Nano fillers and the manufacturing of nano doped prepregs is analytically described. Four different kinds of CFRP plates, one with neat matrix and three doped with graphene nano plates of different characteristics.
The nano doped composites exhibit a significant increase of the interlaminar strain energy release rate Gic and Giic of the order of 66% and 19%. For the case of graphene nano plates. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) attempt to delineate the fracture process variations and the involved micro- mechanisms at a meso - scale level that explain the different effects between the nano plates, with different characteristics on the CFRPs.
Concerning the impact and the compressive properties after impact, the doped with nano-fillers material didn't show any changes compared to the reference material.


This paper extends Thomson's (1982) adaptive multitaper spectrum estimation method to the nonstationary case. The general approach and the nonadaptive estimation procedure were first presented by Pitton (1998). The method uses time-frequency concentrated basis functions which generalize the properties of the prolate spheroidal waveforms. Individual spectrograms computed with these eigenfunctions form direct time-frequency spectrum estimates, and are combined to form the multitaper time-frequency spectrum estimate. We then develop a new adaptive procedure which reduces the bias of the individual eigenestimates using an estimate of their leakage characteristics. The revised multitaper estimator then has correspondingly improved bias properties. An expression for the variance of the adaptive estimator is also derived, providing a complete characterization of the statistical time-frequency estimator.


This thesis introduces a new method to characterize metallic very-low-level radioactive waste produced at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). The method is based on: 1. the calculation of a preliminary radionuclide inventory, which is the list of the radionuclides that can be produced when particles interact with a surrounding medium, 2. the direct measurement of gamma emitters and, 3. the quantification of pure-alpha, pure-beta and low-energy X-ray emitters, called difficult-to-measure (DTM) radionuclides, using the so-called scaling factor (SF), correlation factor (CF) and mean activity (MA) techniques. The first stage of the characterization process is the calculation of the radionuclide inventory via either analytical or Monte Carlo codes. Once the preliminary radionuclide inventory is obtained, the gamma-emitting radionuclides are measured via gamma-ray spectrometry on each package of the waste population. The major gamma-emitter, called key nuclide (KN), is also identified. The scaling factor method estimates the activity of DTM radionuclides by checking for a consistent and repeated relationship between the key nuclide and the activity of the difficult to measure radionuclides from samples. If a correlation exists the activity of DTM radiodionuclides can be evaluated using the scaling factor otherwise the mean activity from the samples collected is applied to the entire waste population. Finally, the correlation factor is used when the activity of pure-alpha, pure-beta and low-energy X-ray emitters is so low that cannot be quantified using experimental values. In this case a theoretical correlation factor is obtained from the calculations to link the activity of the radionuclides we want to quantify and the activity of the key nuclide. The thesis describes in detail the characterization method, shows a complete case study and describes the industrial-scale application of the characterization method on over 1'000 m3 of radioactive waste, which was carried out at CERN between 2015 and 2017.


In this paper a novel approach for artificial mosaic generation is proposed. Gradient Vector Flow computation together with heuristics to maximise the covered mosaic area are used. The high frequency details are managed in a global way allowing to preserve the mosaic-style also for small ones. Experiments and comparisons with previous works confirm the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.


Objective:To investigate the effect of selective lumbar arteries embolism in surgical treatment of thoracic and lumbar spine tumors with titan cage implantation.Methods:To perform resection of tumor and the insertion of titan cage implantation for 13 cases with thoracic and lumbar spine tumors.Results:13 cases were followed up for 7~36 months.The surgeries were successful,the neural function recovered satisfactorily.Titan cage implantation obtained bonefusion and the spinal stability was restored.Conclusion:The resection of tumor and insertion of titan cage implantation can reestablish spine stability.Preoperative vertebra arterial embolism during operation can reduce bleeding.


Engineered channelrhodopsins conduct anions rather than cations, changing the action potential of neurons. [Also see Reports by Wietek et al. and Berndt et al.] Neural networks control the activity of living individuals as central processing units control the functions of modern computers. In a neuronal circuit, information is transmitted through neurons in the form of an action potential, which is the electric potential difference between the inside and the outside of a neuron. Ion channel proteins in the neuronal membrane act as molecular devices that create and regulate action potentials. A technology called optogenetics (1) allows neuronal circuits to be manipulated by a combination of optics and genetically targeted incorporation of microbial retinal binding proteins, called opsins (2), into neurons. On pages 409 and 420 of this issue, Wietek et al. and Berndt et al. (3, 4) use structure-based molecular engineering to invert the charge selectivity of different opsins, channelrhodopsins from algae, resulting in much improved neuron silencers for use in optogenetics.


Total cellular poly(A)-enriched RNAfrom. ava- riety offresh humanleukemic blood cells andhematopoietic cell lines wasanalyzed forhomology with molecularly cloned DNA probes containing theonesequence ofAbelson. murine leukemia virus (Ab-MuLV), Harvey murine sarcoma virus (Ha-MuSV), sim- iansarcoma virus (SSV), andavian myelocytomatosis virus strain MC29. Results with thefresh blood cells paralleled those obtained with thecell lines. WithAb-MuLV andHa,-MuSV, multiple RNA bands werevisualized inall cell types examined without significant variation intherelative intensities ofthebands. WhenSSVwas used astheprobe, expression ofrelated onesequences wasabsent inall ofthehematopoietic cell types examined except for oneneo- plastic T-cell line (HUT102), which produces thehumanT-cell leukemia (lymphoma) retrovirus HTLV.Inthis cell line, asingle band(4.2 kilobases) was-observed. WithMC29astheprobe, a single bandof2.7kilobases wasvisualized inall cell types exam- ined with only a1-to2-fold-variation inintensity-of hybridization. Anexception wasthepromyelocytic cell line, HL60, which ex- pressed approximately 10-fold moreMC29-related onesequences. Withinduction ofdifferentiation ofHL60with either dimethyl sulfoxide orretinoic acid, amarked diminution intheamount of theMC29-related, butnottheAb-MuLV-related, oncmessage wasobserved.


A handover method, in a wireless communication system having a mobile station and a plurality of base stations, for performing handover of the mobile station from a connected base station to a neighbor base station, the method having the steps of: deciding that neighbor base station information non-reception handover is establish; searching a connectable neighbor base station; acquiring identification information for the neighbor base station; transmitting a handover request including the acquired identification information; transmitting, in the connected base station received the handover request, to the mobile station, service level information included with in a handover response, and deciding a handover destination based on the service level information.


In the evolving landscape of software development, Large Language Models (LLMs) exhibit a unique phenomenon known as emergent abilities, demonstrating adeptness across numerous tasks, from text summarization to code generation. While these abilities open up novel avenues in software design and crafting, their incorporation presents substantial challenges. Developers grapple with decisions surrounding the direct embedding of LLMs within applications versus employing them for code generation. Moreover, effective prompt design becomes a critical concern, given the necessity of data extraction from natural language outputs. To address these intricacies, this paper introduces AskIt, a domain-specific language (DSL) specifically designed for LLMs. AskIt simplifies LLM integration, offering type-guided output control, template-based function definitions, and a unified interface that diminishes the distinction between LLM-based code generation and application integration. Furthermore, through Programming by Example (PBE), AskIt harnesses the power of few-shot learning at the programming language level. Our evaluations underscore AskIt's potency. Across 50 tasks, AskIt generated concise prompts for the given tasks, achieving a 16.14% reduction in prompt length relative to benchmarks. Additionally, by enabling the transition from direct LLM application usage to function generation, AskIt achieved significant speedups, as observed in our GSM8K benchmark experiments. Through these advancements, AskIt streamlines the integration of LLMs in software development, offering a more efficient, versatile approach for leveraging emergent abilities. The implementations of AskIt in TypeScript and Python are available at https://github.com/katsumiok/ts-askit and https://github.com/katsumiok/pyaskit, respectively.


3,3′-Azo-1-propene (4), 3,3′-azo-1-propene-3,3′-d2 (5) and 3,3′-azo-1-propene-3,3,3′3′-d4 (6) have been synthesized and characterized. Thermolysis of 4, at 40–300 Torr, and in the region 150–170°, ...


It is well known that the stability of adaptive full-order observer (AFO) is of critical importance for speed-sensorless induction motors (IMs) at low speeds. The stability of AFO can be improved by feedback gains design in low-speed regenerating mode, but few pieces of literature realize the observability under zero-stator-frequency operating conditions. To address this issue, proactive low-frequency ride-through (PLFRT) method is proposed against changing torque in this paper. The magnetizing current command is adaptively changing with IM operating point to keep the synchronous speed out of the unstable region. To enhance the torque output capacity, the possible synchronous speed limit is discussed. Based on the stator current limitation analysis, the command variation of magnetizing current is derived. The effectiveness of PLFRT method is verified on a 2.2kW IM experimental setup.


In this paper, we evaluate Titanium's usability as a high-level parallel programming language through a case study, where we implement a subset of Chombo's functionality in Titanium. Chombo is a software package applying the adaptive mesh refinement methodology to numerical partial differential equations at the production level. In Chombo, the library approach is used to parallel programming (C++ and Fortran, with MPI), whereas Titanium is a Java dialect designed for high-performance scientific computing. The performance of our implementation is studied and compared with that of Chombo in solving Poisson's equation based on two grid configurations from a real application. Also provided are the counts of lines of code from both sides.


ERP may be indicated in hepatic disease with or without cholestasis. A complete display of the bile duct system has to be achieved, if cysts or tumors are to be detected, by direct or indirect involvement of the bile ducts. A case is reported of a bile fistula caused by liver biopsy.


This wide-ranging study provides fascinating insight into, and analysis of, the history and practice of suicide across a range of cultural and historical contexts. The book takes the reader on a methodical and thorough journey through the subject matter: it is divided into two main sections dealing with Western and Eastern perspectives respectively, and into further subsections that take into account questions such as religious and spiritual beliefs about suicide, national contexts, and some theoretical approaches to the study of fluctuations in the suicide rate over time. It will be of particular interest to scholars of sociology, of the history of death practices in Europe and the West, China, India, Japan, and the Middle East, and of cultural perspectives on death, suicide, attitudes toward and treatment of the body. It will also appeal to non-academic readers with an interest in any or all of these subjects; it is an informative and well-structured text. In the Introduction, Barbagli places his study within a sociological context, by explaining the ideas of the French scholar Émile Durkheim (1858– 1917). He explains in the opening paragraphs that the study was motivated by the shortcomings of Durkheim's 1897 theory on suicide, which has been widely held as the foremost such theory in sociological studies, which ''is very useful as a way to explain changes in the suicide rate over time and space, the differences between historical periods, countries and social groups. However. . . it could not account for the unexpected new trends that had appeared in many countries'' (1). Different types of suicide are identified: egoistic; altruistic; aggressive; and as a weapon — each according to the intentions of the individual carrying it out (5–7). The author returns throughout the book to the limitations of Durkheim's theory, which is centred around two main factors: social integration, and social regulation (1), within each of the presented case studies. This gives Farewell to the World an overall coherence that complements its highly interesting content. He provides plentiful statistical data alongside an engaginglywritten verbal analysis of the chosen areas. The first section of the book focuses on Europe and the West. Its scope is wide-ranging, encompassing a period from the Middle Ages through to the early twentieth century. The author examines trends in suicide with the aim of identifying cultural and historical factors that could account for the rise in the number of voluntary deaths, which was noted by nineteenth-century intellectuals. Barbagli gives a review of pre-Christian and


Results from pilot scale investigation of two refining strategies for two different blend compositions of a mixed furnish comprising bleached hardwood kraft and bleached softwood sulfite pulps using a 16 (406.4 mm) double disc refiner are presented. The results show that an improvement in key handsheets strength properties can be achieved if the pulps are co-refined at a lower refining intensity of 1.0 Ws/m, compared to separate refining of the short fibre and long fibre pulps at the same applied net specific energy followed by blending. Strength development from co-refined pulp at higher refining intensity was found to be inferior to that of separate refining. Analyses of fibre length distribution and fibre morphology of the unrefined bleached sulfite long fibre pulp show that the characteristics of this pulp are much closer to a hardwood kraft short fibre than a typical softwood kraft pulp. The superior fibre development from co-refining of bleached hardwood kraft and bleached softwood sulfite pulps is likely due to the presence of excessive fibre debris or fines in the sulfite pulp. Separate refining of the sulfite pulp at 1.5 Ws/m refining intensity caused more fibre cutting than fibrillation.


This paper designs and implements a remote disaster tolerant system,the system uses a structure which combines local tolerant system with remote tolerant system,separates services and storage,it uses local control center as event processing center and data forwarding cache.In addition,it schemes with synchronization and asynchronism for data backup,ensures data integrity and reliability,it uses staged deployment failure detection to detect system,and uses dynamic failure detection algorithm to reduce the erroneous decision and accelerate the speed of service restoration.Through tests,the system's data recovery and service switching have been significantly improved.In practical application,the system runs stable,performs well and reaches a high level of disaster tolerant system requirements.


Thick diamond films were deposited by DC plasma jet using methane as carbon source. Effect of methane concentration on morphologies and thermal conductivity of the deposited thick diamond films were studied. The results shows that thick diamond films deposited with 1\^5% (volume fraction in hydrgen) methane have higher thermal conductivity.


This paper analyzes transitions into and out-of Social Assistance in Canada. We estimate a dynamic Probit model, controlling for endogenous initial conditions and unobserved heterogeneity, using longitudinal data extracted from the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID) for the years 1993-2000. The data indicates that there are substantial provincial differences in social assistance participation. The empirical results indicate that a "welfare trap" does exist in Canada, but the extent of it varies across provinces. The results also suggest that there is a link between provincial variations in structural and spurious state dependence and regional differences in welfare generosity. In particular, the existence of structural state dependence, or a "welfare trap", appears to be more likely in provinces with relatively high benefit levels. One implication of this result is that a change in the welfare benefit structure is not likely to lower participation as significantly among less generous provinces as more generous ones.


Wilderness water resources often provide wildlife habitat and associated recreational opportunities, such as angling or birdwatching. Introduced trout in mountain lakes could affect terrestrial wildlife by changing ecosystem subsidy, which is the flow of nutrients and organisms from aquatic to terrestrial habitats. Trout prey upon larval amphibians and aquatic insects, and the adult stages of aquatic insects and amphibians are prey for bats, birds, snakes, and other terrestrial insectivores. The indirect effects of introduced fish on terrestrial wildlife have rarely been considered, and there have been no prior experiments testing effects of fish stocking on the Cascades frog (federal and California species of special concern). We conducted a four-year replicated whole-lake experiment to assess whether changes in fish abundance could aid frog recovery and whether trout predation of larval amphibians and aquatic invertebrates indirectly affects the density of terrestrial predators. Results show that non-native trout suppress the numbers of the declining Cascades frog and other amphibians, as well as large-bodied aquatic insects such as dragonflies and damselflies. After trout removals, these groups show a marked increase in abundance. We found differences in the species and abundance of garter snakes feeding at lakes with and without trout present. Over 100 species of birds and more than six species of bats use the lake basins during the snow-free season and we are currently assessing the data for patterns associated with trout abundances.


The grey-eel catfish is a highly valued fish species in some parts of Indonesia. The fish is common in the brackish water of estuaries, and marine, or freshwater ecosystems. They are not usually caught on a commercial scale because of the limited population in their habitat. Although the status is not evaluated, the fish is predicted to face extinction in several countries. This research was conducted from March to August 2021 in Kuala Langsa Estuary, Aceh Province. A research was conducted to examine the reproductive biology of the fish to gather the information that can be utilized to evaluate the reproductive status of the fish in several habitats. Parameters tested in the study include sex ratio, length-weight relationships, condition factor, size at first maturity, fecundity, and reproductive potential of the fish. Research results provide information that the fish follows a negative allometric model with condition factors showing that the female population was in a better state of wellbeing compared to the males. Size at first maturity was 422.5 mm, and the sex ratio was balanced. The fish with high reproductive potential occurred in those who are in groups of 500 – 550 mm in length.


In the molecule of the title compound, C17H10BrNO5, the indoline system and the attached coumarin ring are each essentially planar with maximum deviations of 0.074 (2) and 0.062 (2) Å, respectively. The dihedral angle between them is 85.09 (3)°. In the crystal, all heteroatoms (except for the coumarin oxo O atoms) are involved in intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonds. An intramolecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bond occurs. In the crystal, molecules are linked through O—H⋯O, N—H⋯O and C—H⋯O contacts, forming a complex three-dimensional structure.


The aim with this thesis is to describe why and how multinational corporations (MNCs)form and develop international teams. More specifically we have addressed the following issues: why MNCs for ...


Glass is a candidate of dielectric materials for high-frequency communication technologies, and it is important to clarify the dielectric function of glass in GHz–THz range. In this study, the complex permittivities of silica glass and sodium silicate glasses were measured at 0.5–15 THz using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy and terahertz spectroscopic ellipsometer systems. The dielectric permittivity and loss of silica glass were extremely low in the GHz band, whereas those of sodium silicate glasses were relatively high in the GHz band. The dielectric dispersion at frequencies lower than 9 THz became larger with increasing Na content, and the dispersion greatly affected the dielectric permittivity and loss in the GHz band. Molecular dynamics simulations indicated that vibrations and migrations of Na ions occur in the frequency range of GHz to THz, and the dielectric dispersion at frequencies below 9 THz is due to the vibrations and migrations of Na ions, which are easily moved by an electric field. These results suggested that glass materials with a low amount of alkali metal ions are required when glass materials are applied as a high-frequency dielectric material.


Aims: The study estimated the clinical benefits and budget impact of lenzilumab plus standard of care (SOC) compared with SOC alone in the treatment of hospitalized COVID-19 patients from the United States hospital perspective. Materials and Methods: An economic model was developed to estimate the clinical benefits and costs for an average newly hospitalized COVID-19 patient, with a 28-day time horizon for the index hospitalization. Clinical outcomes from the LIVE-AIR trial included failure to achieve survival without ventilation (SWOV), mortality, time to recovery, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) use. Base case costs included drug acquisition and administration for lenzilumab and hospital resource costs based on the level of care required. The inclusion of 1-year rehospitalization costs was examined in a scenario analysis. Results: In the base case and all scenarios, treatment with lenzilumab plus SOC improved all specified clinical outcomes over SOC alone. Adding lenzilumab to SOC was also estimated to result in cost savings of $3,190 per patient in a population aged <85 years with CRP <150 mg/L and receiving remdesivir (base case). Per-patient cost savings were also estimated in the following scenarios: 1) aged <85 years with CRP <150 mg/L, with or without remdesivir ($1,858); 2) Black and African American patients with CRP <150 mg/L ($13,154); and 3) Black and African American patients from the full population ($2,763). In the full mITT population, a budget impact of $4,952 was estimated. When adding rehospitalization costs to the index hospitalization, a total per-patient cost savings of $5,154 was estimated. Conclusions: The results highlight the clinical benefits for SWOV, ventilator use, time to recovery, mortality, time in ICU, and time on IMV, in addition to a favorable budget impact from the United States hospital perspective associated with adding lenzilumab to SOC for patients with COVID-19 pneumonia.


Recent research has focused on sustainable development and renewable energy resources, thus motivating nonconventional cutting-edge technology development. Multilevel inverters are cost-efficient devices with IGBT switches that can be used in ac power applications with reduced harmonics. They are widely used in the power electronics industry. However, under extreme stress, the IGBT switches can experience a fault, which can lead to undesirable operation. There is a need for a reliable system for detecting switch faults. This paper proposes a signal processing method to detect open-circuit problems in IGBT switches. Relative wavelet energy has been used as a feature for a machine learning algorithm to diagnose and classify the faulted switches. The switching sequence can be altered to restore a healthy output voltage. Inverter faults have been diagnosed by using support vector machine (SVM) and decision tree (DT), and an ensemble model based on decision tree (DT) and XG boost algorithm was developed, which yielded 92%, 88%, and 94.12% accuracy, respectively.


Single-bit Nyquist-rate quantization of sinewaves with amplitude dithering using a sequence of independent and uniformly distributed random variables has been proposed for all-digital RF frequency synthesis generation. This work demonstrates how we can improve the Dynamic Range using non-uniformly distributed dithering by selectively allowing some of the harmonics to be present in the spectrum (vs. the spurs-free output of the uniform distribution.). MATLAB simulation examples illustrate the results of the proposed approach.


In this work, a technoeconomic study is conducted to assess the feasibility of integrating geothermal energy into a biorefinery for biofuel production. The biorefinery is based on a thermochemical conversion platform that converts 2,000 metric tons of corn stover per day into biofuels via gasification. Geothermal heat is utilized in the biorefinery to generate process steam for gasification and steam-methane reforming. A process simulation model is developed to simulate the operation of the proposed biorefinery, and corresponding economic analysis tools are utilized to predict the product value. Process steam at 150 oC with a flow rate of approximately 16 kg/s is assumed to be generated by utilizing the heat from geothermal resources producing a geothermal liquid at 180 °C and a total flowrate of 105 kg/s. In addition to the use for gasification and steam-methane reforming, additional geothermal capacity at 100 kg/sec from multiple wells is used for electricity production via Organic Rankine Cycle to add to the profitability of the biorefinery. The total capital investment, operating costs, and total product values are calculated considering an operating duration of 20 years for the plant and the data are reported based on the 2012 cost year. Simulation results show that the price of the fuel obtained from the present biorefinery utilizing geothermal energy ranges from $5.18 to $5.50 per gallon gasoline equivalent, which is comparable to $5.14 using the purchased steam. One important incentive for using geothermal energy in the present scenario is the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the combustion of fossil fuels used to generate the purchased steam. Geothermal energy is an important renewable energy resource, and this study provides a unique way of integrating geothermal energy into a biorefinery to produce biofuels in an environmentally friendly manner.


We investigate the onset temperature ${T}^{*}$ of the bilayer quantum Hall state at the total Landau level filling factor ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\mathrm{t}}=1$ together with the activation energy gap $\ensuremath{\Delta}$. The onset temperature is the temperature at which the quantum Hall state starts to form. We make two remarkable experimental observations: (1) As the total electron density decreases, ${T}^{*}$ increases while $\ensuremath{\Delta}$ decreases on account of the deterioration of electron mobility. (2) As the in-plane magnetic field increases, ${T}^{*}$ exhibits a rise at the point where $\ensuremath{\Delta}$ becomes a minimum. The minimum of $\ensuremath{\Delta}$ occurs at the transition point from the commensurate phase to the recently discovered soliton lattice phase. We discuss the relation between ${T}^{*}$ and the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition on the basis of the $\mathit{XY}$ symmetry possessed by the ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\mathrm{t}}=1$ bilayer system and discuss the experimentally observed behavior of ${T}^{*}$.


Lian Zhuji the slippery drainage opening opens the mouth to appear the out of control phenomenon,affects the inflow crystallizer the steel water volume,thus affects casts the semifinished product the quality.Grasps the electrohydraulic servo valve the working condition and opens the mouth to control the expiration reasion,adopts correct measure effective preventing.


Thank you for the opportunity to reply to the letter from Drs Gan and Webb. This incident was reported to us in August 1990 and Viggo-Spectramed conducted a thorough investigation, in line with normal procedure, specifically addressing the effects of infusion of chlormethiazole on the physical characteristics of the catheter. Our investigation concluded that contact with chlormethiazole did have a more pronounced effect on catheter to external lumina junction security than other infusions, but detachment with applied forces below the minimum specified requirement were not experienced. Prior to November 1990, Viggo-Spectramed Hydrocath Central Venous Catheters were produced using polyurethane tubing and a moulded junction of polyurethane and PVC combined. Subsequently, as part of our ongoing product improvement programme we changed to an all polyurethane moulded junction. Whilst we are aware of the literature references on the effects of chlormethiazole on a range of plasticised materials, exhaustive testing on our all-polyurethane product has shown no evidence to date that chlormethiazole represents a challenge to product integrity. However, the recommendation of the drug manufacturers should always be considered when selecting equipment for drug infusion.


When organisms coevolve, any change in one species can affect phenotypes and ecology of the other species. Upper trophic levels have to synchronize their life-cycle to both abiotic conditions and lower trophic level species phenotypic variations and phenology. The role such interactions play in ecosystems is central, but their mechanistic bases remain underexplored. We tested the effect of seasonal variation in host quality on parasitoid diapause induction by using viviparous and oviparous female morphs of the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum. Aphidius ervi parasitoids from two populations of contrasted climatic origin (harsh vs. mild winter areas) were allowed to parasitize each morph in a split-brood design and were next reared under either fall-like or summer-like temperaturephotoperiod conditions. We found that oviparous morphs, present before winter, are cues per se for diapause induction; parasitoids entered diapause at higher levels when developing in oviparous hosts (19.4 3.0%) than in viviparous ones (3.6 1.3%), under summer-like conditions (i.e., when oviparous aphids appear in the fields). This pattern was only observed in parasitoids from the harsh winter area, suggesting local adaptations to variation in host quality as an overwintering cue. Analyses of the relative proportion of forty-seven metabolites and lipid reserves in both aphid morphs produced under the same conditions suggest parasitoids response to be mainly influenced by chemical cues derived from the host, with higher proportion of polyols and sugars, and more fat reserves being found in oviparous morphs. Host physiological state thus varies across the seasons and represents one of the multiple environmental indicators of upcoming detrimental conditions, affecting parasitoid overwintering strategies and diapause. Our results underline coevolutionary processes between hosts and parasitoids in their area of origin, likely leading to phenological synchronization with the environment. We point out the importance of such bottom-up effects for ecosystem functioning and for the provision of ecosystem services such as biological control. 1Institut de Recherche enBiologie Végétale, Département de Sciences Biologiques, Université deMontréal, 4101 rue Sherbrooke Est, Montréal, QC, Canada, H1X 2B2., 2Univ Rennes, CNRS, ECOBIO (Ecosystèmes, biodiversité, évolution) UMR 6553, 263 Avenue du Général Leclerc, F-35000 Rennes, France., 3Institut Universitaire de France, 1 rue Descartes, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France


The invention is applied to the communication field, and provides a method, a device and a system for extracting synchronizing indication signals. The method for extracting the synchronizing indication signals comprises the following steps: receiving base band data signals; analyzing the base band data signals, obtaining frame synchronizing signals from carrier signals in the base band data signals, and contrasting with local clock signals to obtain first frequency deviation estimation information; and adjusting a local clock according to the first frequency deviation estimation information to output the stable frame synchronizing signals. In the invention, the first frequency deviation estimation information is obtained through obtaining the frame synchronizing signals in the base band data signals and contrasting with the local clock signals; and the clock is further adjusted according to the frequency deviation estimation information, to finally output the stable frame synchronizing signals; the extraction device of the frame synchronizing indication signals can be taken as an FPGA unit, and has the advantages of simple hardware structure, low cost, stability, fastness and high resolution.


Abstract This article asks what features should characterise the boundaries between the EU and the outside world from the standpoint of demoicracy. Section one summarises the normative core of that view and grounds it in the values of autonomy, equal recognition and non-domination. Section two categorises the issues that arise for the demoicrat when it comes to the consequences of political borders. We demonstrate – through the example of intra-demoicracy border crossing – why demoicrats will seek to follow the three desiderata of procedural fairness, just outcomes, and overall consistency in designing political solutions. Section three defends a set of principles that would ideally govern large-scale arrival of refugees. Section four addresses questions of non-ideal theory, reflecting on how demoïcratic theorists should think about current EU policies. Though we do not offer a comprehensive solution to the tensions we identify, the conclusion offers some proposals of how demoicrats may alleviate them.


We see that the laser application of Er-doped GaAs is not easy. If the laser is possible it will be a low-threshold laser because the pumping rate to saturate the Er population is rather low. However along with a temperature rise, the luminescence is quenched substantially. The increase of the linewidth will give the reduction of the room-temperature peak gain more than 75 times as compared with 4.2 K. Therefore the gain achievable in single crystal Er-doped GaAs seems to be not sufficient for the room-temperature laser action.


Purification desulfurization and alkane conversion are crucial technologies for methanol production from coke oven gas. The removal of organic sulfur such as thiofuran, thioether and mercaptan is the main objective of dry desulfurization, and hydroconversion of organic sulfur and preventing the methanation side reaction are the technological difficulties of hydroconversion desulfurization. The combination of two-level conversion and two-level Absorption is the preferential scheme for refined removal of high-concentration organic sulfur. The catalytic partial oxidation process is now the main technology method for conversion of alkane in coke oven gas. The basic technical requirement for methanol synthesis reactor is moving reaction heat in time to prevent the synthetic catalyst from superheating and being inactivated, and meanwhile byproducing the high quality steam. The activity and selectivity of catalyst for synthesizing methanol under low pressure are the crucial factors to determine the methanol synthesis efficiency and the side reaction rate.


Pope Francis has spoken out strongly about ecology. His encyclical, Laudato Si' or " Praised Be " , is based on Catholic values and ideas. Following are excerpts from this encyclical, with citations included for your reference. The Problem " The earth herself, burdened and laid waste, is among the most abandoned and maltreated of our poor " (2) Policy and Political Leadership " True statecraft is manifest when, in difficult times, we uphold high principles and think of the long-term common good. " (178) Reality of the Problem and Necessity to Act " Living our vocation to be protectors of God's handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience. " (217) Your Action Matters " Our goal is not to amass information or to satisfy curiosity, but rather to become painfully aware, to dare to turn what is happening in the world into our own personal suffering and thus discover what each of us can do about it. " (19) " Truly, much can be done! " (180) " A great cultural, spiritual and educational challenge stands before us, and it will demand that we set out on the long path of renewal. " (202) " There is a nobility in the duty to care for creation through little daily actions " (211) Consumerism " The emptier a person's heart is, the more he or she needs things to buy, own and consume. " (204) " Obsession with a consumerist lifestyle, above all when few people are capable of maintaining it, can only lead to violence and mutual destruction. " (205) Climate Change " A very solid scientific consensus indicates that we are presently witnessing a disturbing warming of the climatic system...Humanity is called to recognize the need for changes of lifestyle, production and consumption, in order to combat this warming or at least the human causes which produce or aggravate it. " (23) " If present trends continue, this century may well witness extraordinary climate change and an unprecedented destruction of ecosystems, with serious consequences for all of us. " (24) Living More Sustainably " Education in environmental responsibility can encourage ways of acting which directly and significantly affect the world around us, such as avoiding the use of plastic and paper, reducing water consumption, separating refuse, cooking only what can reasonably be consumed , …


The commons' problems have been largely discussed and became a central theme when resources exploitation and use are discussed. In this study, tragedies involving common resources are explained as much as ethical and legal concerns are posed, involving resources exploitation. A legal problem and the resulting penalties are modeled mathematically. The importance of this kind of model results evident in the context of the international discussion about natural resources preservation.


In support of the TPX magnet project, a program was initiated to develop a technique to attach the helium cooling piping to the cable in conduit conductor. The requirements placed on the technique were high reliability without degrading either the properties of the superconductor or the structural performance of the conductor at the attachment point. The design that evolved consisted of piercing a hole with a roto-broaching tool and TIG welding of the stub to the conductor. The results of the testing that was performed indicated: 1) this joint was leak tight at a sensitivity of 10/sup -10/ std cc/sec, 2) remained so after 5 thermal cycles to 77/spl deg/K and pressurization to 100 atm, and 3) critical current degradation was limited to two of the 162 strands of the cable. A full description of the design and the testing program is presented in the paper.


The limits on MEMS resonant sensor performance set by nonlinearity are often studied through a model of a Duffing resonator, with linear actuation. This model largely fails to capture the properties of MEMS resonant sensors with electrostatic gap-closing actuation. We have shown that a specific feature of such ubiquitous resonators is that their stability is strongly sensitive to the waveform used to drive them to resonance. In this paper, we conduct an analytical investigation of these phenomena and validate our theoretical results transient simulations.


Koong Jom or fermented shrimp is a local fermented food which has a long history in Prakhon Chai District, Buri Ram. The crucial problem in the process of making Koong Jom is that the bacterial level exceeds the recomended level as set by Department of Medical Sciences. There were no assessment or guarantee of hygiene of the production from any health organization. This descriptive research was aimed at a situation analysis and evaluating process and quality of making Koong Jom in Prakhon Chai District. The result of the situation analysis was used to set up a developing programme to improve the process of making Koong Jom and assess the output. The research started in October 2006 and was finalized in September 2009. The samples were 26 production areas in Prakhon Chai by using a checklist comprising 30 items. The result showed that during October-December 2006 no production places passed the standard, showing an average score of 14.5 (range 6-24). After using the developing programme to improve the process and manufacturing place during July-September 2009 it was found that there were 10 of manufacturing places complied to standard (38.46%) scoring 25.12. The difference between before and after showed an improvement of score at 10.62. Key words: Koong Jom-fermented shrimp paste, local fermented food, process and quality


While the religious and trading skills of the Bohra muslim community have received scholars'attention, other facets which mirror the consciousness of this prosperous trading group have scarcely been studied. Treating architecure as the focal point, the author reconstructs this unique characteristic that reflects the fusion of the gujarati, islamic and other foreign styles.


Geographically, Serangan Subdistrict, South Denpasar District, Bali Province, used to be separated from the Bali's mainland. However, now it is not isolated any longer after a bridge was constructed and reclamation was conducted by the Bali Turtle Island (abbreviated to BTID) in 1996. At that time 379 hectares of the coastal areas were victimized. The investor's existence and the other businesses utilizing the coastal areas as their operating areas physically changed them, which were entirely coastal. It was this which was directly and indirectly responsible for marginalizing the fishermen. In relation to that, how the fishermen at Serangan subdistrict were marginalized from utilizing the coastal areas after being reclaimed was the focus of the present study. Qualitative method and the approach of cultural studies were used in the present study. The data were collected through observation, in-depth interview, and documentary study. The data were descriptively, qualitatively and interpretatively analyzed.   To sum up, the present study showed that there were several forms of marginalization undergone by the fishermen at Serangan Subdistrict after reclamation; they were marginalized from utilizing the coastal environment; economic difficulty resulting from the fact that the sources of fish were getting scarce causing their income to go down; and their powerlessness in overcoming the problem they encountered to improve their standard of living.


In the making of yellow layer cake, shortening was replaced with olive oil at levels of 25, 50, 75, and 100%. The hunter values of L and b showed that the crumb colors of the cakes with 50 and 75% olive oil were significantly different from that of the control. Both 50 and 75% olive cakes showed a higher specific gravity of batters, and lower specific volume of cakes, than the control. Cakes with 50 and 75% olive oil were less hard than the control during 3 days` storage at 22oC. Sensory evaluation showed that their characteristics-cell uniformity, crumb color, taste, softness, and moistness-were not influenced by the replacement of shortening with olive oil. And same as above for overall acceptance.


Summary:In recent years, nonfusion stabilization of the lumbar spine has gained more and more popularity. These nonfusion systems intend to maintain or restore the intersegmental motions to magnitudes of the intact spine and have no negative effects on the segments adjacent to the stabilized one. Th


Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a common immune‐mediated inflammatory arthritis with a strong genetic predisposition. We review recent data from genetic and animal studies highlighting the importance of Type 17 immune responses. Furthermore, the efficacy (or lack thereof) of different anti‐cytokine monoclonal antibodies has highlighted the diversity of Type 17 immune cells and cytokines critical to AS and related spondyloarthritis pathogenesis. Recent studies have strongly implicated the gut microbiome in AS. Finally, we propose that the local metabolic environment of the joint may have a key role in driving AS, and present a novel model of AS pathogenesis.


The 4,6-dinitroso derivative 11 was obtained (83%) by the nitrosation of 2-oxooctahydroimidazo[4,5-d]-imidazole 1 as the dihydrochloride and was converted to the 4,6-dinitro derivative 12 [66%] by treatment with nitric acid (100%, -40°C) and to the 1,4,6-trinitro derivative 13 (66%) and the 1,3,4,6-tetranitro derivative 2 (86%) by treatment with nitric acid (100%) in acetic anhydride at 0–5°C and 10–25°C respectively. Similar treatment with nitric acid (100%) in either acetic or trifluoroacetic anhydride at 0–25°C converted the trinitro compound 13 to the tetranitro compound 2 (86%). The dinitramine 12 was also obtained (43%) from the diamine 1 by nitration with nitric acid (100%, -40°C). A reaction between 2-nitrimino-5-iminooctahydroimidazo[4,5-d]imidazole 7 as a hydrochloride salt (from an acid catalyzed condensation between 4,5-dihydroxy-2-nitriminoimidazolidine 6 and guanidine) and nitric acid (100%, -40°C) gave the 2,5-dinitrimino derivative 14 (85%) isolated as a monohydrate. The nitrate salt 7 · HNO3, isomeric with 14 · H2O, was obtained from the corresponding hydrochloride 7 · HCl and silver nitrate. Both nitrimines 7 and 14 gave 1,3,4,6-tetranitro-2,5-dioxooctahydroimidazo[4,5-d]imidazole 15 (66% and 59%) by treatment with nitric acid (100%) in acetic anhydride.


Background: Olfactory and gustative dysfunctions are two of the most common post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children, which can have a negative impact on the routines of children and families. As several children have had COVID-19 since the Omicron variant, it is important to investigate if this increase in infections is reflected in higher olfactory/taste disfunctions. The primary aim of this study was to characterize the presence of olfactory/gustative problems in a cohort of children, its evolution, and its association with risk factors such as COVID-19 variant, hospitalization, presence of olfactory/gustative dysfunction during the acute phase, and vaccination. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of children with microbiologically confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection evaluated in person at a referral pediatric post-COVID-19 clinic in Rome, Italy. We included children younger than 19 years old, evaluated from the beginning of the pandemic up to October 2022. At specific timepoints, we investigated the presence of olfactory/taste disfunctions and evaluated them according to the SARS-CoV-2 variants circulating at the time of infection. Results: A total of 1250 children (650 females; 52.0%) with a mean age of 6.77 (±4.12) years were included in the study. At 3, 6, 12, and 18 months, 12 (9.6%), 7 (5.6%), 2 (1.6%), and 1 (0.8%) of the children reported anosmia and dysgeusia post-COVID-19 infection, respectively. The presence of anosmia and dysgeusia during the acute phase of infection and being infected with a pre-Omicron variant were found to be significant risk factors for persistent olfactory and gustatory dysfunction during all follow-up periods. Conclusions: anosmia and dysgeusia symptoms tended to decrease gradually over time, but not all children recovered quickly.


In a colliding beam storage ring the Twiss parameters are a ected by the quadrupolar focusing of the beam{beam interaction. Like any quadrupole error this `dynamic beta' e ect is enhanced by running near a half{integer or integer resonance. The recent change in the operating point of CESR so that the horizontal tune is just above a half{integer resonance has resulted in the dynamic beta e ect having a noticeable e ect on CESR operation. Under current colliding beam conditions the resulting change in horizontal beta has exceeded x= x = 0:5. In order to keep the notation as simple as possible while minimizing possible confusion, the following conventions have been adopted:


This article is a personal reflection on a long-standing patient and public involvement (PPI) partnership between a person with Parkinson's and a cognitive neuroscience researcher. They describe how the partnership arose, was established and evolved to produce unexpected benefits to the research and more broadly. Initially, working together helped to communicate the purpose of the research to a lay audience and to make lab-based testing sessions for people with Parkinson's as comfortable as possible. They then worked together on the steering group for a research project about Parkinson's and imitation, which led to co-designing interventions using imitation and imagination of movements to improve movements, including a dance class. Further benefits were realised through co-teaching undergraduate students about Parkinson's, establishing a broader culture of PPI within the research lab and sharing their expertise of PPI more broadly. They consider key ingredients for successful collaboration, including shared curiosity, open-mindedness and trust, as well as the importance of informal discussion and space. Challenges are also considered, including authorship of research articles and anonymity. Their account demonstrates the value of the collaboration to research itself, but also the broader (often unexpected) benefits that can emerge when a collaboration has space and time to flourish.


This paper sets up the panel threshold model by using the panel data in various areas of Jiangsu from 2002 to 2011. It calculates the input-output elasticity of agricultural materials from the perspective of farmers' net income. Conclusions are drawn as follows: the input-output elasticity of material elements such as the total power of agricultural machinery,the effective irrigation area,the sown areas of farm crops and agricultural use of electricity has a significant " threshold effect" on the farmers' net income changes. When the farmers' net income is more than 10600 yuan,the output elasticity brought by the total power of agricultural machinery,the effective irrigation area and the agricultural use of electricity will increase; when the farmers' net income is more than 11800 yuan,the output elasticity of the sown area of the crops will increase. At present,there are 5 areas where farmers' net income exceeds 118000 yuan threshold in the South of Jiangsu Province. But the farmers' net income in the northern Jiangsu is still below the threshold,which restricts the further rise of input-output elasticity of agricultural materials


The invention discloses a composite prestressed uplift pile with expansion heads, which comprises a cement stirring pile, a concrete cylindrical core and a carrying table top, wherein the concrete cylindrical core is arranged in the cement stirring pile, and the carrying table top is arranged at the upper end of the cement stirring pile. The composite prestressed uplift pile is characterized in that a prestress steel cable is coaxially arranged inside the concrete cylindrical core, at least one expansion head is arranged on the prestressed steel cable, and the upper end of the prestressed steel cable passes out of the carrying table top and is fixed through a connecting element after being tensioned. The composite prestressed uplift pile has the advantages that good anti-floating and uplift effects are realized, the preparation is simple, and the steel consumption is low.


Deriving the smallest primitive unit cells, necessary to describe the translational periodicity of a crystal structure, is the first step toward choosing the correct space group. Among these smallest cells, only the reduced cell is unique and useful in selection of a Bravais lattice. Examples of both too small and too large a cell selected are illustrated, and the correct space groups and atomic coordinates are also given.\;


In the document we can highlight the changes that arose through the 2016 Tax Reform for the entities belonging to the Special Tax Regime and taxation system. Substantial changes are observed, including a limitation on the entities that must remain in it, the controls to be implemented by regulators, your monitoring and control, this is a tool to avoid tax evasion.


Objective To investigate the relationship between the absorbed dose to the thyroid remnant and the outcome of m I ablation in patients after operation for DTC.Methods Seventy-two patients (14 males,58 females; age range:16-67 years,average age:(41±16) years) with DTC,prepared for thyroid remnant ablation,were prospectively recruited from September 2009 to September 2011.Scintigraphic images of the head and neck were serially acquired after oral administration of 3.7 GBq of 131I to assess the biokinetics of this tracer in thyroid remnant.Ultrasound was used to measure the mass of the thyroid remnant.Calculation of absorbed dose to thyroid remnant was based on the Medical Internal Radiation Dosimetry formula of the Society of Nuclear Medicine.The outcome of 131 I ablation was evaluated on the basis of stimulated Tg measurements and neck ultrasound at 6-9 months after ablation.Patients with stimulated Tg levels less than 1 μg/L and with no detectable thyroid tissue on neck ultrasound were considered successful ablation of thyroid remnant.Two-sample t test was used to analyze the data.Results The 131I uptake ratios at 24 h were 0.9%-6.3% in 72 patients and the effective half-lives of 131I were 12.0-146.4 h.The thyroid remnant masses were 1.0-6.9 g; absorbed doses were 23-2 197 Gy,and absorbed dose rates at 24 h were 0.5-8.1 Gy/h.No significant difference was observed in absorbed doses to thyroid remnants in 43 patients having successful ablation and 29 patients having unsuccessful ablation ((363± 148) Gy vs (341± 167) Gy,t =15.097,P>0.05).However,the absorbed dose-rates of thyroid remnants at 24 h were significantly higher in patients with successful ablation than those in patients with unsuccessful ablation ((3.7±2.1) Gy/h vs (2.9±1.6) Gy/h,t=7.908,P<0.05).Conclusion A successful ablation is strongly dependent on the absorbed dose-rate of thyroid remnant.

Key words:
Thyroid neoplasms;  Radiotherapy ;  Iodine radioisotopes;  Radiation dosage


The 2-D Gabor transform has been recognized as being useful in diverse areas such as image compression, texture analysis, image segmentation, and image recognition; however, its real time applications have been limited due to the high computational complexity of the traditional 2-D complex-valued discrete Gabor transform (CDGT) algorithms. In this paper, 2-D discrete Hartley transform (DHT)-based real-valued discrete Gabor transform (RDGT) is presented, which can utilize the fast DHT algorithm for fast computation and has a simple relationship with the CDGT such that the 2-D CDGT coefficients can be directly computed from the 2-D DHT-based RDGT coefficients. Due to this simple relationship, the 2-D DHT-based RDGT also offers a faster and more efficient method to compute the 2-D CDGT. In addition, an efficient algorithm for the fast computation of the biorthogonal analysis window given a synthesis window is also presented. The results indicate that the proposed algorithms for the RDGT are attractive for real time image processing.


1 Introduction 2 Getting Started 3 Management Structures 4 Staffing the Center 5 Supervision, Evaluation, and Training of Staff 6 Financial and Legal Considerations 7 Physical Space Needs for the Center 8 The Children's Program 9 Health and Safety 10 Nutrition and Meals 11 Working with Parents 12 Marketing Your Program 13 Assessment and Evaluation Appendixes A State Licensing and Certification Agencies B Early Childhood Professional Organizations and Information Sources C The National Association for the Education of Young Children's Code of Ethical Conduct D Suggested Materials List Index


This document augments the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA)
considerations for the Label Distribution Protocol (LDP), for protocol
fields that are Reserved in the LDP Specification but for which there
are no IANA allocation policies.


We examined phosphorylated nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2 (P‐NRF2) expression in surgically resected primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and investigated the association of P‐NRF2 expression with clinicopathological features and patient outcome. We also evaluated the relationship among NRF2, cancer metabolism, and programmed death ligand 1 (PD‐L1) expression. In this retrospective study, immunohistochemical staining of P‐NRF2 was performed on the samples of 335 patients who underwent hepatic resection for HCC. Tomography/computed tomography using fluorine‐18 fluorodeoxyglucose was performed, and HCC cell lines after NRF2 knockdown were analyzed by array. We also analyzed the expression of PD‐L1 after hypoxia inducible factor 1α (HIF1A) knockdown in NRF2‐overexpressing HCC cell lines. Samples from 121 patients (36.1%) were positive for P‐NRF2. Positive P‐NRF2 expression was significantly associated with high alpha‐fetoprotein (AFP) expression, a high rate of poor differentiation, and microscopic intrahepatic metastasis. In addition, positive P‐NRF2 expression was an independent predictor for recurrence‐free survival and overall survival. NRF2 regulated glucose transporter 1, hexokinase 2, pyruvate kinase isoenzymes L/R, and phosphoglycerate kinase 1 expression and was related to the maximum standardized uptake value. PD‐L1 protein expression levels were increased through hypoxia‐inducible factor 1α after NRF2 overexpression in HCC cells. Conclusions: Our large cohort study revealed that P‐NRF2 expression in cancer cells was associated with clinical outcome in HCC. Additionally, we found that NRF2 was located upstream of cancer metabolism and tumor immunity.


In this paper, we define a local topological group-groupoid and prove that if $G$ is a local topological group-groupoid, then the monodromy groupoid $Mon(G)$ of $G$ is a local group-groupoid.


Koi carp (Cyprinus carpio var. koi) were reared for 60 days in the laboratory under five dietary treatments (A, B, C, D and E) with varying crude protein levels. Diet 'A' was commercial pelleted feed (CP 30.30%), while diets B, C, D and E were formulated from locally available feed ingredients having CP percentage of 24.4, 27.23 35.24 and 43.00, respectively. There was significant (P<0.01) difference in body weight gain of Koi carp with values 27.55±0.03g, 28.72±0.06g, 30.7±0.2g, 33.62±0.5g and 38.0±0.04g in treatment A, B, C, D and E, respectively. The highest body weight gain was observed in treatment E (38.02±0.04g) and lowest in treatment A (27.55±0.32g). The feed conversion ratio (FCR) and specific growth rate (SGR) showed significantly (P<0.05) better performance in treatment E. Digestibility of nutrients viz; crude protein (CP) and ether extract (EE) were significantly (P<0.05) higher for diet E and D. Commercial pelleted feed (treatment A) was cost intensive compared to formulated feeds. The body composition of fish showed significant differences (P<0.05) in protein and lipid content with highest protein and lipid content in treatment E (64.84 & 23.97) and D (64.09 & 21.86). The gross energy (k cal/g) content of the body showed the same trend. The water quality parameters (temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen and total alkalinity) were within normal range. It was concluded that for growing stages of Koi carp a crude protein level of 35.44 to 43.0 percent was better for growth and carcass composition.


Bird strike simulation by using instantaneous non-linear FEM is an important work in the process of the bird strike design.In this paper,the bird strike simulation of four different wing leading edge structures with FE software PAM-CRASH is presented, the optimum structure was chosen in four structures.Meanwhile, the bird strike test is done to the optimum structure, the strain curves and clash-force curves were compared with simulation results, the curvilinear trends were in concordance,which indicate experimental results were reasonable,and provided the reference for the design and promotion of bird-strike resistance of wing leading edge.


High speed downlink packages access(HSDPA) should provide high speed data and voice services for multi-users simultaneously by an single carrier in the cellular,and apparently,the required down link traffic capacity is much heavier than that for mere voice service.This paper proves that HSDPA is short of theoretical basis,and it introduces a meliorated HSDPA scheme by combining CDMA technique with TDMA,in which CDMA is used to distinguish voice and high-speed data traffic channels.Furthermore,TDMA mode is employed in high speed data traffic channels.This method could improve the technical defect of the symmetric up/down link capacity for WCDMA standard to meet the requirement of wireless Internet service.


In this study, an effective segmentation method is presented for defect detection on the glass surface. Defect detection on the glass surface is compelling and strenuous job for human eyes. Transparency and reflection properties of the glass surface reduce success of image processing algorithms using detection of the factors that unwanted and affecting quality of products such as crack, scratch, bubble. Traditional methods have limited success and long processing time in this process. Therefore, fast and effective method has been proposed. In the proposed method (BiasFeed CNN), bias input which is single number value traditional CNN algorithm is converted bias template. Bias template is used to balance the brightness level of the image. Input image and bias template convolution is applied bias input. Through the contribution from bias input, background reflections and negative effects arising from transparency are decreased. The developed method is fast as traditional CNN, because it does not cause significant changes in the structure of traditional CNN. 35 pieces of glass was tested using the algorithm. Damages in the glass surface and location of these damages were determined. Accuracy rates of inspected images are; sensivity %91, specificity %99, accuracy %98. BiasFeed CNN algorithm was tested on various images and it is more successful than traditional CNN algorithm.


Ibuprofen is non steroidal antiinflammatory drug ( NSAID ) of the propionic acid class which is wide ly used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Ibuprofen patch is an effective approach evading ibuprofen's adverse effect in the GI tract and first pass effect . The function of polymer is to control the drug release from the patch. The aims of this study were to determine the effect of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC ) K4M and carbopol 934 combination on the moisture content (MC), in-vitro drug release, and to obtain the optimum formula of those polymers. Ibuprofen patch were prepared into three formulas based on s implex l attice d esign with the ratio of HPMC K4M : carbopol 934 , that were 1 : 0, 0 .5 : 0 .5, and 0 : 1 . Design e xpert software was used to obtain the optimum formula of both polymers. The results of this study showed that patch with HPMC K4M : carbopol 934 (0.5 : 0.5) gave the best MC and the in-vitro drug release . The optimum formula was HPMC K4M and carbopol 934 with the ratio of 0.5 : 0.5. Keywords : i buprofen, patch, HPMC, carbopol


A design study of the main magnet for a 13 MeV cyclotron has been carried out in a joint collaboration between the Korea Cancer Center Hospital (KCCH) and POSTECH. A maximum energy of 13 MeV has been chosen to produce radioisotopes such as /sup 18/F. There are four magnet sectors, each with radial-ridged shape. Maximum magnetic fields are 1.85 T and 0.48 T at hill and valley centers, respectively. The total size of the cyclotron is less than 2 m in diameter. The program TOSCA has been utilized for the field calculation and optimization. In this paper, we describe design parameters of the 13 MeV PET cyclotron, with emphasis on the magnetic field shape and the beam optics calculation.


Based on the reflectance data of the fifteenth and sixteenth channels in near-infrared bands and spatial geometrical angles of the moderate resolution imaging spectro-radiometer,aphysical iterative algorithm was proposed,using the Junge power-law size distribution to approximate the actual atmospheric aerosol model.The algorithm was used for simultaneous determination of the aerosol optical thickness and the exponent of the Jung power law.The results show that the aerosol optical thickness over most of the studied ocean is in the range of 0.02~0.17,the exponent of the Jung power law is in the range of 2.8~3.8,and both the aerosol optical thickness and exponent of the Jung power law have the trend of descending from coast to open sea.Therefore,the reasonable spatial distributions of the exponent of the Junge power law and aerosol optical thickness were obtained.Comparing the retrieval results with the moderate resolution imaging spectro-radiometer product and aerosol robotic network measurements,the retrieval algorithm whose results are more approach aerosd robotic network data than moderate resolution imaging spectro-radiometer product,is more accurate than moderate resolution imaging spectro-radiometer algorithm.Therefore,the retrieval method which is applied for the studied region is feasible and reliable.


The relationship between the feeding ability of the riser and the shrinkage and porosity is always a hot investigation topic, and the interior shrinkage and porosity of the ingot is the common defect met by industries. The work on the effect of Electromagnetic Feeding Riser (EFR) on ingot solidification is approached via the interpretative of the electromagnetic heat efficiency, temperature field, and Niyama criteria. The results show that the heating effect is better when the induction coil is at L = 0 mm and the heat efficiency rapidly reduces with the induction coil away from the riser, from the view of magnetic field. An obvious improvement in the solidification process is the application of EFR from the view of temperature field. Then, the Niyama criterion was defined as 1.1 through the experiment and simulation. Electromagnetic feeding starts to restrain the appearance of the shrinkage and porosity when L = 0 mm and D = 60 mm, where the effective Joule heat generated by the induction coil occupies about 75% of the energy dissipated in the riser solidification process, at least. The better feeding effect can be obtained at L = 0 mm and D = 40 mm in consideration of the thickness of the insulation board.


ABSTRACT The article analyses planning processes in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) in order to offer insights into newly-shaping planning systems in South-Eastern Europe during the late phase of post-socialist transition. The article argues that societal complexity impedes a multifaceted transition (i.e. post-war, post-socialist, and neoliberal) in BiH, creating obstacles on the multifaceted transition path. Through a thorough literature review and a series of semi-structured interviews, the article shows that due to these, and many other, complexities, BiH is moving slowly on its transition path. However, it appears that the bottom-up processes are challenging the embedded notions of division.


Robin Coupland knows what it's like to get caught up in conflicts. In Somalia, in the early 1990s, the former war surgeon was in the operating theatre when a colleague standing next to him was shot. "There were no sandbags so we had to pile boxes of intravenous fluids against the windows" he recalls. For the past two decades Coupland, a medical adviser with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), has been working to reduce the likelihood of such incidents occurring through a mixture of advocacy and research, and. most recently by co-authoring an ICRC study titled Health Care in Danger, a first attempt to describe how and why health workers get caught in the cross fire, and what the consequences are when they do. The study was released in August last year at the start of a four-year ICRC campaign to raise awareness around the problem and make a difference to health workers on the ground. The harm done when health workers are attacked is not limited to the assault itself, but has a knock on effect that can deprive patients of treatment. This is one of the core messages of the study, which cites the example of the six ICRC health workers killed in the Chechen village of Novye Atagi (in the Russian Federation) on 17 December 1996, prompting the organization to suspend its operations in Chechnya. According to the study, this single incident deprived thousands of war-wounded of surgical care. But is health care, or are health workers, in more danger now than, say, 63 years ago when the Geneva Conventions were first drawn up? Susannah Sirkin, deputy director of Physicians for Human Rights, believes this is so. The independent research and advocacy group has been gathering information about attacks on health workers and health institutions for years. "The intensity of attacks, especially in terms of doctors being threatened, has increased," Sirkin says. But in the absence of reliable data on this phenomenon, Physicians for Human Rights, like the ICRC, can only make intelligent guesses about what is really going on. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Coupland's guesses are based on two interesting observations. The first is the way in which war itself is changing. "The wounded and the hospitals are becoming integrated into the conflict'; he says, as wars are increasingly fought within rather than between countries with clearly defined fronts, where combatants are not always aware of these international conventions governing the way civilians should be treated. Because of the blurred nature of contemporary war, health facilities find themselves providing services to both sides of a conflict and exposing themselves in doing so. As Coupland points out, it is more common today for soldiers to enter a hospital to settle scores, for example, or indeed for government forces to come looking for insurgents and--as seen during last year's protests and uprisings in the Middle East--prevent doctors from treating opponents. Coupland's second observation is the ubiquity of cameras and journalists. "What happens at a hospital is a focal point for the media," he says. In his opinion this makes health care not just an integral part of a conflict but also essential to the way the conflict is viewed by the outside world. Once again, media attention tends to bring people into the hospital who do not belong there. That's why people with experience in the field go to great lengths to avert such interference and intervention when they open the hospital doors. Andrew Cunningham, Operations Adviser with nongovernmental organization (NGO) M6decins Sans Frontieres (MSF), for example, says that negotiating what he calls the "parameters of intervention" before starting operations is essential. "For Afghanistan we spent about nine months communicating and negotiating with all the relevant military and paramilitary actors to create the neutral space in which we could work before starting the programme there," he says. …


The uncertainty and volatility of oil prices and the rise of political uncertainty in the Middle East Region have shifted the ground beneath the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) economies in recent years. The traditional planning methods are strategically blind and inherently short sighted when used by firms under uncertainty. This study provides concepts, analytic tools, and examples of the four levels of uncertainty. The study draws a parallel between the uncertainty in chess game and business and tailored chess principles, processes, strategies and tactics to be used by businesses under uncertainty situations. This study contributes to current knowledge of using chess as metaphor to describe business, finding a connection to the dynamics of chess given the use of its principles, strategy and tactics.


This study examines 3 years of child and adolescent health data from Australian onshore and offshore immigration detention centres from 2014 to 2017, quantifying the health presentation data of children and adolescents in Australian immigration detention and comparing rates between onshore and offshore detention.


This article examines the problem of unemployment among school leavers. It is shown that although the summer peak in such unemployment has reached record levels in recent years this remains a largely temporary phenomenon. However, longer term unemployment among school leavers is now becoming a serious problem. Though the Government's present measures will relieve the problem somewhat they provide a temporary palliative rather than a longer term solution.


Abstract The course of the representation built in memory from a text during comprehension of paragraphs was studied by a probe technique (immediate item recognition). Three experiments showed that response times, the main variable, gradually increase as a function of the lag between the probe (a word or an atomic proposition) and its target in the text. In Experiment 3 the same result was also found with a priming technique. The absence of any kick-up over the course of time was confirmed by several additional analyses of individual data. The results were only weakly consistent with models assuming two distinct memory stores, in particular a specific "short-term memory store," but highly consistent with models involving semantic activation and subsequent gradual deactivation.


The chrome shavings were dechromed with the method of oxidation, and the ext ract was attained in the conditions of acid or base respectively. The blended solution was obtained by blending chrome shavings ext ract with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The optimal proportion was acquired after comparing of the properties, including viscosity of the mixture, mechanical properties of the blended membranes. The optimal proportion of PVA: ext ract (prepared with acid method) is 2:8 while solid content is 10%. The results of degradation test indicated that the membranes developed with the ext ract and PVS could be degraded in soil, trypsin solution and AS1.398 solution.


The failure to manage risk in large-scale infrastructure projects has attracted intense debate. Recommendations suggest rigorous planning and once the contract is in place, the narrative of account-giving emphasises constructing audit trails to assure delivery commitments. However, this can lead to blame avoidance. This paper develops an in-depth case study of Heathrow Terminal 2 (T2), a £2.5bn construction programme that successfully opened on time and to budget in 2014 despite an initial risk management ethos that emphasised boundary preservation. This is explored through the lens of riskwork, a form of everyday maintenance work that sustained the infrastructure of risk management. A process methodology is adopted to trace the development of the programme into riskwork phases from concerns about 'one version of the truth' to strategising with a 'dashboard' to a 'golden thread' engaging suppliers in interactive risk talk. This paper demonstrates an important relationship between adaptive risk management infrastructures, innovation and the benefits of learning from emergence. It describes a central role for mediatory instruments such as dashboards, reports and forums in making risks visible and actionable. On a theoretical level it reveals the importance of temporality and path dependency in studying the formation of riskwork infrastructures. It also has important practical implications for policy recommendations that oversimplify the management of risk into a form of accountability management that mitigates risks by demanding compliance. On T2 progress was sustained by paying attention to which 'residual' categories of risk were excluded from the risk management architecture. As the programme progressed, riskwork became less about managing compliance and more about learning from emergence.


The native wildlife of Mauritius is highly threatened by a variety of influences other than habitat destruction. Protection from habitat destruction alone cannot guarantee its conservation and the damage already sustained is not fully reversible. Therefore, the ideal for conservation—maintenance or restoration of self‐sustaining populations of all species in native ecosystems—is presently unattainable. We assessed three long‐term strategies for maintaining and increasing populations of threatened native birds on the mainland and offshore islets of Mauritius, with respect to efficacy, sustainability, and side‐effects. Rehabilitation of native vegetation on the mainland is likely to improve food availability over limited areas, but it can only form the basis of a long‐term bird conservation strategy when population density of introduced animals, especially predators, can be reduced sustainably, at low financial cost, and without adversely affecting native wildlife. Marooning bird populations on ecologically rehabilitated islets can eliminate the predator problem, but they would be vulnerable to catastrophes (especially cyclones) and possibly disease, and much habitat management work is still needed. A third, novel strategy—enhancement of mainland habitat using exotic plants—allows creation of source habitats, greatly reducing the predator threat. It also permits larger areas to be managed, and at lower cost, than is the case with intensive rehabilitation. Habitat management regimes for conservation of threatened species or communities must be designed specifically to alleviate population‐limiting factors. In altered environments certain exotic plants can be essential to the survival of native animal species. The most effective conservation measure must not be assumed always to be the rehabilitation of native vegetation.


We comparatively studied the structural and magnetic properties of ZnS nanowires (NWs) doped with one or two transition-metal (TM) atoms (Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni) using first-principles calculations. The results indicate that the TM atoms prefer to be at the middle position of the NWs and have no tendency to form clusters. The formation energies of doped NWs were smaller than that of the pristine NW, indicating that doing process is an exothermic reaction. All of the NWs had atomlike magnetic moments mainly due to the 3d component of the TM atoms. Significant hybridization was observed between the d states of the TM atoms and the p states of the S atoms. Based on the half-metallic characteristic and long-range ferromagnetic interactions, we demonstrated that the ZnS NWs doped with Cr atoms have great potential for successful implementation into spintronic devices.


The invention provides a vertical all-around cyclone dirt remover, which comprises a tank (4). The inner cavity of the tank (4) falls into an upper cavity (5) and a lower cavity (3). The upper cavity is a columnar cavity, and the lower cavity (3) is a conical cavity. The top of the tank (4) is provided with a tank cap (8), the side wall of the tank (4) is equipped with a sewage inlet pipe (12) and a purified water outlet pipe (6) that are communicated with the upper cavity (5) along the tangential direction, and the lower end of the tank (4) is provided with a dirt storage tank (2) equipped with a blowdown apparatus (1). The upper cavity (5) of the tank (4) is internally provided with a spacer ring (11) equipped with a honeycomb duct (13), the purified water outlet pipe (6) is located above the spacer ring (11), the sewage inlet pipe (12) is located below the spacer ring (11), and a floater filter screen is disposed above the spacer ring (11). Compared with the prior art, the vertical all-around cyclone dirt remover provided by the invention can treat sedimentary dirt and floaters, and also can ensure safe operation of heat pipelines and a heat exchanger.


Anthracnose, caused by Colletotrichum sublineolum, has been one of the most destructive diseases affecting sorghum crops in Brazil. This study aimed to characterize wild and mutant strains through morphological and cultural characteristics, conidiation, and mating-type. A high variability was observed among strains when evaluated through radial growth and type of conidia produced. Spontaneous release of sectors by some strains was also observed, confirming the high genetic instability of this pathogen. Mating type genes amplified through PCRs using the primers, SKCM1, NcHMG and HGMgram demonstrated that both idiomorphs are present in this species. All the strains analyzed were self-sterile. It was not possible to correlate the auxotrophic mutant phenotype with the morphological characteristics evaluated.


Recently, there has been increased interest in near normal incidence optical sytems for use in the soft x-ray domain (10Å < A < 100A). This region of the x-ray spectrum is important because many organic constituents have their K-absorption edges in this range. One important application of near normal incidence soft X-rays optical systems is lithography, for which 44.7Å radiation is particularly well suited. Hence we have concentrated our studies at this wavelength. Stacks of alternating layers with low and high electron densities can be used to obtain mirrors with substantial reflection coefficients. We have developed a model to obtain the optical properties of such a stack in a fashion similar to that used for visible light. This model can be shown to be quite accurate for near normal incidence and for wavelengths long compared to the interatomic spacing. We have also shown from this model that a smooth, 200 layer, carbon-tungsten stack would provide a reflectivity of approximately 25% at 44.7Å when used in normal incidence. Sputtering techniques (diode, triode) were used to produce carbon-tungsten multilayers with each tungsten film approximately 10A thick. Grazing X-ray reflection and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy have shown that layers with minimal roughness and adequate densities have been achieved. The dielectric functions for the materials have been determined by ellipsometry. We have been able to calculate and to show experimentally that an ellipsometry monitoring system allows very precise in-situ control of layer growth. Calculations and preliminary measurements show the use of ellipsometry to achieve an ideal multilayer growth.


The spallation neutron source (SNS) Linac and accumulator ring utilize 100 radio-frequency (RF) systems for acceleration and bunching of the proton beam. Several different types of gridded tubes and klystrons are operated at 1, 2, 402.5 and 805 MHz, at power levels ranging from a few kilowatts to several megawatts, to drive several types of accelerating cavities, both normal- and super-conducting. The RF systems are standardized, especially in the Linac, to ease operation and maintenance. Phase and amplitude control is achieved with a digital low-level RF (LLRF) control system. The RF systems operate reliably and support production of a high-quality low-loss proton beam. Various modifications and upgrades have been made or are in progress to enhance system reliability and performance. Planning is well underway for a power upgrade that will require an additional 36 RF systems.


PANCREATIC CYSTS The temptation to employ a single surgical manceuvre in the management of pancreatic cysts is minimized when they are seen in sufficient numbers. The choice of an appropriate surgical procedure must be individualized according to the zetiology, size, location, duration, visceral relationships, the presence of infection or of neoplasia, and by the general condition of the patient.


The present study examines the relationship between electricity consumption and economic growth using the data of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The study covers the period of 1980-2008. The Johansen-Fisher cointegration approach is applied and results indicate the presence of cointegration between electricity consumption and economic growth. The VECM Granger causality analysis reveals that the relationship between electricity consumption and economic growth in long run is bidirectional but in short run, economic growth is Granger cause of electricity consumption.


Voice digitization in contemporary music production, with synthesizers and audio programs in computers that "correct" vocal imperfections, is the starting point to question which bodies emerge from these sound materialities. We start a discussion about the practices in song production trying to understand how listening is affected in the contemporary music culture. The concept of "grain of the voice", proposed by Roland Barthes, guides us as a "beacon" for the discussion around of what we call "pixel of the voice": the perception not only of a body emerging from the vocal performance, but a production system of meaning that includes the music producer, the metamorphosis logics in current digital era and the ability to generate voices for bodies that have not even sung. Keywords: music culture, voice, performance.


This paper describes a step by step work flow to optimise field development plan of three vertically adjacent complex carbonate reservoirs by using multiple strings in a given well to access them. It also provides an innovative view on how to develop multiple vertically separated, adjacent complex reservoirs from artificial (man-made) island with maximum reservoir contact (MRC) wells to get economically viable production. The focus was to revise the development plan of the major reservoir and use the future development wells of this reservoir to access other vertically adjacent minor reservoirs that are within the drilling reach from different artificial islands. The study addresses optimised well spacing, completion layers of well placement, well drill sequence, well type; and number of economic infill well placement and sectorisation strategies for optimal production. This study also includes assessment of the value of infill wells, dual-lateral, dedicated lateral and single-lateral wells to target more than one reservoir. An optimised integrated field development plan of major and minor reservoirs is formulated with new long horizontal MRC wells which include both single and dual-lateral wells accessing one, two or three reservoirs depending upon location and accessibility. [Received: September 1, 2017; Accepted: July 30, 2018]


The mu agonist fentanyl and the kappa agonists U-50,488 and tifluadom were tested intravenously in electrophysiological experiments on spinal nociceptive reflexes in anaesthetised, spinalised rats. Responses of single motoneurones to thermal and mechanical stimuli were reduced to a similar degree by both mu and kappa agonists and these effects were reversed by low doses of naloxone.


The model studied in this paper captures the combined effects of finite and infinite source traffic-often used to model interactive and batch traffic, respectively-when they contend for a single server resource. The finite source traffic is modeled by heterogeneous finite sources, the infinite source traffic by a stationary Poisson process, and the single server is assumed to have exponentially distributed service times with distinct service rates for the different customer types. All customers share a common queue and are serviced in FIFO order. A special case of this model where the N finite sources are identical combines two fundamental and widely used models (the repairman and M/M/1 models) in a natural manner. Regardless of the homogeneous or heterogeneous nature of the finite sources, the combined source model is not product form due to the realistic assumption that service rates are distinct for different customer types (batch and interactive traffic typically have different CPU processing requirements). In this paper, we show how to recursively calculate all mean quantities of interest in an approximate but quite accurate manner for the general heterogeneous model. The accuracy of the recursive technique is established in part by contrasting the approximate solution to simulation results for a wide parameter range, and in part by studying the asymptotic behavior of the approximation.


The effect of two African mineral dyes Yombo tumtum (YT) and Yombo fita (YF) on the activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in the skin and serum of albino rats was investigated. The chemical analyses of the dyes were first carried out using solubility test, pH determination and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) elemental analysis. Six different concentrations (0.05, 0.15, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1.00%) of each dye were prepared using hydrogen peroxide as solvent. A total of 70 albino rats ( Rattus norvegicus ) were used for the study. The rats were grouped into 14 of 5 rats and were maintained on commercial feed for a period of 30 days, during which the experiment lasted. Group I served as the first control and the animals had distilled water applied on their heads. Group 2 which served as the second control contained rats on whose heads were applied the dissolving solvent i.e. hydrogen peroxide. Rats in group 3 to 8 had the various concentrations of YT (black) dye applied on their heads, while those in groups 9 to 14 had the various prepared concentrations of YF (white) dye applied on their heads. At the end of the experiment, blood samples were collected and portion of the head skin where the dyes were applied was cut. The activity of ALP was thereafter determined in the serum and skin of the experimental animals. The results revealed a significant decrease (p Journal of Applied Sciences and Environmental Management Vol. 10(3) 2006: 163-166


The current research focus in clusters characterization and materials science as well as biochemistry has lead to a requirement for increased analyzer mass range. New ionization schemes such as electrospray and various cluster sources have overcome the obstacles of ionizing heavier species and bringing them into the gas phase as ions. The challenge for quadrupole analyzer design is the relationship between mass range and voltage, frequency, transmission and analyzer size requirements. Mass range of a quadrupole system is proportional to applied voltage, and inversely proportional to rod diameter squared and frequency squared. Therefore, one could increase the mass range of a given system by increasing the applied voltage, or reducing the rod diameter and or frequency. This presentation will review the results of our characterization of the key figures of merit for a commercially available quadrupole system with mass range extending to 10,000 amu, constructed of 6 mm diameter quadrupole rods operated at 880 kHz. Also included is a summary of practical hints for maximizing performance at high mass, along with a theoretical treatment examining ion energy and tuning requirements.