The problem that a robot navigates autonomously through its environment, builds its own map and localizes itself in the map, is still an open problem. It is known as the SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Map Building) problem. This problem is made even more difficult when we have several robots cooperating to build a common map of an unknown environment, due to the problem of map integration of several submaps built independently by each robot, and with a high degree of error, making the map matching specially difficult. Most of the approaches to solve map building problems are quantitative, resulting in a great computational cost and a low level of abstraction. In order to fulfil these drawbacks qualitative models have been recently used. However, qualitative models are non deterministic. Therefore, the solution recently adopted has been to mix both qualitative and quantitative models to represent the environment and build maps. However, no reasoning process has been used to deal with the information stored in maps up to now, therefore maps are only static storage of landmarks. In this paper we propose a novel method for cooperative map building based on hybrid (qualitative+quantitative) representation which includes also a reasoning process. Distinctive landmarks acquisition for map representation is provided by the cognitive vision and infrared modules which compute differences from the expected data according to the current map and the actual information perceived. We will store in the map the relative orientation information of the landmarks which appear in the environment, after a qualitative reasoning process, therefore the map will be independent of the point of view of the robot. Map integration will then be achieved by localizing each robot in the maps made by the other robots, through a process of pattern matching of the hybrid maps elaborated by each robot, resulting in an integrated map which all robots share, and which is the main objective of this work. This map building method is currently being tested on a team of Sony AIBO four


This paper presents an enhanced user interface, "fingerprint user interface (FpUI)", that exploits fingerprint identification technology, and discusses its application to information systems, specifically to a mobile authentication terminal for networked services and digital appliances. FpUI utilizes information regarding not only who put a finger on its sensor but which specific finger it was. A user can assign commands, data objects, status, or personalized settings to individual fingers for user-friendly direct manipulation. A mobile terminal, "pocket-PID", with fast, accurate fingerprint identification capability is proposed which features: an easy-to-use FpUI, high security, and secure and usable non-contact communication capability which facilitates implementation of networked services based on biometric user identification.


We predict the abundance of giant gravitational arcs produced by submillimeter galaxies (SMGs) lensed by foreground galaxy clusters, both at radio and submm wavelengths. The galaxy cluster population is modeled in a realistic way with the use of semi-analytic merger trees, while the density profiles of individual deflectors take into account ellipticity and substructures. The adopted typical size of the radio and submm emitting regions of SMGs is based on current radio/CO observations and the FIR-radio correlation. The source redshift distribution has been modeled using three different functions (based on spectroscopic/photometric redshift measurements and a simple evolutionary model) to quantify the effect of a high redshift tail on the number of arcs. The source number counts are compatible with currently available observations, and were suitably distorted to take into account the lensing magnification bias. We present tables and plots for the numbers of radio and submm arcs produced by SMGs as a function of surface brightness, useful for the planning of future surveys aimed at arc statistics studies. They show that e.g., the detection of several hundred submm arcs on the whole sky with a signal-to-noise ratio of at least 5 requires a sensitivity of 1 mJy arcsec −2 at 850 μm. Approximately the same number of radio arcs should be detected with the same signal-to-noise ratio with a surface brightness threshold of 20 μJy arcsec −2 at 1.4 GHz. Comparisons of these results with previous work found in the literature are also discussed.


This paper makes a worthy contribution to both understanding the role of debt in business cycles and the development of heterogeneous multi‐agent modelling in economics, and on those grounds is worthy of publication. However it is also more a work in progress than a completed research agenda—it indicates what can be done with this approach, rather than being the final word. Therefore there are numerous choices made in the modelling that I would be more critical of, were it being presented as a completed project.


In this research, p-type BiSbTe/ZrO2 nanocomposite powders were fabricated by high-energy ball milling. Different weight percentages of ZrO2 (2, 4, and 6 wt. %) nanoparticles were incorporated into the bulk (BiSbTe) matrix by consolidation of as-synthesized nanocomposites (NCs) powder by spark plasma sintering at 673 K. The phase and existence of ZrO2 nano-inclusions was confirmed by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy-selected area electron diffraction analysis. The Seebeck coefficient of the BiSbTe/ZrO2 NCs was significantly improved (∼36% for 4 wt. % added NCs) by a decrease in the carrier concentration and energy filtering effect, whereas the thermal conductivity was much reduced via strong scattering of carriers/phonons. The peak thermoelectric figure-of-merit (1.34 ± 0.06) was obtained for BiSbTe into which 2 wt. % ZrO2 was dispersed, which was approximately 20% greater than that of the undispersed sample. The hardness of the nanocomposites was significantly improved (∼27%) due to...


To solve the problem of moisture absorption and aggregation of superfine ammonium perchlorate(AP) and the aggregation of nano-sized Fe2O3 catalysts in composite propellants,the Fe2O3/AP/HTPB composite nanoparticles were prepared via preparation of the Fe2O3/AP composite nanoparticles by ceramic membrane anti-solvent crystallization(CMASC) method and coating of the outer-shell hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene(HTPB) on the surface of Fe2O3/AP composite nanoparticles by solvent evaporating method.SEM,HRTEM,FT-IR,ICP and XRD were used to characterize the resultant composite nanoparticles.The moisture absorption property of the Fe2O3/AP/HTPB composite nanoparticles was measured.The results show that Fe2O3 nanoparticles exhibit better dispersion within the as-prepared composite nanoparticles.The outer compact HTPB shell could prevent the moisture absorption of the superfine AP effectively.


HWT of gladiolus conns (50°C; 30 min) was not consistently found to give good control of rot caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. gladioli; Rather, it often had adverse effect on corm sprouting and plant growth. Chemical treatment of Emisan-6 (0.2%, 10 min dip) was found to be significantly better than HWT. It is concluded that there is no need to go in for HWT when more effective chemical treatments exist. The chemical treatments are, moreover, easy to apply and do not suffer from the drawback of precisely controlling the temperature.


The Norwegian Central graben and northern Viking graben are among the most prolific hydrocarbon provinces in Europe, with proved reserves exceeding 8 billion bbl of oil and 61 tcf of gas. Although are several successful plays are found in both grabens, this study concentrates on factors controlling accumulations in the most prolific trends - the Late Cretaceous to Danian chalk fields of the Central graben, and the Jurassic and Triassic sandstone fields of the northern Viking graben. Detailed modeling of hydrocarbon generation and migration in the two grabens demonstrates some similarities and major differences in the geochemical factors that control the accumulations.


The present invention provides an optical fiber head fixture, comprising a first optical fiber holding a first end of the optical fiber surrounding the conductor composed of a base beam, and the optical head is embedded in a quasi-machine positioning jig base, wherein the rule a frame having a hole and formed with a positioning portion, the hole for accommodating the frame header, the positioning portion for positioning the first optical fiber is embedded in a quasi-base machine, so that the wire ends of the fibers can be integrally universal It is positioned within the necessary processing zones outside the station revealed.


In this study,the long-term retrogradation of the rice starch(RS)/xanthan(Xan) mixtures was investigated.The mixtures could form softer gel with higher adhesiveness and lower cohesiveness.After 14 days' storage,recrystallization of the RS/Xan mixtures decreased,comparing with the native RS.The growth of amylopectin recrystallization in RS/Xan mixtures was primary nucleation(n1).However,the rate of recrystallization and nucleation reduced which indicated that the long-term retrogradation was evidently inhibited.It showed that Xan filled in the fragments of the starch granules leading to smaller surface pores,smoother surface and more compact structure by scanning electron microscopy(SEM).


The per capita consumption of cheese in South Africa has nearly doubled since 1995. While South Africans traditionally prefer milder cheese, there is enormous potential for not only artisanal cheese, but also vegan and lower fat options.


Three bacteria were isolated from edema disease in piglets in some farms from Shihezi,Xinjiang.Those isolates were comfirmerd to be E.coli through morphological characteristic,culture characteristic,biochemical characteristic.They were serotype O139 and caused the death of mice in artificial experiment.The results of drug sensitivity test indicated that the 3 isolates had resistance to some antibiotic in varying degrees.The 3 isolates had virulence genes of FedA and SLT-2e with PCR.The 3 isolates were pathogen inducing edema disease of piglets.


Tsunamis can trigger atmospheric gravity waves (AGW) to induce electron density perturbation in the ionosphere. A complete model is proposed to simulate observable ionospheric response 20 minutes after a tsunami is generated. A novel approach is proposed to monitor the ionosphere above ocean in order to dectect possible tsunamis at early stage. A computerized tomography (CT) technique is used to generate a three-dimentional image of electron density perturbation in the ionosphere based on the total electron content (TEC) data measured at multiple GPS receivers. Simulation results show that by using this scheme, circular patterns of electron density perturbation in the ionosphere can be detected in less than half an hour from the outbreak of a tsunami.


Distance education is not a new paradigm, but the latest ways it can be delivered certainly are. In the past couple of decades, the distance learning implementations were mostly realized using videoconferencing technologies and/or learning management systems. Recently, various Internet collaboration services have gained enormous popularity in all areas of human living, especially in distance learning, where many of them are offered free of charge. In this paper we elaborate the deployment of a synchronous distance lecturing solution based on free audioconferencing and screen sharing networking technologies, and we discuss the benefits gained in the context of cost, functionalities, effectiveness and users' satisfaction. The experiences after three semesters of use indicate that this alternative approach provides quite valuable means for effective implementation of distance learning, where the students appeared to be highly satisfied by the possibilities and functionalities that the system offers.


Holding strategy is one of the most commonly used operation control strategies.This paper presents an improved schedule-based holding strategy,in which a support vector machine(S VM)-based model for forecasting the early bus departure time from the following stop,is developed.This strategy judges whether an early bus should be held according to the on-time information of the bus at the current stop and the following stop.Finally,a simulation-based case is used to illustrate the performance of SVM-based model and the improved holding strategy.Results show that the SVM-based model can achieve accurate prediction and provide the improved holding strategy with reliable information.It is shown that the improved holding strategies show better performance than the traditional schedule-based holding strategies.


There are few in-depth studies that have attempted to explore the complex relationships among second language proficiency, foreign language aptitude, and intelligence. Information on such studies is usually found only in unpublished dissertations or in greatly reduced form in journal articles. This text is a rare example of a full-length report of such a study. Based on data from 160 EFL students in Japan, the researcher employed an extensive array of analytical procedures relating performance on English language proficiency measures with performance on a three-part aptitude battery and an intelligence measure. The proficiency measures included multiple-choice tests of grammar, cohesion, vocabulary, listening, and reading using short and long texts as well as a cloze and a free composition. The foreign language aptitude battery was a Japanese version of a test modeled after the short version of the Modern Language Aptitude Test. The measures of verbal intelligence and reasoning came from an existing Kyoto University test with 12 subtests.


sides in the Western/non-Western encounter. Though it is doubtful whether an adoption of such approach will be universally beneficial for academic literature on Palestine/Israel, in this particular instance the choice is absolutely justified. By departing from standard methodology Cohen guaranteed that his book will become a landmark study. 1929 brims with surprising facts and illuminating insights that are certain to make any orthodox Israeli or Palestinian nationalist swerve with unease. Notable is the Palestinian Arabs' pre-1948 attitude to Zionist Jews, which portrayed them as foreign usurpers with only a superficial connection to the Land; this rejection of Zionism, however, went oftentimes hand in hand with a strong denunciation of European anti-Semitism. Cohen emphasizes that some Arab-Palestinian leaders and Mandate officials were strongly opposed to anti-Jewish violence and even actively worked to prevent attacks on Jews. Likewise, there were Jews who saved Arabs from lynchings; their heroism was suppressed by Zionist collective memory, since admitting this would concede that Arabs also fell victim to unprovoked murders and revenge killings by Jews (and British forces; Cohen documents several such cases). The author reminds us that two Jews were sentenced to death for precisely such atrocities (though only three Arabs were eventually executed). Most surprisingly, Jews and Arabs cooperated by Arab initiative to commute the numerous death sentences passed. Finally, Cohen observes that the sanctity of the Western Wall in Jewish religious tradition is a relatively new phenomenon, and that the Muslim denial of the historicity of the Temple and the Sharia ban on land sales to Jews and on Jewish settlement in Palestine are recent developments. Despite the richness of Cohen's study some issues are treated only in passing. For example, Cohen gives relatively little attention to the role of the British in the events. His reappraisal of the origins of the conflict calls for an extension: In light of this new knowledge, how, for instance, should one judge the 1936–1939 Palestinian rebellion? Cohen does not speak of this. Lastly, Cohen omits the influence of 1929 on the Samaritan community, which is currently divided into an Israeli and a Palestinian branch. This book deals with a heavily politicized topic, yet Cohen masterfully avoids any explicit advocacy or apologetics. The only veiled political comment he makes is on p. 14: 'majority communities throughout the world often oppose the concept of equal rights... vociferously and sometimes violently'. Although the reference is to nineteenth-century Ottoman legislation, the allusion to contemporary Israel is unmistakable.


This study was carried out to investigate the adsorption and the degradation of herbicide napropamide in soils tinder laboratory conditions. The adsorption distribution coefficients(Kd) of napropamide in 3 soils varied from 5.38 to 11.39. With higher content of organic matter in soils, the extent of adsorption was high. The rapid degradation of napropamide took place after a lag period. The time to 50% loss of napropamide was approximately 65, 45 and 30 days in soil incubated at 10, 20 and , respectively. The time to the 90% loss varied from about 90 days at to about 45 days at . In the soil pre-incubated with napropamide, the herbicide degraded without a lag time, and the rate of degradation was also accelerated. This should be a evidence on enhanced biodegradation of napropamide in soil with the repeat-application.


Varahamihira (A.D. 505-5&7), in his magnum opus Brihat Samhita, described various morphologic and physiologic features of vegetation as hydrologic indicators to locate sources of ground water at depths ranging from 3·43m (11'-3') to as much as 171·40m (562'-6'). All these iudi,'ators are the responses resulting from high relative humidity and reduced transpiration in a microhabitat underlain by a ground water reservoir in arid and semiarid regions.


Suppose observations y1, . . . , yn stem from a parametric model f (y, θ ), with the parameter taking one value θL for y1, . . . , yτ and another value θR for yτ+1, . . . , yn. This article provides and examines two different general strategies for not merely estimating the break point τ but also to complement such an estimate with full confidence distributions, both for the change-point τ and for associatedmeasures of differences between the two levels of θ . The first idea worked with involves testing homogeneity for the two segments to the left and the right of a candidate change-point value at a fine-tuned level of significance. Carrying out such a scheme requires having a goodness-of-fit test for constancy of the θ parameter over a segment of indices, and we also develop classes of such tests. These also have some independent interest. The second generalmethod uses the log-likelihood function, profiled over the other parameters, and we show how this may lead to confidence inference for τ . Our methods are illustrated for four real data stories, with these meeting different types of challenges. © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.


The study analyzed the small-scale farmers' income in melon production in Delta State, Nigeria. Specific issues examined were the socio-economic characteristics of melon farmers in the study area, identified the farmers' major sources of information in melon production and identified the possible constraints faced by respondents in melon production in the study area. Multi-stage sampling technique comprising of purposive and random sampling was used to select 110 respondents. Data collected were analyzed using frequency count, mean and percentage while the Chi-square and Friedman test were used to test the hypotheses. The result showed that majority (69.1%) fell into the model class of 41 years and above having a mean of 47.2 years, 50.0% had a melon farming experience of 6 -10 years with the mean farming experience being 9.4, 52.7% had 6-10 members with a men household size of 9.7 members. The respondents mean annual income from melon farming was ₦28,640.90 and majority (74.5%) of the melon farmers studied do not belong to any farmers' association. 100% of the respondents' source information on melon farming from fellow farmers. Poor capital (mean = 3.50), inadequate extension services (mean = 3.50) pest and disease problem (mean = 3.41) and lack of improved seeds (mean=3.32) were the serious constraints faced by respondents in melon production. Significant relationship existed between respondents between respondents' age (x2 = 44.569; P<0.05), level of education (x2 = 15.721; P<0.05), melon farming experience (x2 = 4.842; P< 0.05), household size (x2 = 9.430; P<0.05), association membership (x2 = 20.621; P<0.05) and the farmers income derived from melon farming. It was concluded that melon production in the study area was constrained by several factors such as poor capital, inadequate extension, problem of pest and diseases, lack of improved varieties that are capable of reducing the farmers production output and make farmers reduce their interest in the production of the crop. It was recommended that agricultural extension agencies in the state should target melon farmers in the study area should target melon farmers in the study area with special training programmes.


Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic rheumatic disease, characterized by erosive and destructive arthritis, representing an important cause of disability. Interstitial lung disease is not a rare event and can be aggravated by several immunosuppressive medications. Methotrexate, once seen as a drug associated with interstitial pneumonitis, is now seen as an agent capable of slowing or preventing the progression of lung disease related to rheumatoid arthritis. Anti-TNFs currently represent the class with the greatest impact on the course of pulmonary disease in RA, with a significant increase in mortality. Among the immunobiological agents, abatacept and Rituximab stand out in relation to the pulmonary safety profile.


We present the results of a new Ultra High Frequency (UHF) Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system using multiple, distributed, phased array antennas for interrogating RFID tags over wide areas. The system makes use of signals multicast over two steerable antenna arrays with phase diversity to overcome fading. The system is compared to two other methods for driving the two arrays; one with the more widely used time division multiplexing and beam steering, and another with multicast signals and beam steering but without phase diversity. It is shown that the new system outperforms both of these in terms of tag RSSI and tag read success rate. The results are validated using a 3D field-based simulator, which enables visualisation of the power distribution in the field of interest.


Soft tissue sarcoma is a rare malignant neoplasm. Despite the improvement of surgical techniques, the rate of relapses of the disease remains high. The search for alternative methods of treatment is relevant.Purpose. To evaluate safety and effectiveness of intraoperative photodynamic therapy of sarcoma in soft tissues.Material and methods. Forty-four patients with soft tissue sarcoma were included in the study. Patients were divided into three groups. Group 1 (n = 10): soft tissue sarcoma of stage T2-3N0M0G1, surgical treatment and intraoperative photodynamic therapy. Group 2 (n = 17): soft tissue sarcoma of stage T2-3N0M0G2-3, surgical treatment and intraoperative photodynamic therapy. Group 3 (n = 17): soft tissue sarcoma of stage T2-3N0M0-1G2-3, combined treatment – preoperative light therapy, surgical treatment, intraoperative photodynamic therapy, neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy. Fluorescence spectrometry was performed to determine the degree of photosensitizer accumulation in tumor tissue. Treatment methodology: photosensitizer was injected 2.5–3 hours before the surgery. The tumor was removed with resection of adjacent muscles and healthy tissues. Then, laser irradiation of the tumor bed was made using "Latus" device. Radiation power was up to 2,5 W, power density was up to 0,28 W/cm2, radiation dose was up to 100 J/cm2. Follow-up ranged from 14 to 44 months.Results. The spectrometry has revealed that photosensitizer was accumulated predominantly in tumor tissue. There were no reactions to photosensitizer injection, no changes in the tumor bed as well as no increase in wound healing period after intraoperative photodynamic therapy.Within the observation period, all patients stayed alive. Relapses of the disease were registered in 38.7 % of patients: in Group 1 – 30 %, in Group 2 – 35.3 %, in Group 3 – 53 %. Of the 20 patients with primary diagnosed neoplasms, relapses were seen in 30 %. Of the 24 patients with previously recurrent neoplasms, 45.8 % had repeated relapses.Conclusion. Intraoperative photodynamic therapy is a safe and effective technique for treating soft tissue sarcomas; it is also the promising direction for research. A small number of observations, a variety of histological forms and stages of the disease make it difficult to assess the effectiveness of the discussed approach. Further studies of intraoperative photodynamic therapy are required.


Context. An automatic tool to derive structural parameters of semi-resolved star clusters located in crowded stellar fields in nearby galaxies is needed for homogeneous processing of archival frames. Aims. We have developed a program that automatically derives the structural parameters of star clusters and estimates errors by accounting for individual stars and variable sky background. Methods. Models of observed frames consist of the cluster's surface brightness distribution, convolved with a point spread function; the stars, represented by the same point spread function; and a smoothly variable sky background. The cluster's model is fitted within a large radius by using the Levenberg-Marquardt and Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms to derive structural parameters, the flux of the cluster, and individual fluxes of all well-resolved stars. Results. FitClust, a program to derive structural parameters of semi-resolved clusters in crowded stellar fields, was developed and is available for free use. The program was tested on simulated cluster frames, and was used to measure clusters of the M31 galaxy in Subaru Suprime-Cam frames. Conclusions. Accounting for bright resolved stars and variable sky background significantly improves the accuracy of derived structural parameters of star clusters. However, their uncertainty remains dominated by the stochastic noise of unresolved stars.


The model of the logistics system and formulation o f the optimization task to optimize logistics syste m potential were presented in [11]. The extended forms of model are proposition t generalize issues of finding the potential of log istics systems of different classes. So as to address many aspects of the imple mentation of the cargo flows transformation they ar e configurable tool for determining the potential of different logistics sy stems, though despite high detail often on a nu mber of simplifying assumptions. It may be noted that the model of logi stic system for optimization of logistics systems o f certain types should be modified. The paper presents conditions of transpor t systems potential optimization with using the opt imization model optimization of logistics systems. The conclusions about modification of the model of logistics system optimization in support of its application to optimize the potential of transp ort systems were formulated.


While interpreting the data found in a region like the Wadden Sea, it can be of great help to dispose of fluorescent values of those samples. In the Eems estuary it is possible to calculate the addition of Westwoldse Aa. Deviations in the Western Wadden Sea indicate scour water different from the Yssel lake or a local creation of fluorescent materials from e.g. accumulated plankton. In the Easterly Wadden Sea different factors are of significance.


In many studies, performed to investigate the genes and gene products that drive the metastatic process, it has become evident that, in addition to alterations in protein-encoding genes, abnormalities in non-coding genes can also contribute to cancer pathogenesis. In the context of microRNAs in tumours, our aim was to evaluate whether pro- metastatic and non-metastatic sarcoma cells may differ in their microRNA expression, in the effort to identify single pro-metastatic microRNAs in bone and soft-tissue sarcomas. A number of microRNAs reported in the miRNA registry data base were found to be differential expressed in MG-63 and 143B osteosarcoma model cell lines. Two of the differentially expressed microRNA, miR-93 and miR- 210, for which no functional data were available, were analyzed in different cell lines and tissues and investigated for their potential involvement in motility phenomena. The expression of another set of four differentially expressed miRNAs (miR-9, miR- 183, miR-196a, miR-484), was identified through a global expression analysis, and analyzed in surgical specimens of low- and high-grade osteosarcoma patients.


Copper (CuO (52%) and Cu2+ (48%)) in chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) wastewater can be effectively enriched with saccharides. In addition to recycling of copper from the CMP wastewater, the core-shell nanoparticles (Cu@C) can be synthesized by carbonization of copper-saccharides complexes. The Cu@C core-shell nanoparticles have been studied to explore potential applications in thermal interface materials (TIMs) and thermal dissipation of CPU and LED as well as photothermal cancer therapy.
A simple and inexpensive method for synthesis of M@C (M: Cu, Ni, Ag, bimetallic or alloy metals) with saccharides as the carbon source has been developed. By adjusting C/M ratios, nanosize-controllable metal (Cu) encapsulated in the carbon shells (thickness = 3-5 nm) can be synthesized by carbonization of the metal-starch complexes at 673-773 K. The carbon shells can prevent the nanosize core metal from oxidation and aggregation.
Expetimentally, dispersion of a small amount (5%) of the Cu@C nanoparticles (Cu size = 14 nm) in a commercial thermal grease (Y-500), its thermal conductivity can be increased by at least 60%. The smaller (7 nm) or larger (80 nm) Cu in the Cu@C nanoparticles cause an increase of the thermal conductivity by 10-30%. In addition, for the long-time heat-dissipation applications, the shell carbon may consume the residual oxygen (C+O2CO2) in the grease and expose the core copper for a better thermal conductivity (391 W/m-K).
Kinetic parameters of shrinking of carbon on Cu@C by steam refoming have been obtained. The Arrhenius activation energy (Ea) for shrinking of the carbon on Cu@C with Cu sizes of 7 nm is 165.5 kJ mol-1, which are much less than that (Ea = 240.5 kJ mol-1) of the hollow carbon sphere (H@C) with cage size of 7 nm at 573-973 K. Thermal dissipation of heat pipes can be enhanced with coating of Cu by shrinking of the carbon from Cu@C on the internal surfaces of heat pipes.
The photothermal behaviors of metals and alloys encapsulated in carbon shells has been investigated with the NIR laser. The temperature raise of the Cu@C with Cu size of 14 nm under the exposure of an 809 nm Ti sapphire femtosecond laser with the power of 51 W/cm2 is 30 K. The core-shell nanoparticles with an excellent photothermal characteristic have immense potential for photothermal therapy of eradicated malignant tumors.


The work of which the following is a short summary was commenced at the Consumption Sanatoria, Bridge of Weir, in conjunction with Dr Crocket, and continued at the Pathological Department of the University and Western Infirmary, Glasgow, first during the tenure of the Coats Memorial Scholarship and then on behalf of the Medical Research Council. The underlying principle of the method of complementfixation, as employed for the detection of specific antibody in a patient's serum, is that a serum containing such antibody will, in the presence of its specific antigen, fix complement?guinea pig's serum?so that when the indicator?a sensitised red cell


ABSTRACT:Harold Pinter's A Kind of Alaska outlines and responds to a critical dilemma in the relationship between modern drama and medical practice. Focusing on a clinical encounter between a doctor and a patient, Pinter's play was inspired by a real-life medical case history taken from neurologist Oliver Sacks's Awakenings. Its engagement with medical reality, however, is disturbed by the aesthetic effects of Pinteresque dramaturgy, which subtly undermine the play's presentation of bioethical dilemmas that are determined by authoritative acts of diagnosis and the control of doctor-patient communication. Reviewing the history of medical vision alongside theatrical realism reveals a paradoxical emphasis on pedagogy and unlearning within both traditions, wherein naïve acts of empiricism and a dutiful adherence to material presence are meant only to reinforce prescribed conclusions and extant structures of knowledge. A Kind of Alaska responds to this paradox by eliciting mutually exclusive attitudes toward narrative and acting, juxtaposing realist effects with those borrowed from the Brechtian Lehrstücke. As a result, the play challenges the kinds of closure implicit in both clinical vision and history, prioritizing instead the dialectical indeterminacies necessary to both the learning and the practice of medicine.


Morton, Marsha. Max Klinger and Wilhelmine Culture. On the Threshold of German Modernism. Farnham: Ashgate, 2014. 434 pp. £80.00 (hardcover).Max Klinger's (1857-1920) life-size, polychrome marble sculpture of Ludwig van Beethovenformedthecenterpieceofthe14thViennaSecessionExhibitionin1902.Inmanyways, theexhibitionwasasmuchacelebrationoftheLeipzigartistasitwasofthegreatcomposer.By this point in time, Klinger had reached the zenith of his international fame as a modern artist and yet, his art historical position soon started to become increasingly precarious-especially after his death in 1920. Although his drawings and print cycles continued to enter private and public collections (especially in the United States), Klinger's idiosyncratic realism-especially in his paintings-posed an insurmountable challenge to post-war formalism and abstraction. Klingerwasvirtuallyforgottenuntilthe1960sand1970s,whenaseriesofexhibitionsandpublications gradually generated renewed interest. Since then, Klinger slowly made his way back into the "story of modern art" but most of the scholarship continues to be offered in German. Marsha Morton's 2014 publication under review here changes this unsatisfactory situation andmakesasignificantinterventionnotonlyinKlingerscholarshipbutalsointhestudyoflate nineteenth-century German art and culture more generally.Morton's book is so multi-faceted that this short review cannot do it justice. But her key thesis is constructed around Klinger's evocative visual engagement with the disquieting psychological undercurrents of modern urban life. This analytical emphasis on the psychological rather than an exclusively formalist modernism is part of a broader shift in the literature (the work of Debora L. Silvermann and Andre Dombrowski would be an obvious case in point). MortonarguesthatKlinger'sprintsanddrawingsproducedduringthe1870sand1880smanifested a decisive shift in German art from academic convention to innovation during a period of socio-political transition and cultural flux in the German Empire (1871-1918). Although MortoncautionsherreadernottopositKlingerasadirectpredecessorofGermanExpressionism, she urges us to recalibrate our more conventional understanding of German modernism, which always begins with the formation of Die Brucke (1905) and Der Blaue Reiter (1911). According to Morton, Klinger laid the foundation for an alternative modernism that did not embrace abstraction (arguably initiated by Charles Baudelaire's 1868 call for a "pure art"), but instead activated a mode of representation that remained anchored in the phenomenological world and projected psychologically charged states of mind as well as metaphysical ideas. Klinger clearly articulated this aesthetic position in his treatise, Malerei und Zeichnung(1891), where he argued that drawing conveyed ideas rather than external appearances. This might temptustoplacehimintoaSymbolistcamp,but,asMortonrightlypointsout,hisrelationship with Symbolism was problematic and rife with tensions.Itisawell-knownfactthatKlinger'sprintportfoliosanddrawingsexploreawidespectrum ofhumanbehavior-fromill-fatedloveaffairsandsextoviolenceanddeath.Mortoncarefully revisits Klinger's early oeuvre and posits the visual in relation to Klinger's own writings as well as his extensive contemporary reception. This ultimately enables her to argue that Klinger deserves a place amongst the elite circles of Europe's progressive artists of his day. Morton's compelling interpretation links her to a dynamic group of scholars who, over the past three decades,havebeguntodismantleamonolithic(Greenbergian)Modernisminfavorofheterogeneousmodernism(s)withdistinctivevisuallanguagesbutsharedidealsandideologies(such as Patricia Berman, Jay A. Clarke, Michelle Facos, Francoise Forster-Hahn, Beth Irwin Lewis, and Maria Makela). Morton's revisionism, however, does not simply put Klinger back into German modernism, but questions-and maybe even disassembles-the very institutionalpracticesanddisciplinaryparadigmsthatcreatedamodernistcanoninthefirstplace. …


This paper provides the system framework and structural design on open source platform by analyzing the functional requirements of digital library,and introduces the implementation of online service and client module in details.We suggest a fast access policy building on the rapid response system architecture and fast retrieval by using Django and the third-party search engine.The efficient Linux Reiser file system is used for organization and management of digital resources and CRM is applied for achieving personalized recommendation service.


In this short introduction to the life and work of Henri Wallon, we have compared the ideas of Wallon and Piaget. We have discussed their ideas concerning the concept of the child, stages of development, language and education. We can thank Piaget for drawing our attention to the stages and mechanisms of cognitive growth in the child. By studying this one aspect of development, he traced the childs ability to interact with her environment in increasingly complex ways. However, it was Wallon who insisted that cognition should not be studied in isolation. He insisted that the child's development must be viewed in terms of the interaction of emotional as well as cognitive factors. He also insisted that the child is basically a social organism, and that her interaction with the environment affects all aspects of development, at all times. We noted that Piaget and Wallon considered, criticized and respected each others work. Piaget' s work has become very popular throughout the world. We would like to think that Wallon' s work with its emphasis on the child and its relation to the society in which it grows will become as widely considered in the English speaking, as well as other areas of the world. Wallon, a man before his time, wrote about issues which are today of great importance to all of us, who are concerned with the health and mental growth of all children.


Values of hydraulic resistance of main fire-hose barrels are determined in the paper. Such approach has made it possible to obtain analytical dependencies between main parameters of fire jets with due account of hydraulic losses in fire-hose barrels.


This paper develops a conceptual framework for intended study which will examine the role of intrepreneurship in building cultural competitiveness in Higher Education (HE). Intrapreneurship (entrepreneurship within existing organizations) is used on organizational level. Previous study argued that four variables of Cultural Competitiveness (entrepreneurship, innovativeness, market orientation, and organizational learning) had a direct effect on organizational performance. Meanwhile, the other study argued that Intrapreneurship had a direct effect on organizational performance. The effect of the four market-based elements (intrapreneurship, market orientation, innovativeness and organizational learning) on performance will be examined by testing two alternative analytical models in different types of higher education institutions. The size and age of HE institutions are also considered as the interactive elements that might be different across different HE institutions. Testing two alternative models in developing countries will support whether the generalizability of the two alternative models and the constructs used in different country setting is acceptable.


Excerpt from the Introduction: In this article I examine a proposal of the Single Market Act that concerns directly the
performance of national authorities. If the proposal is adopted it could have far reaching and surprising implications. Although it does not aim to create 'hard' law, it relies on a sort of peer review that can create benchmarks of quality for public policy and institutional performance. The internal market has always been perceived as the place where companies compete. It may now be transformed into an arena of contest for public administrations.


People in today's world get affected by many diseases that do not have a complete cure. The development of one disease may lead to various other complications. One such disease is Type-2 Diabetes. It is a global health problem. This is the most common type of diabetes usually developed at the age of 40 and older. This increases the risk factors like kidney failure, heart disease, blindness, nerve damage and blood vessel damage. It is predicted from the characteristics of the patients. A Hybrid Prediction Model (HPM) has been developed using k-means clustering and C4. 5 classifier. In that model, the dataset is initially cleaned and then Z-score normalization is applied on this dataset. A pattern is extracted from this using clustering. A model was built on this extracted pattern using the c4. 5 classifier. This produced an accuracy of 92. 38%. This classification accuracy can be improved by using Neural network. This improved model separates the dataset into either one of the two groups. This model has


The main problem that we face is how to raise students' quality to adapt to the modernization requirements. For this,the course 'special subject lecture' was set up for coal mining engineering profession in our university. The purpose, way, acquisition, problem and future development of the course are discussed in this paper,it is also proved that 'special subject lecture' is a promising teaching form.


The present invention relates to topical aqueous liquid composition, which provide for its administration to the epidermis and germicidal benefits, the aqueous liquid composition comprises: 0.02 wt% quaternary ammonium compound surface active agent to 10 wt% of a fungicidally effective amount; 0.1 wt% to 25 wt% of at least one anionic surfactant component which does not include the sulfate and sulfonate type anionic surfactant; 0.1 wt% to 15 wt% of the cationic conditioner components ; 0 wt% to 10 wt% of a foam stabilizer component; at least 70% by weight water, and optionally one or more optional components, the optional components may be used for imparting the liquid composition such as a aesthetic benefits of color, flavor or the like as viscosity modifiers and other technical benefits, characterized in that the liquid composition: (a) the effective germicidal quaternary ammonium and cationic conditioner component to the anionic surfactant component parts by weight ratio of not less than 0.6; and / or (b) the effective bactericidal quaternary ammonium surfactant compounds with a cationic modifier weight ratio of the component is less than 0.14; and / or (c) the and cationic conditioner component The ratio of said anionic surfactant component is at least 0.5; and (d) the pH of the liquid composition is from about 3.5 to about 7.5.


In this paper, we propose a new watermarking technique for copyright protection of stereo image. The proposed technique embeds watermark to the region which corresponds to occlusion of the disparity map to be extracted by the proposed stereo matching and the frequency coefficient with the appropriate value. We use discrete wavelet transform for frequency transform tool. The proposed algorithm consists of stereo matching, watermark rearrange, mark space selection, and watermark embedding/extracting. We tested the experiment about 4 stereo images which are from Middlebury site. We embedded the watermark to 4 stereo images and extracted it from the images after attacks. We also visually analyzed the watermark embedding images in 3D TV environment.


Traditional education through Internet is based on C/S or B/S mode, with the user of educa-tion through Internet rapid development, the video servers overload become the bottleneck of the Internet bandwidth and impact the QoS. So there is neccessary to construct an Inter-net education system based on P2P video stream and improve the qualities of education through video stream. Studies the correlative problems in using P2P video stream model through Internet video education, and gives the system structure of realization.


Heat sinks are commonly used for cooling of electronic devices. Heat sinks, an array of heat fins, remove the heat from the surfaces of the chips by enhancing the heat Transfer rate through heat conduction process. Heat can also be removed from the chip surfaces through forced convection heat transfer. In this project work, CFD and conjugate heat transfer analysis is carried out for various fin geometries with Zigzag, Fluted, Slanted mirror, Custom pin fin and staggered array configurations for low thermal resistance and minimum pressure drop. Numerical simulations are carried out for each of the above mentioned fin geometries with common base plate thickness of 2 mm, fin height of 28 mm and fin thickness of 1 mm for three different heat loads namely 50 W, 75 W and 100 W with air flow of 3.933 m/s (15 ft3/min or 15 CFM) and air inlet temperature of 25 o C. The results are compared for thermal performance of a heat sink for each of above geometries and it is observe that the fin with Slanted Mirror geometry gives the best performance among all the other geometries for minimum Pressure drop. The average heat transfer coefficients for fins with slanted mirror geometry, zig zag configuration, fluted type, custom pin fin and staggered array are found to be 215 W/m2K, 164 W/m2K, 164 W/m2K, 157 W/m2K and 145 W/m2K respectively


Total hip replacement in Denmark is performed in 46 public hospital and 5 private hospitals. The total number of hip arthroplasties in 1995 was 4,300. Of these 84 per cent were primary operations and 16 per cent were revisions. Of the primary operations uncemented cups were used in 30 per cent of the cases and in 9 per cent the femoral component was uncemented. All total hip replacements have been registered in a central data base since 1995. Clinical research is performed in several of the orthopaedic departments with contributions to national and international societies relating to survivorship analyses of various prosthetic designs, often with a considerable follow-up. More basic science is mainly centered around the university hospitals in Copenhagen and Aarhus. Subjects for research are studies on bone mineral density after THA, ingrowth studies in animal models using various prosthetic coatings, and newer experiments on bone morphometric proteins. In several centers research using DEXA-scanning and the RSA-technique are performed. In the last 2-3 years an increasingly conservative attitude towards the application of new prosthetic designs in clinical practice has been noticed; possibly caused by a large number of failures after the use of specific uncemented prosthetic designs and a specific bone cement. Patient organisations and public media have set the agenda of the debate, thus making it less scientific and fruitful. There has, however, been a problem, and the orthopaedic surgeons have tried to prevent similar unsatisfactory results of THA in the future. A consensus conference with participation of all orthopaedic departments held in 1995 stated that, for primary hip replacement in the older patient, a hybrid or a cemented prosthesis was to be regarded as "the gold standard". The use of uncemented prostheses should be confined to departments with a large throughput and comprehensive controls. New prosthetic designs should only be applied after documented clinical research, or as part of a prospective controlled study. Prospective multicentric studies are encouraged. It is hoped that the foundation of the Danish Hip Data Base will help orthopaedic surgeons to choose prosthetic designs with proven survival. Local health authorities have also begun to show an interest in the results from the orthopaedic departments. Complication rates and survivorship analyses are included in the negotiations with our administrations, and we have to be well prepared if we wish to apply to use a prosthetic design with a higher cost. This is a demanding and challenging task, but without doubt in the interest of our patients. Hip International / Vol. 7 / n. 3 1997 / p. 130


We consider the allocation of resources between a borrower and lender in the absence of third-party enforcement of loan contracts. The two parties differ in two respects: (1) The borrower is risk averse and subject to fluctuations in endowments while the lender is risk neutral. (2) The borrower discounts the future at a higher rate than the lender. The first difference provides a consumption-smoothing motive for borrowing and the second a long-term impatience motive for borrowing. In contrast to a situation in which only the first effect operates, sovereignty constraints preclude the unconstrained Pareto optimal allocation. However, the relationship provides sufficient surplus to each party to sustain some lending. The constrained allocation can imply a negative correlation between change in indebtedness and consumption. The equilibrium is supported by the renegotiation-proof and coalition-proof punishments demonstrated by Kletzer and Wright (2000).


Objective To study the therapeutic effect of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell(MSC) transplantation for pigs of acute myocardial infarction.Methods Twenty pigs of 30 kg weight were made of acute myocardial infarction models which were divided into two groups randomly.In the therapeutic group,30 ml marrow were aspirated and MSC were islolated and cultured in vitro.Subsequently the MSCs were collected and transplanted to the ischemic zone of the hearts while in control group only 0 9% sodium were injected in the same way.Newly generated cardiomyocytes were determined and cardiac special proteins of cardiac troponin Ⅰ etc were also tested by immunohistochemistry.Results All the hearts of MSC transplanted pigs were found that newly generated cardiac cells were positive of BrdU,proved that the new cardiac cells were differentiated from MSCs.Cardiac troponin Ⅰ was also determined positive in these new cardiac cells.Conclusion Self-transplantation of MSCs induced newly generated cardiac cells in hearts of acute myocardial infarction pigs.


Advancement in air pollution research owes much of its success to the use of plants for identification and for determination of critical levels of toxicants. Plant leaves provide a sensitive tissue by which the presence of micro-levels of several of the toxicants can be detected and studied. Some knowledge of the relative concentrations of the toxicants existing in an atmosphere can also be estimated by observing the symptoms on plant species known to possess different degrees of susceptibility. Because of the sensitivity of plant tissues to air pollutants, it is most likely that research in plant science will continue to hold as prominent a position in the studies of the complex mixtures of smog as it has in the past decade. This report is an attempt to outline some of the advances made in the identification and study of oxidizing toxicants other than ozone in the smog complex and to indicate some of the avenues of research that are prerequisites to the establishment of effective control measures. 29 references.


A simple and practical procedure of epoxidation of α-pinene catalyzed by Mn2+ sulfate together with NH4HCO3 and CH3CN as co-catalysts,using 30 % H2O2 as oxidant is presented.The influences of the factors in the reaction were investigated.The optimum conditions are as follows: CH3CN 15 mL,NH4HCO3 2 g,tert-BuOH 60 mL,30 % H2O2 40 mL when 8 mL α-pinene.Under such conditions after 48 h reaction time,the conversion of α-pinene was completed,the yield of 2,3-epoxypinane was 81 %(by GC analysis).


The role and responsibilities of a product manager getting the basics right getting your strategy thinking right developing new products managing existing products and ranges presenting, promoting and supporting the product making the right pricing decisions optimizing sales logistics and after-sales service support channel management developing a sound project or brand plan internationalization of markets and brands the future for product management.


Background Clinical characteristics and manifestations of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) have been extensively studied in western countries, yet data of Korean patients with PsA are very limited. We aimed to investigate the clinical traits of patients with PsA and dissect the characteristics of those with axial involvement. Methods In this observational study, we analyzed clinical data of 109 patients with PsA who were enrolled in the Korean College of Rheumatology Biologics and Targeted Therapy registry between December 2012 and March 2022 at the time point of initiating or switching to a biologic agent. Data from 2,221 patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) registered during the same period were also analyzed. We divided patients with PsA into patients with or without axial involvement and then added AS patients with psoriasis (total three subgroups) for comparative analyses. Results Asymmetric oligoarthritis was the most common clinical manifestation in patients with PsA, followed by symmetric polyarthritis and spondylitis. Our analysis indicated that methotrexate and sulfasalazine were the two most prescribed disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs for patients with PsA before starting biologic therapy. The patients with psoriatic spondylitis had more peripheral joint involvement (P = 0.016), less prior uveitis (P < 0.001), and lower human leukocyte antigen B27 (HLA-B27) positivity (P < 0.001) than the AS patients with psoriasis. Furthermore, syndesmophytes and radiographic sacroiliitis were prevalent among patients with PsA and AS patients with psoriasis who had the HLA-B27 gene. Conclusion Our study shows that the degree of peripheral arthritis is less severe in Korean patients with PsA who require biologics and reestablishes that psoriatic spondylitis is a common and important clinical pattern in Korean patients with PsA. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01965132


The distribution transformer realized economic operation by increasing the power management to reduce power losses in transmission.Targeting to the optimal integrated power loss,determined the economic operation mode of distribution transformers in parallel operation,and proposed the economic operation rules of distribution transformer by analyzing the economic operation discriminant.Based on the rules above,determined the system control criterion.And by setting the switching capacity margin and the delay approval of load fluctuations,the reliability of the system was improved.


In this letter, we present low‐temperature grown GaAs (LTG‐GaAs)‐based photoconductive antennas for the generation and detection of terahertz (THz) waves. The growth of LTG‐GaAs and the annealing temperatures are systematically discussed based on the material characteristics and the properties of THz emission and detection. The optimum annealing temperature depends on the growth temperature, which turns out to be 540°C to 580°C for the initial excess arsenic density of 2×1019/cm3 to 8×1019/cm3 .


Abstract Most in vitro cell-based research is based on two-dimensional (2D) systems where growth and development take place on a flat surface, which does not reflect the natural environment of the cells. The imperfection and limitations of culture in 2D systems eventually led to the creation of three-dimensional (3D) culture models that more closely reproduce the actual conditions of physiological cell growth. Since the inception of 3D culture technology, many culture models have been developed, such as technologies of multicellular spheroids, organoids, and organs on chips in the technology of scaffolding, hydrogels, bio-printing and liquid media. In this review we will focus on the advantages and disadvantages of the 2D vs. 3D cell cultures technologies. We will also try to sum up available 3D culture systems and materials for building 3D scaffolds.


Density functional theory is tested on a large ensemble of model compounds containing a wide variety of functional groups to understand better its ability to reproduce experimental molecular geometries, relative conformational energies, and dipole moments. We find that gradient‐corrected density functional methods with triple‐ζ plus polarization basis sets reproduce geometries well. Most bonds tend to be approximately 0.015 Å longer than the experimental results. Bond angles are very well reproduced and most often fall within a degree of experiment. Torsions are, on average, within 4 degrees of the experimental values. For relative conformational energies, comparisons with Hartree‐Fock calculations and correlated conventional ab initio methods indicate that gradient‐corrected density functionals easily surpass the Hartree‐Fock approximation and give results which are nearly as accurate as MP2 calculations. For the 35 comparisons of conformational energies for which experimental data was available, the root mean square (rms) deviation for gradient‐corrected functionals was approximately 0.5 kcal mol−1. Without gradient corrections, the rms deviation is 0.8 kcal mol−1, which is even less accurate than the Hartree‐Fock calculations. Calculations with extended basis sets and with gradient corrections incorporated into the self‐consistent procedure generate dipole moments with an rms deviation of 5%. Dipole moments from local density functional calculations, with more modest basis sets, can be scaled down to achieve roughly the same accuracy. In this study, all density functional geometries were generated by local density functional self‐consistent calculations with gradient corrections added in a perturbative fashion. Such an approach generates results that are almost identical to the self‐consistent gradient‐corrected calculations, which require significantly more computer time. Timings on scalar and vector architectures indicate that, for moderately sized systems, our density functional implementation requires only slightly less computer resources than established Hartree‐Fock programs. However, our density functional calculations scale much better and are significantly faster than their MP2 counterparts, whose results they approach. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


PURPOSE: A composition for pneumonia diagnosis using a marker is provided to identify and diagnose Streptococcus pneumoniae and to early prevent and treat pneumonia. CONSTITUTION: A secretory protein marker for diagnosing pneumonia is prepared by mixing three kinds of Streptococcus pneumoniae isolated from a patient with pneumonia, culturing the strain, performing two-dimensional electrophoresis and western blotting, and isolating a marker with strong signal. A composition for diagnosing pneumonia contains an antibody which specifically binds to the marker. The composition contains a primer or probe which specifically binds to a gene encoding the marker. A kit for pneumonia diagnosis contains the composition.


AbstractThe Pan and Parapan American Games (PA15) are the third largest sporting event in the world and were held in Toronto in the summer of 2015 (10–26 July and 7–15 August). This was used as an ...


A study of samarium powder-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions of aryl halides with terminal alkynes is described. The couplings performed in the polyethylene glycol PEG-600 provided the corresponding coupling products in good yields. The first example of palladium-free, copper-free and amine-free catalytic system for Sonogashira couplings is presented in the absence of ligand.


The development of the digital economy, a high level of uncertainty in the external environment, political and economic conflicts, changes in global commodity markets dictate the need to develop and apply new methods for managing socio-economic systems, among which the tasks of forecasting demand are among the most significant and complex. From the accuracy of determining the market share and assessing the factors of competitiveness depend not only on the indicators of the use of the enterprise's resource potential, its liquidity and profitability, but also on strategic efficiency and sustainability. The purpose of the study is to develop and test a method for forecasting demand at an industrial enterprise using the data mining method, which makes it possible to take preventive management actions on the consumer characteristics of a product in order to achieve the target market share. Materials and methods: logical induction and deduction, analysis and synthesis, logical and statistical analysis, economic and mathematical modeling, methods of data mining, building decision trees. The paper considers the key features, main factors and main approaches to forecasting demand at industrial enterprises in modern conditions, modern methods used to forecast demand in an unstable environment; the expediency of using data mining methods for solving the problems of forecasting demand in industrial enterprises is substantiated. Used software Deductor, See5, WizWhy. Results. A method has been developed for forecasting demand at an industrial enterprise, based on the use of data mining – building decision trees – using automatic software systems. A feature of the method is its universal nature – it can be used to build forecasts in various industries. Conclusion. The practical significance of the developed method lies in the possibility of its use in making organizational and managerial decisions aimed at changing the consumer properties of products, the implementation of which will allow reaching the specified values of the market share. The key factors of compe¬titiveness of products in the market of road construction equipment have been identified; recommendations are given for the further development of the method of forecasting the market share and volume of demand. Approbation of the method was carried out on the Russian market of road construction equipment. The possibilities of using the programs WizWhy, Deductor and See5 within the framework of the implementation of the method in practice are considered and conclusions are drawn about the reliability of the results of forecasts obtained with their use.


Blood basophils have aroused increasing interest as evidence has accumulated indicating they may contain histamine and heparin. If true, this would relate them closely in function to tissue mast cells. Graham et al. ('52, '55), Valentine et al. ('55), and Rorsman ( '57) provide evidence of the presence of histamine in basophils and Behrens and Taubert ('52) and Martin and Roka ('53) have suggested the occurrence of heparin. Speirs ('55) has noted that basophils are somewhat correlated with anticoagulant activity to the extent that in chronic myelogenous leukemia, where basophils are greatly increased, there are increased amounts of anticoagulant substances. Before such functional aspects of either basophils or mast cells were suggested, it was commonly believed that the cells are closely related, if not identical, especially in lower vertebrates (Michels, '38). This was due largely to the similar basophilic, metachromatic staining reaction of the granules in the two varieties of cells. This view of the similar nature of the cells has been strongly challenged, however, and a current edition of a histology text states without qualification that basophilic leucocytes and mast cells are independent cell types (Maximow and Bloom, '57).


Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is a promising technology to convert wet wastes like septic tank wastes, or septage, to valuable platform chemical, fuels, and materials. However, the byproduct of HTC, process liquid, often contains large amount of nitrogen species (up to 2 g/L of nitrogen), phosphorus, and a variety of organic carbon containing compounds. Therefore, the HTC process liquid is not often treated at wastewater treatment plant. In this study, HTC process liquid was treated with algae as an alternative to commercial wastewater treatment. The HTC process liquid was first diluted and then used to grow Chlorella sp. over a short period of time (15 days). It was found that the algae biomass concentration increased by 644 mg/L over the course of 10 days, and which subsequently removed a majority of the nutrients in the HTC process liquid. Around 600 mg/L of algal biomass was collected in the process liquid at the end of treatment (day 15). Meanwhile, chemical oxygen demand (COD), total phosphorous, total Kheldjal nitrogen, and ammonia were reduced by 70.0, 77.7, 82.2, and 99.0% by fifteen days compared to the untreated wastewater, respectively. This study demonstrates that HTC process liquid can be treated by growing algae creating a potential replacement for expensive synthetic nutrient feeds for algal production.


Understanding the spatial and bathymetric extent of the reproductive habitat of Atka mackerel Pleurogrammus monopterygius is basic and fundamental information for managing and conserving the species. From 1998 to 2004, scuba diving and in situ and towed underwater cameras were used to document reproductive behavior of Atka mackerel and to map the geographic and depth ranges of their spawning and nesting habitat in Alaska. This study extended the geographic range of nesting sites from the Kamchatka Peninsula to the Gulf of Alaska, and extended the lower depth limit from 32 to 144 m. Male Atka mackerel guarding egg masses were observed during October—indicating that the duration of the nesting period in Alaska is more protracted than in the western Pacific. Results from this study also suggest that nearshore nesting sites constitute only a fraction of the nesting habitat and that there is no concerted nearshore spawning migration for Atka mackerel in Alaska. Nesting sites were widespread across the continental shelf and found over a much broader depth range than in the western Pacific. Nesting habitat was invariably associated with rocky substrates and water currents; however, smaller-scale geomorphic and oceanographic features as well as physical properties of the rocky substrate were variable between different island groups and nesting sites. Water temperatures for nesting sites ranged from 3.9°C to 10.5°C. Water temperatures within nesting sites varied little and did not appear to be limiting the upper or lower depth boundaries of nesting. Results from dive transects showed significantly fewer egg masses above 20 m water depth. Other possible factors limiting the upper or lower depth limit of nesting sites are discussed. Authors: robert r. LAuth, scott W. Mcentire, and hAroLd h. Zenger Jr. are with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Resource Assessment Conservation Engineering Division, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115. Email: email@example.com Acknowledgements: This project was funded by grants from the North Pacific Research Board (Number F0417) and the National Marine Fisheries Service Essential Fish Habitat fund. The authors thank the skippers and crew from all the chartered vessels. The principal author would especially like to thank Kevin Bell, Jeff Williams, and Vernon Byrd of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for their encouragement, the vessel time aboard the R/V Tîglâx, and sharing their enthusiasm and knowledge of the Aleutian Islands. Also extremely accommodating were Phil Deng, Tim Meintz, and the rest of the crew aboard the F/V Seafisher. Many thanks to all at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center who were very generous and supportive with their time and resources, including Lowell Fritz, Russ Nelson, Gary Stauffer, Susanne McDermott, Libby Logerwell, Kim Rand, Dan Cooper, Frank Wood, John Lowell, and Tim Clancy. Those who reviewed this manuscript and made many valuable suggestions for improving it include Dave Somerton, Libby Logerwell, Susanne McDermott, Sandra Lowe, Gary Duker, Jim Lee, Douglas Eggers, and two anonymous reviewers. INtRoDuctIoN Atka mackerel Pleurogrammus monopterygius is a gregarious, semi-pelagic and semi-demersal hexagrammid that is distributed in the continental shelf regions across the North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea from Asia to North America. On the Asian side their distribution extends from the Kurile Islands to the Gulf of Anadyrskiy (Rutenberg 1962). From Kamchatka, they extend eastward through the Komandorskiye (Rutenberg 1962) and Aleutian Islands (Zenger 2004), north to the Pribilof Islands in the eastern Bering Sea (Acuna and Kotwicki 2004), and eastward through the Gulf of Alaska to southeast Alaska (Lowe et al. 2005). Their center of abundance is in the central and western Aleutian archipelago where a directed commercial trawl fishery operates (Lowe et al. 2004). Atka mackerel is a key prey item for marine fishes, birds, and mammals, including the endangered Steller sea lion (Murie 1959, Kenyon 1965, Merrick et al. 1997, Yang 1999, Sinclair and Zeppelin 2002, Dragoo et al. 2004). Atka mackerel are obligate demersal spawners. Females lay adhesive eggs on rocky substrate and males guard the nests to protect eggs against predation and cannibalism (Zolotov 1993). Locations of spawning and nesting grounds within Alaska are unknown. The only published account of an Atka mackerel spawning site in Alaska is by Turner (1886). Turner (1886) noted that spawning Atka mackerel, when observed from the water's surface, appeared to form several strata with the least mature fish in the top layer and spawning


We propose a generalization of Carmichael numbers, where the multiplicative group $\mathbb G_\mathrm{m} = \mathrm{GL}(1)$ is replaced by $\mathrm{GL}(m)$ for $m\geq 2$. We prove basic properties of these families of numbers and give some examples.


Background: Exercise stress echocardiography (ESE) and the cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) have recently been reported to be useful in the dynamic assessment of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) in the general population. The value of combined exercise stress echocardiography and cardiopulmonary testing (ESE-CPET) in the identification of masked HFpEF in non-severe COPD patients is still elusive. Aim: To evaluate the role of stress echocardiography in non-severe COPD patients with preserved left ventricle ejection fraction. Methods: Patients with COPD and HFpEF (N -104) underwent echocardiography before CPET and at peak exercise. A ramp CPET protocol was applied. The following variables: mitral early velocity (E) and annular velocity (e') ratio, left ventricular mass, left ventricular end systolic volume, peak oxygen uptake (˙VO2), ventilatory efficiency, heart rate recovery at 1 minute (HRR1) were determined. Achievement of peak E/e' ratio>15 was a marker for left ventricle diastolic dysfunction (LVDD). Results: Increase of E/e'>15 (7,5±4,5 vs 18,5±3,2) occurred in 64/104 patients (61%). Those patients had lower peak VO2, O2 pulse, ventilation, lower VO2 uptake at anaerobic threshold lower workload, and higher VE/VCO2 slope in comparison to patients with normal diastolic function (p Conclusion: The results of the present investigation indicate that CPET may provide a thorough evaluation of the cardiac function in patients with non-severe COPD. None of the CPET variables, however, may be applied as a sole predictor of LVDD.


We study the gold-plated purely leptonic signal and background rates at the CERN LHC for the {ital ZZ}, {ital W}{sup +}{ital W}{sup {minus}}, {ital W}{sup {plus_minus}}{ital Z}, and {ital W}{sup {plus_minus}}{ital W}{sup {plus_minus}} final states associated with strongly interacting electroweak symmetry breaking. We work at an energy of {radical}{ital s} =14 TeV, and develop a combination of back-to-back leptonic, central-jet-vetoing, and forward-jet-tagging cuts that suppresses the standard-model backgrounds. We find that the LHC with an annual luminosity of 100 fb{sup {minus}1} will achieve a reasonably good sensitivity to the physics of strongly interacting electroweak symmetry breaking.


LMB-2 (anti-Tac(Fv)-PE38) is a recombinant immunotoxin composed of the Fv fragment of the anti-Tac Ab fused to a 38-kDa form of Pseudomonas exotoxin A. Recent clinical trials showed that LMB-2 is a promising agent for the treatment of patients with Tac-positive leukemia or lymphoma. One major side effect that needs to be overcome is nonspecific liver toxicity. In the current study, we have analyzed the mechanism of this toxicity using a mouse model. Mice that were injected with a lethal dose of LMB-2 showed severe hepatic necrosis. Immunohistochemistry revealed that LMB-2 accumulated in Kupffer cells in the liver, suggesting that the damage to the hepatocytes was indirect. When we examined the effects of LMB-2 on peritoneal macrophages, cells in the same lineage as Kupffer cells, we found that LMB-2 induced the production of TNF-α by these cells. Following LMB-2 administration to mice, the levels of TNF-α in the liver increased to very high levels, whereas the rise in serum levels was modest. In addition, the LMB-2-induced liver toxicity was blocked by a specific TNF binding protein (TNFsRp55). Liver toxicity was also blocked by indomethacin, which also blocked the rise of TNF-α in the liver. Both TNFsRp55 and indomethacin treatment protected mice against a lethal dose of LMB-2. These data indicate that TNF-α produced in the liver by Kupffer cells has an important causal role in the nonspecific liver toxicity of LMB-2. These findings have important clinical implications for the use of immunotoxins in the therapy of patients with cancer.


Various embodiments are described to address the need for an apparatus and method that improves link layer handoff by addressing the packet-loss problem existing today. An intermediate buffer management layer (IBML) (201, 211) is introduced below layer 3 of an OSI-based communications interface. The IBML buffers copies of OSI layer 3 packets being transmitted via lower layers (205, 215) of the interface and manages the buffer contents using indications the IBML receives from one or more of the lower layers. When the IBML receives an indication that a link layer hard handoff is proceeding, the IBML transfers the presently buffered packets to a corresponding IBML (202, 212) in the target communications interface. This sub-layer 3 buffer transfer enables the target communications interface to reduce packet-loss associated with the hard handoff.


The thesis and germ idea of this book is as follows: "The young Luther must be seen as a thologian of the Christian life, namely, of justification as a constant process of purification. Too much emphasis has been placed on his occasional expressions regarding the justice of God and justification as an event. A main concern of his was justification as a life-work" (p. 252). It is this spirituality, the author contends, which provides the proper explanatory background for Luther's intervention regarding indulgences late in 1517. The case is made by an exploration of Luther's writings up to the 95 Theses, examined together with the theologically more significant Treatise on Indulgences which were sent along with the theses to the Archbishop of Mainz in that fateful autumn. In each substantive chapter, Wicks singles out "the main theological and spiritual themes Luther developed, especially noting the ideals of Christian living that appear in the works of this period." He concludes on a note of admiration in view of "the potential for reform and renewal" which Luther's early spirituality offered in the sixteenth century "and still offers in the twentieth" (p. 277). More specifically, Wicks is referring to Luther's doctrine as it reached its high point late in 1517, when Luther began emphasizing Christ as the head of a new humanity and still taught the healing, transforming power of infused gratia sanans. Here, according to Wicks, is a catholic Luther and "the germ of genuine theological renewal of great power" (p. 269), based on a program of "life penance," but, alas, soon to be undercut by a new concept of faith which brought in its wake a spirituality of "questionable value" (p. 273). A basic question of this study is whether Luther was a "catholic" at the time of his intervention on the indulgence issue. Wicks answers unequivocally yes. Only after that, in 1518, do signs of serious theological deviation set in, particularly in Luther's innovating doctrine of faith, especially in its relation to reception of the sacraments. For George Lindbeck, writing the foreword, Wicks' conclusions on this score have "devasting impact." I fail to see why. Wicks' location of the place where Luther went astray lives beyond the scope of his own detailed study of the sources. That Luther began to err after his intervention on indulgences is a conclusion that Wicks promises to document in a later work. This putting off of Luther's errancy is suspicious, since Wicks has payed no careful attention to phases of development in Luther's thought up to 1517. His chapters on Luther's successive writings seem to have been composed in isolation from each other, rather than with a sharp eye to what was changing and developing. In fact, Wicks goes out of his way to defend Luther's catholicity against everyone from Ebeling to Grisar. Then in 1518 he discovers a "sudden new beginning" in the Hebrews lectures—a beginning that could only be regarded as sudden by ignoring reams of scholarship and a good deal of Luther's own words. For example, Luther's new ideas on faith and sacrament, which Wicks finds so troublesome, are inseparably tied to that perception of the incarnation which Wicks admires a bit earlier.


DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.24018/ejbmr.2020.5.3.309 1 Abstract—Winning a negotiation is undeniably the most desirable outcome for most negotiators. Unfortunately, a focus on one-sided gains rarely leads to sustainable agreements. In today`s competitive business environment it is therefore essential to reach a negotiation outcome that not only bridges the interests of both parties, but also enforces the relationship between them. While the idea that negotiators should strive towards mutually acceptable solutions has already been examined in literature, few studies address the practical challenges that executives face when they apply the mutual gains approach to negotiations in modern business practice. This article introduces a systematic 6-step process, which encompasses the key elements of the mutual gains approach to negotiation and the challenges that business executives typically face with the application of each element. The study provides a straightforward and user-friendly framework that can be used to prepare for a negotiation or at any time during a negotiation to avoid the most common mistakes and boost the chances of reaching executable agreements.


ASP is an effective tools in website development,and yet,some webmasters overlooks the security issue coming along with the ASP,while focuses on its development capability.The bugs injected in SQL can be very devastating,for the hackers can access into some sensitive information through the SQL attack or even acquire administrative permission of the website.The issue mainly discussed the defense against the SQL injected attack.


administer too much to premature infants, to avoid the development of retinopathy of the newborn. After prolonged surgery, especially if accompanied by significant blood loss or hypothermia, the patient may benefit from a period of ventilatory support to allow physiological re-stabilisation. The prognosis is excellent for neonates who have been operated on within the first week and for small lesions. Larger lesions, especially when intrapelvic, are associated with greater intraoperative blood loss and occasionally late bowel, bladder and lower limb dysfunction. Nerve damage can be minimised by the use of a nerve stimulator and cystometrography during the surgery. Children presenting later more frequently have malignant tumours.


Let f be an integrable function on RN, a a point in RN and B a complex number. If the mean value of f on the sphere of centre a and radius r tends to B when r tends to 0, we show that the Fourier integral at a of f is summable to B in Cesaro means of order λ > (N-1)/2. Let now U be a bounded open subset of RN whose boundary ∂U is a real analytic submanifold of RN with dimension N-1. We deduce from the preceding result that the Fourier integral at a of the indicator function of U is summable in Cesaro means of order λ > (N-1)/2 to 1 if a ∈ U, to 1/2 if a ∈ ∂U and to 0 if a ∉ U. We then show that if the function defined on ∂U by y → ‖ y - a ‖ has only a finite number of critical points, then we can take λ less or equal to (N-1)/2 ; more precisely, it suffices to have λ > (N-3)/2 + σ(a|∂U), where σ (a|∂U) (N-1)/2 + m + σ (a|∂U) ; this generalizes a result obtained by Gonzalez Vieli in 2002.


A composition has a durability to a sterilization treatment using vapor under high temperature and pressure and capable of transmitting or absorbing light. The composition comprises a group A including 15 to 23 mol % of lanthanum oxide, 3 to 8 mol % of gadolinium oxide, 3 to 8 mol % of tantalum oxide, and 8 mol % or less of yttrium oxide; a group B including 30 to 45 mol % of boron oxide, 20 mol % or less of silicon oxide, and 20 mol % or less of germanium oxide; zero mol % of alkaline metal oxide or alkaline earth metal oxide; and a group D including 0.3 to 15 mol % of niobium oxide and 3 to 15 mol % of zirconium oxide. A mol % ratio A/B between the group A and group B is 80% or more, and a dissolving-out rate of metal ion of the composition is 0.002x10-6 mol/hour or less per square centimeter. In case of applying the composition to an endoscope including an observation system and an illuminating system, an optical element disposed at the outer surface of the observation system and an optical element disposed at the outer surface of the illuminating system are formed of the composition.


The thesis entitled, "Ricky John's Dilemma in Jon Garcia's The Falls" has an objective to analyze Ricky's dilemma as the main character in the film. The methods used in this thesis are descriptive qualitative method and library research method. The structural approach used to analyze the general description of the main character, conflicts, and setting. The psychological approach was used to analyze the dilemma experienced by the main character in the film. Ricky John is described as religious, temperamental, confused and feeling guilty to God. Ricky John also experienced both internal and external conflicts against his father, Chris, and the man. The setting in this film is divided into the setting of time, place, and social. The setting of place in the film happened in the apartments of their Church. The setting of social is middle high. The dilemma experienced by the main character is between his love and his faith. This problem leads him to his internal and external conflict. Ricky's dilemma resolves because finally, Ricky John chooses his love.


This paper reports the Moire technique by means of digital electronic XOR logic for obtaining 3-D object contour fringes in real time. The main advantage of this method is removal of the unwanted patterns. In this method the rotation of equlorder surfaces is obtained by changing period of projection grating. Also the slope contour fringes are obtained by moving the object in lateral. The projection system by means of self-imaging Talbot effect is used. The experimental results are presented.


Many learning disabled pupils have difficulty in attending to their school work and frequently exhibit hyperactive behaviors such as inattention, talking-out, leaving their seat, restlessness, or other overactive behaviors that interfere with learning and distract others in the classroom. Operant conditioning strategies have been used to modify hyperactive behavior, but these methods are thought of as external factors in controlling human action. Rotter (1966) calls this phenomenon an extrinsic locus-of-control. Some art educators involved with hyperactive learning disabled children are concerned that extrinsic methods of behavior control are inadequate and believe that more emphasis needs to be placed upon internal or intrinsic locus-of-control methods (Note 1). An individual is identified as being intrinsically motivated when he or she performs an activity for its own sake, and extrinsically motivated when an activity is undertaken as a means to an end (Lefcourt, 1966). In recent years a number of studies have dealt with token economy systems with hyperactive and learning disabled children in remedial or special classrooms. Token economy systems were used by Hall (1971) to modify talking-out behaviors of second grade pupils, by Wolf et al. (1970) to modify out-of-seat behavior in an elementary remedial classroom, and by Axelrod (1971) to modify behavior in special classrooms. Levine & Fasnacht (1974) suspected that token rewards might lead to token learning; that is, without a foreseen reward, the pupils may not attempt to initiate learning, or may only learn that which they are "paid" to learn. Tokens and teacher praise, two common behavior modification practices used in the classrooms, are extrinsic rewards because they provide a satisfaction that is independent of the activity being modified, and are controlled by the teacher rather than by the pupil. In contrast, intrinsic rewards are those over which the pupil has a degree of control and that are an integral part of the learning activity itself. Examples of intrinsic rewards are writing poems or stories, painting, using movement or the body in dance, play, or work for sheer joy or satisfaction without the thought of financial or other extrinsic return (Wilkening, 1973). Rotter's (1966) social learning theory is based on intrinsic-extrinsic locus-ofcontrol research which deals with the manner in which individuals view their own ability to control what happens to them. If persons are high in extrinsic controls, they believe that they have very little control over their fate and that others in the environment are in control of their rewards and punishments. People high in intrinsic control assert their responsibility for their own successes and failures, and rely relatively little on others for explanations of their behavior. Joe (1971) summarized the intrinsicextrinsic research and indicated that "externals" are relatively anxious, aggressive, dogmatic, less trustful, and more suspicious of others, and are lacking in selfconfidence and insight; whereas "internals" show a greater tendency to seek information and adopt behavior patterns which facilitate personal control over the environment. Deci (1971) observed that one consequence of employing extrinsic motivation might be to reduce intrinsic motivation. Calder & Shaw (1975), however, gave money as a reward for completing a picture-puzzle task and found that the task produced less satisfaction than a blank puzzle task without money. Lepper, Greene, and Nisbett (1973) assessed the effects of intrinsic rewards on preschool children. The relative amount of time spent at a drawing activity while other activities were going on served as a means of measuring the intrinsic value of the drawing. Three groups of children were


The decomposition of methane by a beam of electrons having energies between 15 and 100 ev has been studied using methane pressures between 10−2and 10−3 mm of mercury. The products were frozen out on a surface cooled to about −220 °C and situated approximately 5 millimeters from the electron beam.Ethane, ethylene, and acetylene were found to be the main products along with smaller amounts of saturated and unsaturated higher hydrocarbons. The results provide some evidence that under these experimental conditions ions do not play a major part in the decomposition and a free radical mechanism has been proposed to explain the formation of the main products.


Atracurium in doses of 40, 65, 85 or 100 μg·kg−1 was given to four groups of five neonates anaesthetized with nitrous oxide and halothane. The dose‐response relationship was determined by measurement of the EMG response to train‐of‐four stimulation. The doses calculated to produce 50 and 95% depression of the first twitch response were 56.3 and 101.3 μg·kg−1 respectively. These values are lower than those reported during nitrous oxide/oxygen/narcotic anaesthesia in neonates and older children breathing halothane. The change in train‐of‐four ratio during onset appeared similar to that observed in adults.


Safety Research Laboratory which I belong. Our aim is reducing the number of passenger injury and death to zero, also the employees including subcontract death to zero. Therefore, It's very important to improve environment of our railway construction more safety. So, JR-East develops new train approach warning system to assist train watchman. As follow, I describe the plan and mechanism of this system.


Meaning of research on Copper and Copper Alloy's welding is of great importance because of the good property and abroad application.Technical characteristics of Copper and Copper Alloy's normal welding,like gas welding,brazing and soldering,activing welding,MIG welding,friction stir welding,thermit friction stir welding,laser welding,laser welding electron beam welding and Self-propagating High-temperature Synthesis(SHS) welding was studied and classified in the paper as well as the analysis about domestic and foreign present situation of research.It is also analyzed that how normal welding can provide direction and guidance for the Manual SHS Welding Technology of Copper and Copper Alloy.Moreover,the present problem of manual SHS welding of copper and copper alloy is discussed,especially the wettability between welding seam and base metal,the separation between slag and welding seam on emphasis,and the further research orientation was indicated.


According to the characteristics of canoeing project, this paper has been analyzed the importance of functional strength training of the canoe, and corresponded functional strength training method is proposed, to better the functional strength training combined with kayak training and of canoeing sports development to provide theoretical reference.


The control performance of permanent magnet linear synchronous motor (PMLSM) is limited by uncertainty. The uncertainty is bounded by an unknown bound and may be time-varying. The boundary information of uncertainty is unknown but can be described by fuzzy set theory. To mitigate the impact of uncertainty on control performance, this paper proposes a Udwadia–Kalaba theory-based adaptive robust control (UKBARC). The proposed controller contains a Udwadia–Kalaba theory-based controller and an adaptive robust controller. In the Udwadia–Kalaba theory-based controller, the expected trajectory is taken as the expected constraint, and then the control task is converted to make the expected constraint be followed. Additionally, the adaptive robust controller is introduced to handle the system uncertainty without requiring the boundary information of uncertainty. The Lyapunov method is used to show that the performance of uniform boundedness (UB) and uniform ultimate boundedness (UUB) for the PMLSM system is guaranteed. The objective function used to characterize the trade-off between performance and control cost can be derived based on the fuzzy description of uncertainty. Thus, the optimal design of UKBARC (OUKBARC) can be achieved by minimizing the objective function. Simulation and experiment results together verify that high precision motion control can be ensured by using the proposed approach.


In the present experimental study, the influence of Opening ratio on the chamber temperature in case of vented triangular enclosure with hot base plate has been undertaken. Due to more flow passage, the average air temperature in the enclosure decreases by 12% for OR of 0.25 and 13% for OR of 0.5 compared to OR of 0.125. Similar trend is observed for Rayleigh number with a rise of 73% in OR 0.5 compared to OR of 0.125. Further, the influence of radiation heat transfer in the natural convection based enclosure is also studied. This kind of investigation is useful in the design and analysis of electronic cooling systems.


In this study, the effect of mat moisture content on the physical and mechanical properties of particleboard was investigated. The experimental boards were produced by using 40 % softwood, 45 % hardwood chips, and 15 % sawdust. The formaldehyde resin/adhesive was used in three-layers (bottom-top layer 12 %, core layer 8 %). Multi-opening press was used during manufacturing the experimental particleboards. The physical and mechanical properties of boards obtained were identified according to the TS-EN standards. The optimum core layer moisture content was determined as 6 % and 7 % according to the results, whereas the moisture content of bottom and top layers was 14 %. Under these moisture content conditions, the bending strength was found to be 13.3 N/mm², the modulus of elasticity in bending 2466 N/mm², and internal bonding strength 0.44 N/mm². The optimum bottom-top layer moisture content was determined to be between 13 % and 15 % and 6.5 % for the core layer.


An efficient method for the formation of C(sp)–N or C(sp)–P bonds is described. The facile transformation proceeds under mild conditions (0 or –20 °C) in a one-pot manner, and does not require transition-metal catalysts. The base-induced protocol exhibits good functional group tolerance (up to 44 examples) and high efficiency (up to 94 % yield) towards rare heteroatom-substituted acetylenes (N or P). Furthermore, the proposed mechanism was supported by the isolation of a key intermediate.


Blockchain technology allows fresh agricultural enterprises to share records stored on the chain, and the technology can benefit information management systems, such as decentralization and transparency. This study uses game theory to examine a blockchain introduction strategy for fresh agricultural enterprises in a competitive environment, considering consumer traceability preferences. We establish a pricing decision model in traditional and blockchain traceability modes and identify optimal solutions. Additionally, we analyze the impact of the blockchain introduction strategy, consumer preferences, and blockchain influence factor on optimal pricing decisions. The results indicate that the introduction of blockchain could improve the profits of enterprises under certain conditions. Moreover, consumer traceability preferences and the blockchain influence factor could significantly affect the blockchain introduction strategy. We also discover that when the blockchain influence factor meets a certain range, introducing blockchain technique in the traceability system could shift demand from traditional enterprises to blockchain enterprises. The total market demand for blockchain enterprises under the blockchain traceability mode will increase, whereas that of traditional enterprises under the blockchain traceability mode will decrease. Both consumer traceability preferences and the blockchain influence factor could significantly affect optimal pricing. Finally, some management suggestions are provided for the traceability of fresh agricultural enterprises based on the research conclusions.


This paper, based on my personal experience and more recently available biographical and autobiographical sources, is an attempt to reevaluate classical (Lowenian) bioenergetic analysis from a perspective based on recent research from the attachment paradigm. Specifically, it explores the use of the body, its energy and sexuality as substitutes for a secure relationship with a caregiver.


Mariana Silva is a Teaching Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Silva is known for her teaching innovations and educational studies in large-scale assessments and collaborative learning. She has participated in two major overhauls of large courses in the College of Engineering: she played a key role in the re-structure of the three Mechanics courses in the Mechanical Science and Engineering Department