Enterprises provide information services for visitors over Internet.Generally,they build construction of three-layer Client/Server through a method that integrate WWW services with database technologies,but it doesn't always work well because of slowly speed or overtime when visitors access enterprises'sites with browsers.We try to resove this problem by analyzing relevant technologies of WWW services.The relevant examples here are realized with JSP technology.


Isothermal oxidations of U71Mn steels under pure oxygen, between 1027K and 1473K, are experimentally analyzed in this study. The results showed that Oxidation kinetics at different temperature from 1173K to 1473K are similar: mass increase per unit area as function of oxidation time follows parabolic role. Oxidation rate constants of the steel under pure oxygen, from 1173K to 1473K, keep exponential law as function of oxidation time.


Objectives: To assess the effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on hospital visits and admissions of non-COVID-19 patients in 2020 compared to 2019.Material and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted in 2021 at the Department of Pediatrics, Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Rawalpindi comparing the data of non-COVID-19 patients visits and admissions from January to December 2019 with non-COVID-19 patients visits and admissions from January to December 2020. The relevant data was retrieved from the Pediatric Department record on a pre-designed study questionnaire. Data was entered and analyzed in SPSS version-24 for descriptive statistics and analysis. Results: The total OPD visits in 2019 were 112682 patients compared to 63859 patients in 2020 showing a 43.33% reduction. The total number of patients who visited pediatric emergency were 80274 in 2019 and 41182 in 2020, showing a decline of 48.65%. There were a total of 6151 admissions in the paediatric ward in 2019 compared to 2778 admissions in 2020 recording a decline of 54.84%. The admissions in the Neonatal Unit were 5544 in 2019 and 3528 in 2020 with a reduction of 36.36%. The admissions in PICU in 2019 were 2685 and in 2020 the admissions decline to 2011 which is a 25.1% reduction.Conclusion: There was a significant decline in both hospital visits and admissions in 2020 compared to those in 2019.


Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive breast cancer subset with poor outcomes. TNBCs do not express the estrogen, progesterone, or HER2 receptors and are thus not candidates for antiestrogen and anti-HER2 therapies, leaving few effective treatments. One therapeutic strategy is to target molecular components of an individual patient's cancer. Prior work in our group has nominated monopolar spindle kinase I (TTK) as a gene that is upregulated in cancerous breast tissue compared to healthy tissue and correlates with locoregional recurrence following radiation in breast cancer patients. However, the effects of TTK inhibition and radiation on the immune system is not understood. We hypothesize that the TTK inhibitor empesertib radiosensitizes murine TNBC models to radiation in vitro and in vivo and modulates the immune tumor microenvironment. Single agent empesertib inhibited the growth of murine TNBC cells with IC 50values up to 30nM. Sub-IC 50values of TTK inhibitor radiosensitized 4T1 (radiation enhancement ratio or rER: 2.4 ± 0.4) and Py8119 (rER: 1.5 ± 0.1) cells. TTK knockdown (via shRNA) also resulted in changes in radiosensitization in vitro. Furthermore, we also observed a similar phenotype in vivo. In our 4T1 in vivo model, mice receiving combined treatment had decreased tumor growth compared to mice that receiving single-agent therapies or vehicle (****p<0.0001). Quantities of monocyte derived suppressor cells were altered with radiation and TTK inhibition. This combined therapy suggests that changes in the underlying immune mechanisms due to TTK inhibition and radiation are important in TNBC. Future work will examine the mechanisms of TTK inhibition and radiation on systemic and tumoral immune changes.


another, as in p. 581 E. Sometimes the translation is unsatisfactory because it overlooks the force of particles or of prepositions in composition (e.g. mnpaySXaoravouo-iv in 573 D). Sometimes, when the translation is right, the analysis renders wrongly. Thus p. 430 C is said to treat of 'a higher courage which may hereafter be discussed'; but, when he comes to the translation, Professor Jowett discovers that KOAAIOV is an adverb and that there is no higher courage. Both analysis and translation are wrong on 575 C. The one says ' No small catalogue of crimes truly, even if the perpetrators are few' ; the other, ' A small catalogue of evils, even if the perpetrators are few in number.' The latter seems to imply that an evil would be expected to be greater if perpetrated by few persons. What Plato says of course is that the evils are small if few perpetrate them. At 591 E the sense is destroyed by rendering iroXireiav 'city.' Look again carefully into 618 B and its translation. Or look at 598 B , <T/J.ixp6v TI eKacrrov e<j>d.in erai, ' he l ight ly touches on a small part of them,' where the looseness of translation might easily mislead junior readers into thinking that


In this paper, the role of awareness in the 3C collaboration model is discussed, detailing how it relates to its main aspects: communication, coordination and cooperation. Then, some awareness elements of the AulaNet learning environment, which was developed based on this collaboration model, are analyzed.


The aim of this study was to detect and differentiate equine herpes virus type-1 (EHV-1) and type-4 (EHV-4) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The diagnostic sensitivity of the PCR was also examined. For this purpose, suspicious samples obtained from different breeding farms and racehorse hospitals were used. During this study, multiple organ and tissue samples of 26 aborted fetuses were collected and analyzed with PCR. In addition, 98 nasal swab specimens from racehorses aged 2 and above representing the respiratory symptoms of EHV infections were collected and examined by the PCR method. This study started with the optimization of PCR using EHV-1 (89c25p) and EHV-4 (TH20p) DNA, which are reference strains. It was observed that the gB common oligonucleotide primers and species-specific gC primers used in optimization matched the viral DNA specific for target EHV-1 and EHV-4.Finally 7 EHV-1 positives at tissues of aborted fetuses of 26 and 1 EHV-1 and 2 EHV-4 positives at nasal swab samples of 98 has been detected and differentiated by PCR. This was the first PCR study to detect and differentiate EHV-1 and EHV-4 in Turkey. Results of this study reveal the presence of EHV-1 and EHV-4 in Turkey. Especially the presence of EHV-4 virus has been shown for the first time. As a result of the study, detection of EHV-1 and EHV-4 genomic DNAs by PCR indicated that both viruses circulate between racehorse population.In conclusion, we agreed that the PCR is a sensitive, economical and time-saving method in detecting and differentiating EHV-1 and EHV-4 infections.
Key words:EHV-1, EHV-4, infection, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)


The topic of immunity has always been controversial and promises to be that for some time to come. From the first comparative observation of patients with relation to other cases of the same disease, it was noted that with some conditions, the patient became immune after the first attack. Conclusions were drawn that natural immunity does exist and that an immunity can be actively acquired. Everyone agrees so far. The next step was to be deliberately exposed and induce a mild form of the disease to provide immunity later. This is still practiced by the laity with parotitis; mumps is easier on a child than an adult. From there Jenner et. al., tried inducing related diseases, e.g. cowpox, as an immunity to smallpox. This basic method is still used with smallpox vaccination. (Latin – vaccines, vacca, a cow) A further step then was to use serum from an immune animal supposedly containing antibodies not as a preventative, but to abort an already developed case of diphtheria. Here the patient has no part in making antibodies, so it is called a passive acquired immunity, is of short duration and of questionable value.


ABSTRACT Objective There is not enough data on the effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs)/angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) on lung involvement in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia and hypertension (HT). Our aim was to compare the lung involvement of the HT patients hospitalized for COVID-19 using ACEIs/ARBs with the patients taking other anti-HT medications. Methods : Patients who have a diagnosis of HT among the patients treated for laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 between 31 March 2020 and 28 May 2020 were included in the study. One hundred and twenty-four patients were divided into two as ACEIs/ARBs group (n = 75) and non-ACEIs/ARBs group (n = 49) according to the anti-HT drug used. The chest CT involvement areas of these two groups were evaluated quantitatively by two observers including all lobes, and total severity score (TSS) was calculated. These TSS values were compared between drug groups and clinical groups Results In clinical classification; there were 4 (%3.2) asymptomatic, 5 (4.0%) mild type, 92 (74.1%) common type, 14 (11.3%) severe type, 9 (7.3%) critical type patients. ACEI/ARB group's TSS (mean±SD, 7.74 ± 3.54) was statistically higher than other anti-HT medication group (mean±SD, 4.40 ± 1.89) (p < .001). Likewise, severe-critical clinical type's TSS (mean±SD, 9.17 ± 3.44) was statistically higher than common type (mean±SD, 5.76 ± 3.07) (p < .001). Excellent agreement was established between the two blinded observers in the TSS measurements. Conclusions Quantitative evaluation of CT and TSS score can give an idea about the clinical classification of the patient. TSS is higher in ACEI/ARB group than non-ACEIs/ARBs group.


Use of high-pressure liquid chromatography resulted in isotopic separation of several deuterated and corresponding protonated organic substances. H was found to be favored in the stationary phase relative to D, and CH(CD) bonds were found to be directly involved in the hydrophobic effect. The hydrophobic effect was solvent dependent, but showed little dependence on functional group or cyclic vs. open-chain structures with two exceptions noted. An explanation of the exceptions was proposed. (DDA)


Abstract : A bearing system using a compliant surface may be so constructed that the lubricant pressure distribution is either stationary or in motion relative to the elastomer. In the latter case the motion of the deformation in the elastomer introduces inertial effects which can be important at high enough bearing velocities. The paper is concerned with the assessment of these effects. Steady state operating conditions are computed and analytic techniques presented for the infinite width slider and infinite length journal bearing. (Author)


This study addresses perspectives of teachers and students with visual impairments (VI) at the Full-time School (ETI) in the State of Sao Paulo (Brazil) regarding daily living activities (DLA) within the context of educational inclusion. These students require attention to their special educational needs in order to acquire knowledge and to develop competencies and autonomous abilities in their schooling process. The aim of the study was to understand teacher perceptions regarding DLA practice at ETI for students with VI. Twelve semi-structured interviews with regular school teachers were carried out. Content analysis revealed that the special educational needs were being met and that ETI provided for inclusive experiences for teachers. The data that was collected revealed the processes of inclusive pedagogical practices related to specialized educational services and the broad preparation of students with VI. The study showed that DLA can be a source of understanding, that teachers are often unprepared regarding the specific needs of these students; and special education is disconnected from regular teaching. In conclusion, regular teaching requires adjustments in teaching and practicing DLA so that such activities not be the focus of resistance for those involved, contributing to improving teaching and enabling schooling and empowerment of students with VI at ETI.


Background: Identification of risk factors for the development of hepatocellul ar carcinoma (HCC) is important for HCC surveillance in chronic hepatitis B viru s (HBV) infection. Our aim was to study the independent risk factors and effect of HBV genotypes on HCC development in a prospective longitudinal cohort of chro nic hepatitis B patients. Patients and methods: Chronic hepatitis B patients rec ruited since 1997 were prospectively followed up for the development of HCC. HCC was diagnosed by a combination of αfetoprotein, imaging, and histology. Liver cirrhosis was defined as ultrasonic features of cirrhosis together with hyperspl enism, ascites, varices, and/or encephalopathy. Results: In total, 426 patients were followed up for 1664 person years; median 225 (range 12-295) weeks. Forty nine (11%) patients had underlying clinical liver cirrhosis. A total of 242 (57 %) and 179 (42%) patients had HBV genotypes C and B, respectively. Twenty five patients developed HCC in a median follow up of 121 (range 14-236) weeks. The overall incidence of HCC was 1502 cases per 100 000 person years. On multivariat e analysis, clinical liver cirrhosis and HBV genotype C infection were independe ntly associated with HCC development,with an adjusted relative risk of 10.24 (95 %confidence interval (CI) 4.39-23.89; p 0.001) and 2.84 (95%CI 1.05-7.72; p = 0.040), respectively. Patient age, sex, hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) status , alanine aminotransferase (ALT)-levels, and basal core promoter mutations did not predict HCC development. Patients infected with HBV genotype C tended to hav e persistently positive HBeAg or fluctuating HBeAg status and higher ALT levels during the follow up period. Conclusion: Genotype C HBV infection is an independ ent risk factor for HCC development in addition to liver cirrhosis.


Ask educators for a success story from the National Science Foundation9s Statewide Systemic Initiatives program and most will point offshore, to Puerto Rico. There, teachers in target schools have been trained in a new curriculum, student test scores have risen--and the reforms are spreading outward from this solid base. Funded initially in 1992, the Puerto Rico program was renewed for another 5 years in 1997.


Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurological disease in which demyelination disrupts signal transmission and/or integration within the central nervous system. Reduced resting MSNA has been previously reported in MS patients (Keller et al., 2014). The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that individuals with MS will have blunted sympathetic‐mediated responses to a whole‐body cold stress stimulus compared to healthy controls (CON). Ten subjects with relapsing‐remitting MS (age, 35±7 years old; height: 163±9 cm; weight: 64±12 kg; BSA: 1.7±0.2 m2) and 4 healthy controls (31±5 years old; height: 168±6 cm; weight: 66±14 kg; BSA: 1.7±0.2 m2) participated in the study. Subjects were instrumented with a tube‐lined water perfusion suit in which they were exposed to a thermoneutral (34 °C circulating water) condition for a baseline period of 10 minutes, followed by a 3‐minute whole‐body cold stress (5 °C circulating water) condition. Skin blood flow (laser‐Doppler flowmetry), beat‐to‐beat arterial pressure (photoplethysmography), heart rate (ECG), and mean skin temperature were continuously measured. Cutaneous vascular conductance was calculated from the ratio of laser‐Doppler flux to mean arterial pressure (CVC) and normalized to maximal responses obtained by local heating at 42 °C following cooling (%CVCmax). Mean arterial pressures (MAP) were derived during the final minute of baseline and cooling. There were no differences in ΔLDF flux (CON: −2.83±3.76; MS: −3.73±4.29, p=0.72), ΔCVC (CON: −0.05± 0.06; MS: −0.05±0.06, p=0.89), and Δ%CVCmax (CON: −2.43±3.75; MS: −0.24, p=0.12) from baseline to cooling. However, there was a significant difference in ΔMAP between groups (CON: 12.17±9.70; MS: −0.99±7.00, p=0.01). While cutaneous vasoconstrictor responsiveness was similar between groups, these data suggest individuals with MS exhibit reduced sympathetic‐mediated changes in blood pressure in response to a whole body cold stress.


The objective of this study was to compare the effect of local application of chlorhexidine digluconate and combination of Iodoform with Butylparaminobenzoate in the management of dry socket. A Quasi experimental study was carried out on a total of sixty diagnosed cases of dry socket. Patients were randomly distributed among two treatment groups (30 patients in each group) i.e. patients of group A were treated by local application of chlorhexidine digluconate gel and of group B by local treatment with combination of Iodoform + Butylparaminobenzoate (Alvogyl). Both the treatment groups were given the same systemic analgesic i.e., Ibuprofen 400mg TDS along with thorough irrigation of the socket. Patients were followed for five consecutive days by replacing dressing each day and findings were recorded in the proforma. Out of the sixty patients, forty five were males and fifteen were females (3:1). In group A there were 22 (73.33%) males and 8 (26.66%) females and in group B there were 23 (76.66%) males and 7 (23.33%) females. Mean age was 31.68 (11.23+S.D). There was no significant effect of gender (P=0.766) and age (P=0.668) on both of the treatment groups respectively. All patients measured their pain subjectively as S3 i.e. severe pain on day 1 on visual analogue scale. There was a significant difference in pain control of the two treatment groups on 2nd, 3rd and 4th treatment day with P=0.000, P=0.000 and P = 0.02 respectively. Significant difference was noted for sensitivity on gentle probing the extraction socket between the results of two treatment groups on 3rd and 4th day i.e. p=0.000 for both days. Iodoform and Butylparaminobenzoate (Alvogyl) had been the most successful combination in relieving patient's pain.


Background: It is commonly found that the general public hold negative attitudes towards depression. Few surveys have examined differences between younger and older adults attitudes towards depression. Method: Out of a sample of 467 adults, 269 completed a questionnaire in response to a vignette describing a depressed person who was either portrayed as aged 30 or 70 years. Fifty-five per cent of the sample consisted of adults over the age of 65 years and 45% were under the age of 65 years. Results: Four themes emerged from responses to the questionnaire: 'recognition of depression as a mental illness', 'acceptability of depression', 'benefit of medical intervention for depression' and, 'familiarity of problems associated with depression'. Some differences were found between younger and older adult's attitudes to depression per se. In addition, depression in an older adult was viewed differently from depression in a younger adult. Conclusions: Although some positive attitudes to depression were found, ageist and stigmatising attitudes were also found to exist among older and younger adults. Declaration of interest: None.


FDA Foods Program Regulatory Science Steering Committee (RSSC), made up of representatives from Center Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), the Office of ulatory Affairs (ORA), the National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR), and the Office of the Chief ntist of the FDA, is charged with the task of prioritizing, coordinating and integrating human food‐ and animal d‐related science and research activities across the operating units of FDA's Foods Program.


Anthropogenic noise effects have always been a great concern for passive seismic because they are usually strong and difficult to remove. The problem is addressed by analysis of 2D (time-space) attribute sections derived from the recorded data. On the att


Indiana State University is providing handheld computers to every faculty member in its School of Education. What started as a small pilot program a year ago has grown into a project that is challenging the way faculty are thinking about technology and its application in the teaching and learning process. In addition, a substantial pool of handheld computers has been created for faculty to use with students in the classroom. Recognizing that a strong professional development program was needed to support the handheld computing initiative was instrumental to the initiative's success.This paper centers on the professional development program that was created to support the initiative's efforts. Initial distribution of the handheld computers took place at departmental meetings. A basic overview of the handheld computer was given at that time. Seven different workshops are continually offered as well as one-on-one training opportunities. Once a month, a brown bag lunch and handheld computer brainstorming and idea exchanging session is held with interested faculty and students. In addition, guest speakers have been brought to campus to speak on issues related to handheld computing.


A group of veterinary parasitologists from across Europe and Africa met in Edinburgh recently to draw up EU-wide recommendations for the sustainable use of anthelmintics in ruminants. Charlotte Burgess, Margaret Bennett and Fiona Kenyon from the Moredun Research Institute report.


Abstract: Proper planning and scheduling is very important part of construction projects for reducing and controlling delays of the project. Substantial amounts of time, money and resources are wasted each year in a construction industry due to improper management of construction activities. Oracle's Primavera P6 is the globally accessible and world's fastest, powerful, user friendly, easy to use robust and software application which is used to manage projects, programs and portfolios. Prioritizing, Managing, Scheduling, Planning can be done in favor of the globally located projects. It provides single solution to manage alter and update the project of any scale. Risk is present everywhere, every area of life. In construction industry risk is always present. The purpose of current work is to study of various risks in construction projects, their importance and impact on the project goals, time schedule and plan for the risk analysis.


The paper analyses the content of the relationes ad limina drawn up by German bishops between 1948 and 1958. In their abundance of information, these documents make it possible, among other things, to shed light on the episcopate's view of the material and moral condition of the German Catholic population in the immediate post-war period and in the 1950s, as well as on the situation of the Catholic Church in the two German states (FRG and GDR) separated by the 'Iron Curtain'. In the last years of Pius XII's pontificate, a cause of great concern for the ecclesiastical hierarchy was on the one hand 'practical' materialism in a West Germany that was experiencing a phase of rapid economic growth, and on the other dialectical materialism in an East Germany under Soviet influence.


MiniSAT bcd and abcdSAT are submitted to SAT Race 2015. They both are based on blocked clause decomposition (BCD). Except for that the learnt clause database maintenance is different, their solving policy are the same.


This study investigated how Michauxia campanuloides affects the Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen (PCNA) expression in granulosa cells, the ovarian histomorphology and serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in rats. Rats were divided into control (C), treatment 1 (T 1) and treatment 2 (T 2) groups. The rats in the T 1 and T 2 groups received aqueous extract of M. campanuloides at doses of 20 mg/kg/day and 40 mg/kg/day orally for 21 days, respectively. Serum TAC levels, follicles counts including primordial, primary, preantral, antral and atretic follicles, and PCNA expression in granulosa cells were evaluated. Numbers of preantral follicles increased in T 1 and T 2 groups compared to C group (P < 0.05). TAC and numbers of preantral and antral follicles increased in T 2 group compared to T 1 and C groups (P < 0.05). PCNA expression in granulosa cells was increased in T 2 group compared to T 1 and C groups (P < 0.01). In conclusion, treatment with M. campanuloides had positive effects on antioxidant activity, follicular dynamics, and PCNA expression of granulosa cell in rats.


Breastfeeding has always been a matter of considerable interest in medicine, and a great number of studies have been carried out to evaluate its effects. Yet not all of them seem to be equally relevant. Solid scientific evidence has incontrovertibly demonstrated the superiority of breastfeeding for infant nutrition over every other possible surrogate, not only for biological and nutritional outcomes, but also from a psychological and relational point of view. The list of potentially beneficial components of human milk is extensive: it contains growth factors, immunoglobulins, cytokines, antimicrobial compounds as well as factors promoting intestinal colonization by favourable microbes (1). Nevertheless, the list of its alleged beneficial effects has also grown disproportionately, brought on by a panoply of scientific or not-so-scientific studies that have ridden the wave of breastfeeding science and eventually made breastfeeding a panacea, with presumed effects even very distant in time from infancy. Some of these claims are probably even beyond the possibility of a demonstration. And after many years of enthusiastic support, some of them are beginning to undergo a process of critical revision and sometimes have been even disproved. Take the example of obesity. Searching on Pubmed for 'breastfeeding AND obesity' returns more than 1000 results with a steep increase in their number in the last 10 years. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality 'Report on maternal and infant health outcomes in developed countries' by Ip et al. (2), after examining a great amount of published data, concluded that there was 'an association between a history of breastfeeding and a reduction in the risk of being overweight or obese in adolescence and adult life'. The next sentence was possibly overlooked: 'One should be cautious in interpreting all these associations because of the possibility of residual confounding'. Furthermore, even the World Health Organization (WHO) systematic review and meta-analysis report on the long-term effects of breastfeeding, while also concluding for a protective effect on obesity, had found clear evidence of publication bias in the published literature (3). More recent studies have questioned the possibility of a protective effect on obesity. A randomized, controlled trial involving more than 13 000 children who were followed for more than 11 years did not find substantial evidence of a protective effect of breastfeeding on obesity (4). Even if this issue may still be considered open, we may ask ourselves: do we really need a more certain answer? We do not think so. If we focus our attention on the advantages of breastfeeding in infancy, we can see that they are generally clear cut and quite easy to demonstrate. Breastfeeding has been shown to be able to reduce morbidity and mortality in infancy, mainly decreasing the incidence of infectious diseases (2,3). It has been calculated that exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months and weaning after 1 year in developing countries could prevent 13% of the world's childhood mortality (5). In preterms, it stimulates gastrointestinal growth and maturity, reducing the riskof sepsis andnecrotizing enterocolitis (6). In consideration of all the available evidences, the superiority of breastfeeding in infant nutrition canbealready considered an establishedmatter of fact, evenwithout looking for its remote effects on adult health. This is not even surprising if we think that human milk composition has been finely tuned for human nutrition by thousands years of evolutionary pressures. In this sense, its superiority may be considered to be a Articles in the series A Different View are edited by William Meadow (firstname.lastname@example.com). We encourage you to offer your own different view either in response to A Different View you do not fully agree with, or on an unrelated topic. Send your article to Dr. Meadow (email@example.com).


Theoretical prediction of the phase composition of ternary NiCo-Cr and Cr-Ni-Co alloys was carried out using four phaseformation criteria (ni). The analysis of approximating dependences ni – y (y – the mole fraction of chromium in the alloy) shows a satisfactory coincidence of the calculated dependences with the polynomial. Refined dimensional (nd) and general (no) criteria for phase formation are proposed, which made it possible to estimate the range of the extent of solid solutions in Cr-Ni-Co alloys. It has been found that, due to the use of various polyfunctional additives, both lowchromium (Cr≤25 mass %) with a nanostructure and highchromium (Cr ≈ 60 mass %) coatings can be obtained from the electrolyte with the same ratio of Ni :Co :Cr ions in solution. It is recommended to use coatings with a Ni-Co-Cr alloy as a structural material for critical parts in radio electronics, and a Cr-Ni-Co alloy in microelectronics for the production of resistor and strain-resisting elements. RELEVANCE Modern engineering places a high demand on new technologies and materials. An important place among promising materials is occupied by electrolytic coatings with alloys with increased strength, corrosion and special properties. For economy, selectivity and productivity, threecomponent alloys are preferred over binary alloys. But the task is complicated due to the complex composition of the electrolyte, the laboriousness of determining the phase structure, structural defectiveness and other criteria. The solution of this topical problem becomes possible when combining mathematical modeling of the emerging structure, which allows describing its main regularities and predicting the expected operational properties, and experimental studies capable of characterizing the individual features of the coating structure and determining the optimum conditions for obtaining materials with the required physicomechanical properties. To solve the first problem predictive modeling of the phase and chemical composition of the coating reliable criteria for phase formation are required. The second task experimental research is based on the correct choice of the research method and the electrolyte (additive) composition in accordance with the goal. The goal of this paper is to predict the phase, chemical composition and production of electrodeposited coatings with Ni-Co-Cr and Cr-Ni-Co alloys with specified physicalmechanical properties. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES: 1. Theoretical prediction of a given phase composition of Cr-Ni-Co alloys using four phase-formation criteria. 2. The choice of surface-active agents (surfactants) with various polyfunctional groups for deposition electrolyte, capable of providing a different composition of the alloy with the same initial composition of metal ions in solution. Development of a Ni-Co-Cr and Cr-Ni-Co coating with increased microhardness due to the obtaining of a nanostructure.


Recently, the current authors reported the presence in normotensive male and female urines of reproducibly measurable levels of naturally occurring substances in partially purified extracts of urine with inhibitory activity like glycyrrhetic acid (GA) towards both 11 (3-hydroxysteroid dehy drogenase (llp-O H SD ) and steroid 5 (3-reductase (5(3-SR) in vitro. Since these substances mimic two known inhibitory activities of GA, they have been named 'Glycyrrhetic Acid-Like Factors', abbreviated as 'GALFs' or, more specifically 11(3-GALF for substance(s) active against 11J3-OHSD, and 5(3-GALF for those inhibitory to 5(3-SR. Administration of glycyrrhetic acid in man leads to cortisol-dependent mineralocorticoid hypertension, owing to impaired inactivation of cortisol by ll(3-OHSD, and may be asso ciated with increased sensitivity to mineralocorticoids owing to impaired 5(3-SR. In this preliminary report, the results are described of a study on the presence of GALF factors in urines collected from patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) and mild essential hypertension. The results show that in such patients there are increased amounts of both 11(3and 5(3GALFs compared to normotensive. The possible physiological significance of these results is discussed. Address reprint requests to: David J. Morris, D.Phil. Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Miriam Hospital, 164 Summit Avenue, Providence, RI 02906.


Observations of electrohydrodynamic (EHD) and particle motions in transformer oil between sphere-to-plane and plane-to-plane electrodes under 60 Hz stress are reported. Closed circuit television was employed to record laser shadowgraphs of particle and liquid motions on video cassette tapes. Copper, iron, aluminum, and paper particles of varying size and shapes were studied. Particle motions were qualitatively explained by electrophoretic and dielectrophoretic forces for low electric stress. However, at high stress complex and unsteady liquid motions were induced which in general ejected particles from the inter-electrode space. Liquid motions appeared as intermittent waves and explosive jets. Particle bridge formation was particularly apparent for plane-to-plane gaps in copper (1–5μ) contaminated oil. In some cases a complete breakdown of the gap occurred at some distance away from the bridge and the bridge survived the failure, remained intact as a flexible wire-like filament, and fell under gravity to the base electrode.


Background: Diarrhoea is one of themajorkillerin under five years children worldwide. But accurate knowledge and practices about diarrheal diseases and use of ORS as an important tool in the mothers remain low. This cross sectional study was conducted to find out the level of knowledge and practices about diarrhoea and ORS in the mothers of under five children. Material and Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 8 randomly selected colonies of semi urban and urban area of Indore district in the year 2017. Mothers who had at least one child under five years of age with one episode of diarrhoeain the past were included in the study. Results: Most of the mothers (61.4%) knew right description for diarrhoea. But very few mother had knowledge about causes (23.6%) of diarrhoea. Verysmall number (26.81%) knew about all danger signs. Majority (91.8%) of mothers knew of ORS though only half 54.5% of them knew correct method of ORS preparation. 81.7% mothers had some knowledge about use of home based fluid. About one third of mothers knew about Zinc tablets (34.6%) and Rotavirus vaccine (37.3%). 44.7% of mother used ORS while 73.4% used home based fluids. Post diarrheal episode only 26.36% of mothers gave extra meal to the children. Conclusion: A strong association is found between knowledge and practices regarding diarrhoea management. Hence health education should be used as a tool to promote knowledge and good practices and reduce morbidity and mortality related to acute diarrhoea.


Realization of a class of incomplete derivative PID control is presented, the control algorithm is realized by neuron, which is based on Smith control principal. Simulation research of this realization method used in tunnel-like oven is done with MATLAB soft. The simulation results show that delay system can be effective controlled, also the character of anti-interference and robustness can be improved.


Based on the current situation and urgent needs of China's substituting small hydropower for fuel engineering ecological environment, a small-scale substituting hydropower for fuel engineering ecological environment monitoring platform based on wireless sensor network was designed and proposed. Focus on real-time dynamic acquisition of eco-environment parameters of sensor nodes integrating water quality sensors, soil sensors and gas sensors on the on-site inspection platform. The ZigBee technology is used in close proximity, and the GPRS wireless communication technology is used to realize the establishment and data transmission of the sensor network. The system effectively improves the convenience and reliability of the ecological environment monitoring of substituting small hydropower for fuel engineering.


An instrument was developed to measure the level of sodium - potassium coolant for the Dounreay Fast Reactor in a sealed system. The inductive or eddy- current method was used to design a dipstick and an instrument for defining fixed levels in a standpipe. Because of the high temperature, the transformers are wound on a heat-resistant core. The wire is nickel-plated copper, insulated with silicon-impregnated glass fiber. (M.C.G.)


occupational health and domiciliary nursing, and in private practice. As the nurses who work in public health and in a domiciliary service and the majority of those in private practice receive their basic training and graduate experience in general hospitals, and as 90% of the State Registered Nurses are general nurses, the committee decided that, in the first instance, it would consider matters relating to the general nurse in the hospital environment. Accordingly this first part of the report has been prepared "to enable early consideration to be given to the problems which have been found to exist in this important area of nursing activity".


Organisms respond variably to environmental stresses by their physiological and biochemical mechanisms (Niu et al., 2002). Scientific community many times has acknowledged the potential importance of dietary metal toxicity in natural ecosystems, yet insects are still under represented in such datasets (Davis et al., 2001). Metal trace elements including Cd, Pb and Hg are non-biodegradable xenobiotics and no specific detoxifying enzymes are known for their metabolism. Increased presence of such metals in cells undergoes redox reactions that affect catalytic abilities of anti-oxidative enzymes (Cervera et al., 2003). These metal trace elements are often involved in oxidative stresses at cellular level and results in production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS includes, superoxide radical 2− (O ), hydrogen peroxide (H O ) and hydroxyl radical (OH) 2 2 mainly affecting lipids, proteins, carbohydrates and nucleic acids in living organisms (Damien et al., 2004). The importance of antioxidant enzymes is generally emphasized in the prevention of oxidative stresses by scavenging ROS. Antioxidant system, responsible for scavenging ROS comprises of several enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD). SOD convert superoxide radicals to H O whose accumulation is prevented 2 2 in the cell by CAT and POD (Sharma et al., 2011). Super oxide dismutase, catalase and peroxidase are thus considered as primary enzymes as they are involved in direct elimination of ROS (Farima et al., 2004). Lipid peroxidation, a most important cellular deteriorative change is one of the primary effects induced by oxidative stresses and occurs readily in tissues due to the presence of membrane rich in polyunsaturated highly oxidizable fatty acids (Arking et al., 2002). Carbohydrates, lipids and proteins acts as sources of energy production and greatly affect insect biology and morphogenetic activities as well (Niu et al., 2002). According to Pracheta et al. (2009) oxidative damage to protein, lipids sugar and glycogen contents are also considered as a general measure of oxidative stress. So, this study was designed to study effect of Cd, Pb and Hg stress in relation to the activities of SOD, POD, CAT, LPO levels, essential metabolism and biochemical compositions of haemolymph in insects. Oxya hyla hyla (Orthoptera: Acridiidae) was selected as test insect as it is popularly known to possess many traits of a successful indicator of oxidative ABSTRACT ARTICLE INFORMATION


Background and Purpose: This manuscript reports on the rapid spread of water chestnut in a shallow dam reservoir. The water chestnut is a critically endangered plant in Poland. Materials and Methods: From 2008 to 2016 during the vegetation season we investigated the distribution of water chestnut in the Rzeszów dam reservoir. Results: The colony has grown from sparse individual plants which probably appeared around 2005, to a dense floating mat of plants with the total area of over 14 ha today. Recently water chestnut has also appeared in all shallow parts of the reservoir with weak water flow. Conclusions: Taking into consideration the dynamic expansion of the water chestnut, it can be assumed that in the near future this species may control many parts of the Rzeszów reservoir, while in others it can be displaced by reeds. It is highly probable then that the total area of water chestnut patches will decrease, rather than increase.


A recent paper [J. Opt. Soc. Am. B31, 3050 (2014)JOBPDE0740-322410.1364/JOSAB.31.003050] reports the experimental observation of the generation of stable pulse trains in a ring fiber laser. Contrary to what is stated, the theory published in that paper does not support the claim that the generation mechanism of the pulse train is the cavity-induced modulation instability effect.


When children learn about fractions, their prior knowledge of whole numbers often interferes, resulting in a whole number bias. However, many fraction concepts are generalizations of analogous whole number concepts; for example, fraction division and whole number division share a similar conceptual structure. Drawing on past studies of analogical transfer, we hypothesize that children's whole number division knowledge will support their understanding of fraction division when their relevant prior knowledge is activated immediately before engaging with fraction division. Children in 5th and 6th grade modeled fraction division with physical objects after modeling a series of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems with whole number operands and fraction operands. In one condition, problems were blocked by operation, such that children modeled fraction problems immediately after analogous whole number problems (e.g., fraction division problems followed whole number division problems). In another condition, problems were blocked by number type, such that children modeled all four arithmetic operations with whole numbers in the first block, and then operations with fractions in the second block. Children who solved whole number division problems immediately before fraction division problems were significantly better at modeling the conceptual structure of fraction division than those who solved all of the fraction problems together. Thus, implicit analogies across shared concepts can affect children's mathematical thinking. Moreover, specific analogies between whole number and fraction concepts can yield a positive, rather than a negative, whole number bias.


The problem of global stabilization via state feedback is studied for a class of linearizable minimum-phase nonlinear systems with uncertainties. In the case where the disturbance signals represent only an unknown constant vector parameter and appear linearly in the system, an adaptive controller is developed, to achieve global stability with state regulation. When the virtual control coefficients are also unknown for systems with trivial zero dynamics, the global stabilization is also achieved by adaptive scheme. In this paper, we considered a class of partially linearizable minimum-phase nonlinear system with unknown virtual control coefficients, having nontrivial zero dynamics. We used tuning functions design to reduce the dynamic order of the adaptive controller to its minimum, and achieved global asymptotic stability and tracking.


The authors present a technical evaluation of ultrasonic methods as applied to the measurement of slurry viscosity. The four ultrasonic techniques examined were measurement of attenuation, acoustic impedance, relaxation, and acoustic streaming and cavitation. Acoustic impedance measurements are more sensitive to slurry viscosity than to any other fluid parameter. The three other techniques measure acoustic attenuation, but in different frequency ranges. The direct attenuation measurement technique suffers from the difficulty of extracting the viscous contribution from other effects, especially the thermal effect. The relaxation method requires an operating frequency near 10/sup 9/ Hz, which is difficult to achieve at present. Finally, the streaming and cavitation method has not been carefully examined because the technique is based on nonlinear acoustic effects which are not well understood. Results from this study indicate that it is feasible to develop an online ultrasonic viscometer based on the measurement of either acoustic impedance or acoustic streaming and cavitation. The authors describe the design and performance of an ultrasonic shear-wave wedge for acoustic impedance measurement.<<ETX>>


Dr Humphreys rejects our Newtonian illustration and relativistic demonstration1,2 of the identical gravitational fields of bounded and unbounded universes on the basis of his claim that unbounded universes cannot possess the property of spherical symmetry.3,4 Humphreys' claims are mistaken, and are based on a misunderstanding of the physical and mathematical meaning of spherical symmetry. An object is said to possess the property of spherical symmetry with respect to a particular point if it is unchanged by an arbitrary rotation about an arbitrary axis passing through that point. For objects which have a spherical boundary, there is only one such point of spherical symmetry,5 and this point constitutes a unique centre to the object. Humphreys believes that objects which do not possess a spherical boundary, such as the unbounded universe models of 'big bang' cosmology, cannot possess spherical symmetry. However, such unbounded universes in fact are spherically symmetric about every point: an arbitrary rotation about an arbitrary axis through any point will leave the system unchanged. The spherical symmetry of the unbounded 'big bang' models is also obvious from the manifest spherical symmetry of the Robertson-Walker form of the metric,6 which is commonly employed to describe their geometry. Spherical symmetry with respect to a particular point is identical to the notion of isotropy about that point. Unbounded standard 'big bang' universes are isotropic with respect to every point in their interiors, which is to say that they are spherically symmetric from the point of view of every point. Such universes are not acentric, as claimed by Humphreys, but rather have infinitely many centres of spherical symmetry. The centres of spherical symmetry are not unique, but that does not mean that they do not exist at all. Humphreys' claim that the Copernican principle is incompatible with spherical symmetry7 is another misunderstanding. The Copernican principle imposes spherical symmetry with respect to every point because it imposes the property of isotropy at every point. The spherical symmetry of standard unbounded 'big bang' models is discussed, using the language of isotropy, in every cosmology textbook. Readers interested in a thorough discussion are referred to the chapter which Weinberg devotes to his discussion of symmetric spaces8 and especially to the conclusion of that chapter, which discusses the special case of 'Spherically Symmetric Homogeneous Spacetime' and derives the Robertson-Walker form of the metric solely from the symmetry properties of this geometry.9 We did not commit a 'big blunder,' as Humphreys charges,10 in our appeal to the obvious symmetry properties of unbounded homogeneous and isotropic matter distributions. Our appeal to these properties is valid and the conclusions, we have drawn from these properties regarding the identity of the gravitational properties of Humphreys' bounded universe and the unbounded 'big bang' universe are correct. Another demonstration of the identity of the gravitational properties of the bounded and unbounded universes is found in consideration of the manner in which each of these models decelerates as it expands. It is straightforward, using simple Newtonian arguments,11 to show that the thin shell of matter at the boundary of Humphreys' bounded universe experiences a radial deceleration of


Abstract Background Our understanding of SARS-CoV-2 evolution is limited. Most estimates arise from analysis of global databases populated with unrelated sequences and is currently estimated at ∼27.7 substitutions/genome/year. SARS-CoV-2 polymerase contains a proofreading function encoded by NSP-14 limiting change. Additionally, virus evolution may be influenced by patient comorbidity. Intra-host mutational rate (MR) during infection remain poorly studied. Methods To minimize effect of vaccination and/or natural immunity on MR analysis, paired samples from adults originating from the initial pandemic wave (3/17/2020 through 5/27/2020) were retrieved and analyzed at Cleveland Clinic. Viral genome analysis was performed using next generation sequencing, and mutations between paired samples were quantified at allele frequencies (AF) ≥ 0.1, ≥ 0.5 and ≥ 0.75 and compared. MR was calculated employing F81 and JC69 evolution models and compared between isolates with (Δ NSP-14) and without (wildtype, wt) non-synonymous mutations in NSP-14 and by comorbidity. Results A total of 40 patients (80 sample pairs) were identified. Median interval between paired tests was 15 days [range 5-32]. The estimated MR by F81 modeling was 317.2 (95%CI 312.0-322.3), 54.6 (95%CI 52.5-56.7) and 45.1 (95%CI 43.1-47.0) substitutions/genome/year at AF of ≥0.1, ≥0.5, ≥0.75 respectively. Rates in ΔNSP-14 (n=13) vs wt (n=27) groups were 557.7 (95%CI 537.0-578.2) vs 193.1 (95%CI 187.1-199.1) p-value 0.001, 50.8 (95%CI 44.3-57.3) vs 56.3 (95%CI 53.1-59.4) p-value 0.144, and 31.0 (95%CI 25.9-36.1) vs 51.3 (95%CI 48.3-54.3) p- value < 0.001 at AF ≥0.1, ≥0.5, ≥0.75 respectively. Patients with immune comorbidities (n=6) had significantly higher MR of 137.6 (95%CI 114.6-160.5) vs 40.5 (95%CI 38.4-42.7) p-value < 0.001, and 113.7 (95%CI 92.8-134.5) vs 33.4 (95%CI 31.5-35.4) p-value < 0.001 at AF ≥0.5 and ≥0.75 respectively. Similar results were obtained when using the JC69 model. Conclusion Intra-host SARS-CoV-2 mutation rates are higher than those reported through population analysis. Virus strains with altered NSP-14 have accelerated MR at low AF. Immunosuppressed patients have elevated MR at higher AF. Understanding intra-host virus evolution will aid in current and future pandemic modeling. Disclosures Frank Esper, M.D, Johnson and Johnson: Advisor/Consultant Daniel D. Rhoads, M.D. PhD, Luminex: Advisor/Consultant|Talis Biomedical: Advisor/Consultant|Thermo Fisher: Advisor/Consultant.


Introduction Keratins are strong fibrous proteins with high degree of stability, found in hair, wool and in hard tissues such as horn, hoof, and nail. Keratin biomaterials in the form of sponge, films were developed from wool and human hair for various biomedical applications such as wound dressings and neural tissue engineering application. In the present work, an effort has been made to extract and characterize keratin from bovine horn and establish a comparison between two methods of extraction using two reducing agents, viz Thioglycolic acid and βMercaptoethanol. The chemical and structural characteristics of these samples were compared to raw horn samples. Further, the extracted and purified keratin was used as a scaffold to support normal skin fibroblast proliferation growth.


Digital Tools for Children with Autism: Enhancing sensory development and the recognition of faces and emotions Mehnaz Aydemir, Master of Design in Digital Futures, OCAD University, 2016
This thesis creates a personal sensory environment and app for children aged six to eleven with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in order to stimulate and teach facial and emotional recognition in others. This thesis also suggests that children with autism and their macro and micro social connections exhibit a communication difference that is interpreted as a communication problem or gap by neuro-typical people. It is suggested in this thesis that if neuro-typical people can exhibit empathy for the different communication practices of children with autism, this awareness may create a better environment for the development of autism therapies. This thesis project recognizes that children with autism live in a predominantly neuro-typical world and experience expectations of neuro- typical individuals; as such, the tools presented here are designed with the intention to assist children with autism to communicate well in their environment so that they can feel more confident and fulfilled.


Measurement of the frequency response is now commonly used in the industry to assess the mechanical condition of transformer windings. The analysis of the results, the so-called Frequency Response Analysis (FRA), is based on comparison with a reference measurement which is either a previous measurement on the same unit, a measurement on an identical transformer or a measurement on another phase of a three-phase transformer. To ensure a good quality of the frequency response measurement, it is essential to follow the recommended practices reported in the recently published CIGRÉ and IEEE guides, and in the IEC standard. This paper presents case studies on the application of the method to detect mechanical displacement and some of the influencing parameters that can affect the interpretation of the results.


The very heart of applications of optical fibre technology in medicine and biology stems primarily from extraordinary reach rea ctions between an optical wave and alive matter. On the other hand, the well known facilities offered by optical fibers working as reliable transmission channels, optical buses, image and optical power channels and sensors,are being still more and more widely recognized for all kinds of medical and biological uses. In the paper we will confine ourselves mainly to the works on applications of the lightguide technology in health service, medicine and biology in this country. We will review some of the recent developments in this domain. The presentation contains the following parts: lightguide communication systems for big hospitals, safety factors of fibre optics in view of internal regulations, fibre optic safety protections in medical and industrial applications, works on optical fibre sensors for medical applications, construction of a multi-task fibre optic micro-probe, optical fibre devices for ophthalmology.


We investigated the carotenoid composition of thirteen types of Capsicum annuum fruit at full maturity and discussed the ratio of β-carotene to capsanthin. Among the thirteen types examined, "Cherry sweet" and "Raruku" had the fruit with the highest values of total carotenoid content and capsanthin content. "Raruku" and "Sarara"had high capsanthin content ("Raruku" 63%, "Sarara" 59%). Although ten C. annuum varieties were included in the 13 fruit types sampled, a high correlation (r=0.960) was observed between β-carotene and capsanthin. In addition, the 1 : 10 carotene capsanthin ratio was used as an index for the capsanthin content of ripe C. annuum.


Using data for the Philippines and Sri Lanka during the last five decades, we examine three phases of agricultural development experienced by the rice sector in insular countries in tropical monsoon Asia; the first was based on land opening, the second on new irrigation construction and the third on increasing the efficiency of the existing irrigated land base. We show that these sequential shifts were induced by changes in the relative profitability of the three major means of land development for increasing food production. Rehabilitation, water management improvement and better maintenance, which are important means of irrigation development in the latest phase, are under-invested, despite their high rates of return.


Volume-induced chlorid currents are characterised for many types of cells. I have investigated the modulation and activation of these currents. In cultered pulmonary artery endothelial cells (CPAE) patch clamp maesurements of membrane currents and simultaneous maesurements of free intracellular calcium ([Ca]i) were performed. 1. Until now, activation of ICl,Vol was characterised as Calcium-independently. I maesured the current buffering [Ca]i with the Calcium chelators BAPTA and EGTA. It could be observed, that [Ca]i at concentrations less than 50 nM is required to activate ICl,Vol. At higher concentrations, there is no modulation by [Ca ]i. 2. Sodiumchromoglycate (CL) blocks ICl,Vol in endothelium cells. This effect is small (Ki=15mM) and slow (100 s) as compared of those of the classical chlorid channel blocker NPPB. Inhibitory effects of CL to ICl,Vol in endothelial cells are weaker than to ICl,Vol and to secretion of serotonin in mast cells. 3. The role of intracellular phosphorylation signal pathways on activation of ICl,Vol was investigated. Neither activation of protein kinase C (PKC) throught direct application of the phorbol ester PMA nor down-regulation through preincubation with PMA had any effect on activation of ICl,Vol. Also Wortmannin, an inhibitor of MAP-kinases, failed to have significant effects on ICl,Vol. Lysophosphatic acid, wich activates MAP kinases as well as focal adhaesion kinase p125FAK, did not have any effect on ICl,Vol or activated some chlorid current. Induction of heat shock proteins (HSP) through application of thermical or chemical stress (incubation under 45 °C over 60 min or with 0,3 mM Sodiumarsenit) had no effect on ICl,Vol nor some activation of chlorid currents could be observed. 4. We have combined maesurements of currents with maesurements of membrane capacitance (CM) and (but not simultaniously) of changes in cell height to study the activation mechanism of ICl,Vol. The swelling-induced current is correlated with the changes in cell height. However, neither the changes in cell height nor ICl,Vol were correlated with CM. In some cells (n=17), there was no substantial change (less than 2%) in CM. In the remaining 5 cells, changes in CM are arround 10,6% ± 0,9% (average ± SEM). Thereby changes of CM started allways after those of ICl,Vol. Inhibition of vesicular transport by Brefeldin A did not affect ICl,Vol significantly. The block of protein synthesis by Cyclophosphamid did not have specific effects on ICl,Vol. It is concluded, that CM is not the primary trigger for ICl,Vol. Its activation is not due to incorporation of ion channels by vesicle fusion.


Due to changes in modem warfare threats, as well as
advances in body armor, soldier survivability in combat has
increased, but blast-induced Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) has
become a prevalent injury in the battlefield. Often referred to as
the "signature wound" of the current U.S. conflicts, blast-induced
TBI is not a very well understood injury. In an effort to gain more
insight on blast mechanisms and TBI, and to increase protection
against this injury, our study investigates the development and
exploration of a new Advanced Combat Helmet (ACH) liner for the
modem day soldier. The key component of the liner explored in this
work is the addition of channels within foam that contain fluid or
fluid-like materials. To support this goal, this thesis explores
the response of these filler materials in a 2D sandwich structure
at a range of pressures believed to be in the range of the
occurrence of mild TBI, the most common TBI diagnosis among
soldiers. Filler materials explored in this work are glass beads
and glycerin. Experiments were performed at Purdue University and
the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, using two different shock
tube setups to produce incident blast waves. Peak transmitted
pressure was used to assess filler materials' blast mitigation
abilities, and any nonlinear behavior was explored over the range
of incident pressures tested. Results indicate a nonlinear effect
in the mitigation of blasts by solid foam and glass beads. These
materials respond linearly to applied pressures at 15, 30, and 45
psi, but digress from linear behavior at 60 psi applied pressure.
It was also determined that there is a significant advantage to
using sandwiches with glass beads compared to solid foam at 60 psi
applied pressure, but at 15 psi, 30 psi, and 45 psi, there is no
significant difference among all three materials
explored.


Spare parts are essential in the automobile sector and forecasting of spare parts has always been the vital prospects in an automobile service parts station. In this paper, a comparison and efforts have been made at the service station of a reputed organisation to reduce the errors in demand forecasting of intermittent demand items. The errors are compared for various methods using mean absolute scaled error (MASE) and Syntetos and Boylan approximation (SBA) method which exhibited the least error for intermittent demand and lumpy demand pattern. While single exponential smoothing method is used for smooth and erratic demand pattern. All calculations are done in MS Excel and solver tool to find optimal values of smoothing parameters.


A pilot research study addresses the need for new views on the management and organising of engineering. Contemporary engineering organisations are becoming increasingly diversified and disperse. The struggle to accomplish integration of the product development process as well as the whole organisational is harsh and existing theories provides few directions for how to accomplish this. Drawing on the concept of Engineering Management, the paper identifies significant fields for future research, e.g. competence integration, process models for project integration, multi-project integration, and integration of short and long-term perspectives


This timely Symposium poses a very insightful, yet extraordinarily difficult, question when it asks "4 More Years? Business Law and the Great Recession". As we approach the four-year anniversary of the collapse of Bear Stearns — an event viewed by many as the start of the "Great Recession" — will we face "Four More Years" of economic difficulties and, perhaps more importantly, what might business law do to prevent economic catastrophe from recurring?In earlier work, I have tried to decipher what some of the facilitators to the Great Recession have been and whether our major legislative response, the Dodd-Frank Act, will be successful in addressing these facilitators and averting the next economic disaster. I found it did not and tried to offer some thoughts as to why. Part I draws from this research and offers a sobering portrait of the reaction business law has had so far to the Great Recession.As the years have passed and our economic malaise has dragged on, however, I have become even more pessimistic about the law's existing reactions to economic crisis. I also wonder increasingly whether the "Great Recession" was a long time — decades — in the making and is the product of fundamental and troubling inconsistencies law and policy. Part II, the core of this Article, argues that we need to rethink some very basic principles in business law. Tinkering around the margins will simply no longer do. More specifically, I offer three areas for fundamental reform: fiduciary duties in corporate law, the constitutional personhood of corporations, and antitrust. My thesis is simple: unless there are fundamental changes in these three domains, the cavalcade of economic crises we have witnessed with increasing frequency over the past few decades will very likely continue.


Thermal diffusivity of titanium nitride (TiNx) films normal to the film surface was measured quantitatively using a thermoreflectance technique. TiNx films were deposited on alkali free glass substrate by reactive rf magnetron sputtering using a Ti metal target and mixture gas of Ar and N2. Nitrogen compositions of the film were determined from plasma energy using Bendavid's relation. The ratio of nitrogen to titanium atoms increased from 0.8 to 1.2 when reactive N2 gas composition changed from 4.7% to 100% at the deposition process. For the stoichiometric film, the thermal diffusivity shows peak value, as well as the electrical conductivity. In contrast, when nitrogen composition becomes to over- or under-stoichiometry, both thermal diffusivity and electrical conductivity rapidly decrease, respectively. The relationship between the thermal diffusivity and the electric conductivity suggests that the free electron contribution is dominant to the heat conduction in the TiNx films.


M ORE THAN a quarter century of experience in cancer control is on the records of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. With no precedent to follow, with no knowledge of the public health aspects of the disease, without even a clearcut idea that cancer was a public health problem, the State health department launched a cancer control program May 29, 1926. At the 52d annual meeting of the American Public Health Association, Dr. Eugene R. Kelley, Massachusetts commissioner of public health, pointed out the need for: (a) determination by health department administrators of their proper niche in cancer control; (b) better statistical data on cancer facts and additional personnel and funds to enable health administrators to collect, collate, analyze, and diffuse these facts; (c) extended facilities for early diagnosis and stimulation of the professions to use these facilities fully; (d) better hospital facilities for the inoperable group of cancer patients; (e) new and efficient methods of arousing and retaining public interest in and understanding of the significance of cancer "whereby a large degree of success may be reasonably anticipated even with our present faulty weapons for combating the menace of malignancy." Today about two-thirds of the States have Recognition of cancer as a public health problem has led to the development of control programs in all of the States, and in the Territories and insular possessions of the United States. Some of these programs are relatively long established and have evolved not only valuable epidemiological data, but important techniques for coping with cancer as a disease of public health importance. Effective cancer control programs are distinguished by certain policies and practices uniform to all, and by provisions for meeting the special requirements of the particular area concerned. Such a program is that of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, described in the accompanying article. Public Health Reports from time to time hopes to present reviews of other cancer control programs. That of the New York State Health Department was described in our December 1952 issue. THE EDITORS.


In this paper,we establish some new common fixed point theorems for weakly commuting contractive type mappings in complete metric spaces.The results presented in this paper extend and improve the corresponding results by Rhoades et al.


The new parliamentary year officially commenced on 11 February 2016 with the president's state of the nation address. The debate on the address and the president's response followed on 16, 17 and 18 February. The budget speech took place on 24 February and its outcome was unknown at the time of going to print.


In this work, we propose several high fan-in dynamic CMOS comparators with low transistor count, high speed and low power. Major features of the proposed comparators are the rearrangement and reordering of transistors in the evaluation block of a dynamic cell. These comparators can be used as equality comparators, mutual comparators and zero/one detectors, which are widely used in built in self test and memory testing. Furthermore, a 64-bit fast dynamic CMOS comparator is implemented using the proposed dynamic comparator. The measured worst delay of the physical chip with pads is 12 ns.


Dear Editor, Group B Streptococcus (GBS), the cervicovaginal colonizer, is a common cause of neonatal sepsis, pneumonia, meningitis, bacteraemia, skin and soft tissue infections, chorioamnionitis, endometritis, osteomyelitis etc., but its association with Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) is rare [1]. A 58-year-old diabetic male presented to the outpatient department in our hospital with mild fever and frequent micturition. After a thorough clinical examination, laboratory tests were advised which denoted a higher leucocyte count with neutrophilia (TLC-15000/mm3, N-82%) and higher blood sugar levels (FBS-170 mg/dL and PPBS-236 mg/dL). Other tests including those for malaria and enteric fever were negative and renal function tests and liver function tests were within normal limits. He was seronegative for HIV and non reactive for Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) test. With a mid stream urine sample, wet mount preparation showed plenty of pus cells with numerous cocci, mostly arranged in chains. On culture after overnight aerobic incubation at 37oC, significant number of fine, opaque colonies was grown on Cystine Lactose Electrolyte Deficient (CLED) agar plate. These were Gram-positive cocci in chains and showed negative reactions for catalase and bile esculin. The organism was beta haemolytic, bacitracin resistant [Table/Fig-1] and Christie-AtkinsMunch-Petersen (CAMP) positive [Table/Fig-2] on sheep blood agar. Thus, the isolate provisionally identified as Streptococcus agalactiae was further substantiated by VITEK-2 system (bioMérieux) using Gram-Positive (GP) identification card with 98% probability. Antimicrobial susceptibility test was performed by modified KirbyBauer disk diffusion method as per CLSI guidelines [2] and the patient became asymptomatic with proper antibiotic treatment. Repeat urine culture after seven days did not show any growth of this organism. UTI is the second most common infectious disease in human, common in females and is mostly caused by Gram-negative bacilli [3]. In males, it is rarely attributed to Streptococcus agalactiae. Despite the high prevalence of GBS in the urethra, especially in individuals presenting with Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD), it is a rare cause of UTI [4,5]. GBS is mostly associated with postpartum infection that results from the vertical transmission of bacteria due to maternal cervicovaginal colonization. Group B Streptococcal infection in healthy adults is extremely uncommon, except in young and middle aged women, and is mostly associated with diabetes mellitus and chronic renal failure [6]. Diabetes, in our case, may be the predisposing factor. The increased frequency of UTIs in these patients may be due to the presence of glycosuria, neutrophil dysfunction or increased adherence of the bacteria to uroepithelial cell [7]. As GBS colonizes the vagina and is highly prevalent in urethra of STD patients, so one must keep it in mind as it may be a source of infection for the urinary tract, especially in sexually active diabetic individuals. A prompt diagnosis will alleviate the development of further complications.


Provided is an electronic underlay with a wireless transmission function, wherein, when filling in a form with a writing instrument, unnecessary portions such as the little finger of a hand holding the writing instrument and the base portion of the little finger, are not sensed, and, at the same time the form is being filled in, the details that are filled in are converted into electronic data, and the electronic data is wirelessly transmitted. The electronic underlay with a wireless transmission function (A) is used by being laid out beneath a form to be filled in with a writing instrument, and is provided with: a sheet-like optical waveguide(W) wherein grid-like cores (2) are sandwiched between a sheet-like under-cladding layer (1) and over-cladding layer (3); a light-emitting element (4) connected to one end face of the cores (2); a light-receiving element (5) connected to the other end face of the cores (2); and a wireless transmission means that wirelessly transmits inputted text etc. as electronic data. The modulus of elasticity of the cores (2) is set higher than the modulus of elasticity of the under-cladding layer (1) and the modulus of elasticity of the over-cladding layer (3).


The present study provides the taxonomic information on two deepsea caridean shrimps Plesionika alcocki and Plesionika narval . P. alcocki is the new record from the southeast coast of India (fishing off Bay of Bengal, 8°47′40"N, 78°09'37"E) obtained in the depth of 200-300 m. The species P. narval obtained from Kalamuku fish landing centre (fishing off Arabian Sea, 9°59'02.91"N 76°14'33.14"E) from deepsea bottom trawlers between 250-300 m depth. In addition to this the phylogenetic tree of 16S and COI mitochondrial genes of the Indian Plesionika was provided.


An optical displacement sensor using bifurcated fiber bundle technology is investigated here from a theoretical perspective. A purely geometrical approach and an electromagnetic Gaussian beam approach are developed for determining the transfer function of the sensor. A sensitivity analysis is also presented and discussed.


Abstract This paper discusses various methods of analyzing the ratios of the daily hog prices at Cincinnati and Louisville and compares the results obtained with those previously given for the differences between the two price series. The data consisted of the prices for each of two weight classes on each the five complete market days of the week (Monday through Friday) averaged for each month throughout the period 1937-1941. Price ratios were used because of the high correlation which seemed to exist between the price differences and the price level. The analysis of variance was used to make statements about the consistency of the results. The paper discusses the assumptions behind the analysis of variance and how well these assumptions are met with these data. In general, the most serious defect in making tests of significance is a lack of independence due to the intracorrelations existing between daily prices. The F-test was used to test for the existence of consistent fixed effects and to determine si...


Introduction The fatigue strength of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) in total joint implants is crucial to its long term success in high demand applications, such as in the knee, and is typically determined by measuring the crack propagation resistance in razor-notched specimens under cyclic load [1]. This only tells part of the story: that is, how well the material resists crack propagation once a crack is present. A second, equally important component of fatigue strength is how well the material resists crack formation. Previous studies cyclically loaded a cantilevered post until failure [2], postulating that the post would break very quickly after crack initiation. Parran et. al. proposed a novel method to measure the crack initiation time by holding a sample in constant tension until a crack was visually observed [3]. We hypothesize that the crack initiation times of various UHMWPEs will follow similar trends as the more omnipresent crack propagation resistance tests. Materials and Methods The following UHMWPE formulations were tested: (i) virgin, (ii) gamma sterilized in vacuum, (iii) 91 kGy gamma irradiated, and (iv) 91 kGy gamma irradiated and subsequently melted. GUR1020 and GUR1050 bar stock of varying irradiation doses were machined into compact tension specimens [4] with a notch depth of 17 mm and a blunt notch root radius of 0.25 mm, mimicking a geometry of a joint replacement component. Specimens were held in constant tension until failure; 3 to 5 different loads between 1 kN and 2.25 kN (n=3 samples per load per material) were tested. A video camera was focused on the face of the notch and took a picture every 10 seconds. The photos were reviewed to manually determine the crack initiation time (Fig 1). The time it took for the sample to completely fail – that is, shear into two separate pieces – was also recorded. Results For all materials tested, the crack initiation time (Fig 2a,b) and the time to failure (Fig 2c,d) decreased as the applied load increased. The crack initiation time increased for the gamma sterilized materials when compared to the virgin materials while the time to failure decreased. The highly crosslinked, 91 kGy materials had crack initiation times and times to failure that were less than that of the virgin material. Post irradiation melting greatly diminished the fatigue strength of the material, yielding the lowest crack initiation time and time to failure. Discussion The test yielded results consistent with current knowledge: that is, high-dose irradiation yields a slight drop in fatigue strength, and post-irradiation melting greatly reduces strength. This test was simple to set up and run and can be a good tool to determine the relative fatigue strengths of UHMWPE formulations for orthopaedic applications. For figures/tables, please contact authors directly.


New travel options, with expanded service on shuttle bus systems and ready information about transportation conditions and alternatives, are being encountered by visitors to many of the more popular parks in the U.S. These improvements represent the coordinated efforts of federal land management and transportation agencies, state governments, local communities, foundations, businesses, and other groups. Working together, these organizations are addressing critical transportation needs, providing options for travelers, and enhancing visitors' experiences, while preserving and protecting the natural features of the parks. This article reviews some of these cooperative initiatives and concludes with pointers for successful park transportation projects.


Abstract In this work, a two-dimensional general rate model for nonisothermal liquid chromatography is formulated considering adsorption saturation capacity, enthalpy of adsorption, mass and energy dispersion coefficients, conductivity and diffusivity of heat, heat transfer between the stationary and mobile phases of the column and finite rates of adsorption–desorption kinetics. Semi-analytical solutions of the model are derived by linearizing the adsorption and desorption rates and considering the Danckwerts boundary conditions with inner and outer annular regions of sample injection. These two injection regions are helpful to trigger temperature and concentration gradients along the cylindrical coordinate of the column. In deriving the semi-analytical solutions, we have successively applied the Hankel and Laplace transforms one after the other together with the Eigen-decomposition technique. The validity of the semi-analytical solutions is checked by comparing with the numerical solutions obtained by applying a flux limiting high resolution finite volume scheme of Koren. Several numerical test problems are carried out to inspect the key parameters that influence the chromatographic process performance. The numerical values of parameters obtained in this work will play an important role in the future theoretical developments of column liquid chromatography. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT


A research project submitted to the institute of diplomacy
And international studies in partial fulfillment for the
Degree of Master of Arts in international studies at the
University of Nairobi


Since the last decade, we have seen an increasing level of interest in time series data mining due to its variety of real-world applications. Numerous representation models of time series have been proposed for data mining, including piecewise polynomial models, spectral models, and the recently proposed symbolic models, such as Symbolic Aggregate approXimation (SAX) and its multiresolution extension, indexable Symbolic Aggregate approXimation (iSAX). In spite of many advantages of dimensionality/numerosity reduction, and lower bounding distance measures, the quality of SAX approximation is highly dependent on the Gaussian distributed property of time series, especially in reduced-dimensionality literature. In this paper, we introduce a novel adaptive symbolic approach based on the combination of SAX and k¬-means algorithm which we call adaptive SAX (aSAX). The proposed representation greatly outperforms the classic SAX not only on the highly Gaussian distribution datasets, but also on the lack of Gaussian distribution datasets with a variety of dimensionality reduction. In addition to being competitive with, or superior to, the classic SAX, we extend aSAX to the multiresolution symbolic representation called indexable adaptive SAX (iaSAX). Our empirical experiments with real-world time series datasets confirm the theoretical analyses as well as the efficiency of the two proposed algorithms in terms of the tightness of lower bound, pruning power and number of random disk accesses.


Data complexity is a major consideration when scaling the data. Integration of heterogeneous data sets helps solve big data difficulties. Large-scale databases are difficult to comprehend and analyze since they require a lot of processing and storage space. With the rapid growth of data, extracting it in a fashion that the human mind can understand is becoming increasingly difficult. An introduction of Big Data research issues and triumphs, as well as the methodology and tools used to visualize it, will be discussed in this session. As a result, the primary purpose of this work is to summarize and provide novel solutions for the present state-of-the-art in Big Data visualization. Data types, analytical methodologies, and visualization techniques and tools are categorized in this study, with a special focus on the evolution of visualization methods over the last few years. The findings of the study show that there is still a disparity between the two groups. With regard to data visualization, the tools and applications we tested didn't have much support for advanced techniques like radial or temporal data display. Professional data analysts are eager to learn and use new tools and approaches, according to interviews. Exploratory analytic approaches are of particular relevance to users, as they can assist in their workflow.


Metabolically active cells require robust mechanisms to combat oxidative stress. The cytoplasmic thioredoxin reductase/thioredoxin (Txnrd1/Txn1) system maintains reduced protein thiols and provides electrons to cellular reductases including peroxiredoxins. Txnrd1-deficient livers exhibited a transcriptome response in which 56 mRNAs were induced and 12 were repressed. Based on the global hybridization profile, this represented only 0.3% of the liver transcriptome. Nuclear pre-mRNA levels indicated the response was transcriptional. Twenty-one of the induced genes contained known antioxidant response elements (AREs), which are binding sites for the oxidative and chemical stress-induced transcription factor Nrf2. Txnrd1-deficient mouse livers showed increased accumulation of nuclear Nrf2 protein and chromatin immunoprecipitation on the endogenous nqo1 and aox1 promoters in fibroblasts indicated that Txnrd1 ablation triggered in vivo assembly of Nrf2 on each. In conclusion, chronic deletion of Txnrd1 results in induction of the Nrf2 pathway, which contributes to an effective compensatory response.


This study aims to describe the fatty acid composition of flowers of Crepis foetida subsp. rhoeadifolia. In order to define qualitative and quantitative profile, fatty acids were derived to their methyl esters, and then these were analyzed by gas chromatography - flame ionization detector. 20 fatty acids were determined in the oil. Palmitic (C 16:0), myristic (C 14:0), and linoleic acids (18:2 ω6) were found to be major fatty acids. Total saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) were 62.67%, 17.54%, and 19.79%, respectively. Also, total essential fatty acids (EFA) were determined ad 14.48%. Therefore, the oil can be considered as a new source of PUFA, especially EFA.


Solution pipes interpreted as a cryptokarst separate large-scale cross-bedded megaforms of shallowmarine
calcarenites deposited at the Neogene-Quatemary transition in Cape Verde Islands. This
implies that depositional phases were followed by subaerial exposure of the cemented calcarenites
during subsequent falls of sea level, and accumulation of unconsolidated eolianites which supported
a vegetal cover that promoted the cryptokarst. The process was repeated several times.
A widespread, more recent karstification with red silty clay filling of voids may represent the aridification
of climate at the beginning oi the Quaternary and the increased supply of Saharan dust by
Trade Winds.


The role of water as a carrier of microbes that are disease-causing in humans is often overlooked with diseases being vastly under-reported. Some waterborne diseases, such as salmonellosis, campylobacteriosis and giardiasis, can exhibit clinically mild symptoms with patients not seeking medical help. The frequency of reporting is also affected by awareness of specific diseases, interest and the availability of resources in different areas. The portion of a specific disease that can be attributed to water is also typically not known. The environmental occurrence of most existing and several emerging waterborne disease agents, such as enteric viruses, has not been established. Waterborne illnesses are not restricted to diarrheal diseases, with several severe diseases being implicated with waterborne transmissions including heart attacks, insulin dependent diabetes (Coxsackie B virus), Guillain-Barre syndrome (paralysis, Campylobacter) and Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS, Escherichia coli O157:H7). Here we have examined the official health statistics from 1990 to 1998 for five reportable illnesses caused by microorganisms with a potential waterborne transmission path: giardiasis, campylobacteriosis, shigellosis, haemorrhagic colitis or hemolytic uremic syndrome (caused by E. coli O157:H7), and hepatitis A. These diseases were especially prominent in the prairie provinces except for campylobacteriosis. Rural areas in the prairie provinces have especially challenging water quality problems due to high levels of dissolved organic material and predominantly agricultural drainage basins. This makes the water difficult to treat. Waterborne illnesses affect sub-populations differently with the fetus and infants being particularly sensitive. Infants exposed to pathogenic microbes are much more likely to develop disease and the outcome of an infection is much more severe than in the general population. Increased risks of one to two orders of magnitude can be expected. This prompted us to have a look at another health statistic, infant mortality. The three prairie provinces were among the four provinces with highest average infant mortality rates throughout the period. Rural Canada as a whole is not faring well with 40% higher infant mortality rates compared with urban Canada. Can we afford to ignore the possibility of a connection between poor rural water and higher infant mortality? Higher infant mortality in Canada has also been ascribed to First Nations. First Nations, similar to other rural communities, have frequently difficult to treat water with limited expertise on-reserve. While the connections between waterborne microorganisms and a variety of diseases and health indicators (such as infant mortality) remain to be established, it is clear that rural areas cannot take safe drinking water for granted. Mechanisms to produce safe drinking water from poor source waters need to be determined. Simple, yet effective systems need to be designed, which should allow for the lack of highly skilled water treatment plant operators.


Introduction: Grit blasted stem-cement interfaces have been advocated as a means of increasing the bond strength of the stem-cement interface in cemented total hip arthroplasty. Recent work has suggested that early cementing of rough stem surfaces can increase the bond strength of the interface when compared to the same interface cemented using very doughy cement [1]. Based on these findings, suggestions have been made to encourage early cementing of stems with a rough or textured surface. However, these studies were performed using ideal test specimen geometries and testing was performed in air at room temperature. Tests of stem-cement interfaces have shown that exposure to a physiological environment at 37 degC can substantially reduce the fracture toughness of the stem-cement interface when compared to testing dry at room temperature [2]. The purpose of this study was to determine if the fracture toughness of grit blasted stem-cement interfaces are affected by the time of cementation using a realistic model of the cemented stem construct. We hypothesized that the fracture toughness of constructs cemented early would be stronger than constructs cemented late. Methods: A new stem/mould construct was developed to achieve two main goals: 1) provide boundary conditions similar to the in vivo condition and 2) produce specimens for clamped cantilever beam fracture toughness tests (Fig 1). The CoCr 'stems' consisted of a central square bar to which two half-rounds were bonded (see inset Fig1). The stems were grit blasted (Ra = 5.7 μm) over a 75mm length using 16grit aluminum oxide. An aluminum mould was created to simulate the proximal femur with a consistent 6.3mm mantle thickness. One hundred NF10-32 screws were used to create a rough trabecular surface in the mould. PMMA cement was vacuum mixed for 1 minute followed by filling of the mould in a retrograde fashion at either 2 minutes (early) or 6 minutes (late) from start of mix. Stem and cement temperature was 21 deg C while mould was warmed to 37 deg C before cementation. The mantle construct was removed from the mould after 24 hours and then stored for two weeks in saline at 37 deg C. Cement in the half-round regions was then carefully machined, the half rounds were removed, resulting in a clamped cantilever beam specimen.


Cyclovirobuxinum D was isolated from traditional Chinese medicine Buxus icrophylla Sieb.et Zucc,for treating coronary heart disease and arrhythmias.High performance liquid preparation chromatography was used for separation and purification.13C and 1H chemical shifts of the compound were assigned using 1D and 2D NMR techniques including 1H NMR,13C NMR,COSY,DEPT,HMQC and HMBC.The structure of the compound was determined from the NMR data.


Based on this, it is our contention that, within the dielectric, beyond the ion penetration depth, photons are responsible for the damage in this region, while on the surface, the damage is primarily caused by ions. Here, the two sources of damage generated during plasma processing will be considered to determine the effects of ion and photon fluences on the damage. They are charge accumulation and defect-state formation. This article establishes the roles of photons and ions in charge accumulation and defect-state formation in dielectric materials. In order to determine this, electron-spin resonance ESR spectroscopy measurements were made to detect the modifications of the interfacial defect states and surface potential measurements with a Kelvin probe were used to detect the charge accumulation. Previously, VUV and UV exposures from synchrotron radiation and HgAr lamp have been shown to be responsible for the interlayer defect-state modifications in the dielectrics. 12 As a test sample, we used atomic-layer-deposited 20-nm-thick HfO2 on 100Si. Note that the dielectric sample is ultrathin which guarantees a modification of the interfacial defects. The resistivity of silicon substrate is 4000 cm which is needed to obtain effective ESR measurements. 13 An electron cyclotron resonance plasma system 9 was utilized to provide the plasma exposure of the dielectric films. Argon plasma was used to minimize the creation of free radicals, 14 so that the ion and photon bombardments were the primary sources of potential damage. To vary the ion and photon fluences, pressure and microwave power were scanned between ranges of 5 and 30 mTorr and 100 and 400 W, respectively. The pressure was varied using a mass-flow controller. For any combination of pressure and power, the ion flux can be calculated using the continuity equation 15 as i = nivi = nisuB 1


A study was designed to identify stains derived from plant pigments. Using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), 13 species of common weeds were examined, and 12 flavonoids were detected from as low as 100 to 200 μg of dried leaves and from their stains. Identification of plant species could be made, based on the various chromatographic patterns of the flavonoids with different retention indices, using rutin and rhamnetin as the reference standards. A brief practical case of application is described.


This study addresses the performances of different approaches to tackle 3D frequency-domain Full Waveform Inversion (FWI). FWI is becoming an appealing method to build high resolution velocity models from wide-azimuth seismic data. Three-dimensional frequency-domain solutions of the wave-equation for frequency-domain FWI can be computed with several methods. In the frequency domain, direct or iterative solvers can be used to solve the linear system resulting from the discretization of the wave equation. Alternatively, frequency responses can be computed by time-domain modeling coupled with discrete Fourier transform or phase-sensitive detection method. For a large number of seismic sources, the computational time of all of the methods scale along similar lines to the size of the problem, although the performances of the direct-solver approach is hampered by the limited scalability and the memory demand of the lower-upper decomposition of the forward-problem operator.
We implement the direct-solver and the time-domain modeling approaches in 3D acoustic frequency-domain FWI, which is applied to real 3D wide-azimuth OBC data from the Valhall field, North Sea, at low frequencies (< 5 Hz). We show, for this case study, that even if less flexible for high-performance computing, the direct-solver approach is one order of magnitude more efficient in computing time/resources that the time-domain approach, if the signal-to-noise ratio in the data is sufficiently-high to limit the inversion to few frequencies. We finally discuss the performances, pros and cons of both methods, which depend on the wave physics (acoustic versus visco-acoustic, anisotropy, extension toward elastic or visco-elastic), the acquisition geometry (streamer-like versus fixed-spread acquisitions) and the computing architectures (small versus large amount of memory per computing node).


The Health Promotion & Education portal provides links to a wide range of resources to facilitate course work and scholarship. List of databases relevant to the journal literature related to Health Promotion & Education


It is still an open problem to eliminate the undershoot caused by zeros in the right-half plane of non-minimum phase systems (NMPS). To decrease overshoot, undershoot and settling time of NMPS simultaneously, this paper reasonably combines the parallel search structure of genetic algorithm with the controllable jumping property of simulated annealing to propose a hybrid strategy for designing a class of PID controller. Numerical simulations based on typical systems demonstrate the effectiveness and the adaptability of the hybrid strategy on NMPS, as well as the superiority of the designed controller.


Step to ensure that the manufacturing method of the LED package are isolated from each other the first and the second metal plate on a printed circuit board disposed on the top surface, so as to have an inclined surface molding the reflection layer portion, forming a metal layer deposited on the inclined surface of the reflection layer portion, said first mounting the LED chip on the metal plate, and the first and the second metal plate and the light-emitting diode comprising: electrical connection between the chip and the molded parts of a bag to protect the printed circuit board, reflective base, the light-emitting diode chips and a step of.