The aimof the article is to develop practical and methodological recommendations
for improving the quality management processes at domestic instrument-making
enterprises and increasing their competitiveness based on the use of benchmarking
processes.
The research methodology includes: system-structural and comparative studies
with a conditionally reference model (to understand the logic of benchmarking studies
of different types in related and unrelated industries, with an explanation of theirs
goals and advantages for quality management); monographic method (to search for
relationship between existing competitive strategies for instrument-making enterprises
(innovators and non-leaders) and their choice of the most adequate benchmarking
techniques);system-analytical method (for the analysis of specific benchmarking tools
used by real domestic instrument-making enterprises); design-scenario method (to
study the future strategic moves of surveyed enterprises and potential impact on
their quality management results).
Scientific novelty: the options for using the benchmarking process for quality
management at instrument-making enterprises are disclosed, which make it possible
to turn this process from project-oriented to continuous.
Practical value: methods of competitive analysis and quality management based
on the advantages identified through benchmarking are considered on the example
of two domestic instrument-making enterprises: PJSC Sambir Instrument-Making
Plant «Omega» and State Enterprise Kharkiv Instrument-Making Plant (KhPZ) named
after Taras Shevchenko.
Conclusions. Ukrainian instrument-making enterprises are gradually moving
along the path of changing generations of benchmarking: from reengineering
(retrospective product analysis) to competitiveness benchmarking, and then to gaining
advantages as a quality leader on the example of enterprises from unrelated segments
(and not necessarily competitors). There are still two unresolved stages ahead:
strategic benchmarking (with a systematic assessment and selection of strategic


Background and Objective: Age is the greatest risk factor for cardiovascular disease that is associated with shortens telomere. TRF2 and TERT genes expression in heart tissue reduce in elderly. These geness are associated with shortens telomere. Exercise can play a useful role in maintaining the length of telomeres. This study was carry out to determine the effect of high intensity interval training (HIIT) and continuous endurance training on TRF2 and TERT gene expression in heart tissue of aged male rats. Methods: In this experimental study 24 adult aged male rats (88-96 weeks, 363±12 g) allocated into three groups including control, endurance training (5 sessions per week: with 60-70 of maximum speed of group) and HIIT (5 sessions per week: 80 percent in the first and second week, 90% maximum speed of the third week, 100 % until the end of the exercise for 6 weeks). Gene expression of TRF2 and TERT were assessment by Real-time PCR and the quantification of gene expression levels using the Pfaffl formula. Results: TRF2 gene significantly increased in HIIT and CET groups in compared to control group (P<0.05). TERT gene nonsignificantly increased in HIIT and CET groups in compared to the control group. Conclusion: It seems, 6 weeks of high-intensity interval training and continuous endurance training to be able regulate the growth and longevity of the heart cells by maintaining the length telomere by increasing TRF2 gene expression.


It introduced biodegradable mechanism of polymer materials,summarized the study and application of the biodegradable polymer materials and forecasted the future direction of study.


Objective To research and construct dynamic electrocardiograph (ECG) simulation model/algorithm to simulate different kinds of clinical ECG,where the heart rate can be infinitely variable,and to develop one platform for fast-demo and analysis of theoretical wave based on this algorithm which can be implemented in ECG training and teaching. Methods According to different characteristics decoupled one complete ECG wave to 4 parts,including P-wave,PR-section,QT -wave and TP -section. P -wave and QT -wave database were set up accordingly to find the relationship algorithm between PR-section and heart rate,TP-section and heart rate. With the synthesis work of the algorithm and clinical diagnosis theory,ECG simulation mathematical model /algorithm,dynamic link library.(dll) and software interface were developed by C++. Results Through comparing the ECG simulation results with clinical samples,the veracity and validity of the mathematical model/algorithm was verified. Conclusion The software module based on this model/algorithm is very valuable for ECG training and teaching in clinic,and can be implemented in the development of more advanced ECG relative software and devices.


The journal bearings of the MIT micro-devices are located at the outer periphery of the rotor and are designed to operate at rotational speeds of order 2 million rpm in order to enable high-power densities with turbomachinery tip speeds near 500 m/s. These journal bearings are very short compared to their relatively large bearing diameters such that the bearing L/D is typically less than 0.1, that is at least one order of magnitude smaller than in conventional gas bearings. Thus, the ultra-short micro gas journal bearings essentially act as short annular seals and operate at Reynolds numbers of order 300, two orders of magnitude lower than conventional annular seals. The concepts that hold for turbulent flow, large scale annular seals do not apply to micro bearings and the laminar flow regime sets new challenges in the design, implementation and operation of ultra-short, high-speed gas bearings. In order to reach the goal of operating the MIT micro devices at full design speed, the micro-bearing design must be improved and engineering solutions need to be found to overcome the challenges of high-speed bearing operation. This paper is the first to derive the scaling laws for the dynamics of ultrashort hydrostatic gas journal bearings. The theory is established from first principles and enables a physics based characterization of the dynamic behavior of ultra-short hydrostatic gas bearings. The derived scaling laws for natural frequency and damping ratio show good agreement with experimental data. A simple criterion for whirl instability is found that only depends on bearing geometry. The scaling laws together with this criterion are used to delineate engineering solutions critical for stable high-speed bearing operation. Design charts are developed which provide the link between fabrication tolerances, bearing performance, and the tolerable level of rotor unbalance for a minimum required whirl ratio.Copyright © 2003 by ASME


Labour contributions provided by villagers are central to government policy on rural infrastructure development in Vietnam. This brief report is an initial step to assess problems and provide analysis of the contribution system, and outline the minimum required to ensure that the poor access employment opportunities in local poverty reduction projects with equitable working conditions, participate in decisions about contribution schemes, and a framework that clearly outlines conditions where the poor are partially or completely exempted from contributing. This involves a range of issues such as improving the use of participatory processes, understanding the vulnerability of the poor, capacity building, institutional change, political will, developing the regulatory framework and planning process, and better monitoring and evaluation.


Graphene as a two-dimensional material is particularly attractive because of its excellent electrical conductivity, mechanical properties, large surface area, low coefficient of thermal expansion and very high aspect ratio. However, the water insoluble property of graphene restricts its application in biomedical fields. Therefore the objective of this reported work is to find an efficient way to synthesise water-soluble and biocompatible graphene for biomedical applications. A stable aqueous graphene oxide (GO) solution was first obtained in the presence of non-ionic Pluronic copolymer. The GO-tripolymer showed good solubility in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) and the same UV absorption peaks as GO. Since a traditional reducing agent such as hydrazine had large toxicity, reduced GO (RGO) obtained by hydrazine reduction has some toxicity. In this work, a non-toxic reducing agent of ascorbic acid, galactose or bovine serum albumin was used as a RGO-tripolymer solution. The RGO-tripolymer exhibited good solubility in PBS. Finally, the cytotoxicity of RGO-tripolymers was investigated. Any RGO-tripolymer showed low cytotoxicity.


PURPOSE: Acoustic retinal prosthesis has been put forward using high-frequency US with non-invasive and high-resolution advantages. But its application is limited by the difficulties in fabrication, energy consumption and acoustic attenuation. In the present study, low-frequency focused ultrasound stimulation (LFUS) had been demonstrated to activate retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in rat retinas. The neurophysiological properties of RGC responses to LFUS were also investigated.
 METHODS: A 2.25 MHz focused ultrasound transducer (D=0.75 in., SF=2.0 in.) was used to stimulate the rat retina which was cultured in a multi-electrode array system (MEA2100, MCS , Fig. 1). The acoustic property was evaluated by hydrophone (UMS3, Precision acoustics). Ultrasound (US) stimulation was modulated at pulsed mode. Light stimulation was modulated in the same mode to give an uniform field flashes. The electrophysiological data collected from MEA was detected for neural spikes and sorted by Plexon Offline Sorter. Only channels recording single-cell activities were adopted for subsequent analysis. Peri-stimulus time histograms and raster plots were plotted for each RGC using Spike 2.
 RESULTS: In total, 116 retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) from 7 retinas were sorted and classified into four types according to light responses. The firing activity of 114 RGCs were modulated by repeated US stimulation. This suggested that low-frequency focused ultrasound stimulation (LFUS) could activate RGCs. The US responses didn't correspond to the standard light responses and varied greatly between cell types. Besides, dual-peak responses to US stimulation were observed which were not reported previously. The temporal response properties of RGCs, including latency, firing rate, and response type, could be modulated by changing acoustic intensity.
 CONCLUSIONS: These findings might imply a temporal neuromodulation effect of LFUS and provided an important foundation for the development of acoustic retinal prosthesis.


Abstract : A new class of algorithms for solving nonlinearly constrained mixed variable optimization problems is presented. This class combines and extends the Audet-Dennis Generalized Pattern Search (GPS) algorithms for bound constrained mixed variable optimization, and their GPS-filter algorithms for general nonlinear constraints. In generalizing existing algorithms, new theoretical convergence results are presented that reduce seamlessly to existing results for more specific classes of problems. While no local continuity or smoothness assumptions are required to apply the algorithm, a hierarchy of theoretical convergence results based on the Clarke calculus is given, in which local smoothness dictate what can be proved about certain limit points generated by the algorithm. To demonstrate the usefulness of the algorithm, the algorithm is applied to the design of a load-bearing thermal insulation system. We believe this is the first algorithm with provable convergence results to directly target this class of problems.


This story begins in Frankfurt Germany on 8 April 1984. I had just finished delivering a lecture at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, at the invitation of Prof. J. Meier-Sydow, on my experience with Wegener's granulomatosis. Professor R. Ritz, a nephrologist from the University of Heidelberg, came up to me after the lecture and presented me with an article taken from an issue of the Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift, entitled, Friedrich Wegener 75 jahre. The article, written by Harold Lehmann, took note of Wegener's birth date on 7 April 1907 in Varel, Germany. It gave a brief account of his career as a pathologist and the formulation of the disease that ultimately bore his name. I had had no idea that Wegener was even living. I thought of him as a remote legend in the medical literature. When I returned home to the Mayo Clinic, I summoned my colleagues Thomas J. McDonald and Louis H. Weiland with whom I was studying Wegener's granulomatosis. I told them that Wegener was living. Wouldn't it be appropriate to organize an international meeting to discuss the disease while he was still alive? We had a considerable clinical experience with Wegener's granulomatosis and thought, therefore, that we had the background to organize the meeting. Thus, An International Colloquy on Wegener's granulomatosis and other vasculitides of the respiratory tract took place at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota on 7–9 May 1986. Over 100 physicians and medical scientists from 15 countries were in attendance. As Wegener did not speak fluent English, he needed an interpreter. At the time, a young second-year internal medicine resident, Ulrich Specks, was on my hospital service. He was German and a natural selection for interpreter. For the entire meeting, Ulrich was at Wegener's side providing instantaneous translations giving the audience the impression that Wegener was speaking English. Wegener's brilliance as an analyst came through the translations. Even his wry humor was nimbly transmitted. Without question, Wegener was the star of the show commenting on each paper. At the plenary banquet, again with Specks at his side, he regaled participants with the history of how he uncovered the disease that bore his name. He gave full credit to Heinz Klinger who in 1932 had published a report of a patient with destructive sinusitis, lung abscesses and uremia. Pathologically, there was angiitis with necrotizing granuloma. Klinger called this, 'Grenzformen der Periarterits nodosa'(borderline forms of periarteritis nodosa). In 1934, while completing his medical studies at Kiel, Wegener performed an autopsy on a 38-year-old truck driver with a saddle nose deformity and deafness who had succumbed to renal failure. Pathologically there was generalized angiitis and necrotizing granuloma involving the nose, sinuses, trachea, lung kidney and spleen. Wegener attributed the disease to some kind of sepsis. He was convinced that on both clinical and pathologic grounds, the process was distinct from periarteritis nodosa, a common catch-all term for vasculitis at the time. In Breslau where he followed his chief, Staemmler, he would study two additional cases. On 27 September 1936, with knees shaking (as he told me), he presented his three cases to the German Pathology Society in Breslau. Ten minutes were alloted for his presentation. He was frightened to speak to such an august audience that included the legendary, Ludwig Aschoff. Later Aschoff told him he had described a new disease. His classic paper entitled, 'Über eine eigenartige rhinogene Granulomatose mit besondere Beteiligung des Arteriensystems und der Nieren' [Concerning a unique rhinogenic granulomatosis with particular involvement of the arterial system and the kidneys] an elaboration of his Breslau presentation, appeared in 1939. After the Second World War a few publications appeared that used the term 'Wegener's Correspondence to: RA DeRemee, Mayo College of Medicine, 200 1st Street SW, Rochester, MN 55904, USA. Email: email@example.com Received 17 December 2009; accepted 21 December 2009


Laser Doppler velocimetry, time-of-flight velocimetry, Doppler rotametry, and time-of-flight rotametry are analyzed. The analysis is based on a simplified scheme where only the detector setup is modified. Various measuring setups are described and their advantages and drawbacks discussed.


A review of Hibbertia hirsuta (Hook.) Benth., which is prompted by its recent rediscovery in South Australia, includes a full description and a discussion of the importance of an understanding of the position and number of stamens in a flower to place the species with allied ones. Its affinities to H. dispar Toelken and H. basaltica A.M.Buchanan & Schah. are assessed and its possible cleistogamy discussed.


This paper is concerned with exponential stability in H1 and global existence of solutions in H4 for compressible viscous gas system in a bounded region with an external force and initial conditions as well as bounded conditions.Constructing a energy equation and some inequalities are employed to prove these results


Philosophy is not accustomed to thinking in terms of new dawns or approaching millennia, but among those who are we notice a subtle change in usage. In Britain, where only five years ago it was decreed that henceforth polytechnics were to be known as universities, the trend is no longer to speak of universities and of dons, but rather of higher education and lecturers. We are not sure what higher education is. Whatever it is, though, all over the world there is more and more of it. It is clearly a very busy animal. It has challenges to meet, opportunities to respond to, quality to assure, new types of students to accommodate. It is kaleidoscopic in its diversity and positively protean in its diversity. In this maelstrom of innovation, can universities still exist? Far be it from us to hold that there is some timeless essence to which all universities should conform. Nevertheless, there is a noble idea of a university as an institution of liberal education with no aim other than that of fostering in its graduates that 'true enlightenment of mind which is the power of viewing many things at once as one whole, of referring them severally to their true place in the universal system, of understanding their respective values, and determining their mutual dependence'. As Newman's vision is in some sense a philosophical one, Philosophy is happy to recall it, even at this late stage, simply adding to it Spinoza's proviso that everything excellent is as difficult as it is rare.


During the commitment process, stem cells progressively lose their capacity to self-replicate and acquire the potential to progress along only one of several possible differentiation pathways.' Central to the commitment process is the regulation of the expression of the receptors for lineage-restricted growth factors, which, in the case of erythroid differentiation, is erythropoietin (EPO). The expression of the EPO receptor (EPO-R) is tightly regulated in a lineage-specific fashion. However, little is known about the mechanisms that underlie the erythroid-specific expression of the EPO-R gene. GATA1, the major known transcription factor involved in EPO-R gene regulation,2 is not erythroid-~pecific.~-~ We have studied the regulation of the expression of the EPO-R gene in two related human EPO-responsive cell lines, UT-76 and UT-7 EP0.7 These lines express EPO-R at high levels due to amplification of the endogenous gene that is apparently not rearranged. Treatment for 6-24 hours with the tumor promoter, phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), or 24 hours of growth-factor starvation (EPO or granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)) decreased or increased the levels of EPO-R mRNA, respectively. In the case of growth-factor starvation, the increase (3-fold) in the level of EPO-R mRNA correlated directly with an increase in the rate of EPO-R gene transcription, as measured by run-off assay. Both increases were observed as


In a recent editorial we described the Granada statements as a tool to strengthen pharmacy practice research as a discipline and focus on the appropriate use of terminology, and on the importance of producing impactful abstracts. Here in the second part, we focus on researchers' selection of the most appropriate pharmacy practice journal to submit their work, to promote awareness of these journals among students, and of the importance of including pharmacy practice journal citations to strengthen the discipline, and to consider the role of the European Journal of Hospital Pharmacy (EJHP) for hospital pharmacy development. The Granada statements declare that 'Clinical and social pharmacy practice researchers should prioritise pharmacy practice and social pharmacy journals for some of their 'best' papers and work to ensure the of quality of the publication process considering the specific details of the area, even while seeking wider audiences as appropriate for various components of their work'. Therefore in order to improve the impact factors of pharmacy practice journals it is crucial that researchers, including supervisors and students, publish their high quality, interesting work and also include appropriate citations from pharmacy practice journals. The statements also declare that 'Clinical and social pharmacy practice researchers, while maintaining autonomy, should be aware of the importance of the references they include in their published papers and consider the need to strengthen the discipline and its component journals in their manuscript bibliographies'. In 2019 three EJHP editorials focused on the future research and development of hospital pharmacy. We should move from our traditional role on product, preparation and quality, to a more patient oriented approach, focusing more on the quality of prescribing and development of clinical pharmacy. We also believe EJHP should consider any research focus or methods that produce results relevant to the wide range of practice around hospital pharmacy practice. This is what makes our journal unique. If a research manuscript is of good quality and focuses on these aspects it will be of interest to our readers and be published in our journal. Since being included in PubMed (from 2016) and MEDLINE from 2020 the submission rate has increased dramatically as has the EJHP impact factor, increasing from 0.47 to 2.53, and is nowadays in the top range of comparable journals. We suggest that hospital pharmacists both in and outside Europe consider EJHP as the main journal for publication of their research, and also cite our high quality publications when publishing in EJHP or other journals. This will improve the impact of hospital pharmacy and our journal. We invite letters to the editor on these topics.


Abstract We have found it difficult to implement coulometry on small volumes and yet react the sample quantitatively in a reasonable time. We describe here a simple and satisfactory solution, making use of a commercial ring-disk electrode system.1 A small cup-like cell is constructed with dimensions such that the ring-disk assembly can rotate freely inside it at a small distance from the bottom, as shown in the figure. The ring is used as the counter-electrode, and appears to be acceptable in spite of a much smaller area than the working electrode (the disk). The reference electrode is provided by a capillary connection at the bottom. The capillary is filled with a solution of supporting electrolyte and agar, which in turn is connected through a salt-bridge (containing electrolyte only) to a calomel electrode. The level of the electrolyte in the reference arm is higher than that in the cell, so that a very small positive flow is ensured to prevent contamination of the agar with the sample. The very smooth...


The present invention further includes a method for substantially lattice matching single-crystal III–V semiconductor layers by including boron in the chemical structure of active cells layers in multi-junction solar. Solar photovoltaic devices, i.e., solar cells, are devices capable of converting solar radiation into usable electrical energy. The energy conversion occurs as the photovoltaic-effect which occurs in a cell composed of a p-type semiconductor layer adjacent to an n-type semiconductor layer, here after referred to as p-n junction cell. Solar radiation impinging on a solar cell and absorbed by active region of semiconductor material generates electricity. Therefore, a quaternary material III–V semiconductor BInGaAs has been tested for the application in solar cells [1]. Single layer has been grown lattice matched on GaAs using Metal Organic Chemical Vapor deposition (MOCVD). Optical study has been achieved of B0.0108In0.36Ga0.062As quantum well. At room temperature (300 K) PL study has shown an asymmetric PL band is around 1.19 eV of the emission energies. Based in these experimental results, we have suggested that the band gap energies of BInGaAs QW could be adequate for active cells layers in multijunction solar.


Over the last years, the agricultural sector has faced increasing risks related not only to production activities, but also to climate adversity and a higher frequency of extreme events. These factors, combined with increased price volatility in the markets, have caused greater exposure to risk for farmers. For this reason, risk management in agriculture has taken on an important role within the Common Agricultural Policy. However, in recent years, gradual disaffection of farmers, low penetration of insurance in the arable sector, and a greater need for insurance coverage against market risks have characterised the subsidised risk management system. For all these reasons, starting in 2017, the National Agricultural Insurance Plan has provided new possibilities for covering risks. This paper aims to contribute to the debate on risk management linked to the revenue insurance policy recently adopted in Italy. Using data from the Italian Farm Accountancy Data Network, we simulate the application of the revenue insurance policy with a sample of Italian farms operating in the common and durum wheat sectors. The main findings show that the revenue insurance policy stipulation is, overall, sustainable for both farms and insurance companies.


With rough set theory, the study area is divided into regular grid cells, landslide hazard assessment indexes system and geohazards knowledge representation system and decision table in study area are designed. On this basis, specific algorithms for assessment indexes system optimization and weights confirmation are constructed. So that landslide hazard quantitative scores are calculated,and landslide hazard gradation is classified, that is, high hazard, medium hazard, low hazard and very low hazard four grades. To achieve visualization of assessment results,GIS is used to accomplish zoning mapping. Comparison by information content model and field survey, the results of assessment are verified correct.


Intake valve sticking, created by the accumulation of deposits on the valve stems, caused cold starting problems and engine failures at low temperatures (below + 5/sup 0/C). Sticking was promoted by the high olefin content in gasoline (over 25% FIA). Sticking did not occur if gasoline contained no detergent additives. Some additives even led to sticking while some solved the problem. Engine oils containing polymeric additives promoted sticking. Clearances of intake valve stems and stem seals were probably factors affecting sticking. Tests were made using cars on the road on an urban driving cycle.


Abstract REMOVAL of the bursa of Fabricius, a lympho-epithelial gland, from the chicken will markedly interfere with the production of circulating antibody (Glick et al., 1956; and Warner and Szenberg, 1964). Bursaless birds may be hatched by dipping eggs in ethyl alcohol solutions containing more than 1.28 gm. percent of testosterone propionate (Glick, 1964) or by injecting TP or 19 — Nortestosterone into the fertile egg (Warner and Szenberg, 1964). These chemically bursectomized birds are deficient antibody producers. The characterization of the serum proteins of chemically bursectomized and normal birds was undertaken in this laboratory utilizing a 7% acrylamide gel (Glick, 1967). This manuscript will: (1) present the electropherograms for 3 and 5 week old birds, 2) compare the relative mobilities of the different serum proteins of hormonally bursectomized and normal birds, 3) tentatively identify 8 of the 19 serum protein bands, and 4) offer data suggesting that chemically bursectomized birds contain . . .


Achieving primary stability is of greatest importance, at the time of implant placement. A rigid fixation of implant within the host bone, in absence of micromotion is the most critical factor for successful osseointegration. Over the years, several authors have reported various methods in literature to monitor implant stability, which include, tapping the abutment with a metallic instrument, histomorphometry test, removal torque test, cutting torque test, radiography, periotest, and resonance frequency analysis. Resonance frequency analysis (RFA) offers a clinical, objective way to measure stability and presumed osseointegration of implants. The review focuses on different methods used to assess implant stability and recent advances in this field.


As the use of higher strength and thicker walled pipe becomes more prevalent, the procedures that would normally guard against hydrogen cracking when welding with cellulosic electrodes, become less effective and it has become necessary to investigate the use of alternative low hydrogen consumables. Low hydrogen manual welding processes, suitable for pipeline girth welding, have been available for some time for the lower strength pipe grades, and latterly, for high strength pipelines (up to and including X80). Despite their availability and advantages in terms of reduced crack susceptibility, they have been rarely used in production up to the present time. Basic coated shielded metal arc (SMA) electrodes, suitable for vertical-down welding, are produced by some manufacturers at the strength level required for both the root welding and filling of pipeline girth welds. Self-shielded flux-cored wires (SSFCA) are also available for both root and fill welding, and in addition to the low hydrogen levels, these have the advantage of increased productivity. Both of these processes require different methods of deposition compared to welding using cellulosic electrodes, which necessitates specialized training of welders. It is thought that this, along with doubts concerning the reliability and speed of the processes in site conditions, has made contractors reluctant to adopt them. Furthermore, there was a dearth of independently produced information on the welding production performance of low hydrogen processes.

The objectives of this work was to generate data to enable users to make an informed judgement regarding the practical application of low hydrogen processes. Furthermore, it was intended to develop improved root welding procedures, which had been recognized as being significant process limitation. A further objective of this work was to collect data to permit an informed choice when choosing low hydrogen welding processes for modern high-strength steel walled pipe. The performance of low hydrogen vertical down electrodes (L4VD) and solid and flux cored wires for welding X80 linepipe is assessed with regard to ease of welding, productivity and weldment mechanical properties in comparison to cellulosic electrodes.


Energy distributions of synthetic spectra for Kurucz model atmospheres are compared with observed energy distributions of metal-deficient stars of the blue horizontal-branch (BHB), F-G-K subdwarf (SD) and G-K giant (MDG) types. The best coincidence of the synthetic and observed energy curves is found for BHB stars. The largest differences are found in the ultraviolet wavelengths for subdwarfs and cool MDGs. The influence of errors of effective temperatures, gravities and metallicities is estimated.


Quasimolecular features of excitation processes in K/sup +/--He, Ne, Ar, H/sub 2/, N/sub 2/ and Na/sup +/--He collisions were investigated by measuring the cross sections for the emission of the resonance lines of potassium (lambda = 766.5 and 769.9 nm), sodium (lambda = 589 and 589.6 nm), and helium (lambda = 584 nm) atoms at ion energies in the range 0.5--10 keV. In Na/sup +/--He collisions, the resonance-line excitation functions obtained for sodium and helium atoms exhibit oscillations that are in antiphase and are due to phase interference between the quasimolecular states of the system of colliding particles. Experimental data on K/sup +/--Ar collisions are interpreted in terms of schematic correlation diagrams for molecular orbitals. The excitation mechanisms for K/sup +/--N/sub 2/ and K/sup +/--Ar have beenfound to be similar, and this leads to the conclusion that the quasimolecular model used for the ion-atom case is also valid for the ion-molecule case. It is shown that the excitation of the 4p-state of the potassium atom in the K/sup +/--Ar case is due to a Landau-Zener type of interaction in the region of the quasicrossing of (KAr)/sup +/ terms. Analysis of the excitation of this state in K/sup +/--N/sub 2/ collisions more » also shows that the capture of an electron into the excited 4p-state of the potassium atom is due to a nonadiabatic transition in the region of quasicrossing of energy terms of the same symmetry. « less


Artificial intelligence (AI) development gives a new development direction to the traditional education model. The education reform in the intelligent environment is urgent. Under this background, the theory, methods, and characteristics of intelligent music education are expounded based on traditional piano music education. AI and Internet-based smart piano education is introduced. The characteristics of smart piano and its methods of assisting music teaching are analyzed. Moreover, literature review and questionnaire are adopted based on intelligent music education and smart piano theory. With two universities A and B in Nanjing as the research object, the questionnaire is designed to investigate and analyze the related problems of smart piano-assisted piano basic teaching in detail. The results show that smart piano positively improves skill training and psychological training in piano teaching. Piano major learners believe that smart piano can obviously help beginners and people with low piano levels. However, smart piano is not as good as traditional piano for high-level learners. In actual teaching, teachers should use different strategies for different levels of learners. Regarding curriculum quality, teachers have not fully played the role of the smart piano, and the curriculum of smart piano-assisted basic piano teaching still needs improvement. Finally, corresponding countermeasures and suggestions for the development direction of smart piano in piano music education are put forward according to the current situation of the smart piano. The results can reflect the current situation of smart piano-assisted basic piano teaching, provide a reference for researchers in related industries, and promote the related development of smart piano.


Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) of the duodenum is technically challenging, with a high risk of intraoperative perforation and delayed adverse events [1]. Valuable methods, such as the water pressure [2] and traction-assisted methods [3] have been reported. The DualKnife retracts with 0.1mm left outside the sheath (▶Fig. 1). This feature is useful for marking and hemostasis [4]. There is a risk of perforation when the submucosal layer is dissected using a knife facing the muscle layer. We report that safe and effective dissection was possible with the retracted DualKnife and traction assistance. A 71-year-old man presented with a 20mm type 0-IIc duodenal adenocarcinoma in the second portion of the duodenum (▶Fig. 2). ESD was performed using a therapeutic endoscope (GIF-H290T; Olympus, Tokyo, Japan) and 1.5-mm DualKnife J (KD-655L; Olympus) under general anesthesia (▶Video. 1). A short, small-caliber-tip transparent hood (DH28GR; Fujifilm, Tokyo, Japan) was used. Mucosal incision was made using the underwater and conventional methods. Dissection was performed underwater, with the water pressure method as appropriate. After the full-circumference incision and flap were made, traction toward the opposite side was created with a multi-loop traction device (Boston Scientific, Marlborough, Massachusetts, United States). When the knife faced the muscle layer or the scope was unstable, the submucosa was dissected with a retracted knife (▶Fig. 3). The submucosa can be effectively dissected with a light touch of the retracted knife under proper traction. The risk of intraoperative perforation is reduced because the knife does not penetrate the muscle layer. However, there is a risk of muscle layer coagulation if the knife is pressed hard against the submucosa. En bloc resection was achieved without perforation (▶Fig. 4), and the ulcer was closed entirely with clips to prevent delayed perforation. We demonstrated a safe duodenal ESD with a retracted needle knife. ▶ Fig. 1 Comparison of the tip of the DualKnife J in extended and retracted conditions. When the tip of the knife is retracted, 0.1mm of the tip remains outside the sheath (arrow).


This paper quantifies full-fuel-cycle associated greenhouse emissions from natural gas and electricity using recent data. This information is then used to provide a comparison between typical 'all-gas' and 'all-electric' households. The paper then discusses the implications of the comparison with respect to fuel substitution and new energy loads. In this scenario, the fuels must be considered in terms of their net marginal envirormiental impact. The findings show that natural gas has a 70 to 84 percent marginal greenhouse advantage over electricity in the major gas-consuming states of Australia.


ABSTRACT Achromobacter xylosoxidans is frequently isolated from the respiratory secretions of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, but identification with biochemical tests is unreliable. We describe fluorescence in situ hybridization assays for the rapid identification of Achromobacter xylosoxidans and Alcaligenes faecalis. Both assays showed high sensitivities and high specificities with a collection of 155 nonfermenters from CF patients.


This paper assesses the factors that prompt states to adopt taxes during the twentieth century. We test five explanations of state tax innovation derived from the literature-economic development, fiscal health, election cycle, party control, and regional diffusion-using event history analysis, a pooled cross-sectional time-series technique. While little support is found for the economic development and party control explanations, our empirical results are highly consistent with a political opportunity explanation of state tax adoptions; (1) the presence of a long time until the next election, (2) the existence of a fiscal crisis, and (3) the presence of neighboring states that have previously adopted a tax all create opportunities for politicians to shield themselves from the political costs of supporting a tax increase and are all shown by empirical analysis to increase the probability of a tax adoption. This empirical evidence is consistent across different tax instruments and different periods of analysis throughout the twentieth century.


iTasks is a general-purpose framework for developing web applications. It is implemented in the pure functional programming language Clean. iTasks allows to develop web applications in a task-oriented manner. The idea is that end-users that develop web applications using iTasks should only have to specify what tasks should be accomplished using the web application. The iTasks framework takes care of the technical realization of these tasks. iTasks uses network I/O to communicate with other programs (e.g: browsers) over a network connection. IPC (inter-process communication) is used by iTasks to be able to communicate with programs that are executed on the same computer. This thesis focuses on the network I/O and IPC functionality that is provided by iTasks. This is a small part of the functionality that is provided by the iTasks framework as a whole. More specifically, the network I/O functionality that is provided by iTasks concerns the iTasks HTTP server. The iTasks HTTP server is used to serve the web applications that are developed using iTasks. Furthermore, it involves the functionality that iTasks provides to perform network I/O as an end-user. The IPC functionality of iTasks enables the end-user to execute an external process through an iTasks program. An external process can be seen as any executable computer program. iTasks provides functionality that allows communicating with the external process that was executed through IPC. Like the network I/O functionality, the iTasks IPC functionality involves performing I/O as well. In the existing iTasks implementation, network I/O and IPC are implemented through two separate concepts. Network I/O is based on the concept of I/O multiplexing. IPC is based on a time-based polling concept. This architecture has evolved as iTasks was extended over time but is unnecessary. Having network I/O and IPC be implemented through the same concept makes the iTasks framework more consistent and easier to maintain. In addition, the existing iTasks implementation makes use of blocking I/O operations. This is a limitation because having I/O operations block results in iTasks applications (temporarily) becoming unresponsive. Furthermore, this limits iTasks applications from being horizontally scaled. Horizontally scaling iTasks applications is a future goal of the iTasks project. This would allow iTasks to be used in large-scale projects that require serving a large number of users simultaneously. As part of this thesis project, the iTasks network I/O and IPC functionality was re-implemented such that IPC and Network I/O functionality are both provided through the I/O multiplexing concept. This resulted in a replacement implementation. Providing IPC and network I/O through this concept increases the maintainability and consistency of the implementation as a whole. The replacement implementation is inspired by the libuv library. Libuv provides asynchronous I/O and is used by Node.js and various other projects. In the replacement implementation, the blocking I/O operations are implemented in a non-blocking manner instead. As a consequence, iTasks applications do not block when performing I/O. This is beneficial because iTasks applications can no longer become (temporarily) unresponsive when performing I/O. Furthermore, this is a necessary step for being able to horizontally scale iTasks servers, which is a future aim of the iTasks project. As a result of this thesis, the iTasks network I/O implementation was optimized with the goal of increasing the scalability of iTasks applications. Implementing these optimizations lead to benchmarking the existing iTasks HTTP server and the replacement HTTP server. The results of this benchmark show that the replacement HTTP server scales significantly better than existing one.


Biologically available nitrogen (N) is essential for phytoplankton growth, such that N availability can limit marine productivity and determine phytoplankton community composition. N is supplied to the upper ocean either as (1) "new" N, nitrate mixed up from the ocean interior, augmented by N2 fixation, or (2) "recycled" N, ammonium and simple organic forms regenerated in surface waters. Annually, production fueled by new N is balanced by the sinking of organic matter out of surface waters, maintaining the sequestration in the ocean interior of atmospheric CO2 fixed as biomass (the "biological pump"). The contributions of different phytoplankton groups to total production and carbon export are poorly constrained. Identifying the N sources that support these phytoplankton groups, and understanding their dynamics and physical controls, will greatly improve those constraints. The most productive oceanic regions are associated with eastern boundary currents where the upwelling of cold, nutrient-replete waters stimulates phytoplankton blooms. Diatoms typically constitute the majority of large phytoplankton in these systems, although the exact mechanism for diatom success has never been explicitly demonstrated. To investigate differential phytoplankton N use during upwelling, an upwelling event – and subsequent phytoplankton bloom – was simulated in a mesocosm experiment beginning with Monterey Bay subsurface water. This dissertation presents the first direct evidence that the mechanism by which diatoms come to dominate high nitrate environments is an early acceleration, and subsequent


Introduction Mortality Case mix adjustment by prediction of mortality Organ failure scores Determining ICU induced morbidity Quality of life Practical aspects Complications and adverse events Economic outcomes Ethical issues.


EMS-type urban Maglev vehicles should maintain the levitation within an allowable range of air gap in order to run without touching the guideway. Generally, irregularities in a guideway are generated by manufacture and construction tolerance, as well as by thermal deformation. Though such irregularities of a guideway might influence the curving negotiation and ride quality of Maglev vehicles, there has been a lack of research considering the irregularities of guideway curve. Therefore, an analysis of the dynamic behavior of Maglev vehicles running over a curved guideway that consider irregularities is needed. The goal of this study is to propose a dynamic model considering the irregularities of a curved guideway, and to predict curving negotiation. Since the proposed model is based on 3-dimensional multibody dynamics, it enables more realistic simulation.


The invention relates to a preparation method of a polyimide composite material with high heat conductivity. The method comprises the following steps: preparing electrodes according to the arrangement requirement of heat conduction filler orientation; dissolving monomer diamine in a solvent in which heat conduction fillers are uniformly dispersed, then adding monomer dianhydride with molar ratio equal to that of the monomer diamine, stirring the materials to disperse the materials uniformly and reacting for 4-24 hours to prepare polyamide acid composite material solution; putting the polyamide acid composite material solution between the electrodes, electrifying the electrodes to ensure the orientation of the heat conduction fillers in the electric filed and heating the polyamide acid composite material solution to carry out solvent removal treatment in the heat conduction filler orientation process to prepare a heat conduction filler oriented polyamide acid composite material; and carrying out imidization on the prepared heat conduction filler oriented polyamide acid composite material to obtain the heat conduction filler oriented polyimide composite material. The preparation method has the following beneficial effect: the heat conduction fillers are regularly arranged in the polymer under the action of the electric field, thus preparing the polymer composite material with low heat conduction filler content and high heat conductivity.


There is now substantial evidence that blood monocytes are precursors of certain foam cells in the early stage of atherogenesis' and that the major portion of cholesterol in atheroma is derived from plasma low density lipoproteins (LDL). Macrophages can take up and degrade native LDL but at a rather low rate and generally without marked accumulation of cholesterol.' By contrast, a biologically modified form of LDL, generated by incubation of native LDL with cultured endothelial cells or arterial smooth cells or macro phage^,^ is degraded much faster than native LDL by a high-affinity binding site, the "scavenger receptor," resulting in stimulation of the cholesterol ester deposit in the macrophage. This modification is accompanied by a number of striking changes, including an increase in electrophoretic mobility, an increase in density, a change in phospholipid composition, a degradation of the apoprotein B, and the generation of peroxide^.^.^ Most of the same changes can be induced by oxidizing LDL in the presence of cupric i'ons in the absence of cells? Because the scavenger receptor is not down-regulated, it is necessary to prevent LDL modification. D. Steinberg et al. have shown that in vitro, vitamin E, a free radical scavenger, suppresses LDL modification induced by endothelial cells or cupric solution? They also demonstrated that long-term antioxidant treatment reduces, in WHHL rabbits, LDL uptake in atherosclerotic areas.6 The present study was designed to test the sensibility to copper-catalyzed oxidation of LDL from hypercholesterolemic patients under different treatments including an antioxidant therapy. Twenty hypercholesterolemic men (Fredrikson's type IIA) were randomized in four treatment groups : placebo, fenofibrate (300 mg/d), vitamin E ( 1 g/d), and fenofibrate plus vitamin E. Two months later, LDL (d = 1.019-1.063 g/mL) were isolated from fasting blood plasma by ultracentrifugation and studied as described by Steinberg.' Briefly, each LDL sample was individually labeled with carrier-free 1251; then 200 pg [lZ5I]LDL was incubated at 37°C for 24 h in 2 mL of F-10 medium with 5 pM Cu2+. At the end of the modifying incubation, medium was transferred to a mouse peritoneal macrophage culture at a final concentration of 10


I PROPOSE to give a brief description of the muscles of these two animals together, because I have lately had an opportunity of dissecting them both; and there are some advantages in doing so. My attention has been chiefly directed to the muscles of the limbs'. Though so dissimilar in their habits the two animals are alike in the want of definition between the limbs and the trunk, owing to the manner in which the proximal parts of the limbs, which are short, are enveloped in folds of skin passing over them from the trunk, obscuring their outlines, and limiting the range of their movements. Thus, in both, the skin passes from the side of the body straight across to the elbow, making the forearm to appear the first segment of the limb; and the folds between the digits extend in Orycteropus as far as the second phalanges, and in Phoca even beyond the phalanges. In the case of the hinder limb, the thigh, in Orycteropus, is bent upon the abdomen and obscured by a fold of skin passing from the trunk directly to the knee; while another fold passes from the tail and hinder part of the pelvis, over the back of the leg, and reaches almost to the heel. In Phoca the knees are bent up beneath the abdominal muscles and the two hinder limbs are enclosed with the tail for some distance, in one fold, so as to form a flattened termination to the animal, reminding us, not a little, of the tail of a Cetacean; the wing-like processes of which might seem to be represented by the laterally expanded feet of the Seal. Both the Anteater and the Seal are furnished with long strong claws, those of the Anteater being


The SLP method (Systematic Layout Planning), is an organized technique for planning a distribution, made up of four phases, in a series of procedures to identify, evaluate and visualize the elements and areas to be distributed. The following case study proposes a new installation of Mathfer Services based on the SLP methodology for the optimization of resources with an efficient and safe handling of electrical materials, considering the dimensions and characteristics of the projects, through macrolocation and microlocation, the selection of equipment for handling raw materials and electrical supplies, the analysis and representation of the interaction of activities, the determination of spaces and general distribution, ending with the design and detailed presentation of the new installation of Mathfer Services through AutoCAD software and the presentation of the renderings of the modeling of the installation in the SketchUp software. Emphasizing that the design of an installation is not exclusive to the manufacturing industry, it is applicable to all types of spaces, as in this case, services.


Introducing Java and the Object-Oriented Paradigm. Running Java. Variables and Data Types. Writing and Using Methods (Part I). Writing Methods (Part II). Inheritance. Event-Driven Programming and the Graphic User Interface. Arrays and Vectors. Containers. Applets. Enhancing the GUI. File I/O and Exception Handling. Images, Animation, and Threads. Glossary. Index.


This paper presents the program KALMOD which has been developed to enable the execution of the integration of the Kalman filtering and the numerical groundwater flow model MODFLOW on microcomputers. The program can be applied to quantify and reduce the uncertainty of the groundwater flow model, and to analyse and design groundwater monitoring networks. KALMOD consists of a preprocessor, a processor and a postprocessor. The preprocessor acts as an interface between the user and the processor. The processor manipulates the measurement processes and carries out the filtering tasks. The filtering algorithm is implemented so that it is relatively efficient with respect to computer memory and execution time. The postprocessor was designed to present the model results in graphics. The program is suitable for small scale problems and for educational purposes.


Introduces every facet of Doppler imaging, from the underlying scientific principles to the latest equipment, with details on result interpretation. This text reviews all available methods of signal processing, including audio, multifilter analysis, zero-crossing detection and autocorrelation.


Based on the definition of "the village inside city",the reason why it came into existence was analyzed in the thesis.Aiming at the problems in the land utilization including the disordered distribution,the low efficiency,the imperfect system and so on,and combining the current urbanization process and the reform pattern of the land management policy,the countermeasures that established a scientific land utilization ethics and economical,intensive use of land,the model of the urban and rural integration "Three-in-One" reform measures and so on were put forward from the angle of saving,intensive use and sustainable development.


Abstract. Given a sequence of of finite transitive groups of degree ni, let be the inverse limit of the iterated permutational wreath products . We prove that is (topologically) finitely generated if and only if is finitely generated and the growth of the minimal number of generators of Gi is bounded by for a constant d. Moreover we give a criterion to decide whether is positively finitely generated.


The report deals with the investigation of thrombocyte‐antibodies. By means of an agglutination test 490 sera were tested, and a direct platelet‐Coombs test was performed in addition on 38 patients.


In recent years, the doubly fed induction generator (DFIG)-based wind power generation and high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) transmission are widely utilized in practice. The stability issues of sending AC grid, which is composed of line-commutated converter (LCC)-based HVDC and DFIG system, is worthy of attention. Commutation is an important factor in the impedance model of LCC-HVDC rectifier, due to the nonnegligible leakage inductance of transformer. However, it was overlooked in previous studies because there are many difficulties in modeling commutation overlap characteristic. In this paper, the spectral models of voltage and current mapping functions are proposed by 3-D Fourier series method, in which the commutation overlap angle is considered. Then, based on the concept of harmonic linearization, an analytical model that describes the commutation process is established and validated by simulations. The mechanism that the commutation overlap characteristic affects the impedance model of LCC-HVDC is investigated, and the simplified modeling method in different frequency bands is studied. The stability of sending AC grid is analyzed applying the Generalized Nyquist Criterion (GNC). The results of stability analysis show that the effect of commutation overlap cannot be ignored. The simulation results confirm the correctness of the obtained conclusion.


This study aims to determine the effect of Environmental Performance on Economic Performance at Pharmaceutical companies in Indonesia, used Predeterminated Variable. This research type is quantitative approach, with the population 10 Pharmaceutical companies listing in Indonesia Stock Exchange. The Period of observation is in 2014-2016. The result of the research shows that Environmental Performance has an effect on Economic Performance by including Unexpected Earnings, Profit Margin, Environmental Concern, Firms Size, and Ownership as control variables. Keywords— economic performance, environmental performance, socio-economic environmental accounting


This study was designed to assess the effect of age on haematological parameters in ostrich (Struthio camelus). Ostriches maintained under standard managemental conditions at Post Graduate Research Institute in Animal Sciences, Kattupakkam is used for this study. Ostriches of aged 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 24 – 36 months of age were selected. Blood sample were collected from 42 birds of mentioned age groups. 3 ml of blood were collected from each bird during the cooler parts of the day. 1ml of blood was taken in vials containing 0.5 mg of EDTA (Ethylene Diamine Tetra Acetic Acid) and was later used to estimate Haemoglobin concentration (Hb), Packed Cell Volume (PCV), Total Erythrocytes Count (TEC) and Total Leucocytes Count (TLC) and Differential Count (DC). The study revealed no significant differences among various blood parameters. The findings are comparable with works done by other scientists from other parts of the world.


To explicit the effect of tillage system on grain filling and yield traits of summer maize,the fresh weight,dry weight and volume of kernels during grain-filling period,ear characters and yield in mature period were analyzed under 5 different tillage systems.The results showed that the incorporation of crop residues could significantly improve the kernel fresh weight,dry weight and volume,while the continuous deep plowing(30-35 cm) plus crop residues incorporation could significantly improve the grain yield of maize by 20.5%.


Using the framework of role balance theory, the authors take a cross-national view of an employee's engagement in the work and nonwork domains of life. Employing the World Values Survey (WVS) with a sample of 21,270 married employees from 53 nations, we find cross-national variations in the relationship of employees' degree of work and nonwork domain engagements with their subjective health and satisfaction with life. To explore the impact of the national focus on motivation for economic productivity and innovation, we used a country's global competitiveness index (GCI), predicting that a nation's GCI would moderate the relationship of an employee's work and nonwork domain engagements with both subjective health and life satisfaction. Overall, the results suggest that work–nonwork balance leads to better subjective health and higher life satisfaction only for married employees living in nations high in GCI; for married employees living in countries low in GCI, higher subjective health and life satisfaction resulted for those more highly engaged in nonwork life domains. Theoretical and methodological contributions are discussed, along with implications for future research on national culture concerning work and its impact on employed persons.


This paper first introduces the test profile of Reliability Enhancement Testing(RET) then completed in the past three years, a large number of the implementation results of the RET test were statistically analyzed, given the distribution of the design defect, the last two design defects excitation and elimination process were be detailed explanation, and demonstrated it is exceptionally effective that the RET test inspire and eliminate electronic product design defects.


In an autobiography published in a 1911 issue of the Red Man, a newspaper produced at Carlisle Indian School, Winnebago teacher Angel DeCora wrote: "There is no doubt that the young Indian has a talent for the pictorial art, and the Indian's artistic conception is well worth recognition, and the school-trained Indians of Carlisle are developing it into possible use that it may become his contribution to American art." 1 Throughout her nine years at Carlisle (1906 –15), DeCora repeated versions of this statement in speeches to the National Education Association, the Society of American Indians, the Lake Mohonk Conference of the Friends of the Indian, and Quebec's International Congress of Americanists.2 She also published a similar statement in at least one other Indian school publication.3 DeCora's three points about Indians' inherent artistic talent, the value of Indian art, and its place in American art summarize the strategic and important alternatives she offered to then current perceptions and enactments of Indian art through her own artistic productions and her teaching at Carlisle. Operating from a constrained racial and gendered position, this artist-teacher engaged with white-dominated approaches to Indian art to transform them for her own and future generations. DeCora's alternatives helped enable American Indian survivance and led to a reshaping of the cultural category of American art. "Survivance," a term used by Gerald Vizenor to describe American Indian capacity to combine survival with resistance, was aided at that time—DeCora wrote two decades after the massacre at Wounded Knee and when Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show (1883–1913) was still a fixture in American entertainment—by the seemingly peaceful, non-warlike, qualities of art. AmeriAn Art of Survivance


Dividend behaviour has extensively been reviewed by many researchers from time to time across different countries. Empirical evidences observed in most of the studies reveal equivocal results about dividend theories [Bhattacharyya (2007)]. Since, in absence of any unanimous findings, need for future research has not been restricted, theoretically. In developing countries like Pakistan, where limited research is available on corporate dividend policy, need for future research is more looked for. Most of the available research papers, address only firm specific determinants of dividend policy. Do macroeconomic variables influence corporate financing decisions? The need to address this question is the prime motive of this research paper. Major objective of this paper is to observe dividend behaviour of listed firms in Pakistan under monetary policy restrictions and this is the first attempt of its kind in Pakistan to the best of my Knowledge. This study is very relevant in present scenario since State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has been persistently pursuing restricted monetary policy since 2005 to control inflation. Miller and Modigliani are the focal names when we start thinking about dividend theories. MM theory of irrelevance, as quoted by Van Horne (1998), based upon assumption of perfect capital market, states that dividend policy has no affect upon value of the firm. Nonetheless, when markets are not perfect, as it is, dividend policy does matter and affect value of the firm as both managers and investor favour dividend payments as validated by many researchers.


Mitigation of index of refraction turbulence (IRT) effects is crucial in long-range atmospheric communication links. Diversity-transmission is one favorable way for fading compensation. One of several different diversity concepts is the exploitation of the wavelength-dependent index of refraction of the atmosphere, which leads to ideal stochastically independent fading at different wavelengths, depending on the scenario. This concept is here named wavelength-diversity (WLD). Theoretical analysis and numerical simulation for the strength of this effect are given and verified by experimental tests.


In the review of publications in the «Cardiac Interventions Today» on-line edition (2015; vol. 9) have been discussed such topical issues in interventional cardiology as treatment of acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock and the strategy of antiplatelet therapy after percutaneous coronary intervention.


A great deal of archaic metallurgical slag of silver is stored in a certain region of Yunnan province contains many valuable components,but it is difficult to recover and refine because of its complex composition,so it has never been used effectively.According to the occurrence state of gold in the slag,all-slime cyanidation carbon-in-pulp(CIP) technology is used to reduce the disadvantageous infection of carbon in slag and improve the cyanidation-leaching efficiency effcetively,thus the recovery and unilitization of secondary recources are achieved.


In this paper different design optimizations for implementing a universal sensor interface has been proposed. With those optimizations, the trade off between the measurement accuracy and the flexibility/generality in such a system has been optimized so that the resulting system can have a much wider application range and therefore more usefulness compared with other currently existing solutions targeting similar problems. The system architect is explained in detail and some important implementation circuit blocks are also given. Such a system would more efficiently help ease the process of interfacing sensors and eventually promote the design of smart systems in general.1


SummaryFifty womenwith refractory obesity received fenflura-mine for 20 weeks. Every two weeks details of weightchange, drug dose, degree of anorexia, and any sideeffectswererecordedand plasmawas obtainedforfenflura-mine and norfenfluramine measurements. Of the 41 patients available for final analysis 26 achieved a maxi- Eastern GeneralHospital, EdinburghJ A INNES,MRCP, registrarML WATSON,MRCP, senior house officerMJ FORD,MRCP, medical registrarJ F MUNRO,FRCPED, consultant physicianMARGARET E STODDART, sRD, dietitianServier ResearchInstitute, Greenford, MiddlesexD B CAMPBELL, BSC, MRIC, research director mum plateau dose of 160 mg/day. Plasma fenfluramineconcentrations did not correlate with the degree ofanorexia or with the incidence of side effects other than the severity of dream disturbance. There was a highly significant relation between weight loss and plasmafenfluramine and norfenfluramine concentrations and also between weight loss and the presence of sustainedanorexia. Women who achieved mean plateau concen-


PURPOSE: Hemi-craniectomy is a common surgical procedure which allows the brain to swell and herniate and treat traumatic brain injury (TBI). Long-term consequences of hemicraniectomy calvarial defects result in neurocognitive deficits termed "syndrome of the trephined". We hypothesize that a mouse animal model can be developed demonstrating long-term neurocognitive deficits attributed to a hemi-craniectomy defect.


I will focus upon the arguments of Wang Yang Ming's theory of "Zhi Hsin He Yi"(知行合一) in this paper. Concerning this issue, scholars have proposed various interpretations, pondering whether "Yi Nian Fa Dong Chu" (一念發動處) is applicable to "Zhi Hsin He Yi." For instance, Chen Lai accentuates "Chong Hsin" (重行) and argues that "Yi Nian Fa Dong Chu" is not applicable to "Zhi Hang He Yi." Besides Li Ming Hui suggests that "Yi Nian"(意念) is also an "act" in "Zhi Hsin He Yi" so as to solve the entanglement. Inspired by these researches, I intend to analyze the intricate relationship between "Zhi Hang He Yi" and "Yi Nian." Furthermore, I will reevaluate whether "Shan Nian"(善念) and "Er Nian"(惡念) can be categorized as an "act" in Wang Yang Ming's theoretical framework. Finally, I attempt to assimilate the arguments proposed by Chen Lai and Li Ming Hui while returning to the core principle of Wang Yang Ming's "Zhi Hsin He Yi."


BACKGROUND: Road traffic injuries (RTIs) have emerged as a major global public health problem. However, burden of RTI is not known in Afghanistan. We aimed to estimate and characterize the burden and types of RTIs in Afghanistan. METHODS: Using a cross-sectional study design, 1514 road traffic injured admitted in eight regional/provincial hospitals, were enrolled in the study between June and December 2013. A structured questionnaire was used to interview injured ones or their attendants in emergency rooms to collect data on the causes of accidents. RESULTS: We surveyed 1514 injured and 283 drivers. Mean ± standard deviation age of the patients and drivers were 25.7 ± 14.5 and 32.3 ± 10.4 years respectively. Most accidents occurred on Thursdays/weekends (16.25%). Apparently the proportion of smokers among drivers were 51% (144) while it was 16.5% (247) among injured. Similarly, hashish use was 11% (31) among driver and 1.6% (24) among injured. Cars and motorbikes were involved in 56.4% and 28.3% of cases. Of the injured, 45.3% were pedestrians, 25.7% were passengers, 18.1% were cyclists, and 10.9% were drivers. The reasons for accidents from the injured patients' standpoint were 1.9% due to overloads, 2.8% due to failure to follow traffic signs, 71.6% due to driving over speed limits, 5.6% due to pedestrians on the street, 1.4% due to bad weathers, 7.7% due to bad roads, 8.6% due to poor driving skills and 0.5 % due to poorly maintained vehicles. Lower limb injuries were most common (39.6 %) followed by head injuries (25.1 %). Of all injured, 63.6% were hospitalized, 31.5% were discharged from emergency department, and 4.9% died in the emergency department. The average speed of the vehicles involved in accidents was 59.5 ± 22.10 km/hours. 13% vehicle occupants used seat belts or helmets, and 23.7% vehicles were right-side steering wheel. CONCLUSION: RTIs in Afghanistan mainly involve young men and often involve pedestrians. To reduce the burden of RTIs, considerable attention of various sectors on road safety measures, human factors and vehicles are needed. Conflict of Interest: None declared This article has been peer reviewed. Article Submitted on:1 August 2015 Article Accepted on: 16 October 2015 Funding Sources: The survey was supported technically and financially by ANPHI while some complementary funds were provided by World Health Organization (WHO) office in Kabul Correspondence to: Dr Khwaja Mir Islam Saeed Address: Afghan National Public Health Institute, Ministry of Public Health, Kabul Afghanistan Email:kmislamsaeed@gm ail.com Cite this article: Saeed KMI, Rasooly MH, Safi N, Alkozai A, Ahadi J. Epidemiologic pattern of road traffic injuries in Afghanistan, 2013. J Pioneer Med Sci2016; 6(1):16-21 match infectious diseases worldwide as a leading source of ill health by the year 2020[9-13]. All age groups are involved in road traffic injuries; however, it affects male at the productive age groups more often. Most accidents occur at evening hours and are more prevalent in crowded public roads involving pedestrians. Careless or poorly skilled drivers who do not pay attention to turning-indicator lights and do not follow speed limits are most common factors responsible for RTIs in India [13]. Travelling in open-back vehicles and/or in overcrowded vehicles and use of alcohol are INTRODUCTION A road traffic injury (RTI) is any injury originating, terminating, or involving a vehicle partially or fully on a public highway [1]. RTIs have emerged as a major but often neglected public health problem of the century [2]. RTIs are estimated to be the fifth leading contributor to the global burden of disease by 2030 [3]. Over 90% of fatal crashes occur in low and middleincome countries with substantial health and economic consequences [4-8]. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that RTIs could


A new brake cable line Laser Marking System,Completely solved in the large-scale production line for different types of products for online automatic question mark,product consistency and production efficiency markers have been greatly improved and guaranteed.


A specific system of difference equations derived from chemical reactions discrete chaotic dynamics (CRDCD) was used for generating visual images. Examples of symmetrical images generated by the proposed method were used to illustrate the impact of different color palettes on the resulting images. The image quality could be improved by applying an interpolation scheme.


Playing is most fun when the end result remains unsure until the last minutes of the game. In team games, this means that both teams have comparable skill levels. When playing for fun, this can be hard to accomplish. Instead, game balancing can be used. We introduce a double layer balancing system for dodgeball. Augmented Dodgeball uses a virtual layer to balance differences in the physical world. In the virtual layer, players can choose their character they wish to play in the game. This contributes in more collaboration and teamwork during the play. In addition, we introduce individual parameters to each player based on their self-assessed skill level. These changes will not be introduced to the players. This allows for a more seamless balancing between player's physical skills without publically labeling the players based on their skill levels.


I MUST first of all expressto you my appreciation of the honour you have conferred upon me in inviting me to comeand addressyou. In thinking over a suitable subject, it occurred to me that "Glycosuria and Diabetes" is one which is of importanceto every practitionerof medicineand one in which there has been a great amount of work done in recentyears. If you read the text-book descriptionsof the diseasediabetes melliiu«, I think you will agree with me that thereis a wantof clearnessin deciding what is and what is not to be included under this heading:thereis not a cleardifferentiationbetween the. symptom glycosuria and the diseasediabetes m.ellitus.


Introduction Progress has been made in diagnosis and treatment of patients with follicular lymphoma who receive their treatment within prospective clinical trials. Due to necessary inclusion and exclusion criteria only a very limited number of patients are treated in studies. Therefore results from clinical trials can't be transferred into routine care. Little practice data are available how patients with follicular lymphoma are diagnosed and treated in routine care and whether improvements in survival are achieved.

Methods A retrospective analysis of all patients with follicular lymphoma who were treated in an oncology group practice in Germany between 1995-2012. Relevant clinical data concerning diagnosis, treatment and survival were transferred from clinical files into a database and analyzed statistically using SPSS and SURVSOFT.

Results 174 patients with a median age of 60 (27-87) were identified. 43.7% were male and 56.3% female. Stage distribution at initial diagnosis was as follows: Stage I 45 patients (25.9%), stage II 23 patients (13.2%), stage III 32 patients (18.4%), stage IV 62 patients (35.6%), in 12 patients (6.9%) initial stage could not be retrieved. 90.8% needed therapy with a median of 2 different therapies (1-12). Regimens most frequently applied were: Rituximab-containing (67.1%), Bendamustine-containig (41.8%), Bendamustine+Rituximab-combinations (39.9%) and R-CHOP (27.8%). 15 patients (9.5%) received radiotherapy only. 13.3% of patients were treated within a clinical trial. 5 and 10 year absolute overall survival was 88.9% and 73.9%. Relative survival after 5 and 10 years was 94.4% and 86.6%. Median overall survival according to stage was 28 years for stage I, median not reached for stage II, 21 years for stage III and 16 years for stage IV. Median relative survival was 17.4 years for stage IV and has not been reached for stages I-III.

Conclusions Systemic treatment of patients with follicular lymphoma in routine care consisted mainly of Bendamustine+Rituximab-combinations and R-CHOP. Employment of the most active chemoimmunotherapies leads to a marked prolongation of survival compared to historical controls and registry data.

Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


This paper proposes a traffic light signal parameters optimization using particle swarm optimization (PSO) for real road network called as Ooe Toroku road network. The main aim of this method is to find out the best traffic light signal parameters, which can solve the traffic congestion on the real road network. The traffic light signal parameters that are optimized are offset, cycles, and splits time of each node of the considered road networks. The considered real road network consists of four junctions/nodes having different time signaling models. In this research, the PSO is attached in Aimsun 6.1 simulator via application interface (API) that is provided by Aimsun 6.1 simulator. The PSO algorithm creates n-particles of traffic light signal parameters and sends them to the Aimsun 6.1 simulator to perform the simulation. The output of simulation will be used to perform the particles evaluation and updating. The experimental results show that the proposed method provides better performance than base-line method (multi-element Genetics Algorithms (ME-GA) based optimization method) which can increase the real and base-line percentage of vehicle flow by about 15.76% and 4.13% of that of real and MEGA, respectively. In addition, the PSO is faster to achieve convergence than base-line method for considered network.


A new pyrimido/6,1-a/-isoquinoline derivative ,/Ref.1 / developed by Hoechst and named Trequinsine has been reported to be a powerful inhibitor of cAMP phosphodiesterase and platelet aggregation having a potency nearly similar to prostacyclin. We synthesized Trequins-in (1), its indole derivative (4) , as well as their precursors (2 3) and subjected them to a study in order to evaluate their effects on haemostasis. Surprisingly they exhibited a modulatory effect only on reactions mediated mainly by thrombin. They inhibited platelet aggregation (ICc:q for Trequinsin: 13 + 2.5 ng/ml, for indole derivatives: 1-3 /ig/ml); 1, 2, 4 enhanced the amidolytic activity of CC-thrombin towards S-2238 substrate within a narrow range of submicromolar concentrations but they did not exert any effect on the activity or the inactivation of Factor Xa and plasmin. Compound 2 proved to be an inhibitor of prostacyclin production of rat aortic tissue (Trequinsin has much less effect) but in contrary to this 3. and 4 exerted an enhancing effect on the total prostacyclin production.


A highly controlled synthesis of single-walled carbon nanotubes requires a clear understanding of the mechanisms involved. However, understanding the role and mechanism of carbon diffusion and dissolution during chemical vapor deposition synthesis still remains a challenge. Our contribution addresses this issue by examining the individual trajectories of carbon atoms in reactive molecular dynamics simulated growth of single-walled carbon nanotubes on supported Ni nanoparticles. We identify carbon atoms participating in surface diffusion, bulk diffusion, and potential carbide formation by observing the dynamic evolution of the system at fixed nanoparticle size and adhesion energy of the nanoparticle to the substrate, at different temperatures, 750, 900 and 1000 K. Nanoparticle saturation with carbon and changes in the catalytic regime determine the transitions between induction, nucleation, and growth stages. From our results at 1000K, we found that due to the lowenergy barrier for surface diffusion, nucleation may occur simultaneously with dissolution before saturation is reached. Induction and nucleation are governed preeminently by bulk diffusion, while growth is by surface diffusion. Additionally, Ni/C ratios were found to be compatible with stoichiometries of known Ni carbides. Here we examine the effect of lowering the synthesis temperature that may have a significant impact in the nanoparticle morphology and consequently on the carbon solubility inside the nanoparticle. [1] Gomez-Gualdron DA, Balbuena PB, Carbon 57 (2013) 198-309


Crop production is still one of the main components of our country's economy. As we move into the next millennium, plant scientists need to accelerate efforts for improving and creating new technologies to cope with the challenges ahead. Biotechnology may enable to achieve this objective by facilitating the adoption of new technologies, increasing productivity and enhancing returns among other factors. In Malaysia, agriculture economy is based on high value crops such as rubber, oil palm, cocoa and timber. The government has set up research institutions according to the needs of these commodities to enhance and develop the respective industries. Biotechnology research and development, thus is carried out mainly in these institutions as well as various universities. The Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) carries out research mainly on food crops, tobacco and ornamental crops. One of the problems addressed by this institute deals with the control of pests and diseases of the major food crops such as rice and fruits. Various approaches have been adopted to tackle this problem among which is the development of resistance through viral coat proteinmediated resistance. The viral coat protein gene can be introduced to the plant by different gene delivery systems. At this stage, attempts at overcoming viral diseases in both rice and papaya are being made by using both the particle bombardment as well as the Agrobacteriummediated gene delivery system. MARDI is also focusing on the postharvest aspects of our local fruits to make them more amenable to export, by studying the various enzymes involved in the ripening process and employing biotechnological tools to delay ripening and increase the shelf life of fruits such as papaya and pineapple. The Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia (PORIM) is currently concentrating research efforts on oil quality, tissue culture and genetic studies. The genetic engineering of oil palm for the production of oil high in mono-unsaturated and free fatty acid content tops the list of the many projects undertaken by this Institute. Work is directed at developing a reproducible transformation system in oil palm to materialize · the research efforts to improve the oil quality. The Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia (RRIM) has adopted a 2-point approach in plant biotechnology, to ultimately improve Hevea with the introduction of useful foreign genes of importance, and the use of tissue-specific promoters to target the genes for expression in the appropriate tissues of the tree. DNA delivery systems have already been developed in Hevea and preliminary results using reporter genes have indicated stable transformation.


Wind perception is crucial for autonomous sailboat which has features of long distance operation. Previously, anemometers based on thermal dynamics, acoustics or cup-vane anemometer have already been widely used, but they are generally large in size. This paper starts with vibration mechanics to develop a new kind of anemometer which is particularly suitable for mini-sized autonomous sailboats. An IMU which is fixed to one end of a non-rigid body, such as spring. The non-rigid body will vibrate if it is exposed to wind field. Physical quantities related to vibration can reflect different wind speeds. We modeled the new design and developed a prototype with a low cost. Experiments are conducted to collect data. Based on curve fitting of the experiment data, the wind speed is estimated with a mean error at 0.35 m/s for measuring range from 0 to 10.7 m/s.


The silicon carbide (SiC) power module is one of the most popular semiconductor devices in industrial applications with the enhanced current rating. In this paper, a 1200-V/200-A SiC three-level (3L) module with neutral point clamped (NPC) topology is designed and validated. Based on the simulation and experiment results, it can be found that the maximum internal commutation loop stray inductance is no more than 40 nH, and the total switching loss can be reduced more than 30% compared with the hybrid 3L NPC module (Si IGBTs+SiC SBDs). Meanwhile, the power loss evaluation demonstrates that the designed 3L NPC module with all-SiC device is more suitable for high-voltage and high-frequency applications compared with its 2L counterpart. In addition, the thermal simulation shows that the maximum junction temperature is less than 120°C when the module operates as a buck converter with $V_{DC}=600\ \mathrm{V}, I_{o}= 150\ \mathrm{A}$, and $f_{s}=100\ \text{kHz}$.


Few books have ever received more damage from illustration than has the Inferno, from Dore's weird and wonderful conceptions. And this because many readers to whom Dante is almost unknown even in translations, have shuddered apell-bound over these terrible representations of tortured humanity, and learned from them to believe that the poet revelled in the expression of cruelty, and lowered the strength of his genius to the mere invention of excruciating torments. Whereas in truth Dante found all his horrors ready made to his hand, as Shakespeare did his plots, and needed all his skill to select the least revolting and present them in an artistic form, rather than to pile up ingenious combinations of pain. There are three main sources from which Dante drew the


For hot galvanizing of single pieces, the goods are dipped after a pretreatment into molten zinc. At the same time, a number of desired, but also undesirable reactions occur on the surface of the steel. Balancing of the individual contributions may help to recognize the major effects and, based thereon, to envisage concrete improvement measures


asymptotic energy ranges. Calculations of σ prod air based on Glauber formalism are made using the input values of the quantities σ, ρ, BI and BR at high energies, with attention given to the independence of the slope parameters, with BR 6 BI . The influence of contributions of diffractive intermediate states, according to Good-Walker formalism, is examined. The comparison with cosmic ray data is very satisfactory in the whole pp energy interval from 1 to 100 TeV. High energy asymptotic behavior of cross sections is investigated in view of the geometric scaling property of the amplitudes. The observed energy dependence of the ratio between p-air and pp cross sections in the data is shown to be related to the nature of the pp cross section at high energies, that does not agree with the black disk image.


This paper describes recent advances in mini blast furnace technology and the driving forces behind renewed interest in feeding low-sulfur hot metal desulfurization in the EAF. Specific operating results are presented when applicable.


Agile software development is an approach to software that focuses on lightweight processes and adaptability to change. The best-known agile methodology is called Extreme Programming. It suggests twelve practices that include iterative development practices, automated unit testing, and pair programming. Extreme Programming is designed for small projects, but has been picked up through grassroots efforts in some large projects in large companies, including Avaya. We studied six such projects in Avaya. We were interested to learn how projects adapted Extreme Programming to their needs, and which of the twelve practices they used. Projects adopted iterative development practices, along with dynamic prioritization of work. Although Extreme Programming downplays architecture, every project retained focus on software architecture. They had mixed success moving to automated unit testing, and most used some form of pair programming. These practices appear to be both beneficial and practical for projects of various sizes in large companies, and we recommend them for those wishing to use agile development practices in large companies.


We report low threshold current, CW operation of an Implanted-Planar-Buried-Heterostructure, GRaded-INdex, Separate-Confinement-Heterostructure laser. Implantation forms the p-n-p-n current-blocking layers and a buried-heterostructure waveguide resulting in high-quality, index-guided laser diodes for photonic circuit applications. 3 figs.


In view of the fact that there are no detailed references at home as to the vertical zoning of air-conditioning water system in high-rise buildings, the paper takes detailed technical and economical contrast to three practicable ways of vertical zoning of air-conditioning water system : I ) employing an upstairs refrigerating system and a plate heat exchanger together ; 2) employing an upstairs refrigerating system and 3) employing a plate heat exchanger in a building . The contrast of the three ways is based on real project cases , in respect of system reliability, operation control, original investment, operation cost. As a result . this paper presents the optimum solution to vertical zoning of AC water system . The authors aim at providing a reference to the HVAC designers .


Flow is an internal state defined as a condition whereby a person is intensively involved in an activity and ignores the time spent and the place that he/she is in. The purpose of this paper is to empirically support strategies that are assumed to facilitate flow experiences among people with intellectual disability using a music intervention program. For this purpose, thirty adolescents and young adults with mild to moderate intellectual disability were randomly selected to participate in a within subject experimental design with four conditions. The results of one way repeated measure ANOVA and its following comparisons in pairs revealed that the participants were unable to sustain flow experience when no optimal challenge was provided for them. However, providing successful optimally challenging musical experiences for these people or stimulating them to look for new challenges by involving them in innovative behaviors are effective strategies to facilitate their flow experiences.


The nature or being of the church needs to be understood as an issue concerning God's relation to the world, more specifically, the relation of nature and grace. Reformed theology in general has tended to keep an absolute distance between Creator and creation. The church viewed as a part of the created order is therefore also ontologically distinct from God. Consequently, the unity of Christ and his church is usually explained in legal terms, as seen in federal theology. In such a context, a sociological model is all that is needed to explain the nature of the church. For example, the metaphor of the body of Christ is understood at best as a reference to the social dynamics and interpersonal relationship in the Christian community. This distancing may be due to its strong emphasis on divine sovereignty. There is concern that too close an identification of God and church would undermine the Protestant principle of solus Christus (Bloesch 2002), or give the church a power it does not possess. The church, therefore, should be seen as no more than an "echo" of the trinitarian life (Gunton 1989).

Keywords:

ontology of the church;
reformed theology, creator and creation;
ontological link to the trinity;
the people of God, for the people of Israel;
koinonia, never a self-enclosed communion


The invention discloses a method for preparing a novel hydrophilic and magnetic mesh organism. The method comprises the following steps: sufficiently stirring polyvinyl alcohol, magnetic powder, active carbon, sodium alginate and water in a certain ratio; mixing the substances uniformly to obtain polyvinyl alcohol sol; adding the sol into saturated boric acid solution which contains 1 to 4 percent of CaCl2 to be washed with water; pouring 1 to 5 percent hydrochloric acid solution for soaking until no bubble generates; immerging gel balls into 1 to 3 percent dilute glutaraldehyde solution; adjusting the pH value of the solution to be 1 to 2 by adding diluted hydrochloric acid; performing a cross linking reaction on glutaric dialdehyde and polyvinyl alcohol for 2 to 4 hours for further solidifying; washing the reactant to be neutral with water; and magnetizing to prepare a hydrophilic and magnetic carrier. The method improves treating load, can realize the in-situ reduction of sludge, accelerates degradation rate of organic pollutant, improves treating efficiency and reduces operating cost.


Objective: To evaluate the antioxidant and antiproliferation activity of phlorotannins(PTs) from S.mcclurei.Method: S.mcclurei PTs were extracted by solvent extraction and separated by ultrafiltration.PTs content and total antioxidant capacity(TAC) were measured by Folin-Ciocalteu colorimetry and phosphomolybdenum method,respectively.Meanwhile,the scavenging activity against DHHP and superoxide anion radicals were determined and MTT was used to test the growth inhibitory effect of PTs on sw579 thyroid squamous cell carcinoma cells.Results: Four different PTs extracts including aqueous fraction retenate(AR) and filtrate(AF) and ethyl acetate fraction retenate(EAR) and filtrate(EAF) were obtained from the ultrafiltration of two different fractions(aqueous and ethyl acetate) of the crude methanol extract of S.mcclurei through a 10 kD MWCO membrane.The total phenol contents of AR,AF,EAR and EAF were 1.672,0.096,1.319 mg and 0.143 mg of gallic acid per gram of dry matter of S.mcclurei.AR had the strongest TAC at the same concentration(3 mg/L) and was equivalent to 2.315 mg/L of GA.All PTs extracts especially AR and EAR had free radical scavenging effects.Their growth inhibitory effects on sw579 thyroid squamous cell carcinoma cells at a low concentration of 4.4 mg/L increased with increasing treatment time and AF had the most potent antiproliferation activity and showed an inhibitory rate of 23.84% after 72 h treatment.Conclusion: S.mcclurei shows potent antioxidant and antiproliferation activities and thus has great potential for exploitation and utilization.


The amount of energy available for consumption is a criterion for economic development of any nation. The necessity to develop alternative energy sources for fossil fuel is evident due to its scarcity, increase in price and non-renewability. The development of energy from biomass is one area among the various energy alternatives that has considerable promise and is receiving attention. The study investigated the effect ultimate and combustion characteristic of homogenous and composite briquettes produced from three agricultural residues in the ratio of 50:50. The results obtained shows that carbon and hydrogen content of composite briquettes are higher than their corresponding homogenous briquettes. The increased in the carbon and hydrogen content led to increase in calorific value of composite briquettes which ranges between 18.77 and 19.28 MJ/kg while for homogenous briquettes is between 17.71 and 19.09 MJ/kg. A graph of calorific value against total hydrogen and carbon contents shows that the calorific values of the briquettes is not linearly related to their total hydrogen contents but directly related to their total carbon content. The coefficient R, which represent the correlation between calorific values and total carbon and hydrogen contents were calculated as 0.9858 and 0.0365 respectively. The combustion characteristics also shows considerable advantage of composting agricultural waste with Enhancing the heating properties of agricultural waste briquettes Olatunde Ajani OYELARAN, Bayode Julius OLORUNFEMI, Olawale.Monsur SANUSI, Adeyinka Oke FAGBEMIGUN, Olusegun Abiodun BALOGUN 78 thermal efficiency and combustion rate of composite briquettes ranging between 25.25 and 31.69% and 1.63 and 1.71 g/min respectively while that of homogenous briquettes ranges between 19.67 and 23.67% and 0.189 to 0.225 g/min respectively. It could be concluded that production of composite briquette of agricultural waste should be encouraged.


Objective To determine the influences of the radioactive sources with different doses on Infinia Hawkeye uniformity correction.Methods The radioactive sources with different doses were prepared,and underwent uniformity calibration test respectively.Results The uniformity calibrations by different sources were not the same,and also the time expended.Conclusion The dose of 20 kcts/s or 30 kcts/s is ideal for the radioactive source.


Although the theoretical resolution for a conventional optical microscope is about 300 nm, it is normally difficult to obtain satisfactory critical dimension (CD) measurements below about 600 nm. E-beam technology has been popular for sub-500 metrology but also has well known limitations. Scanning probe and near-field optical methods have high spatial resolution. Yet they are il-suited for routine CD metrology of high aspect ratio features because of a combination of short working distances and large tips. In this paper we present the concept and initial modeling results for a novel near-field optical probe that has the potential of overcoming these limitations. The idea is to observe resonance shifts in a waveguide cavity that arise from the coupling of the evanescent field of the waveguide to perturbations beneath the waveguide plane. The change in resonance frequency is detected as a change in the transmission of a monochromatic probe beam through the waveguide. The transmitted intensity, together with the appropriate signal processing, gives the topography of the perturbation. Our model predicts that his probe is capable of determining the width of photoresist lines as small as 100 nm. THe working distance is much more practical than other probe techniques at about 100 to 250 nm.


A. Pascal's statement of his wager argument is couched in terms of the theory of probability and the theory of games, and the exposition is unclear and unnecessarily complicated. The following is a 'creative' reformulation of the argument designed to avoid some of the objections which have been or might be raised against the original.