Agaricus brunnescens Peck [=A. bisporus (Lange) Imbach], has been the primary mushroom grown as a farm crop in North American since late in the 19th century. Practices needed to grow the crop originated in France, being passed from one generation to the next which positioned agricultural scientists outside the circle of privileged information. However, early mushroom farmers were confronted by a myriad of unknowns which resulted in crop failures, and slowly a very small segment of the scientific community gained credibility through the help they provided to farmers. Together, the farmers and professional agriculturalists combined to transfer production practices from the art-of-growing into the science-of-growing, although "art" is still an essential component of mushroom growing (Tschierpe and Hartman, 1977; Wuest et al., 1981). National production of 471 million pounds (1980-81) caused the U.S. to continue as the world's leader in total production. This crop was valued at $351 million to farmers who received an average price of $0.745/lb; the price received by Mid-Atlantic farmers ranged from $0.621 to $0.705/lb while farmers in California averaged $0.821/lb (Anon., 1981). The farm retail prices are distinct. Some of the difference is attributable to the laws of supply and demand, losses incurred by retailers due to the short shelf life of fresh mushrooms-3-7 da-and the remainder for packaging, transportation, and handling commissions for intermediaries in the supply chain (Owens et al., 1982; Estes, 1971). Pennsylvania leads the nation, producing 50% of the total crop, with California in second place at 18%. Mushroom farms are located in 26 states-California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin (Anon., 1981). Mushroom farming attracted a significant number of investors during the 1970's. These venture capitalists saw the potential for a meaningful return on investment (ROI). The days of a high ROI were history by 1981 as investors learned that: a) mushroom farming was time and capital intensive; b) the art of mushroom farming was not always available for purchase; c) market establishment occurred in competition with other growers and this affected the selling price. Mushroom farming proved profitable for some investors as it has for the 350 Pennsylvania mushroom farming families, now in their third and fourth generations. Familiar corporate names like Borden, Jones and Laughlin Steel, Clorox, and Green Giant have entered and exited mushroom farming in recent years. National corporate names in the business today include Campbell Soup Company,


A descriptive and cross-sectional study was carried out with the purpose of obtaining the type of malocclusion with the Alexander Discipline in patients from the Orthodontics Clinic of the FMUAQ (from its initials in Spanish). This study included 403 clinical files of patients from the Clinic in 2011. The following information was obtained: the Steiner skeletal class, Angle molar class and canine class. Most frequent were skeletal II with 64.5%, molar class I with 61% and canine class II with 54.8%. The Spearman test was done in order to establish the relationship between the skeletal, molar and canine classes. A non-significant Spearman positive correlation was obtained. The importance of the information obtained is to make health personnel aware of the need for preventative and interceptive treatment to decrease malocclusion problems.


We studied the kinetics of the chlorination of amines by sodium hypochlorite in strongly alkaline aqueous solution. A reaction mechanism compatible with experimental results is proposed and discussed. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


This paper mainly presents noun and verbal group parts of a Turkish sentence generator to produce the actual text from its semantic description In order to concentrate on text generation rather than text planning we assume that the lexicalized semantic description of the text is produced in some way currently given by hand In the generation we need a linguistic theory to describe linguistic resources and also a software tool to perform them in a computational environment We use a functional linguistic theory called Systemic Functional Grammar SFG to represent linguistic resources and FUF text generation system as a software tool to perform them In this paper we present the systemic functional representation and the realization of noun and verbal groups in Turkish sentences


There exist problems with the transportation system for cluster well drilling rig in the entire process of relocation,such as too much time and energy consumption and high costs.Therefore,the train-type integrated transportation system for drilling rig was developed.The rig substructure module as well as all corollary equipment is installed on the wheeled train-type integrated transportation system.The hydraulic power source of the rig is used to drive the hydraulic cylinder to conduct the stretching motion,achieving the fast transportation of the whole rig between cluster well grooves.The disassembly and installment workload is reduced,with high-efficiency relocation and economical and safe operation.The field drilling operation in over 100 wells shows that the average relocation time for the rig installed with the integrated transportation system is no more than 4 hours.Only 4 operators are needed.As a result the comprehensive drilling benefits have been improved remarkably.


treating The biosensor prototype developed and realised within the frame of the AdSWiM Project, in collaboration with the Company Biosensor s.r.l., though the Contract n° 1249024 (CIG ZAC2C3A591), is an analytical platform customized for photosynthetic algae as biological recognition element to detect pathogens and herbicides in wastewater. The instrument (Figure 1) is a portable prototype consisting of a module cell for the insertion of screen-printed electrodes (SPEs) hosting the biological material. The cell is equipped with a LED system (of 350 μmol photons m-2 s-1 of red light at a 650 nm wavelength) which provide algae illumination and measure the fluorescence emission at 680 nm by a photodiode, automatically calculating the fluorescence parameters (F V /F M and 1-V J ) according to the recorded chlorophyll fluorescence profile (Kautsky curves). The red light covers a surface of 1 cm 2 , resulting in highly reproducible measurements averaged over 1000 points. The electrochemical set-up is constituted of a DC voltage supply, which provide a bias potential in the range of ±0.800 V between the working and the reference electrodes, and an amperometer to detect the current intensity variation deriving from the algae oxygen evolution process. The biological module, perfectly sealed, hosts the samples under test. Both static and dynamic operations are allowed thanks to an automatically controlled fluidic system equipped of inlet and outlet connections for the electrolytic/washing solution and sample flow.


Objective To observe the clinical curative effect of calendula injection and its effect on hemorrheology,Plasma NO,ET concentration in aged patients with cerebral infarction.Methods Cerebral infarction patients were treated with calendula injection(40ml/d)for 14 days at the base of the conventional treatment.Results There was significant improvement in the indexes of hemorrheology,plasma NO and ET levels after the treatment of calendula injection in patients with cerebral infarction(P0.05).Conclusion Calendula injection can lower blood viscosity,decrease harm to endothelial cell and protect the function of brain cells.


In this paper,the splitting principle and characteristics of computer-generated hologram gratings used in optical spectrum instruments are discussed,as the cylinder computer-generated hologram gratings for example,the phase equation,the equation of the fringes and the equation of parameter structure are presented,making of the gratings based on MATLAB is finished.At last,the problem of improving resolution is analysed.


Switching barriers help telecom service providers create intangible restriction before telecom subscribers preventing them from switching to other service providers. This study aims at ranking the switching barriers to identify critical success factors of telecom service providers to retain customers and attain a competitive advantage in the market. The analytical hierarchy process (AHP) is used as a tool to rank the identified switching barriers. The literature review helped in identifying eight crucial switching barriers which were ranked using the AHP method. A pair-wise comparison is made to obtain opinions from 32 experts and consultants in the field of telecom service provider industry to conduct AHP analysis. The AHP is analysed by pair-wise comparisons generated from expert opinions. The research findings helped in understanding the different priorities and corresponding weights of switching barriers which were eventually ranked based on the weights. This study enables the telecom service providers to adopt suitable strategies based on the ranking. This will help telecom service providers retain customers and thereby gain a competitive advantage.


Marked out were the criteria of the positive effects of medical care to patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease, proposed was the technology of expert assessment of quality of care


An efficient and consistent methodology is developed in this paper for the precise evaluation of unknown dielectric permittivity media parameters involved in the design of 3-D waveguide structures. In essence, the selected configuration is numerically solved for a set of predetermined permittivity values by means of a time-domain (herein, the finite-difference time-domain) technique at least twice, depending on the desired level of accuracy. Finally, implementing the Monge–Kantorovich mass transfer problem formulation, the required fields are rigorously evaluated for a broader range of values, as substantiated by the results obtained from various realistic arrangements.


Contemporary people tend to seek regular order within a complicated and fancy form when expressing their individuality. This is also the case for hair design, and thus, geometric forms with visually clear order are useful tools in expressing hair styles. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to suggest a direction for new hair color designs and contribute to development of color designs to express individualities by creating 3-dimensional color works using hair coloring from Mondrian"s new formative characteristics who was a prime painter of geometric pattern and, through this, by completing modern and colorful hair designs within limited colors. The method of the study was to select Mondrian"s 4 works representing his new formative characteristics and used 3 primary colors which are red, yellow and blue and 3 achromatic colors which are white, grey and black. Study performed future-oriented hair cuts which can make geometric patterns and colors stand out by using vertical and horizontal lines and created 4 works which can be utilized in development of hair designs with foil work technique using hair manicure. Work 1 expresses strong image by using red and grey and work 2 displays cheerful and cute image by using blue and yellow colors while work 3 exhibits modern emotion felt in 3 achromatic colors of grey, white and black and work 4 depicts dynamic and colorful image by using 3 primary colors of yellow, blue and red and black which is an achromatic colors. Four works of the above, this study demonstrated that cuts and colors with the motif of Mondrian"s new formative characteristics harmonize with each other and created various images, which are deemed to be utilized in the development of individualistic designs in hairstyling field. This study verified that fine art can be applied to hair designs by creating hair colors with Mondrian"s painting as its motif, which are expected to be used as a basic material for hair designs adopting the paintings as their motifs. In addition to Mondrian"s works, this study also hopes that studies are continuing which utilize the works of other painters who represent other styles as the motifs of hair designs.


A case of submandibular sialolithiasis in a 49-year-old male is presented and used to discuss the published literature on etiological factors, examination, differential diagnosis and treatment options.


A Yb rod amplifier that generates 2.7 ps pulses with 55 W power at 50 MHz repetition rate is reported. Amplified pulses exhibit minimal spectral distortion and high beam quality. Frequency-doubling yields 35 W green power.


A simple algorithm for the construction of the unique Hermite interpolating polynomial (in the special case, the Lagrange interpolating polynomial) is given. The interpolation matches preassigned data of function and consecutive derivatives on a set of points laying on several radial rays. This algorithm is realized in the software package Mathematica.


In order to make higher production speeds possible when making confectionery lollipops a method and a device are presented wherein the separation of the pieces of confectionery takes place by means of a cutting stamp making an up and down movement in the vertical plane and, each time, a piece of confectionery is transferred to a production head in which a partially inserted stick is present already and in which the piece of confectionery is prepressed, whereupon the stick is inserted further into the piece of confectionery during a rotation of the production head to a second position in which, by means of a pressing stamp moving to and fro in radial direction, the subsequent pressing of the lollipops takes place, the production head being rotated thereupon again over a distance to a position in which the lollipop is ejected from the production head.


Recent developments in neuroscience and genetics have suggested that there are biological bases in the field of positive psychology as well as pathology-oriented psychology and neuropsychiatry. However, psychologists, psychiatrists, and scientists have little knowledges of the biological process by which happiness, well-being, optimism, positive individual traits make people endure stress and enjoy better life. The author provides an outline of neuroscientific and genetic researches on the elements of positive psychology. (Korean J Str Res 2007;15:221 ∼ 225)


This report presents operating conditions and results for the six-ton-per-day Solvent Refined Coal (SRC) pilot plant at Wilsonville, Alabama, for the months of October, November, and December 1977. It summarizes activities for the 1977 calendar year. Three industrially significant coals were processed: A subbituminous Wyoming coal from Amax Coal Company's Belle Ayr Mine (Wyodak Seam); a high volatile Utah bituminous coal from Consolidation Coal Company's Emery Mine (I and J Seam); and a high volatile Indiana bituminous coal from Old Ben Coal Company's No. 1 Mine (Indiana V Seam). The effects of various process variables on SRC yield and quality were determined. These variables included process solvent boiling range, dissolver volume, accumulated solids concentration, and hydrogen sulfide partial pressure. The effects of operating variables on the overall plant solvent inventory balance are also reported. A distributor plate was installed in the dissolver and its effectiveness for maintaining dissolver solids in a fluidized state is discussed. Several filter aid (precoat) materials were tested. A correlation was developed between the volume of wash solvent used to rinse the filter cake and the amount of ash in SRC. A mathematical model for pressure-leaf filter scaleup was developed from the coal processing data obtainedmore » during 1976 and 1977. Centrifugation and antisolvent addition were evaluated as potential alternatives to filtration for mineral residue separation. Major changes to the solvent and product recovery systems are also discussed.« less


The effects of slip character in metal polycrystals on the cyclic hardening and softening behaviors were investigated under the multiple repeated tests at two strain levels, and the fatigue lives of copper and α-brass in the double repeated fatigue tests were considered. The main results obtained are as follows: (1) The stress range after changing the strain amplitude approaches gradually to the inherent value of the virgin material for S10C and copper which show a wavy slip mode. On the


The aim of this work is to develop a new numerical computational program for determining the distribution of the shear stress in a complex cross section subjected to the application of a shear force and applications to airfoils, in light to determine the position and the value of the maximum stress, and consequently the determination of the shape factor seen their practical importance. In the general case, there may be two shear forces along the two principal axes of inertia, and consequently two shape factors can be found from those two directions. The calculation of the geometric characteristics of the section is necessary in this case. The discretization is based on the development of a new technique by dividing the upper part of the section in adjacent triangles common at a point to determine the static moment of this part and the length of the band width. The validation of the program is certified by the convergence of the numerical accurate results to those for the circular section. The exact solution exists for the circle. In this case, the relative error for high discretization approaches to zero. The application will be for airfoils, considering their practical interests in the fields of aeronautics and industrial mechanics.


Greedy routing algorithm is the preferred routing algorithm in structured peer to peer protocols because of its efficiency.However,greedy routing algorithm is designed only for routing performance and not take the load of nodes into consideration.This paper proposed a bias routing algorithm for unlimited-routing-state structured P2P protocols.Not like the traditional greedy routing algorithm,bias routing algorithm will select the next hop dynamically according to the variation of load of nodes and routing performance.Simulation results indicate bias routing algorithm can balance the load better than the traditional greedy routing algorithm under guarantee O(logN) lookup performance,so bias routing algorithm can improve the scalability of structured P2P systems.


Hypothesis / aims of study Radiation therapy is used in the clinical management of more than 50% of all cancers. In patients with pelvic malignancies, lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are a common and unavoidable consequence of radiation therapy (1) and this condition is known as radiation-induced bladder toxicity (RIBT). RIBT occurs from direct irradiation of cells within the radiation field and also indirectly, where non-irradiated bystander cells respond to signals released by irradiated cells (2). Bystander signalling may therefore be a significant contributor to the development of RIBT and is the focus of the present study. Radiation causes pathological damage to cells of the bladder wall including the urothelium (3) comprising cell swelling and degeneration with some cells undergoing apoptosis.


A series of isomeric acetyl-(1) and 2,2,2-trifluoroacetyl-azidothiophenes (2) are prepared from 2,3-, 3,4- and 2,5-dibromothiophenes via a one-pot procedure entailing stepwise halogen–lithium exchange and successive reaction of the resulting thienyllithium derivatives with N,N-dimethylacetamide (or N,N-diethyl-2,2,2-trifluoroacetamide) and tosyl azide.


The effects of success and failure on task performance, and attributions about performance, were compared for high and low instrumental college women. For the high instrumental group, success facilitated task performance, whereas failure had no debilitating effect; for the low instrumental group, success had no effect on subsequent performance, whereas failure interfered with it. High instrumental women attributed their success primarily to internal factors and their failures to external tactors (the "egotistical" attribution profile), whereas low instrumentar women revealed the opposite profile. The gender-appropriateness of the task had little effect on performance or attribution. Four potential mediators of these differences were investigated: self-esteem, perceived ability, expectancy of success, and attainment value. High-instrumental women's higher perceived ability and performance expectations accounted for their superior task performance, but none of the four mediators accounted for the relationship of instrumentality to attributions.


F E W concepts have emerged in the recent past that have gripped the attention and stimulated the imagination of textile manufacturers and technologists as much as the concept of automation in textile manufacturing. Although defined in various ways, it has been a subject of textile meetings ranging from local groups to eminent national gatherings. Automation is viewed by some as the mechanical integration of the various steps and functions involved in processing fiber from the bale to the finished yarn. Others restrict the tern1 to automatic control within processing, the measurement and r e y lation by feedback of the quantity or quality of ntateriaf passing tllrougll the machine. The majority probably doesn't bother to differentiate or even define-to most the term represents dramatic developments that hold the promise of better products at lower costs. Automation in textile manufacturing has made progress in both of the abovementioned directions-integration of processes and interprocess control. In early 1961, the Japanese announced and described to the world the first autolnated nlill in which processing from opening to spinning was integrated as if into one nmchine. Since that time, three "automated" mills involving integrated processing have been built, and two others are said to be under construction. Less well known or analyzed are the economics of automation, and herein the concept faces its greatest test. For the textile industry, despite the adverse conlments of some ill-advised critics, is already highly automatic and efficient. Its processing costs and labor requirements have been reduced in many cases to what seem irreducible minima, and its rate of productivity increase has far outstripped that of other industries. In the face of this, what can autonlatioll offer that will improve the economic plight of the textile industry? The answer has yet to be found, and the criterion that will ultimately prevail is whether or not the return on the investment will he justified. Aside from econoinic return, other factors are involved, and nunlerous questions are raised. \Vill automatic h l e opening vastly improve blending of fibers and require smaller mixes? When processes are interlinked as a system, what happens whet1 one strand of fibers breaks or one machine breaks down? Will the flexibility of mills it1 changing products be reduced, or will the specialization undertaken vastly improve the ability of a mill to competitively produce a single type or smaller range of products? Will quality be substantially improved, or improved at all? For the answers to some of these questions, we look to our speakers today. Whatever the answers, and whatever the ultimate manifestation of the concept, it is beyond doubt that the concept of automated processing is indelibly upon the llistory of textile technolow, and that for some time to come it will guide the thinking of etiginccrs hot11 of ~nacliinery protluccrs and mills. William A. Newell, Chairtnalr


All German capitals invested in banking, industrial and trading enterprises in Russia in the form of joint-stock companies and share associations, which were charged by public accounts, were divided into main capitals (joint-stock and shares) and bonded capitals. The first ones, in their turn, can be divided into nine groups according to the form of German capitals" participation in them and their relation to the exponents of these capitals, stocks and shares. Bonded capitals can be divided into six groups according to the participation of the same capitals in them and their relation to the exponents of bond capitals bonds.


The Occurrences of blackout has emphasized the Engineers to enhance the protection schemes. The faulted areas are isolated and therefore the remainder of the areas are protected. During the faulted conditions like Congestion, Over/Under Voltage, Over/Under current, Over/Under Frequency etc, the dimensions and complexity of the facility grid makes the system vulnerable. In this paper Wide area protection scheme is applied to a 400kv Network. For detection and to initiate remedial actions, SCADA alongside Phasor Measurement Unit is applied for Wide Area Protection for robustness of the facility Grid.


A modified Jeffery model involving particle interactions allows the simulation of preferred orientation of crystals and the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility in magmatic flow with up to 40% of rigid particle fraction. Numerical simulations are compared to analogue and natural fabrics. A study of the role of particle concentration shows that the increasing percentage of crystal fraction in dilute suspensions leads to progressive attenuation of the fabric intensity and cyclicity. At high strains in simple shear flow, the lineation converges to a constant value close to the shear plane. With increasing particle concentration, the fabric diverges from the shear direction reflecting the effect of increased crystal tiling. The model can be applied to quantify mineral preferred orientations of crystal mushes in magmatic fabric studies.


Problems in chemical separation and measurement of radiotracer I/sup 131/ and Br/sup 82/ in flowing water were studied. The following procedure is recommended: (1) precipitation and filtration as Ag salt under acid conditions by adding conc. H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/, carrier solution (NaI and NH/sub 4/Br), and AgNO/ sub 3/; (2) addition of acetone to gather adhered Ag salt from the funnel and dry it; (3) solution of the precipitate in Na/sub 2/S/sub 2/ O/sub 3/ solution with NH/sub 4/OH added; (4) gamma counting by a scintillation counter. The yield of radiotracer averaged 95%. The procedure is applicable to concentrations of 0.02 to 100 mu C/m/sup 3/ of water. Water samples with higher activity are measured directiy by either BETA or gamma counting. (A.G.W.)


Public broadcasters internationally are facing challenges from technology, competition in multi-channel environments and criticisms of being out of touch with audiences. Some public broadcasters, such as the United Kingdom's BBC and the 'pillarised' public broadcasting system in The Netherlands, were founded almost a century ago. Their models, based on particular views of the public interest and audiences, now struggle to maintain relevance in rapidly changing, culturally diverse societies. Pure market models do not cater well for the complexities of cultural diversity. Public broadcasters with specific remits to represent diversity, such as Channel 4 in the United Kingdom, Nederlandse Programma Stichting (NPS) in The Netherlands and Australia's Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), although themselves products of specific historical moments and policy contexts, allow for more responsive relationships to multicultural societies. Although traditionally seen as more marginal, these newer models may find themselves central to arguments for ongoing funding of public broadcasting.


A prototype of bispectral passive imaging system designed for the diagnosis of machine systems from their noises is presented. The principle is generalized aiming machine‐system diagnosis and the concrete construction of scanner of a microphone and the details of the signal processings as well as the obtained images are shown. Typical characteristics of the system are as follows: (a) images to be reconstructed, spatial distribution of the degree of interference among three frequency components or spatial distribution of intensity of noises emitted from the object; (b) maximum resolution, 15/f cm where f is the used frequency (f=0.5∠10 kHz); (c) time required to obtain one image, from 30 to 90 min depending on the number of sampling points; (d) display of result, print out on a typewriter or colored display on a TV monitor.


A self-organising model of a macadamia that responds to pruning was created using the Lsystem-based language Lpfg. QuasiMC was used to determine light distribution within the canopy and reaching the orchard floor. Macadamia is an evergreen sub-tropical tree in the family Proteaceae and presents modelling challenges because of the abundance of leaves and multiple axillary buds.


Background: Acne vulgaris (AV) is known as an inflammatory skin condition of the pilosebaceous units. The American Academy of Dermatology issued a widely used conventional acne treatment. However, despite the established therapy, a considerable number of patients rely on self-medication. Individuals seek knowledge about acne from various sources, including social media, which has become a major platform to obtain knowledge for several years now. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of social media on acne care among individuals with AV in Saudi Arabia.
Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among a representative sample of individuals (n = 530) with AV who were aged 18 years and above, with access to social media in Saudi Arabia. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 22.
Results: The majority of the participants were female (77.5%; 411), and nearly half of the participants used social media as guidance for acne treatment (51.9%; 275). Furthermore, social media was the first approach to acne treatment among 78 (28.4%) participants; the most preferred platform was Instagram (54.9%).
Conclusion: The practice of self-medication for AV is prevalent among the Saudi population. Social media has become a source to obtain acne treatment from non-medical posts. These perceptions may influence acne regression or aggravation. Thus, dermatologists need to have a presence throughout social media to gain a better understanding of their patients' views and actions in order to offer answers and disqualify any unrealistic expectations.


Additional immunotoxicity tests as part of a repeat-dose toxicity study have been recommended to improve the quality of immunotoxicity assessments. Present immunotoxicity test guidelines list many tests without concreteness of methods or principles for their use. Due to the different sensitivity and specificity of each assay, numerous different test batteries can produce diverse results and make difficult inter-laboratory comparisons. To help resolve these problems and identify some of the more sensitive tests that might be used, we established immunotoxicity in a rat model using two well-known immunosuppressants and then compared the sensitivity of three important immunotoxicity tests, i.e., measures of T-cell dependent antibody responses (TDAR), ex vivo cytokine production, and immunophenotyping. The results showed that after treatment with cyclosporin A (CsA; 20 mg kg−1 d−1) or triptolide (TP; 0.8 mg kg−1 d−1), production of interleukin (IL)-2, interferon (IFN)-γ, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and the antibody to keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) were significantly inhibited; in contrast, there were only weak or sporadic changes to host histopathology and hematology. With regard to phenotyping, no significant changes were noted in the ratios of CD4+ : CD8+ cells in the treated hosts. Taken together, the results here suggest to us that cytokine production and the KLH TDAR assay are very sensitive parameters to define an agent as immunotoxic, while immunophenotyping and histopathology – while being more expensive/time-consuming – appear to be less sensitive options for an individual assessing the immunotoxic potential of a given test agent.


ABSTRACT The discovery of shallow Miocene gas in southwestern Baldwin County, Alabama, in 1979 has led to an active and successful Miocene exploration program throughout southern Alabama and its adjoining State waters area. Since 1982, when Upper Miocene gas was discovered in the southern portion of Mobile Bay, four Discorbis "12" Interval Zone Dauphin sand natural gas fields have been established in Alabama State waters. The Discorbis "12" Interval Zone generally consist of sediments which accumulated in transitional to inner neritic paleoenvironmental settings. The natural gas productive Dauphin sand usually occurs within 90 m of the top of the Discorbis "12" Biohorizon and was deposited in shallow-marine and relatively high energy beach and nearshore bar deposits. The combined cumulative production from the North Dauphin Island, Northwest Dauphin Island, Northeast Petit Bois Pass, and South Dauphin Island Fields exceeds 66 billion cubic feet of gas. This gas has been produced from depths between 520 to 610 m. Production is from a combination of traps involving sand porosity and permeability pinchouts along regional dip or across anticlinal nosing trends. The hydrocarbon type is methane gas of predominately biogenic origin. Evaluation of relative amplitude seismic data is the primary means of exploring for these Dauphin sand natural gas reservoirs.


In 2004, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention named the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, metropolitan area, in a tie with Miami, Florida, the second highest for new cases of AIDS per capita in the nation. This study uses the Baton Rouge case to suggest improvements to sense-making theory. It posits that complementing sense-making's traditional qualitative approach with quantitative analyses will improve long-term community-based health-promotion campaigns by uncovering HIV/AIDS knowledge gaps that exist between groups and within individuals about their own risk for the disease. As the results show, many similarities were indeed found, but some differences also emerged. This triangulation approach is important in creating health communication messages that are effective with the entire population.


Multimedia has an important role in education, in this case involves the development of knowledge about the world language. Language is a very important factor in the development of the human knowledge. Because the country understand the various languages of the world, it can be easier for us to communicate and can expand our knowledge of other cultures. In scientific writing, the writer wishes to make a Japanese language learning applications using Borland Delphi 8.0, which this program will make the child or the beginner interested in learning Japanese because this application comes with spelling and pictures, to help children and beginners in the introduction of Japanese Language and increased knowledge for children or beginners who want to learn. In this writing, the author uses planning methods include collecting data with the theory derived from the collection of dictionaries and books, Japanese language training, image and voice recording, data processing and analyzing data and incorporation of elements of the text, sound and images contained in the application using Borland Delphi 8.0 software. This Japanese language learning application consists of three pieces of learning that is Introductory Letter, Introduction to Words and Sample Conversation. In this application there is also a matter of practice to determine the extent to which users understand and remember the learning-learning that have been learned from this application.


All major organs may be impacted by the connective disease systemic
lupus erythematosus, a separate risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD). Adhesion molecules like intercellular adhesion molecules (ICAM) and vascular cell
adhesion molecules (VCAM) can detect endothelial damage and dysfunction,
which appear to play a crucial role. This study investigated whether people with
SLE had elevated subclinical and clinical atherosclerosis risk factors. Traditional
CAD risk factors such as smoking, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia cannot entirely explain this elevation. It is thought that immunological dysfunction also increases CAD risk in SLE patients. The study aimed to assess early endothelial
changes in SLE Iraqi female patients without previous coronary artery lesions by
exploring a potential relationship between circulating VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 as
risk factors for atherosclerosis and the relationship of CAD with SLE disease and
its severity; further, the study explained the effect of the hydroxychloroquine
(HCQ) on the lipid profile levels of the patients. 92 female SLE patients were divided into mild, moderate, and severe, according to the SLE disease activity index
2000 (SLEDAI-2k), compared with 30 apparently healthy control individuals. All
of them need a history of CAD. Serum VCAM-1, ICAM-1 level, VCAM-1/ICAM1 ratio, TC, HDL, LDL levels TC/HDL and LDL/HDL ratios were measured.
sVCAM-1, sICAM-1 levels and VCAM-1/ICAM-1 ratio were significantly and
gradually increased in patient groups compared with control. Serum TC, HDL and
LDL levels were significantly reduced in the SLE patients compared to the control.
At the same time, the TC/HDL and LDL/HDL ratios were significantly elevated
with the severity of the SLE disease. sVCAM-1, sICAM-1 level and VCAM1/ICAM-1 ratio together with serum TC/HDL and LDL/HDL may improve coronary artery disease risk categorization in SLE patients without acute coronary syndromes. Furthermore, they were more sensitive in severe SLE instances than in
moderate and mild ones, suggesting that they may be related to the extent of coronary lesions in SLE patients. VCAM-1 had a higher sensitivity than ICAM-1 in
detecting and severity screening for CAD in SLE patients.
Keywords: VCAM-1, ICAM-1, SLE, Atherosclerosis


There has been long-standing interest in developing metal oxide-based sensors with high sensitivity, selectivity, fast response and low material consumption. Here we report for the first time the utilization of Cu 2 O@PNIPAM core–shell microgels with a nanocube-shaped core structure for construction of novel CuO gas sensing layers. The hybrid microgels show significant improvement in colloidal stability as compared to native Cu 2 O nanocubes. Consequently, a homogeneous thin film of Cu 2 O@PNIPAM nanoparticles can be engineered in a quite low solid content (1.5 wt%) by inkjet printing of the dispersion at an optimized viscosity and surface tension. Most importantly, thermal treatment of the Cu 2 O@PNIPAM microgels forms porous CuO nanocubes, which show much faster response to relevant trace NO 2 gases than sensors produced from bare Cu 2 O nanocubes. This outcome is due to the fact that the PNIPAM shell can successfully hinder the aggregation of CuO nanoparticles during pyrolysis, which enables full utilization of the sensor layers and better access of the gas to active sites. These results point out great potential of such an innovative system as gas sensors with low cost, fast response and high sensitivity.


A free-standing polyvinyl-alcohol (PVA)-modified carbon film with good conductivity has been developed and applied in hole transport material (HTM)-free perovskite solar cells. This free-standing carbon film was hot-pressed onto the methylammonium lead iodide-based perovskite layer as the back contact electrode. Adding PVA during solvent treatment is expected to increase the flexibility and conductivity of the carbon electrodes. An HTM-free perovskite solar cell with a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 2.83% was obtained, which is higher than a similar cell prepared without PVA modification. This free-standing carbon-modified PVA electrode has the advantages of a low-cost, simple preparation process and shows great feasibility for the up-scaling of perovskite solar cells.


A simple, rapid, and sensitive spectroflourimetric method was developed for the determination of menbutone. The method is based on measuring the native fluorescence of the alkaline aqueous methanolic solution of the cited drug at its optimum excitation and emission wavelengths at λ em 378 nm, upon excitation at λ ex 300 nm. The method showed good linearity over the range of 0.2-2.0 µg/mL with a detection and quantitation limits of 7.25 and 24.15 ng/mL, respectively. The suggested method was successfully applied to the analysis of menbutone in its commercial veterinary formulations and the results obtained were in good agreement with those given with the manufacturer method. The method was further extended to the determination of menbutone residues in bovine meat and milk, and the results were satisfactory. The recoveries obtained were in the 98.50-102.25% range. No organic solvents were used in the extraction procedures, therefore, the proposed method can be considered as a type of 'green' chemical process.


With the emerging use of IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) standard and BIM (Building Information Modeling) technology in the A/E/C (Architecture/Engineering/Construction) industry, the requirements for more effective collaboration between architects and structural engineers have become even more demanding in the current building design field. This paper presents an information conversion platform from IFC-based architectural model to PKPM (Bopomofo acronym, a Chinese building design software) structural model with the aim to enhance effective collaboration at the design phase. To design the framework of the platform, the PKPM structural model and IFC data model are described and analyzed in the research, and mixed program languages such as C++ and FORTRAN are adopted for developing the platform software. The proposed platform can support automatic information conversion from IFC-format architectural model to PKPM structural model, which includes geometrical information, material information, section information and connection attribute information of building elements. A case study is implemented at the end of the paper to illustrate how to use the platform for information conversion. The platform provides a basic tool for PKPM software to support IFC standard.


We developed the numerical simulation method to analyze a plasma behavior in a magnetic thrust chamber for a laser fusion rocket. Here, we used a laser ablation plasma instead of a fusion plasma because there are many challenges to satisfy the Lawson criterion in inertial confinement fusion. We have used the two-dimensional radiation hydrodynamics code to simulate a laser ablation process and the three-dimensional hybrid code to simulate an interaction between an external magnetic field and an unsteady plasma flow. To validate the accuracy of our numerical simulation code, we compared the ion flux on the numerical simulation with the experimental results. As a result, we succeeded in reproducing the ion flow that has similar speed compared from the experimental result. In addition, we propose the inside irradiation to simulate a condition of a proposed flight model of a laser fusion rocket. As a result, the velocity distributions of a plasma became slower than the outside irradiation method. ∗Graduate Student, Department of Advanced Energy Engineering Science, Kyushu University, Kasuga, Fukuoka, 816-8580, Japan, firstname.lastname@example.com †Graduate student, Department of Advanced Energy Engineering Science, Kyushu University, Kasuga, Fukuoka, 816-8580, Japan ‡Assistant professor, Department of Advanced Energy Engineering Science, Kyushu University, Kasuga, Fukuoka, 816-8580, Japan §Professor, Department of Advanced Energy Engineering Science, Kyushu University, Kasuga, Fukuoka, 816-8580, Japan, AIAA member ¶Researcher, Center for Materials under eXtreme Environment (CMUXE), School of Nuclear Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, 47907, USA ∥Professor, Institute of Laser Engineering, Osaka University, 2-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan ∗∗Associate professor, Institute of Laser Engineering, O3saka University, 2-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan ††Associate professor, The Graduate School for the Creation of New Photonics Industries, 1955-1 Kurematsu-cho, Nishiku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, 431-1202, Japan ‡‡Associate professor, Faculty of Engineering, Hiroshima University, 1-4-1, Kagamiyama, HigashiHiroshima, Hiroshima, 739-8527, Japan 1 The 35th International Electric Propulsion Conference, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA October 8–12, 2017


from7 months to 33 years. The presenting features ofretinal detachment included ocular hypotensionwithorwithoutlens subluxation in 9eyes, subjectivevisual loss in 8 eyes, vitreous haemorrhage in 3eyes, and the observation of retinal detachmentshortly after filtering surgery in 1 eye. Awiderangeof refractive


PAPER on current memory circuit design (see Item 1 under References), which is published in IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ELECTRON DEVICES, has drawn our attention. In this paper, a technique used to suppress the influence of charge injection in switched-current (SI) memory circuits, with an improvement in speed without relying on the matching of device characteristics, has been reported. The objective of this present note is to bring the attention of Lin and Shieh and the readers that the same technique with an identical circuit for an SI memory cell was published much earlier by Wang et al. in March 2000 (see Item 2 under References).


Little seems to be known about the chaotification problem in the framework of fractional order nonlinear systems. Based on the negative damping instability mechanism and fractional calculus technique, this paper reports the onset of chaos in fractional order Lorenz system with periodic system parameters via asymptotically period-doubling cascade. To further understand the complex dynamics of the system, some basic properties such as the largest Lyapunov exponents, bifurcation diagram, routes to chaos, asymptotically periodic windows, possible chaotic and asymptotically periodic window parameter regions, and the compound structure of the system are analyzed and demonstrated with careful numerical simulations. Of particular interest is a striking finding that fractional derivative can chaotify the globally stable periodic system without feedback control.


This paper proposes an adaptive frequency estimator based on the observable canonical form. The signal model is first constructed in the form of the state space representation and transformed into the observable canonical form. The state observer of the signal model is then designed based on the observable canonical form. In addition, the structure of the observer is analyzed in detail with respect to the number of the frequency components. The design of the frequency-related parameters in the observer is also given in a theorem, based on which the adaptive frequency estimator is proposed with three main parts including an adaptive observer, an auxiliary filter and a frequency estimator. The proposed adaptive frequency estimator is finally validated on the simulated voltage signals with different harmonics for power quality monitoring.


In order to improve the stability of cigarette quality manufactured in different locations,factors such as different e- quipments,leaf grouping module were analyzed.Results were then applied to the production of "Hongshancha" cigarette in 7 different locations and the processing quality was improved.


: In regional market of tourist transport services, it is necessary to find new forms of relationships between the market entities, since the currently existing forms are characterized by many negative aspects, and in modern economic conditions they are inadequately effective. As a result of analyzing and carrying out research works on organizational models currently existing in the market of tourist transport services, it has been established that at a regional level that it is expedient to find such a form of relationships between the market entities as consolidation of travel companies and transporters (having specialist vehicles). Such form of consolidation allows for resolving numerous problems arising during the travel catering process, as well as enables travel companies to be more efficient, reduce the number of intermediaries between the market entities, minimize costs and improve the quality of transport services.


In the State Council's ratification it is explicitly supported that Tianjin gradually develops into the center of China's industrial investment fund's national issuance,distribution,management,transaction,information and training.In fact,it provided a basic action orientation for Binhai New Area to establish Private Equity Fund Center of China.Based on the pilot policy advantages,Binhai New Area should consolidate its facilitation in fund raising,registration and other existing strengths.Cooperating with national ministries and large central enterprises,New Area could initiate new type industry funds related to specific industry,plan in advance and use guidance to realize the positive interaction development between financial capital and entity industry,and accelerate the establishment of the national center of private equity investment fund.


The invention discloses a method for preparing sauce for sweet soup, and aims at providing the sauce suitable for preparing the sweet soup. The method adopts the technical scheme that white sugar, sweet-scented osmanthus, and mashed hawthorn are selected to prepare the sauce for the sweet soup. The method for preparing the sauce for the sweet soup, disclosed by the invention, comprises the following steps of: (1) selecting the white sugar and the sweet-scented osmanthus to prepare layered osmanthus sugar, wherein the mass ratio of the white sugar to the sweet-scented osmanthus is 5 to 1; (2) grinding the mashed hawthorn; (3) mixing the osmanthus sugar with the mashed hawthorn, wherein the mass ratio of the osmanthus sugar to the mashed hawthorn is 6 to 4; and pickling for 15-30 days to obtain the sauce for the sweet soup; and (4) packaging the sauce for the sweet soup by a bottle. The technical scheme adopted by the method is convenient to operate; and the sauce for the sweet soup is sour, sweet and delicious, and aromatic in smell, thus being an excellent condiment for preparing the sweet soup.


In the US in general and in Santa Cruz, California in particular there is an intense housing crisis affecting the right to housing for the population. Groups within the society are in conflict about what to do about the crisis. As a participant of the No Place Like Home Project I have analyzed interviews done through Community Based Research. This qualitative research will through a frame analysis examine what frames that can be found among the group of renters and landlords within the housing crisis. This will be done by looking at how problems and solutions are formulated by five landlords and five renters. The purpose is to reconstruct some of the existing frames and contribute to the understanding of how different positions create conflict. The outcome of the research is that it exists a frame conflict within the areas of; housing as a concept, governmental regulation and market crash as a phenomenon. At the same time there are views that fall outside what you generally expect from a landlord versus a renter. (Less)


Objective To investigate the complications of esophageal stenosis treated with domestic self-expanding metallic stent and evaluate the treatment and prevention of complications.Methods The complications of 43 patients with esophageal stenosis treated with domestic self-expanding stent were retrospectively analyzed.Results 43 patients had made significant improvement in dysphagia.Thoracic pain happened in all cases,reflux esophagitis in 4 cases,stent migration in 3 cases,restenosis in 3 cases,massive esophageal hemorrhage in 1 case,food obstruction in 1 case.Serious complications such as perforation and stent-induced death did not occur.Conclusion Stents placement is a safe,simple and effective method to treat the esophageal stenosis.Complications after metallic stent placement for esophageal stenosis are common,but can be treated successfully in most cases.


Abstract Processes that promote the formation of dense cold clouds in the interstellar media of galaxies are reviewed. Those that involve background stellar mass include two-fluid instabilities, spiral density wave shocking, and bar accretion. Young stellar pressures trigger gas accumulation on the periphery of cleared cavities, which often take the form of rings by the time new stars form. Stellar pressures also trigger star formation in bright-rim structures, directly squeezing the pre-existing clumps in nearby clouds and clearing out the lower density gas between them. Observations of these processes are common. How they fit into the empirical star formation laws, which relate the star formation rate primarily to the gas density, is unclear. Most likely, star formation follows directly from the formation of cold dense gas, whatever the origin of that gas. If the average pressure from the weight of the gas layer is large enough to produce a high molecular fraction in the ambient medium, then star formation should follow from a variety of processes that combine and lose their distinctive origins. Pressurized triggering might have more influence on the star formation rate in regions with low average molecular fraction. This implies, for example, that the arm/interarm ratio of star formation efficiency should be higher in the outer regions of galaxies than in the main disks.


Texture is one of the most important approaches to give 3d object reality looks. This paper introduce one method to extract textures based on the stereo image 3d measurement system, which uses the stereo image 3d measurement system to measure a bunch of points 3d information and to extract 2d image as texture synchronically. This method has been applied in practical 3d modeling tasks.


This paper presents a critical thought about the design of the most important components of the Argentine migration policies from 2004-2015, together with the main theoretical approaches which emerged from the different disciplines of the social sciences. This paper shows the growing diversity of data and processes related to the definition of migration policies and the need of analyzing the topics from the perspective of International Relations discipline.


Objective To discuss the effect of anaesthetic laryngoscope in diagnosis and extraction of foreign body in hypopharynx in special people Methods 36 cases in foreign body of hypopharynx that were difficultly diagnosed and taken out were analysed by retrospective research.Results The 36 cases of foreign body in hypopharynx were taken out successfully trenfed with anaesthetic laryngoscope.Conclusion Anaesthetic laryngoscope can be an effective method used to diagnose and take out foreign body of hypopharynx. This method is simple, convenient and has a high rate of success.


This paper examines aspects of knowledge management that are particularly important in the network of human service delivery agencies in Victoria. This network is characterised by four features: it is a cluster of networked organisations; professionals and others may act as knowledge brokers within and between organisations in the network; rapid change in both knowledge and organisation accentuates the importance of innovative knowledge and emergent organisation over and above routine instrumental knowledge within stable organisation; and consequently there is an underlying concern with dialogical rather than instrumental knowledge and its management, and particularly how it constitutes and is constituted by organisation. The paper describes the analytical tools that we consider particularly important in examining this situation – in particular, the distinction between instrumental and dialogical knowledge, and the role of knowledge brokers (and professionals as knowledge brokers). It concludes by relating this analysis to broader issues in organisation studies, and suggests paths for further examination of these issues.


A cell which grows unusually and divides in categorical routine is Cancer and it is a deadly disease. Though it is unfortunate to detect but still it is possible to rectify at initial stage detection. This survey will be dealing with various cancer type and detecting methods available. The major motive of this document is to examine the benefits and difficulty of detection methods available and to study several papers to develop a case study. In a simple way, the term cancer can be explained as mutation of certain cells/genes and or abandoned growth of the cells which leads to some defects. This document will examine the works of various sources and their methods available used to detect cancer.


A 65-year-old man with hypertension presented to the emergency department in cardiogenic shock with retrosternal chest pain and shortness of breath. The electrocardiogram showed sinus tachycardia and inverted T-waves in the anterior leads while ultrasensitive cardiac troponin was positive. Posteroanterior chest radiograph displayed cardiomegaly, a prominent aortic knob, a dilated ascending aorta and main pulmonary artery as well as a right pleural effusion. Moreover, Fleischner's lines (FL) (Panel A, arrowheads) were present in the right inferior lobe. Coronal computed tomography (CT) revealed a thrombus within a right lower segmental pulmonary artery (Panel B, open arrow) with features of the 'reversed halo sign' (RHS) in the wedge-shaped opacity (Panels C and D, white and black arrows, respectively), confirming the diagnosis of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) with distal pulmonary infarction. The patient received systemic thrombolysis with significant improvement and was discharged after 10 days on rivaroxaban. Both FL and the RHS are rare and non-specific findings in patients with acute PE. FL are long bands of focal atelectasis seen in patients with pulmonary infarction, often located at the lung bases and horizontally oriented.1 The RHS is defined as a rounded area of ground-glass attenuation surrounded by a ring of consolidation via highresolution CT.2 Although both FL and the RHS have been occasionally reported alone, they have never been Concomitant Fleischner's lines and reversed halo sign in acute pulmonary embolism: A rare finding


ABSTRACT The surfaces/interfaces effect is vital in nanocomposites. The electro-elastic surface/interface theory is introduced to predict the size-dependent effective elastic constants of piezoelectric composites with spherically anisotropy nano-particles under external uniform strain, and the analytical solution is obtained. New boundary conditions governing the surface piezoelectricity are used to analyze the surface piezoelectricity effect. The average electro-elastic coupling field of the randomly distributed nano-particles with surface/interface effect is derived by using the effective field method. In the numerical examples, the interface effect under different material constituents is analyzed. It is found that the interface effect on the effective elastic constants is significantly related to the material properties of nano-particles. The elastic constants and piezoelectric constants show different effects on the effective elastic constants.


In this study, we describe the effects of changing the magnet shape of permanent magnets (PMs) in a rotor Halbach-array PM generator for reciprocating free piston generator applications. More specifically, the rectangular-shaped magnets were replaced by the trapezoidal-shaped magnets. The initial design, an analytical magnetic field solution of rectangular shaped magnets, is presented and air-gap magnetic flux density and thrust force were estimated. The results were compared to the finite element analysis (FEA) showing excellent agreement. Using FEA, the effect of the shape of the magnets on the flux density and thrust force waveforms is analyzed. Moreover, the proportion of the Halbach array in the machine was optimized by the means of a parametric search. The results obtained from the analytical calculations and FEA were validated by comparing to those of Radial-array PM generator.


A survey was conducted to evaluate the all-English teaching of biochemistry in Tsinghua university.The questionnaire was related to student′s attitude to the course,their evaluation on instructor′s performance and on the outcome of the all-English teaching.The results showed that most of the students think all-English teaching is important and successful.They benefited a lot from the course in which they not only learned the frontier knowledge of biochemistry,but also improved their English.This survey provides evidence to support all-English and bilingual teaching in universities.


Background: the present work has been planned to find out the effect of calcium channel blockers on learning and memory. there are numerous reports indicating that calcium channel blockers (CCBS) impair memory and learning and on the other side there are reports indicating that CCBS improve memory and learning .This contradictory reports led us to investigate the effect of CCBS on memory and learning by taking three different types of calcium channel blockers verapamil, nimodipine and diltiazem. Methods: The methods used were elevated plus maze and novel recognition object tests. Ten groups of animals were treated with CCBS and scopolamine. Both prophylactic and curative studies were carried out. Results: It was evident from our studies that the CCBS effectively antagonized the scopolamine induced cognitive impairment in the paradiagms studied. The inflex ratio and novel object discrimination index also increased indicating decrease in the trancefer latencies. CCBS showed good protection against scopolamine induced cognitive. Conclusions: In our Studies we observed that verapamil was good in prophylactic studies and diltiazem in curative studies.


Employee engagement research to date has proliferated on the conceptualization that engagement is driven by mutable job design characteristics and related socioemotional resources. This essay explores concerns with that conceptualization. For instance, modern engagement research has defined a "work role" with an almost exclusive focus on employees occupying professional roles, largely ignoring broad swaths of population who hold blue- or pink-collar jobs. These concerns are set forth in a discussion of broadening the definition of engagement. We start by describing the key components of the construct of engagement, followed by a discussion of how changes in the modern work role restrict engagement in ways that do not comport with the traditional view. Next, this essay explores three assumptions inherent in engagement's research stream: possibility, availability, and directionality. Finally, key research directions and questions are presented in an attempt to focus research attention on studying engagement from a more inclusive lens.


The purpose of this study was to investigate encouragement experience on breastfeeding of health professionals, and the support in their hospitals on breastfeeding.A questionnaire on breastfeeding was administered to the obstetricians. pediatricians and nurses at the department of pediatrics or obstetrics of university hospital and private hospital in Seoul and Choong-Chung Province in South Korea. Total numbers of study subjects were 346 (pediatrician 67, obstetrician 41, nurse 238).Data was statistically analyzed according to descriptive statistics. Chi-square test and multivariant analysis.The results were as follows: 1. Most of the respondents (93. 6%) had a knowledge regarding breastfeeding which had more advantage than formula-feeding. But their experience to educate the mother about breastfeeding was very limited(34.8%). The major problems were insufficient concern of healthcare professionals. no trained personnels and lack of education programs on breastfeeding.2. Most of the respondents(82%) had learned breastfeeding management in class at the university. But 2/3 of them had not been educated on breastfeeding management after graduation.3. More than half of the hospitals had no breastfeeding education programs. And they recommended the formula-feeding to the mothers.4. Seventy percent of the respondents recognized that breastfeeding information offered to the mothers in their hospitals might help to increase the rate of breastfeeding. But only 40% of hospital had offered breastfeeding information using pamphlets or brochures.In our study, a majority of respondents had not been educated on breastfeeding after graduation. A personal experience in breastfeeding is known predictor of confidence in breastfeeding. Educational programs may have an effect to change the health professionals behavior. Therefore, it is necessary to assist health professionals in obtaining more knowledge about breastfeeding. Continuing education programs to health professionals should be offered by nation and regional organization.


Research of human activity patterns has recently taken on increased attention. This paper presents an analyzing scheme to identify patterns of human behavior based on day-to-day physical activity in the body-worn accelerometer temporal data. Daily activities includes standing, sedentary and stepping are considered in this study. The proposed analyzing scheme is based on mapping data form from non-overlapping time interval into symbolic time series form as in DNA sequence. This mapping is considered to exploit data mining techniques in the similar manner to that used in the DNA analyzing to explore the (dis)similarity behavior in the group of 71 subjects. The obtained results show that the proposed analyzing strategy provides an effective approach to reveal (dis)similarities in the human behavior based on the individual's daily activity attributes.


"synthetical relative effect of light energy" in YY 0068.1-2008,a newly additional item for this occupation standard,helped to ensure the image quality and safety of the endoscope.This article analyzed requirements of 4.6,furthermore,given suggested testing process.It will help the manufactures to comprehend the item better.


Stable levitation with a permanent magnet and a bulk high T/sub c/ superconductor (HTSC) is examined numerically by using the critical state model and the frozen field model. Differences between a permanent magnet and a trapped field magnet are discussed in terms of the levitation force property. The stable levitation region of the HTSC on a ring magnet and on a solenoid coil are calculated using numerical methods. The obtained results are discussed from the point of view of differences in magnetic field configuration. >


Integration of DER in the distribution system with the capacity to operate isolated from electrical power system, have some technical and economic challenges to a sustainable energy supply. We propose a model that include some technical and economic impacts to integrate DERs for security of supply and economic benefit to incentive the invest in isolated mini grid operation.


Type of funding sources: None.

 Malignant arrhythmic storm (MAS) increases mortality more than three-fold according to current data. In the acute setting, besides resolving reversible causes, antiarrhythmics are the mainstay of treatment. The role of suppressing the local sympathetic nervous system activity, using stellate ganglion block (SGB) for example, is still being investigated.

 To show short-term efficacy of SGB in suppressing the ventricular arrhythmia recurrence in MAS. To identify subgroups of patients with better clinical response after SGB.

 All consecutive patients with MAS, with standard treatment failure and ventricular arrhythmia recurrence, treated with ultrasound guided SGB, instilating 7ml of 0,5% Bupivacain.
 58 MAS treated with SGB durin 2017 – 2020. There were 49 men (84,5%), average age 68,7 +/- 11,4, with average left ventricular EF 28,9 +/- 8,43%. There were 17 diabetics (29,3%).

 When we compare the numbers of defibrillations for sustained ventricular tachycardia 48 hours before and 48 hours after SGB, being the primary therapeutic endpoint in MAS, we see a 96,7% reduction (p < 0,001). When we evaluate ventricular arrhythmias treated with both antitachycardia pacing and shocks, then we see 90% reduction (p < 0,001). The effect of SGB in ventricular arrhythmia suppression was statistically significant during the entire follow-up of 8 days.
 When we analyzed the cohort, looking for groups showing better response after SGB in terms of ventricular arrhythmia reduction, the only group showing statistical significance in this regard are patients with diabetes mellitus.

 In our cohort, stellate ganglion block is exceptionally effective in the treatment algorithm of malignant arrhythmic storm. SGB shows significantly higher efficacy in the subgroup of patients with diabetes mellitus. Abstract Figure. VA before and after BSG


An Abu Dhabi offshore field development plan comprises of ERD wells requiring intermediate / production casing depths of up to 23,000 ft with horizontal sail sections of approximately 10,000 ft of length. The original completion design involved drill pipe deployed intermediate completions, followed by a separate upper completion run with anchor latched seals. Over time, operational practices enabled the use of single-trip completions with tubing mounted packers, saving 2 – 3 rig days per well, but introduced some challenges. The objective was to maximize the usage of single-trip completions while continuing to leverage the advantages of an intermediate completion. Additionally, deployment enhancers such as lubricated fluid, low drag centralizers, and / or upsized tubing were included in the design to extend deployments deeper.
 A comprehensive application review was conducted covering the system technical limits during installation and well life cycle operations. Detailed testing and modelling were carried out to understand the impact of deployment enhancers. This paper will provide insight as to the detailed drivers and design of the lubricated fluid and low drag centralizers. Additionally, the strategy for well trials and their successful results will be covered.
 Several enhanced single-trip completion systems were successfully installed, confirming the efficiency gain of 2 – 3 rig days per well in high angle, deep casing ERD wells. The fluid lubrication provided 30 – 50% cased hole friction factor reduction. Additional long term well life cycle efficiencies were achieved, such as OPEX savings during future workover operations resulting from the anchor-latch feature and maintaining the same ID from the production packer down to the liner for future lower completion retrofit without requiring the production packer to be retrieved.
 While single-trip upper completion systems have been used in the past, achieving the two-trip completion system advantages with a single-trip system was not possible before. Additionally, deploying the enhanced system coupled with deployment enhancers has allowed the completion of high angle and deep
 casing ERD wells. Expectations are to extend application of this completion design to even deeper casing depths.


Impact of natural cocoa ingestion on microvascular endothelial function in healthy older adults Michelle L. Harrison1, Kevin M. Christmas1, Amy G. Preston2, Stephen J. Crozier2, R. Matthew Brothers1 1Environmental and Autonomic Physiology Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, University of Texas at Austin; 2The Hershey Company, Hershey, Pennsylvania Aging is associated with a progressive decline in endothelial function that is significantly correlated with increased cardiovascular disease risk. The objective of this study is to investigate the role of natural cocoa (NC) on cutaneous microvascular endothelial function in older individuals. The skin represents an easily accessible vascular bed and evidence is suggesting that changes in the microcirculation may precede overt clinical signs of disease. This study is testing the hypothesis that older individuals will exhibit impaired thermal reactivity in response to a local heating stimulus and that this impairment will be restored following acute NC ingestion (13g NC, The Hershey Company). 11 individuals (68±5 years) were tested on two separate days; they were provided either a NC‐free placebo or a NC‐containing beverage (randomized order, double‐blinded). Cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC) was assessed while the skin was clamped at 34°C and 40°C and values were normalized to a maximal value obtained during 43°C heating for 30 min. This was done pre and 2 hours post NC ingestion. There is a trend for post‐CVC to be increased following flavanol ingestion at both 34°C (Pre: 11±3 % max vs. Post: 14±5 % max; P=0.08) and 40°C (Pre: 58±10 % max vs. Post: 64±14 % max; P=0.10). Our preliminary data suggest that microvascular endothelial function may be improved in older individuals following acute NC ingestion.


Abstract In the not very distant past, many organisations began providing online GNSS data-processing services. Some of these services work on the differential positioning principle and some use precise point positioning. Moreover, these services provide the results for both static and kinematic modes – users only need to specify the mode of processing. In this study, both long-period static and short-period kinematic GNSS data are collected at seven NGS sites and processed using GAMIT, Track and online services. Time series from online processing services show a performance of a few decimetres for static data and sub-metre accuracy for 2 min of kinematic data.


: Libraries are the source of knowledge and sense, but with the growing education branches and new researches, millions of the books are being added to libraries. Manual sorting and placement of these books in shelves is a time consuming and cumbersome process for humans. This often results in incorrect placement of books on shelves.The idea about advanced radio frequency identification (RFID) technology in library automation. The use of RFID technology is a major feature to create a move towards self service operations and other aspects of improving efficiency in library. The disadvantages of current library computerization and the need for new design principles that take advantage of technology such as RFID. The aim of this paper is to find out whether RFID render any significant profits to library management and how these profits reflect to customer approval. In this paper we are using the RFID technology for detecting the books and people based on unique Tag number and Microcontroller will process the data and sends it personal computer side data base in which the data base will be maintained about the person.


The potential unobservability of the yaw angle in the vehicle velocity estimation based on the low-cost GPS/IMU reduces the estimation accuracy. In contrast, the fusion with the GPS course angle (GCA) can significantly rectify the observability of the yaw angle, thus enhancing the accuracy and robustness of the estimations. Because the GCA contains partial attitude information, it is difficult to directly fuse the GCA with the quaternion, which is a deterministic attitude representation. To solve this problem, the vehicle velocity estimation error state equation based on GPS/IMU is firstly built in the vehicle coordinate system. Furthermore, during the measurement update, the prior estimation of roll and pitch angles and the measured GCA are combined to form a pseudo-attitude, which can be used to realize the fusion of the GCA and the quaternion in the error state-space. The vehicle test results indicate that the fusion of GCA substantially improves the velocity estimation accuracy.


Image capture board for the PC We report the design and implementation of a low cost, image capture board for an IBM type personal computer. The board is particularly suited to computer vision education. The board provides: image capture at video rate, random access to xy addressable image data, and options for on-board image processing hardware.


After the Nazi occupation a popular group of victorious Communists was re-evacuated from points east to lead the Ukrainian capital. But an inability to begin reconstruction due to a lack of devoted materials as well as their machinations surrounding the awards of housing and food supplies placed these newly self-fashioned technocrats in constant political jeopardy. Access to their ranks was thus jealously guarded and their decisions to refuse membership dictated by the wars de-politicization of the party rather than the need to toe to the Russocentric and Ukrainocentric language of Soviet Patriotism which dominated the media. Successful control over resources now lay at the heart of Soviet Unions life and thus explains the ideological vacuity of the state in the years ahead.


We present the fractional energy distributions for positive and negative hadrons produced in muon-proton and muon-neutron scattering, and ensuing charge ratios for the photon fragmentation region. Data presented for a center-of-mass energy range $2.8lWl4.5$ GeV and a virtual-photon mass-squared range $0.5\ensuremath{\le}{Q}^{2}\ensuremath{\le}4.5$ ${\mathrm{GeV}}^{2}$ indicate an overall equality of summed structure functions for neutron and proton targets, which exhibit approximate independence of ${Q}^{2}$ and ${\ensuremath{\omega}}^{\ensuremath{'}}$, Implications in terms of quark-fragmentation ideas are discussed.


The device is a complete, 625 line, World System Teletext (WST) decoder on a single chip, requiring only a handful of external passive components, and one or two external memory devices, which can be chosen from a wide range, depending on the desired system storage capability. Capable of working from a composite video signal ranging in voltage from less than one volt, to greater than three volts in amplitude, the device will process the incoming teletext packets according to the register settings, organise the storage of the required packets in the external memory, and when required, display the stored information via the high current RGB outputs.<<ETX>>


The common theme that binds together all the chapters in this dissertation is antibiofouling chemistry. By utilizing tools of surface engineering and molecular inhibition, a hypothesis driven, systematic approach of controlling the different forms of biofoulings such as protein adsorption, mammalian cell adhesion and biofilm formation is presented. Chapter 1 provides a brief introduction about topics relevant for understanding the studies presented in subsequent chapters. Chapter 2 reports the synthesis of enantiomerically pure alkanethiols that terminate with different stereoisomer's of sugar alcohols, and the effect of chirality of these polyol-terminated self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on resisting protein adsorption. Chapter 3 and 4 presents the results on confining adhered mammalian cell (Swiss 3T3 albino fibroblasts) and bacterial (Escherichia coli) biofilm respectively, within micrometer sized cell adhesive patterns of methyl-terminated SAMs, surrounded by bioinert chiral polyol-terminated SAMs. Interestingly, SAMs presenting racemic mixture of enantiomeric alkanethiols were found to confine the adhered mammalian cells or biofilm within the micrometer-sized patterns longer than the SAMs presenting either enantiomer. Chapter 5 presents the synthesis of chiral polyol-terminated alkanephosphonic acids to form SAMs on surface of native metal oxides, particularly TiO2 and Fe3O4, for evaluating the ability of these alkanephosphonate SAMs on TiO2 to resist the adhesion of mammalian cells (Swiss 3T3 albino fibroblasts) and on Fe3O4 to solubilize Fe3O4 (magnetite) nanoparticles in aqueous media. Another approach of controlling biofouling due to biofilm formation is to develop inhibitors for a class of organic molecules called autoinducers secreted by bacteria, which are responsible for regulating bacterial group behavior such as biofilm formation. Chapter 6 reports the synthesis of derivatives of a class of molecules called brominated furanones, which are known to inhibit biofilm formation in E. coli. Chapter 7 reports the synthesis of novel squarate based molecules named squarylated homoserine lactones (SHLs), which are structural mimics of the bacterial autoinducer molecules called acylated homoserine lactones (AHLs). The synthesized brominated furanone derivatives and SHLs were found to be non-toxic to E. coli and were able to inhibit the biofilm formation by the bacterium. Controlling Biofouling by Surface Engineering and Molecular Inhibition by Debjyoti Bandyopadhyay M. Phil. (Chemistry), Syracuse University, 2008 M.Sc. (Chemistry), University of Delhi, New Delhi, India, 2005 B.Sc. (Chemistry), University of Delhi, New Delhi, India 2003 Dissertation Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry. Syracuse University December 2011 Copyright © Debjyoti Bandyopadhyay 2011 All Rights Reserved


The Weibull parametrization of the multiplicity distribution is used to describe the multidimensional local fluctuations and genuine multiparticle correlations measured by OPAL in the large statistics $e^{+}e^{-} \to Z^{0} \to hadrons$ sample. The data are found to be well reproduced by the Weibull model up to higher orders. The Weibull predictions are compared to the predictions by the two other models, namely by the negative binomial and modified negative binomial distributions which mostly failed to fit the data. The Weibull regularity, which is found to reproduce the multiplicity distributions along with the genuine correlations, looks to be the optimal model to describe the multiparticle production process.


In this paper, a novel continuous-time CMOS quantizer suitable for ultra-wideband (UWB) single-bit quantization is presented. The proposed quantizer achieves a −3 dB bandwidth covering the entire FCC UWB spectrum from 3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz with a very high gain of approximately 70 dB. The quantizer is an area-efficient, single-inductor solution designed for TSMC 90 nm CMOS technology with the supply voltage of 1.2 V.


Instead of the traditional research on sustainable development capacity with the conceptual description,on the basic of the establishment of the dual social system this paper made a micro-economics explain and mathematical characterization respectively for the sustainable development capacity r with the theory of EKC.This paper pointed out that the nature of the sustainable development capacity is the rate of the sustainable development level.Through the above analysis we completed the economics explain for he sustainable development capacity.And then this paper pointed out the basic principles of the evaluation for the sustainable development capacity.


Urban trends in Mexico from 1960 to 1980 are analyzed using multivariate analysis techniques. The authors note that the total number of metropolitan regions has increased from 12 to 26 during this period. Differences between the stage in urbanization reached by the Mexico City region and other urban centers in the country are noted. In Mexico City, the authors observe a decline in the population of the central city region coupled with rapid growth in the surrounding municipalities. (SUMMARY IN ENG)


The research in the area of Customer Relation Management (CRM) applied to two prototype studies on learning and mobility offers an opportunity to experiment new multimedia data management, data analysis, and distributed collaboration. Software engineering practices based on cloud technology techniques acquire from the Web what is needed for rapid prototyping and to satisfy the needs of customers for market validation of pricing policies and marketing strategies.


Outdoor and semi-outdoor spaces are important to sustainable cities because they accommodate leisure and activities of citizens, and contributing to urban livability and vitality. In the urban context of climate environments especially in summer, public spaces that provide a pleasurable thermal comfort experience for citizens effectively improve the quality of urban living. Consequently, in this paper, a quantitative field study was applied to investigate outdoor and semi-outdoor thermal comfort conditions in hot and humid tropical climate of Chiang Mai, Thailand. Thermal conditions of both spaces were evaluated based upon the measurement of major climatic parameters, while the thermal perception and thermal acceptability of subjects was captured simultaneously using a questionnaire survey. Meanwhile, the Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET) thermal comfort index was utilized to assess the thermal comfort conditions of selected spaces. The measurement period was conducted during the daytime from 8 am to 4 pm on April within the year 2557 BE, which is the most representative a hottest month of summer in Chiang Mai city.
A total of 296 questionnaires were collected in the outdoor (72.3%) and semi-outdoor (27.7%) urban spaces during the survey, which was carried out on days with suitable weather and avoid rainy days. The majority of the respondents (99.8%) stayed under trees or buildings shaded conditions. The thermal neutrality was derived by solving the simple linear equations for a mean sensation vote of zero, which are determined by analyzing the relationship between the Mean Thermal Sensation Vote (MTSV) and PET values. The results found that, the neutral sensation PET temperatures (MTSV=0) of outdoor and semi-outdoor spaces were 27.1 °C and 28.5 °C PET, respectively. And the acceptable thermal conditions ranges were 31.0-23.1°C PET and 32.0-22.4°C PET, respectively. Compared with the thermal acceptable range between both spaces was found that the thermal acceptable range in different spaces have different thermal requirements in summer, even if they are feeling comfort.


The article shows the relationship between the characteristics of the post-modern society, and the development of media architecture with the function of interactivity. In this context, the duality of the features of post-modern society was emphasized: taking into account its location between creativity and consumerism, as well as on the border between the real and virtual word. The development of media architecture has been linked also to the city development models derived from the Smart City concepts, open to innovation, participation and visualization of data through media solutions. Based on 15 representative cases of solutions in the field of media architecture with an interactive function, the article presents new forms of participation in the city space, depending on the interactive scenario and the type of embedded interfaces. Solutions chosen for analysis play an important role in the night image of the cities, becoming events in commercial spaces - in line with the concept of a city of sensations. The article shows the relationship between the scope of the media solution, the specificity of the interaction, and the vitality of space within the media architecture solutions. The research takes into account the visual effects transmitted on media surfaces and the spatial context of media interactive solutions.


To evaluate therapy for menopausal syndrome with Bushentiaoganfang(traditional Chinese medicine)and changes of Zn,Fe,Mn in blood,Zn,Fe,Mn in blood were clinically analysied on 38 case(from 2003 to 2006)treated with Bushentiaoganfang for 3 months.The result showed that the total efficiency after the treatment was 94.7%,Zn,Fe,Mn in blood was increased after the treatment(P0.01).It concluded therapy on menopausal syndrome with Bushentiaoganfang was effective.


The study aims at college basketball in multilayer and different angles,researching on the development of our basketball in a way of combination of sports and education.By summing up the successful experience,it gives the available reference to impel and innovate the mode of basketball players cultivating.


The new fabrication process for a carbon nanotube (CNT) single-electron transistor (SET) operated at room temperature was proposed using La(NO3)3. The carbon nanotube reacts with oxygen included in La(NO3)3 at high temperature and the defects that worked as tunnel junctions were introduced. For consistency CNT-SET shows Coulomb oscillation and Coulomb diamond characteristics at 300 K. From the simulation, it was found that the newly proposed process introduced three effective defects into CNT, and CNT-SET worked as two islands SET.


ABSTRACT— In nine healthy subjects the i.v. injection of 800 mg of the GABA‐transaminasc inhibitor sodium valproate (SV) was able to suppress serum cortisol significantly when compared to saline. Three and a half hours after the administration of SV, serum cortisol was reduced to less than 50% of the basal value in each of the subjects. Among 17 depressed patients serum cortisol was reduced to less than 50% of basal value 3 1/2 h after SV in only two patients. No difference was found between nine patients with endogenous depression and eight with non‐endogenous depression. The dexamethasone suppression test was abnormal in four out of 17 patients. These four patients had endogenous depression, and also an abnormal response to SV. A positive correlation was found between the effect of SV on serum cortisol, and age (r = 0.55), but not between the percentual decrease of serum cortisol and the severity of depression. The effect of SV on serum cortisol was significantly less pronounced in depressed patients than in controls but no difference was found between patients with endogenous and non‐endogenous depression.


Introduction:
National parks agencies in all Australian States, Territories and the Commonwealth charge individual visitors entrance fees, camping fees, or both. This report summarises fee structures as of mid 2001. It also examines how fees are set, collected and spent. Fees for commercial operations such as tours, and for services such as educational activities, are described in separate reports. All agencies amended their fees in mid 2000 in response to the introduction of a Goods and Services Tax. This report hence supersedes the updated ANZECC review in 2000 (QPWS, 2000), which quotes pre-GST figures.
Entrance fees - overview:
Four of the State and Territory park agencies (WA, SA, NSW, TAS), plus Parks Australia, charge daily entrance fees for public access to some or all of their national parks; three (NT, QLD, ACT) 1 generally do not (Table 1). Entry fees may be charged per vehicle, per person, or both. Some agencies charge fees for all parks, others only for more heavily visited parks. For parks where fees are charged, fees range from$3.00 to $15.00 per vehicle per day, and $3.00 to $6.00 per person per day. Annual passes are also available from all agencies that charge daily entrance fees. Costs range from $17.00 (WA, one park only) to $170.00 (SA, all parks in SA). In addition, one-month passes are offered in WA and SA, two-month passes in Tasmania, and three-day, one-week and two-week passes by Parks Australia.
Entrance fee concessions:
All of the agencies, which charge fees to enter national parks, offer discounts to children, pensioners, school groups and/or coach groups (Table 3). Most agencies also offer discounted rates to clients of commercial tour operators, as described in the companion report on commercial tour permits.
Entrance fee consistency:
TPWS is the only agency that charges a uniform entrance fee for all the national parks under their management. WA CALM and NSW NPWS also charge uniform entrance fees, including holiday and annual park passes, but these do not apply in all parks. Parks Victoria, NPWSA and Parks Australia charge different entrance fees at different parks, but with similar pricing structures.
Fee collection:
For those agencies that collect entrance fees, park passes can be purchased and entrance fees paid in advance at approved outlets such as district offices, information centres, shops and some barge and ferry operators. In most cases, payment can also be made on entering the park at entry stations or visitor centres, by self-registration, or to patrolling Rangers (Table 4).


A Eulerian variational principle for a perfect fluid in general relativity was presented some years ago.' Recently we have generalized this variational principle to deal with fluids having intrinsic s p h 2 Recent papers by Bailey and Israel also deal with spinning fluids in general relativity using a different These papers by Bailey and Israel may be consulted for earlier references to this subject. It is thought that the spin of "particles," protogalaxies, turbulent eddies, or primeval black holes could play an important role in the dynamics of the early universe.'-' Israel, in a brief study, found a solution for a spinning fluid in an anisotropic (Bianchi I) cosmological model.4 In this example the spin induces a Lense-Thirring rotation of the local inertial axis relative to the directions along the spin of the fluid. Further such studies should be carried out to determine how spin can affect the dynamics of the early universe. The general relativistic energy-momentum tensor for a spinning fluid derived in Reference 2 would be an appropriate starting point for such studies. Our main goal in this paper is to generalize our spinning fluid variational principle of Reference 2 to the Einstein-Cartan (EC) theory. In the EC theory spin takes on an important role as the source of the torsion part of the gravitational field. Thus, what we derive in this paper is a fundamental theory, based on a Lagrangian, which introduces spin into the EC theory for a macroscopic spinning fluid. The torsion-spin equation of our theory leads to the Weyssenhoff convective form for the canonical spin tensor, and the energy-momentum tensor has explicit spin-dependent terms. There have been several recent studies of spinning matter in the EC however, none of these studies deduces the field equations of the theory from a Eulerian variational principle such as in this paper. The theories that we studied in Reference 2 and in this paper are based on the work of Halbwachs, who formulated a Eulerian variational principle for a spinning fluid in special relativity.' Reference 1 is a generalization of Halbwachs' theory to general relativity for fluids without intrinsic spin, while Reference 2 is for fluids with intrinsic spin .


Aim: Existing clinical guidelines have not yet identified an optimal duration of maintenance antipsychotic drug treatment for stable, remitted first‐episode psychosis patients. This study compares the perception of relapse risk and attitudes towards maintenance medication among professionals in nursing and social work fields who have direct clinical experience with first‐episode psychosis patients. We explore a perception model that identifies the decision‐making factors in the clinical dilemma between relapse and maintenance.


Deep neural networks (DNNs) have been enormously successful across a variety of prediction tasks. However, recent research shows that DNNs are particularly vulnerable to adversarial attacks, which poses a serous threat to their applications in security-sensitive systems. In this paper, we propose a simple yet effective defense algorithm Defense-VAE that uses variational autoencoder (VAE) to purge adversarial perturbations from contaminated images. The proposed method is generic and can defend whitebox and black-box attacks without the need of retraining the original CNN classifiers, and can further strengthen the defense by retraining CNN or end-to-end finetuning the whole pipeline. In addition, the proposed method is very efficient compared to the optimization-based alternatives, such as Defense-GAN, since no iterative optimization is needed for online prediction. Extensive experiments on MNIST, Fashion-MNIST, CelebA and CIFAR-10 demonstrate the superior defense accuracy of Defense-VAE compared to Defense-GAN, while being 50x faster than the latter. This makes Defense-VAE widely deployable in real-time security-sensitive systems. We plan to open source our implementation to facilitate the research in this area.


Samarium doped Yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) nanopowders with different concentration (0.5%, 1%, 2%, 3%, 5% and 8% mol) were prepared by simple and low cost co-precipitation method. We found that the precursor begins converting to pure YAG at relatively low temperature around 900°C, and no intermediate phases were detected. The powders annealed at 900°C and 1000°C in air with average particle size around ≈30 nm were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and infrared (IR) spectroscopy. The photoluminescent measurements showed that the reddish-orange (RO) emission transition 4G5/2:6H7/2 is more prominent. In addition, the optimum concentration of doped Sm ions that lead to maximum intensity was reported. Also, fluorescence efficiencies as pumping power dependence for different Sm3+ ions concentrations were explored.


This paper presents the work being carried out in Strathclyde University to utilize generic methods for making computer-aided design (CAD) and simulation packages available on the Internet for distance learning and distance collaboration purposes. The system was developed over a 3-year period and has now evolved into a generic resource sharing structure with several features designed for use predominantly in education but also in other environments. This paper provides an overview of the development, illustrates the functionality and use of the system in sharing different applications and for various user-modes, analyses the significance of such systems in educational establishments, indicates the difficulties experienced thus far in implementation and gives a brief overview of the latest version of this development.