The results of an automated visual inspection (AVI) system depend strongly on the image acquisition procedure. In particular, the illumination plays a key role for the success of the following image processing steps. The choice of an appropriate illumination is especially critical when imaging 3D textures. In this case, 3D or depth information about a surface can be recovered by combining 2D images generated under varying lighting conditions. For this kind of surfaces, diffuse illumination can lead to a destructive superposition of light and shadows resulting in an irreversible loss of topographic information. For this reason, directional illumination is better suited to inspect 3D textures. However, this kind of textures exhibits a different appearance under varying illumination directions. In consequence, the surface information captured in an image can drastically change when the position of the light source varies. The effect of the illumination direction on the image information has been analyzed in several works [Barsky & Petrou (2007); Chantler et al. (2002); Ho et al. (2006)]. The changing appearance of a texture under different illumination directions makes its inspection and classification difficult. However, these appearance changes can be used to improve the knowledge about the texture or, more precisely, about its topographic characteristics. Therefore, series of images generated by varying the direction of the incident light between successive captures can be used for inspecting 3D textured surfaces. The main challenge arising with the variable illumination imaging approach is the fusion of the recorded images needed to extract the relevant information for inspection purposes. This chapter deals with the fusion of image series recorded using variable illumination direction. Next section presents a short overview of related work, which is particularly focused on the well-known technique photometric stereo. As detailed in Section 2, photometric stereo allows to recover the surface albedo and topography from a series of images. However, this method and its extensions present some restrictions, whichmake them inappropriate for some problems like those discussed later. Section 3 introduces the imaging strategy on which the proposed techniques rely, while Section 4 provides some general information fusion concepts and terminology. Three novel approaches addressing the stated information fusion problem 5


This report discusses approaches to analysis of safety-critical systems for operator error. The report summarises the existing literature in the area as well as the guidance provided by existing safety-critical system development standards.


The words and images we use in development campaigns tell a story – they amplify some ideas and erase others. Examining girl-focused campaigns, Shenila Khoja-Moolji urges that we ask: what kinds of knowledges about people in the global South are produced in/through these campaigns? What is highlighted and what is erased? What are the consequences of such representations for development policy and practice?


Now a day's traffic jam is a very common problem in all the cities. Every day people spend valuable times uselessly because of traffic jam. We have proposed a system that came up with a solution which can reduce traffic jam dramatically. This is a web based application. People will just check the status of the route they are heading for whether the route consisting medium, heavy or less traffic. Moreover people can check all the alternative routes for the current traffic status that can help them taking decision for a traffic jam free route.


The asymmetric unit of the title compound [Zn8(C16H12N2O4)4(H2O)4]·6C3H7NO, consists of eight ZnII cations, four tetravalent anionic ligands, L 4− (L 4− = 3,3′-(1E,1′E)-(ethane-1,2-diylbis(azan-1-yl-1-ylidene))bis(methan-1-yl-1-ylidene)dibenzene-1,2-bis(olate), four coordinated water molecules and six N,N-dimethylformamide solvate molecules. The coordination complex comprises an octanuclear ZnII unit with its ZnII centers coordinated in two discrete distorted square-pyramidal geometries. Four ZnII atoms each coordinate to two nitrogen atoms and two phenolate oxygen atoms from an individual L 4− ligand and one coordinated water molecule. The other four ZnII atoms each bind to five phenolate oxygen atoms from three different L 4− ligands. In the crystal structure, the ZnII complex unit, coordinated water molecules and dimethylformamide solvate molecules are linked via O—H⋯O and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. Molecules are connected by additional intermolecular O—H⋯O and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming an extensive three dimensional framework.


Analysis of reliability determination methods used in thermoelectricity is carried out. These methods are based on the classical probability theory and have restricted possibilities for a description of reliability of complicated system and dynamic processes. In the present work, more effective means of the random processes theory are used for creation of reliability determination methods. From the random processes theory point of view, reliability parameters of thermoelectric elements and multi-element systems are considered. Possibilities of the random processes theory for determination and prognosis of thermoelectric module reliability have been considered.


TEARS FELL from the Chechen fighter's eyes as he recalled escaping from a Russian minefield by walking on the bodies of friends who had been torn apart by explosions.


Aimed at the characteristics of expressway mechanical and electrical engineering, the lightning damages were analysed combined practise, the lightning protection measures were summarized to prevent the lightning damages caused by equipment during expressway operation.


Our aim was to characterise the relationships between literacy practises developed in Portuguese kindergartens and children's conceptualisations about the functions and nature of written language. The participants were 16 kindergarten teachers and 160 five-year-old children – i.e. a 1:10 teacher/child ratio. We developed an observation grid to characterise their literacy practises. It covers two main aspects of the teachers' work: reading, writing and metalinguistic practises (14 items) and ways of supporting children's attempts to read and write (16 items). It was used by two observers who spent two weeks in the kindergartens. The kindergarten teachers were divided into three groups depending on their literacy practises. In order to characterise the children's conceptualisations about written language, in October and May we assessed both their perceptions of the objectives and functions of written language and their invented spelling. The results show that there are close relationships between literacy practises pursued by the three groups of kindergarten teachers and the children's conceptualisations about written language.


We present a Hubble Space Telescope survey of extended [O iii] λ5007 emission for a sample of 12 nearby (z < 0.12), luminous Type 2 quasars (QSO2s), which we use to measure the extent and kinematics of their AGN-ionized gas. We find that the size of the observed [O iii] regions scale with luminosity in comparison to nearby, less luminous Seyfert galaxies and radially outflowing kinematics to exist in all targets. We report an average maximum outflow radius of ∼600 pc, with gas continuing to be kinematically influenced by the central active galactic nucleus (AGN) out to an average radius of ∼1130 pc. These findings question the effectiveness of AGNs being capable of clearing material from their host bulge in the nearby universe and suggest that disruption of gas by AGN activity may prevent star formation without requiring evacuation. Additionally, we find a dichotomy in our targets when comparing [O iii] radial extent and nuclear FWHM, where QSO2s with compact [O iii] morphologies typically possess broader nuclear emission lines.


A decade has passed since the privatization debates concerning Russia and the other transition economies. This note reviews literature on two issues: the overall institutional change strategy, and the alternatives to and arguments against voucher privatization. The alternative is a strategy of incremental institutional change. Instead of an imagined great leap forward over the chasm between socialism and capitalism, incentives are devised to move people incrementally, but irreversibly, from the existing quasi-reformed institutions towards the ideal institutions. Instead of just negating the de facto property rights of managers and workers, they can arrive at a nearby set of legitimized de jure property rights by moving in the right direction. The market bolsheviks designed the market reforms based on voucher privatization with the exact opposite purpose to deny the de facto property rights accumulated during the communist past, to righteously wipe the slate clean, and to start afresh with formal property rights.


A short and efficient preparation of enantiomerically enriched (80% ee) (-)-serricornine (1), the sex pheromone of the cigarette beetle Lasioderma serricorne F., was developed in 8 steps and 13% overall yield from methyl (R)-3-hydroxypentanoate readily prepared by baker's yeast reduction of methyl 3-oxopentanoate in the presence of allyl alcohol as enzyme inhibitor.


Objective: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) greatly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality. Mounting data has identified the receptor activator of NF-κB (RANK) pathway as an important mediator of the accelerated atherosclerosis and vascular calcification observed in CKD. Here we investigated the role of myeloid RANK in a model of CKD accelerated atherosclerosis and vascular calcification in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice (apoE -/- ). Methods and Results: We used the Lys M promoter to conditionally delete granulocyte and monocyte RANK in atherogenic apoE -/- mice. To induce CKD RANK (flox/flox) LysM (cre/+) Apoe (-/-) (apoE ΔRANK ) and LysM (cre/+) Apoe (-/-) (apoE CTL ) underwent a two-step surgical procedure to achieve 5/6 th nephrectomy. Additional control animals underwent sham surgeries. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels were elevated approximately two-fold in the CKD mice relative to sham-operated mice regardless of genotype. CKD was accompanied by a trend toward lower body weight, as well as slightly elevated circulating phosphate levels at the time of sacrifice. CKD induced a 47% elevation of plasma cholesterol levels in the apoE ΔRANK and apoE CTL mice, with no significant difference in cholesterol levels between the apoE ΔRANK and apoE CTL CKD mice. Interestingly, CKD resulted in elevated triglycerides in apoE ΔRANK mice, but not in apoE CTL mice. CKD mice age 22 and 34 weeks had larger average lesional cross-section areas in the root of the aorta as compared to sham operated mice (p ΔRANK mice were significantly larger than those from apoE CTL CKD mice. In all genotypes and disease conditions we observed very little vascular calcification. Conclusions: These results suggest an atheroprotective role for myeloid RANK signaling in CDK-dependent lesion acceleration.


In many embedded computing systems,energy consumption of processor is a major concern.Several studies have shown that cache memories account for about 30 to 60 percent of the total energy in modern microprocessors.A lower-power dynamically reconfigurable scheme named Tournament cache was presented.By adding three additional counters and a register on the basis of conventional cache structure,the Tournament cache could be configured to be direct-mapped,two-way or four-way set associative according to the statistics results of the counter in the runtime of program to adapt to the needs of different phase of program,thereby resulting in the energy reduction of system.Experimental results show that the cache design can save the energy consumption of over 40 percent,and the performance decline is negligible.


In this paper, a local voltage control algorithm of Distributed Generation (DG) as on-grid inverter was proposed, and its strategies and properties were discussed. It is argued that the maximum voltage appears at the accessing point and thus it is feasible to apply local control of DG. Multi-round local control strategy based on regular time interval is also proposed. Within each round, the voltage is adjusted via controlling the active power and reactive power of DG with respective to the range of voltage limits. Furthermore, a series of damping factor is introduced to increase the stability of the control system. To verify the proposed algorithm, numerical tests are conducted on a case of IEEE 33-Bus DN. The results suggest that a reasonable damping factor will increase the performance of the local control system.


Background: Preterm birth (PTB) is a major cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity. Intrauterine inflammation (IUI) or chorioamnionitis is considered to promote PTB. There is no effective therapy for treating IUI or PTB. Moreover, clinically relevant mechanisms that initiate and propagate IUI remain a fundamental knowledge gap to develop better therapies. Thus, there is a clear need for defining the mechanism for IUI. Activation of IL-1 receptor-associated kinase 1 (IRAK1) is central in engaging immune signaling pathways, including NFkB and MAP …


An analytical model for reflection of a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) using varactors to adjust the reflection phase of an incident plane wave is presented. The model results are compared to a full-wave RIS simulation for different varactor bias voltages. The model is intended to be analytical and simple enough, but related to a realistic RIS, to be inserted into MIMO wireless systems algorithms to estimate the propagation channel including the RIS.


The phenomenon of perceiving alternate word forms upon repeated hearings of the same word has been described by psychologists variously as the repeating word effect or the verbal transformation effect. The purpose of this investigation was to describe the phone‐type substitutions occurring in the alternates perceived by linguists and nonlinguists, native (N) and nonnative (NN) speakers of English during repeated presentations of the word "cogitate" [khadȝɪtheyt]. The stimulus word was recorded once every 0.75 sec onto a 15‐min master tape from a single recording of the word on a sound spectrograph drum. A total of 159 linguists (27 NN, representing 12 different tonal and atonal languages) wrote their perceived alternates to the stimulus word in broad IPA transcription. The 60 nonlinguists (2 NN) wrote their alternates in traditional American orthography; these were later converted to "best‐guessed" IPA by a trained phonetician. The linguists heard an average of 15 different alternates in 15 min; the nonlinguists heard 11. The alternates were coded by the trained phonetician and analyzed by a computer, showing phone substitution and alternate type. Five different alternate types were perceived: nondictionary, dictionary, phrase, clause, and foreign. The stimulus word was considered to contain the 11 phone segments as transcirbed above. The subjects' (Ss) phonetic alternates were coded by feature substitutions for these 11 segments. Evidence for a universal feature detector system is seen in the overwhelming regularity of phone‐type substitutions in alternates of N and NN speakers. All Ss tended to use 11, 12, or 13 phone segments in each alternate. For all Ss, the average alternate contained 50% of the original stimulus phone segments in correct temporal order. The study thus speaks to both a universal feature detector system and to redundancy in speech.


This master thesis, which has been carried out at Expektra, has contributed to design, developmentand implementation of a web based interface for one of their products, Predict Demand. For theimplementation, the project has considered different methods to evaluate their prototype withfooting in human-computer interaction and interaction design. This is valuable when it comes to thedesign and further development process for general user interfaces. The project has also looked atdifferent tools and frameworks to make the implementation more efficient.The result of the design and implementation has at the end of the project been evaluated by two endusers from a reference customer for this service. Even though the number of responses was limitedand therefore of no statistical significance the answers can be analyzed and give input for furtherdevelopment of the interface.The answers from the questionnaire were positive of how the finished design turned out as well asall the different parts that were inquired about. When more customers have joined the service therecan be a new attempt with the questionnaire to be able to get a more comprehensive result.This master thesis has focused on the front-end part which means that no back-end relatedinformation will be covered. One of the early limitations that were decided was to only focus on thelatest version of the Chrome web browser.


Colour and architecture are linked from the origins of constructive practice. Each civilization has expressed messages –without words but with a voice– in their buildings, helping to understand them the strength and the symbolism of colour. This use is maintained in the recent architecture so the uses of colours have to adapt to these days, many of whose values differ from those expressed since ancient times through the history of art. Thus, this text tries to provide some light at the current usage of colour in the international architecture, reeling off some of the examples that illustrate the intended purposes and noting, in conclusion, which are the messages that the XXI century masters want to project in their work when they rely on the use of a given pitch. While certain factors observable in these cases (exclusivity, distinction, luxury...) require to look back into the past, other aspects (iconic character of the building, respect and camoufage with the natural, carefree...) speak the language of the new millennium and are strong expressions of many of the personality traits of developed societies in which these constructions are created.


Crown gall is an infectious disease of plants which may be induced artificially by inoculating with the aid of a needle prick of a drop from an agar culture of Bacterium tumefaciens. Erwin F. Smith, of Washington, who investigated the condition continually for the last 10 years, is of the opinion that the disease is identical with human cancer. Irrespective of the stand one takes in regard to the identity of the two conditions, it must be conceded that there is a great deal of analogy between them. Crown gall as well as cancer is a new growth caused by a continuous, limitless proliferation of a group of cells within a tissue which normally do not proliferate at all. As a result of the rapid proliferation the new cells remain young and undifferentiated. Clinical and experimental evidence indicates that the main biological and therapeutic action of X-rays consists in inhibition of the proliferating power of young undifferentiated cells. In man and vertebrates the mechanism of the action of X-rays on tumor cells is obscured by the changes in the cellular elements of the blood, lymph and the fixed connective tissue cells of the surrounding regions which is always encountered side by side with the changes in the tumor cells themselves. The crown gall, on the other hand, is an ideal subject for the study of the direct biological action of the X-rays on the tumor cells, since there is no other tissue present which may be changed by the rays. For the present study ricinus plants and agar subcultures of Bacterium tzimefaciens were used. The seeds for the former and the primary culture for the latter were obtained through the courtesy of Dr. Erwin F. Smith.


A8 tool steel is often used in wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) to make various stamping dies and drawing dies. The discharge parameters of WEDM equipment affect the surface properties of materials after processing. In this paper, the surface properties of materials including surface hardness, surface roughness and friction factor are studied when the A8 tool steel is processed by different discharge parameters (processing current, pulse width, pulse interval). The results show that the influence of discharge parameters on the surface properties of materials processed are as follows: processing current >pulse width> pulse interval; to obtain a balanced processing surface quality, a combination of parameters of processing current 2.5A, pulse width 16μs, and pulse interval 8μs can be used.


Objective: To optimize separation and purification technology for total steroids of withanolides from effective part of trearment psoriasis in Datura metel.Method: With content and purity of total steroids as indexes,optimum resin model was screened by comparing adsorption properties and elution ability of different macroporous resins.Single factor tests were adopted to investigate effect of loading capacity,type of eluent,elution rate and other parameters on purification technology.Result: D941 macroporous resin was selected,its optimum purification technology was as following: ratio of sample mass to macroporous resin 7.5 g.L-1,pH of sample liquid 7,eluted with 3 BV water at elution flow speed of 6 BV.h-1.After purified,purity of total steroids was more than 90%.Conclusion: This optimized purification technology was simple,stable and feasible with good purification effect.


This study deals with the mechanically induced physicochemical changes in boehmite (γ-AlOOH), synthesized by thermal decomposition of gibbsite. The synthesized boehmite which retained the agglomerate structure and unimodal particle size distribution of the precursor gibbsite and was characterized by high surface area (264 m2/g). Mechanical activation was carried out in a planetary mill. After an initial decrease in particle size up to 15 min, the particle size showed an increase with further milling. BET specific surface area of the sample decreased drastically with milling time to 67 m2/g after 240 min. Though XRD pattern did not indicate any new phase formation during mechanical activation, significant changes were observed in the XRD peaks indicating crystallite size reduction, microstrain etc. The reactivity of samples, in terms of decrease in enthalpy of boehmite to γ-Al2O3 transformation, increased with milling time. Detailed analysis of the physicochemical changes carried out to correlate the increase in reactivity with milling is discussed.


Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were functionalized and were then used as supports of Fe1.5PMo12O40 (FePMo) Keggin heteropolyanions catalysts. The characterization of the resulting catalysts was investigated by inductively coupled plasma spectrometry (ICP), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) light spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). FTIR and XRD results confirmed that FePMo was bounded on CNTs successfully and the Keggin structure was preserved. Characterization by TEM showed that solids with high FePMo content exhibited aggregation of FePMo in large particles. The as-prepared catalysts were tested in the synthesis of propylene carbonate (PC) from CO2 and propylene oxide (PO) in a solvent-free reaction and under mild conditions. Effects of various parameters, such as reaction temperature, reaction time, FePMo content on the support, and catalyst loading on the reaction, were investigated. It has been found that CNTs supported FePMo achieved 57.7% PO conversion and 99.0% PC selectivity, whereas unsupported FePMo led only to 8.5% conversion and 48.6% selectivity. The remarkable enhancement of the catalytic activity over the supported catalyst can be attributed mainly to the better dispersion and reactivity of the FePMo catalyst in the supported material.


This paper proposes the new design of the add-on agent that can be implemented on any passive relational database platforms in order to transform the system acting active in multitrigger manners without changing the application source codes. The system model includes the Connection Control module to investigate and prepare all the platform based required commands for all communication usages between program and the database system. This paper also presents the multitrigger concepts which can be implemented on the MySQL database platform. The system testing shows that the proposed multitrigger model outperforms in the average execution time comparing to the traditional multitrigger model having in the PostgreSQL database system, especially when the numbers of triggers running in the system increase. Keyword: Multiplatform Add-on Agent, Multitrigger, Active RDBS INTRODUCTION There have been many researches focusing on the Active Relational Database System (ARDBS) issues in the past decades. To make the RDBS active, Widom had designed the active basic rule approach which could be integrated into the application source codes (1996). However, the Widom's model is rigid so it can be applied only to the system that allows users to alter source codes. Lijuan et al. had proposed the concept of the mediated approach by implementing the Event-Condition-Action agent as an interface between clients and servers (1999). On the other aspects, many researchers had studied for new approaches in order to enhance the active rule capabilities. Data mining technique was applied to analyze the relation between event rules and user defined triggers, then extract only the active event rules to set up the new efficient rules set (Dai M. et al., 2007). Abbas R. et al. increased the efficiency of the event detections by proposing the framework with an algorithm to compare, evaluate and set up the better order of event rules under 5 criteria (2006): average response time, response time variance, throughput, time overhead per transaction and CPU utilization. In 2010, Sasithorn S. et al. had proposed an add-on agent to change a passive RDBS to be an active RDBS (2010). The advantages of this model are there is no requirement for the application source code changes and the active agent can be easily portable to ISS & MLB―September 24-26, 2013


Introduction: Changes in lifestyle have been reported as one of the greatest causes of dental erosion. Nevertheless the intake of potentially erosive medication might be other important factor contributing to the rise in prevalence of this condition [1]. The increased occurrence of some chronic respiratory diseases (such as asthma), allergic states and other recurrent common conditions (as cough, cold or flu) has led to frequent medicine prescription that might be potentially erosive to the teeth [2]. This study's goals were to compare the erosive potential of two medicines commonly prescribed for chronic respiratory diseases, and to determine the enamel capacity for remineralization after their application. Materials and methods: Ethical approval was obtained. Sixty-six human enamel samples were randomly assigned to 6 groups (n = 11): Ven (Ventilan®), Ven-F (Ventilan® with fluoride varnish), Cla (Claritine®), Cla-F (Claritine® with fluoride varnish), C (control) and C-F (control with fluoride varnish). The samples in groups Ven, Cla, and C were exposed to the respective medicines or distilled water (3x 1min/day during 5 days) followed by remineralization in artificial saliva. In groups Ven-F, Cla-F and C-F, fluoride varnish (Profluorid®) was applied after the medicine exposure. Two 5-day cycles were performed. The enamel surface was analyzed by magnifying stereomicroscope (prevalence of erosive lesions), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and surface hardness (SH). One-way ANOVA was used (α = 0.05) for the analysis. Results: Groups Ven and Cla revealed 93 and 66% prevalence of erosive lesions, respectively, and significant lower SH than C (p < .001). Ven-F and Cla-F, with lesion prevalences of 30 and 23%, respectively, showed significant lower SH than C-F (p < .001) or even C (p < .001), but significantly higher than the non-fluorinated counterparts (p < .001). Cla showed the lowest SH, and even fluorinated couldn't overcome the SH of Ven (p > .05) (Figure 1). The two medicines showed clear evidence of enamel surface damage on SEM micrographs, with cracks, craters and enamel prisms' exposure, being the most common features encountered (Figures 2 and 3).Figure 1. SH values in VHN (±sd).Figure 2. Ven group (×3.000)Figure 3. Cla group (×3.000). Discussion and conclusions: Under the conditions of this study, Claritine® treated samples showed lower prevalence of erosion lesions than Ventilan®. Regarding the SH, Claritine® seemed to have higher erosive potential, and to hold the lowest potential for remineralization.


Cytosine methylation is a well-characterized epigenetic mark and occurs at both CG and non-CG sites in DNA. Both methylated CG (mCG)- and mCH (H = A, C, or T)-containing DNAs, especially mCAC-containing DNAs, are recognized by methyl-CpG–binding protein 2 (MeCP2) to regulate gene expression in neuron development. However, the molecular mechanism involved in the binding of methyl-CpG–binding domain (MBD) of MeCP2 to these different DNA motifs is unclear. Here, we systematically characterized the DNA-binding selectivities of the MBD domains in MeCP2 and MBD1–4 with isothermal titration calorimetry–based binding assays, mutagenesis studies, and X-ray crystallography. We found that the MBD domains of MeCP2 and MBD1–4 bind mCG-containing DNAs independently of the sequence identity outside the mCG dinucleotide. Moreover, some MBD domains bound to both methylated and unmethylated CA dinucleotide–containing DNAs, with a preference for the CAC sequence motif. We also found that the MBD domains bind to mCA or nonmethylated CA DNA by recognizing the complementary TG dinucleotide, which is consistent with an overlooked ligand of MeCP2, i.e. the matrix/scaffold attachment regions (MARs/SARs) with a consensus sequence of 5′-GGTGT-3′ that was identified in early 1990s. Our results also explain why MeCP2 exhibits similar binding affinity to both mCA- and hmCA-containing dsDNAs. In summary, our results suggest that in addition to mCG sites, unmethylated CA or TG sites also serve as DNA-binding sites for MeCP2 and other MBD-containing proteins. This discovery expands the genome-wide activity of MBD-containing proteins in gene regulation.


The aim of this paper is to explore the role of the civic culture and education in the globalization era. Recent sociological studies (G. Devin and others) infirm Norbert Elias' hypothesis according to which the multiplication and the complicate "interdependent connexions" established generate a mechanical tendency towards the integration and even unification of the international communities. One has noticed that the mentioned interdependent relations lead to stable integration forms only if they are supported by an appropriate axiological-normative system: values, beliefs, democratic procedures. In other words, European integration must be supported by a political culture founded on knowledge, communication, civic involvement and tolerance. The major role attributed to civic culture in accomplishing social inclusion and in creating a "common identity" in the globalization era encourages and justifies the deep and multidimensional analysis that it is subject to, as well as it reveals the importance of performing research work in this field, thus bringing solid arguments for my option. The process of revealing its specific characteristics in a society that has experienced a tough transition process marked by an accentuated anomical state – as the Romanian society has – is not only epistemically but also socially and pragmatically useful. The results of the political culture pattern can direct the evolution and the intensity of the civical socialization process. In the first part of the paper I will analyse the "aggregate sovereignty" concept in the age of mondialization and in the second part, the interdependencies between democracy and social inclusion.The third part explore integrating tendencies of civic culture in the globalization era.


This study was designed to determine the effect of globe game on students' interest and achievement in longitude and latitude. Three research questions and three null hypotheses were formulated. Design for the study was a quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group's pre-test and post-test design. The sample for this study comprised of Two hundred and eighty four S S11 students. Six secondary schools were drawn through a stratified random sampling technique. Three schools (one male, one female and one co-educational) were assigned to the treatment group while the remaining three schools were assigned to the control group. The treatment group was taught longitude and latitude using the globe game approach while the control group was taught longitude and latitude using the conventional method. Longitude and Latitude Achievement Test was used to collect data on the achievement of students, the Longitude and Latitude Interest Scale was also used to collect data on interest of students in longitude and latitude. Research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation while hypotheses were tested using the Analysis of co-variance (ANCOVA) at an alpha level of 0.05. The result revealed that globe game approach is superior to the conventional method in facilitating interest and achievement but no significant interaction between gender and instructional method. The researchers therefore, recommended that globe game approach should be used in secondary school system.


Poster for the show held at Clerkenwell Theatre, 4-7 May (year not stated - but it was 2006), as part of the Clerkenwell Writers New Writing Festival.


atives for structure-activity studies of radicalmediated inactivation of viruses by sugars. In this communication, we report that unsubstituted D-aldopentoses generate superoxide and inactivate in vitro tobacco mosaic virus (TMY) and bacteriophage 0X174 in phosphate buffer in the presence of Cu2+. As described previously,4) the autoxidation of pentoses, D-arabinose (1), D-lyxose (2), dribose (3), and D-xylose (4) has been studied by determining the rate of formazan formation (J^456O/min) by superoxide (O2 ~) from nitroblue tetrazolium chloride (NBT). The in vitro inactivation of the two viruses was investigated by treating them with a pentose in the presence or absence of Cu2+ in 0.1 m phosphate buffer (pH 8.1) at 37° for 3hr, and the virus survival ratio (%) was determined by assaying the plaque forming ability on E. coli CN,5) or by typical local lesion assay10) on half-leaves of N. tabacum c.v. Xanthi n.c. Table I shows the data for NBTreduction by aldopentoses in buffered aqueous solutions. The rate of reduction was dependenton the concentration of sugars (data are not shown) and inhibited by superoxide dismutase (SOD, bovine blood, see notes in Table I). The results demonstrate the ability of aldopentoses under mild conditions to generate oxygen radicals,


Identifying code in graph G is a subset C of V (G) such that IC(v) = C ∩ NG[v]≠ϕ for every v of V (G) and IC(v)≠IC(u) for every v,u of V (G). The minimum size of identifying codes of graph G is denoted by γID(G). A watching system in a graph G = (V,E) is a set W = {ω1,ω2,…,ωk}, where ωi = (vi,Zi),vi ∈ V and Zi is a subset of closed neighborhood of vi such that the sets LW(v) = {ωi : v ∈ Zi} are nonempty and distinct, for any v ∈ V (G). The minimum size of a watching system of G is denoted by ω(G). In this paper, we show if n ≥ 8, then γID(K(n, 2)) = ⌈2n 3 ⌉ if n ≡ 0, 2 (mod 3) and γID(K(n, 2)) = ⌈2n 3 ⌉ + 1 if n ≡ 1 (mod 3). Also we show that ω(K(n, 2)) ≤ 4log2 n. This means that in this family of graphs the watching system is more efficient than identifying code.


On-chip voltage regulation using distributed Digital Low Drop Out (LDO) voltage regulators has been identified as a promising technique for efficient power-management for emerging multi-core processors. Digital LDOs (DLDO) can offer low voltage operation, faster transient response, and higher current efficiency. Response time as well as output voltage ripple can be reduced by increasing the speed of the dynamic comparators. However, the comparator offset steeply increases for high clock frequencies, thereby leading to enhanced variations in output voltage. In this work we explore the design of digital LDOs with multiple dynamic comparators that can overcome this bottleneck. In the proposed topology, we apply time-interleaved comparators with the same voltage threshold and uniform current step in order to accomplish the aforementioned features. For a load step of 50mA, a DLDO with 8 time-interleaved comparators could achieve an output ripple of less than 5mV, while achieving a settling time of less than 0.5us. Load current dependant dynamic adjustment of clock frequency is proposed to maintain high current efficiency of ~97%.


The article is based on the analysis of the existence of culture in the modern globalized world with its challenges and contradictions. Based on the materials of a number of International scientific conferences in 2020–2021, the authors reflect on the problems of cultural development (domestic and world), consider current sociocultural practices, as well as the realities and prospects of cultural studies. It is revealed that the problems of traditions and innovations, preservation of cultural and historical heritage, dialogue and polylogue of cultures, new aspects of cultural policy and transformation of artistic culture, in connection with the expansion of the media sphere, synthesis of cultural studies with other humanitarian disciplines remain relevant in the era of globalization and digitalization. In the problematic field of science — the issues of the ethical culture of the individual and society.


Anaesthesia for massive retrosternal thyroidectomy in a tertiary referral centre Editor—We read the publication by Dempsey and colleagues with interest. We have a few questions about the report which we hope the authors can clarify. First, what events actually occurred surrounding the one case of failed intubation. If we followed correctly, they were the only patient undergoing an inhalation induction. What prompted the change from i.v. induction? Do the authors think that this influenced events? Secondly, regarding laryngoscopyand intubation, was there a poor view or was the view good but passing the tube impossible? Does the case in Table 3 marked as failed under laryngoscopy equate to a grade 4 view and is this the case in question? Thirdly, in the discussion, the authors make reference to a low incidence of difficult intubation. Is one in 20 (5%) not regarded as a high incidence? We would be grateful for more information regarding these difficult cases, so we can learn further from others' experience.


In this work, a version of Fermat's principle for causal curves with the same energy in time orientable Finsler spacetimes is proved. We calculate the second variation of the time arrival functional along a geodesic in terms of the index form associated with the Finsler spacetime Lagrangian. Then the character of the critical points of the time arrival functional is investigated and a Morse index theorem in the context of Finsler spacetime is presented.


IntroductionOur study was conducted to explore the interest in an alternative health behavior to substance abuse behavior on a university campus, and therefore a constructed survey, the Substance Abuse Spirituality Discipline Survey (SASDS), which includes the DSES (1) and UNCOPE (2), plus 7 researcher questions was used. Campus life is not academics alone. Campus programs offered integrated academic pursuits while also offering the student information for a disciplined and balanced lifestyle. This study explores choices and interest in campus programming using a web based survey intended to identify any preferences of alternative behaviors of at risk substance abusing students. The study concentrated on one component of the socio-emotional dimension toward well being, the spiritual dimension, involving a health enhancing behavioral education and activities with moderate to no use of alcohol or other drugs.Substance use on college campus is common and significant. Thirty four percent of college students screened had a harmful or harzardous drinking problem (3), while researched risk factors of substance abusers on campus found a misperception amongst those with a substance use disorder of others useage of alcohol and drugs than those who did not met the SUD criteria (4). A recent national survey (5) found that full time college students were more likely to use alcohol, binge drink or drink heavily than their peers who were not enrolled in college. The results also found that binge drinking amongst college students had increased more than 20% than when last surveyed in 2008.Methods of prevention and intervention are diverse and efficient models in prevention regarding substance use and abuse on college and university campuses have been explored (6). These include the social influence model utilizing peer group influence, the life stress model where the college experience is viewed as a period of stress in one's life and lastly, the social ecology model where campus power holders shape and deliver policy in this area shaping the campus structure. The authors note that reducing physical vulnerabilities and environmental stressors while encouraging and exercising the practice of coping strategies, self esteem, and other resources appear to be consistent with a culture of prevention on a campus rather than an additive approach as the need arises (6). This knowledge encouraged the researchers to further explore which model(s) of prevention if any are utilized at a university campus in southeastern United States and to recommend potential preventive behavioral models to substance abuse on the campus.Research noted campus substance use prevention programs best served college students when providing brief motivational interviewing and skill based training (7). The skill based training involved cognitive behavioral interventions such as "drink refusal skills" and consideration of negative consequence outcomes when using alcohol of substance. While reported that motivational interviewing, CBT and coping skills strategies showed merit in prevention and treatment of substance abuse (8).Another study found a concentration of drinking levels in a rather small subgroup of students who tended to binge drink and denied obvious consequences of doing so (9) and others concluded using college survey data, reinforcers for convivial gatherings included perceived intimacy, privacy, and escape from stress through negative coping by use of the effects of the alcohol (10,11). It also concluded from the assessments, the two greatest sources of relief from perceived stressors fell within the realms of socio-emotional, and community support. Additional study found the use of alcohol for binge drinking college students as a 'feel high' coping mechanism against stress and depressive symptoms (12).As is the case with many early stage users, a relatively small percentage identify as having a growing problem, let alone seek either educational or professional treatment services to address this issue (13). …


Pemphigus presents a group of chronic autoimmune bullous skin disorders with well-known clinical signs, which pathophysiology is mediated by antibodies to various epidermal self-antigens. For a long time, the only therapeutic option for this disease was the lifelong use of non-selective immunosuppressive agents limited by high rate of severe adverse reactions. The article presents two clinical cases of rituximab use (a targeted agent leading to B-cell depletion) in patients with pemphigus (vulgaris and foliaceous) who were previously resistant to high-dose steroid therapy. Treatment with rituximab lead to response and allowed to decrease the prednisone dose in both cases. These results confirm that rituximab can be successfully used in pemphigus as adjuvant therapy if conventional agents for this dermatosis are ineffective.


Abstract The content of paralytic shellfish poisons (PSP) in cultured cells of the dinoflagellate Alexandrium lusitanicum and of natural phytoplankton blooms of Alexandrium tamarense, were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography and thin layer chromatography. The extracts of both species killed mice without showing clearly any of the typical signs for PSP. In the HFLC and TLC analysis no recognized toxins were detected in either of the two species.


To investigate the application of metal-doped two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials for SF6 decomposed gases sensors, density functional theory (DFT) calculations are used for studying adsorption performance, sensing performance and electronic behaviour. In this study, Pt-doped h-BN (Pt-BN) monolayer is first proposed to analyse adsorption and sensing performance for typical SF6 decomposed gases (H2S, SO2, SOF2, SO2F2). The stable geometric structure of Pt-BN monolayer is proposed by comparing different possible sites. The adsorption energy (E ad) of H2S, SO2, SOF2 and SO2F2 on Pt-BN monolayer is −2.284 eV, −2.565 eV, −2.425 eV, and −1.543 eV, respectively. The adsorption energy and band gap (BG) of Pt-BN/gas adsorption system suggest that Pt-BN monolayer has ideal adsorption and sensing performance of these gases. Furthermore, the analysis of density of state (DOS) elucidates the adsorption and sensing mechanism. The above calculations and analysis are of importance to investigate Pt-BN monolayer as the novel SF6 decomposed gases scavenger and sensor for equipment insulation. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT


Physics education research is an interdisciplinary domain which is developing rapidly.The research from foreign countries related to preconception and conceptual change of students has reflected some common achievements from domains of educational psychology and physics education. These results about preconception,conceptual change model and development,teaching strategies for conceptual change,and testing of conceptual change suggested new ideas and direction of the research on physics concept teaching theory and practice in China.


There is growing evidence that climate extremes are having a devastating impact on agriculture in Central America, affecting the livelihoods of millions of farmers and serving as a driver of migration from the region. Both droughts and floods have been shown to have serious financial impacts in many rural areas. Droughts associated with the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon caused agricultural losses estimated at U.S. $465 million in 2014 alone. Over the last 30 years, losses associated with drought in the Central American Dry Corridor, which extends from Panama all the way up to southern Mexico, approached U.S. $10 billion, half of which were in the agricultural sector. Financial aid to help the recovery of smallholder agriculturalists and others most affected by these catastrophic climatic events, however, has been limited. The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Climate Policy Initiative reported that in 2017 and 2018 just 1.7 percent of climate finance reached smallholder agriculturalists in developing countries around the world. Some small farmers who can no longer piece together a living from their own earnings and crop yields suffer food insecurity. For some, migration, typically to the United States, has become a last-resort adaptation strategy.


Objective: To observe the effect of anciclovir (ACV) treatment on tumors induced by inoculation of TK gene-transfected human pulmonary adenocarcinoma A549 cells in nude mice. Methods: A recombinant plasmid containing TK gene was constructed and transfected into A549 cells by electroporation. The sensitivity of the transgenic cells (A549-TK) to ACV was examined by MTT assay in vitro and for in vivo observation, inoculation of A549-TK and A-549 cells into nude mice was separately performed to induce tumor growth, the response of which to ACV treatment was observed, and the tumor tissues were pathologically examined. Results: A recombinant plasmid containing TK gene was successfully constructed and transfected into A549 cells. The sensitivity of A549-TK cells to ACV was 43 times higher than that of A549 cells. The tumors induced by A549-TK cells showed no significant increase in size after ACV treatment (P0. 05) , and light microscopy revealed local tissue necrosis, karyoklasis, and nuclei disappearance. Conclusion: A549-TK cells acquires sensitivity to ACV both in vitro and in vivo, and ACV can inhibit the growth of tumors induced by A549-TK cell inoculation in nude mice.


In this paper, a new method for parameter estimation of multi- dimension time varying coefficient ARMA (MDTVCARMA) modeling is posed by using a neural network. Each coefficient is considered as a random variable with changing gradually with time. According to the character of multi-dimension time varying coefficient ARMA model which is expressed in the form of a difference equation excited by a Gaussian white noise , a parameter estimation model for multi-dimension time varying ARMA model and corresponding neural structure are given via neural network and predisturbed principle. The result of a simulation has shown that the new method of parameter estimation for multi- dimension time varying coefficient ARMA model is valid. We also probe into application of the neural network method of parameter estimation of time varying coefficient ARMA model on Intelligent Transportation System


Based on the analysis of the corporate governance structure,we can see the user of accounting data,so we get the accounting target. The United States and Britain nature of corporate governance structure is similar,so their accounting objectives is decision-making relevant views. Japanese and German corporate governance structure is similar,and their accounting objectives is entrusted with the responsibility accounting objectives for ideas. On account of the situation of our country's state-owned shares due to a dominant and imperfect capital market,the accounting objectives should have Chinese characteristics. Protection of rights and interests of small and medium-sized investors view should be regarded as the accounting objectives of our country.


editions. Though historically speculative, it wins our sympathy when a Jesuit argues that even the "Primacy Text" of De Un. 4 was episcopalian in sense rather than papalist. But caution is needed. Cyprian, so sane in his judgments about the lapsed, becomes exclusivist and imperialist, as well as romantic, about Church order. If we honour his courage and his martyrdom, we should beware of founding ecclesiastical theory (Anglican, collegial or any other) on his combination of Roman and Hebrew legalism. Yet when all is said, to read him is always a stimulating experience. It is to learn some of the sorrows, triumphs and passions which made the Western Church what it is, and the fragility ofthe mortals who in other days had to make fateful judgments for the household of God. To Cyprian and his editor alike we should be grateful. To render sic as "this was the spirit in which" (De Un, 25, 2) is worse than superfluous; but it is one random example of the freedoln of the translation. Sometimes words are actually misrepresented for the sake of raciness: incredulis ... perfidis become "pessimists ... pagans" when they are really "unbelievers ... traitors" (De Laps. 1,2). We find over-interpretation: sacerdos is regularly translated "bishop", which is misleading even if Cyprian usually indicates bishops by the word; sanctum Domini (De Laps. 15,12) does not connote "the Lord's sacred body", but rather alludes to "the holy thing" of Matthew 7:6; veritatis originenl in De Un, 3,28 and II,2If refers to Christ as "the source of truth" (cf. 14, 33-6), and to render "the origin of [the Christian] realities" merely creates the need for dubious footnotes. More rare are substantial faults: in De Laps. 18, 4-6 a sentence is misconstrued, and suafacilitate surely means "God's indulgence"; in 18, 10-13 a difficult sentence becomes intelligible if quenlquanl is taken as "any of the martyrs" rather than just "anyone"; in De Un. 22,8 the translation renders evacuavit from the apparatus and not evacuabit as in the text.


We assume that this letter refers to the sentence on page 608 and we wish to thank Dr Johnson for reminding us that descriptive terms usually have precise definitions. In this instance it would have been more helpful had the author chosen to describe exactly the clinical condition under consideration. Figure 4 seems to illustrate the point he was making.


Traditionally, vehicle steering systems had a linear relation between steering wheel rotation and road wheel angle. Nonlinear steering racks arrived in the last decades of the 20th century with the aim to achieve better parking characteristics. In the current century, the development of variable steering ratios has become more and more important and not only for parking. The aim of these steering systems is to combine a low speed agility increase with safe high speed behaviour. Both mechanical solutions (variable rack) and mechatronic solutions (active front steering) have been implemented in production cars. FEV has investigated the impact of these two approaches on the experienced steering behaviour. Actual production vehicles with both systems have been tested to confirm the targeted improvement of agility whilst maintaining safety at high speed, including the feeling of linearity and transitional behaviour. Secondly, the effect on objective test results was predicted using simulation models in which the different concepts were implemented. Here the advantage is that in this virtual vehicle several concepts and settings can be directly compared. For the system with the highest subjective impact (BMW 3 series), a series of objective tests was performed to confirm the simulation and subjective results. The impact on expected test results is shown in relation to FEV's scatter bands which show the current state of technology of traditional systems on the market. Here it becomes clear that the active mechatronic solutions deliver characteristics that are not possible with the current traditional steering systems. The mechanical solutions do reach the desired agility increase, but deliver characteristics that still fit into the scatter bands. Finally, the impact of these results in relation to standardized test methods such as ISO 7401 is discussed. Here it is concluded that these test methods need some modification or extension to properly describe the behaviour of vehicles equipped with these nonlinear steering systems.


The Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry satellite instrument has been measuring the mesospheric global temperature since February 2002, providing the longest continuous data set to statistically study the climatology and anomaly of the quasi‐two‐day waves (QTDWs), including the westward zonal wave number 2 (W2), 3 (W3), and 4 (W4) modes. It is found that the W2 QTDW generally peaks earliest, followed by the W3 mode with the W4 QTDW being amplified lastly. This temporal pattern is always disordered during the sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) periods. The temperature oscillations of the QTDW usually peak at nearly the same period at different altitudes and different latitudes for a certain case but would be different from year to year. The statistical results show that the periods of the W2 QTDWs are more frequently observed to be at 45–48 hr and the periods of the W3 mode are mostly confined between 45 and 52 hr. Nevertheless, the oscillations of the W4 QTDW peak more dispersedly between 41 and 56 hr. The W3 QTDW is usually the strongest among the three modes, whereas it is sometimes equal to or even weaker than W2 and W4 QTDWs, especially during SSW periods. Besides, we found that the vertical distribution of the W3 QTDW splits into a bimodal structure during the SSW periods of 2006 and 2011. And the solar cycle trend of the QTDWs is frequently disturbed by a 2‐ to 5‐year variability, which seems to be a common feature for all the QTDW modes.


Summary When two people converse, they speak in turns. Typically, a transition pause occurs between the speaker relinquishing and the listener taking the floor. However, the phenomenon of smooth transitions in which transition pauses are perceptually absent has received little attention. The existence of smooth transitions has major implications for currently accepted models of turn-taking and it is argued that these models are inadequate. It is suggested, on the basis of the evidence available, that a major factor enabling synchronized turn-taking is anticipation of one's turn. Possible bases for this anticipation are suggested.


The arterial spin labeling (ASL) technique can measure cerebral blood flow without a contrast medium, but suffering of a low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The aim of this study was to optimize SNR, spatial resolution and acquisition time of a brain STAR (Signal Targeting and Alternating Radiofrequency) pulsed ASL sequence and to evaluate its reproducibility.


The transition from rural to modern industry is studied in the district of Sabadell-Termssa, the major wool textile urea in Spain in the 19th. Century. In spite of its remarkable diffusion in inner Catalonia, the transformation of the wool industry took place only in very few centres (Igualada, Terrassa and Sabadell), which specialized in the production of medium and high quality woollen cloths. The key of the transition was, after a process of confrontation promoted by some clothiers " paraires", the breakdown of the traditional productive system, based on the guild organization, and the increasing subordination of labour to capital. The emergence of the modern firm, as a centre of articulation of new relations of production, was the most conspimons feature of this transformation.


Objective: Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy is often used as a well-accepted and both sensitive and specific diagnostic adjunct in the workup of parotid masses. In the case of pleomorphic adenoma, the most common benign tumor of the parotid gland, we examine cytopathologic reports to assess the performance of FNA for this particular histologic diagnosis. Method: A total of 317 patients who underwent parotidectomy over the past 5 years and met eligibility criteria of 1) primary parotid tumor, 2) age greater than 18 years, and 3) availability of pathology (FNA, intraoperative frozen section, final pathology) were reviewed. Clinical history and demographics, physical exam findings, and intraoperative findings were noted. Results: Pleomorphic adenoma was noted on final pathology in 136 patients (42.9%). Interestingly 24 (17.6%) of these patients had initially undergone FNA and been given a incorrect diagnosis, despite the FNA being "diagnostic." One patient received false positive diagnosis of malignancy by FNA. Of the 24 patients with incorrect diagnosis on FNA, 15 (62.5%) received the correct diagnosis of pleomorphic adenoma with intraoperative frozen section, though one patient received a false positive for malignancy and underwent surgical upstage unnecessarily. For pleomorphic adenoma, it appears that diagnostic sensitivity increases from 82% for FNA to 92% with frozen section. Conclusion: While FNA is commonly used as preoperative diagnostic adjunct for parotid masses, one must exercise caution, even in the context of a diagnostic sample, as nearly 18% of pleomorphic adenomas were not identified. Fortunately, misdiagnosis was benign 95% of time, and subsequently had no surgical implications.


Background and objective: Food-anticipatory behavioral rhythms are observed in several species, including mammals. It is reported that acute ingestion of glucose phase-shifts the food-entrainable oscillator (FEO) in rats. Here, we intended to extend the knowledge about the role of glucose on anticipatory behavioral rhythms by submitting rats to a long period of scheduled glucose availability. Methods: Adult Wistar rats were under 12:12 hours light-dark cycle for three days with ad libitum feeding (Baseline) prior to being submitted to ten days of scheduled glucose restriction (GR) (three hours duration) starting at Zeitgeber time (ZT) 06 and two days of meal (glucose) omission. Results: The animals anticipated glucose availability by increasing motor activity in the two hours preceding ZT 06. The anticipatory behavior observed during the glucose restriction persisted on the second day of glucose omission (i.e. when glucose was not offered). That is, this anticipatory behavior was self-sustained, evidencing the true entrainment of the rhythm. Conclusion: Glucose ingestion was a sufficient temporal cue for inducing endogenously-generated circadian anticipatory behavior in the rat.


A simple apparatus has been devised for the release of SF/sub 6/ tracer from a small, single-engine aircraft. Up to 100 lb of tracer can be released and discharge rate varied by the use of different size nozzles. Since the SF/sub 6/ is released as a liquid, no heated manifold or other external heating is required. 24 references, 5 figures.


The purpose of this article is formulating a critica! view both of the restrictive exegesis adopted by the Public Administration of Rio Grande do Sul, regarding the 40th article, item III, b, of the Federal Constitution, and, also, of the provisions contained in Law RS nbr. 9.481/93, which, making an extensive interpretation of the constitucional precept, enumerates severa! activities as "teaching functions'~ an expression of the Constitution which gave rise to much controver.ry about its reach. This paper, basically, proposes a less radical exegesis of the constitutional precept referred, departing from the two extreme positions mentio-


Analysis of data of four observatories close to the track of the cyclonic storm of small extent over Madras on 20 November 1960 has been made and some features like extent, speed and central pressure are discussed. The observed winds are compared with computed gradient winds. The upper air flow pattern has been examined to find out causes for its rapid intensification.


The search for a phase coherent signal near 50.93 µHz in the data set of the superconducting gravimeter H1 indicates a weakly damped signal 14 dB below noise. It might belong to the long-sought Slichter triplet.


The toxicity of several metallic/oxide nanoparticles ( TiO2 , CuO, ZnO, and Ag) to nitrifying bacteria was evaluated individually or in combination in batch studies. Except for the mixture of ZnO and Ag, the mixture inhibition of nanoparticles was roughly the sum of individual inhibition among the nanoparticles studied. Although there was no inhibitory effect of TiO2 nanoparticles under ambient light or dark conditions, nitrification inhibition was significantly increased when TiO2 nanoparticles were exposed to ultraviolet (UV) for 30 min. Under UV exposure, both TiO2 nanoparticles (anatase) and bulk amorphous TiO2 generated the same amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the bacterial cell although TiO2 nanoparticles were more toxic than the bulk counterpart. While the inhibition was well correlated to intracellular ROS concentration, the ROS correlations were different for the different forms of TiO2 or for the different nanoparticles (e.g., Ag versus TiO2 ). ROS is therefore not a good chemical mar...


The study examined how the utilization of Management Information Systems influences monitoring and evaluation in an organization, by taking into account the Survivors Fund in Rwanda as a case study. The study analyzed the effectiveness and efficiency of the MIS, report, services, hardware, software, and process factors that influence the effectiveness and efficiency of Monitoring and Evaluation at SURF, Rwanda. The target population included 293 beneficiaries, 8 Field officers, 1 ICT Manager, and 1 Project Manager. Data was collected through questionnaires, interview guides, and secondary documented literature.The Multiple Regression Analysis showed a strong positive correlation between the independent variables (flexibility of the system, regular employee training on MIS infrastructure, adequate edit, balance, and internal control checks) and the dependent variable (timely results and feedback). The coefficient of determination (r2) was 1, indicating that 100% of the total variation in Y could be explained by the stochastic multiple regression equation model. The study also found a positive correlation between the independent variables (system use of hardware, compatibility with other standards appliances and software, completeness, clarity, organization of documentation, app providers' accessibility, quality product support) and the dependent variable (economic use of M&E resources). The coefficient of determination (r2) was 0.200, suggesting that 20% of the total variation in Y could be explained by the model, while the remaining 80% was due to unexplained factors. The study recommends Survivors Fund, Rwanda to check with the system provider and update the system with a consistent interface and compatibility with various devices. Additionally, the system should provide machine utilization reports.


Variable Length Memory Chains (VLMC), which are generalizations of finite order Markov chains, turn out to be an essential tool to modelize random sequences in many domains, as well as an interesting object in contemporary probability theory. The question of the existence of stationary probability measures leads us to introduce a key combinatorial structure for words produced by a VLMC: the Longest Internal Suffix. This notion allows us to state a necessary and sufficient condition for a general VLMC to admit a unique invariant probability measure. This condition turns out to get a much simpler form for a subclass of VLMC: the stable VLMC. This natural subclass, unlike the general case, enjoys a renewal property. Namely, a stable VLMC induces a semi-Markov chain on an at most countable state space. Unfortunately, this discrete time renewal process does not contain the whole information of the VLMC, preventing the study of a stable VLMC to be reduced to the study of its induced semi-Markov chain. For a subclass of stable VLMC, the convergence in distribution of a VLMC towards its stationary probability measure is established. Finally, finite state space semi-Markov chains turn out to be very special stable VLMC, shedding some new light on their limit distributions.


TIIEIΠare few towns of any size or pretension in this country which clu iiot possess public parks or pleasure grounds, but so much can hardly be said of the smaller towns with populations ranging below ~~,(_)110. In these smaller towns, however, it is net unusual to find a considerable proportion of the inhabitants crowded together in hovels which are dignified by tlle name of dwelling houses, but lack every comfort and convenience, nnd uften will not permit the ordinary decencies of civilized life. The sanitary condition of tllese areas is verv little better than &dquo; tll slums &dquo; in the larger towns. Tllis being so, tlle lack of comfort and pleasurable surroundings under which so considerable a proportion of the population of many of our smaller towns exist, is surely a sufficient reason why a'local authority should exercise the powers so freely conferred upon them, and provide public pleasure grounds for the Inhabitants, whose well being it is their duty to procure. The Public Health Act, 1875, Sec. l(i4, confers exceptional facilities on local authorities to obtain land for tlie purpose of public pleasure grounds, or to contribute towards their support, if provided by any utller person. And tllis power is considerably extended by Section 4~ of the Public Health Acts Amendment Act, 1~~(0, which enables l111 urban authority to contribute towards the cost of the purchase, laying out, planting, or Improvement of any lands provided by any person which have been permanently set. apart as public pleasure grounds, even outside tlle limits of their district, provided that they are so situated as to be conveniently used by the inhabitants of their district. The fact that such exceptional facilities have been given, indicates better than any other argument, that tlle provision of public pleasure grounds must be regarded as distinctly beneficial to the health and interests of tlle public at large, and Urban Authorities should not llesitate to consider it in this light and act accordingly. BBritll regard to the situation 11C> hard and fast rule can be laid down, except that it should be easily accessible for the locality for which it is intended, or, as it is very aptly described


ABSTRACT Bragg–Williams (BW) modelling is a mean-field approach to order–disorder phase transformations (ODPT´s) in substitutional alloys. While the BW theory itself is for thermal equilibrium, the relaxation of the alloy to the equilibrium state in terms of the BW approach was studied by Dienes who introduced the chemical balance equation for temporal evolution of the long-range order parameter S. Here, results of solving numerically the Dienes equation are presented, with taking additionally into account that ordering in the alloy occurs through vacancies in atomic lattice. In such a description there are three important parameters that affect the ordering kinetics, namely (1) the interdiffusion coefficient in a disordered alloy, (2) the ratio of initial to equilibrium (thermal) concentration of vacancies, r, and (3) the characteristic timescale τ∝L 2 for vacancy relaxation, where L is the effective distance between sinks/sources of vacancies in the alloy. With example of Fe-rich Fe aluminides Fe x Al1-x (x = 0.6), it is found that, at sufficiently large r, an additional step arises in temporal evolution of S for a time which can be much shorter (scaled as ∝r −1) than the characteristic timescale for ordering at r = 1. The height of this step increases up to unity at sufficient r. The lowest values of r and L are determined, at which non-equilibrium vacancies injected into the alloy can still play the role. This study would be of potential interest for developing the technology of functional alloys (lowering of ordering temperatures) and for obtaining a kind of information about vacancy behaviour in crystals.


In order to set up a new rapid method to determine protein content in food, microwave digestion was adopted to treat wheat sample, ammonia gas-sensing electrode-direct reading concentration method was used to read determination results. The results showed that the content of protein in wheat is between 12.56% and 14.19%, the range of recovery is 97.16% to 104.7%, the relative standard deviations (RSD) is between 1.4% and 3.2% (n=5), the linear range is 1×10-5 to 1×10-2 mol/L with the correlation coefficient 0.9991, and the detection limit is 1.4682 μmol/L . There is no significant difference between determination results by this method and those by the national standard method of China. This method is easy-operated, sensitive, quick, exact and no need for distillation and titration, and the determination results are satisfying.


Embodiments of the invention disclose a network data packet processing method and apparatus, and a network processing device. The method comprises the following steps of: receiving a data packet through a network, and storing the received data packet into a preset buffer space; and performing parallel processing on the data packet in the preset buffer space. The embodiments of the invention provide a multi-process data packet processing manner based on a shared buffer space, wherein data packet receiving work and data packet processing work are separated, and processing progresses process the data packet in parallel, so that the advantages of a multicore CPU can be fully exploited and the waste of resources is reduced.


Methods for the detection and inference of irregularly shaped geographic clusters with count data are important tools in disease surveillance and epidemiology. Recently, several methods were developed which combine Kulldorff's Spatial Scan Statistic with some penalty function to control the excessive freedom of shape of spatial clusters. Different penalty functions were conceived based on the cluster geometric shape or on the adjacency structure and non-connectivity of the cluster associated graph. Those penalty functions were also implemented using the framework of multi-objective optimization methods. In particular, the non-connectivity penalty was shown to be very effective in cluster detection. Basically, the non-connectivity penalty function relies on the adjacency structure of the cluster's associated graph but it does not take into account the population distribution within the cluster. Here we introduce a modification of the non-connectivity penalty function, introducing weights in the components of the penalty function according to the cluster population distribution. Our methods are able to identify multiple clusters in the study area. We show through numerical simulations that our weighted non-connectivity penalty function outperforms the original non-connectivity function in terms of power of detection, sensitivity and positive predictive value, also being computationally fast. Both single-objective and multi-objective versions of the algorithm are implemented and compared.


In this study, we attempted to clarify cytochemically whether or not transports of macromolecules being derived from tlood were controlled by synovial lining cells respectively. centered on the uptake of intravenously injected exogenous peroxidase by rat synovial lining cells in the temporomandibular joint (T.M.J.) Adult male Wistar rats weighing 300-400 g were anesthetized with pentobarbital sodium. Thirty mg of horseradish peroxidase** (HRP) (MW; about 40,000) dissolved in 0.6 ml of 0.9c NaCl was injected through the fensoral vein. Four animals were killed at 90 sec and 5, 15 and 60 inin after injection of HRP. The synovial lining was removed, and fixed for 4 hoturs irn 2.5% glutaraldehyde in 0.1 M cacodylate buffer (pH 7.4). After fixation, the tissuIe was washed in the same btuffer and then made into frozen sections about 40 gm thick. For the demiionstration of peroxidase activity, sections were incubated at room temperature for 30 rn in the 3.3'-diaminobenzidine (DAB) medium (J Histochem Cytochern 14:291-302, 1966). As controls, some sections were incubated in the medium lacking II. 02 or DAB. After incubation, the swctions were )ostfixed in osmium tetroxide and processed for electron microscopy. The synovial lining of 0.9% NaCl-uininjected animals, or of those after the intravenouLs injection of 0.9%G NaCl, was likcwisc treated to detect endogenous peroxidase activity. When HRP was injected intravenously to


There have been several studies of the histology of the adrenal cortex of the Golden Hamster, e.g., Pecznik ('42, '44), Alpert ( '50), Iceyes ( '49) and Koneff et al. ( '46). While these papers make it clear that the gland follows the pattern characteristic of the Eutherian Mammals (Arnold, 1866, Gottshau, 1883, Bourne, '49), nevertheless there remain some problems concerning the variations in the histological expression of the Hamster adrenal cortex, which require further investigation. There is, for example, the possibility of an X zone being present in the adrenal cortex. The purpose of this investigation has been to examine histologically the adrenal cortex of the hamster and to show the variations in expression of the X zone dependent on the age and sex of the animal. The problem of the X zone in the adrenal cortex of some mammals is linked with the wider problem of adreno-genital relationships. This is particularly emphasized by the findings of Chester Jones ('49) that the X zone is maintained by pituitary gonadotropins and not, as the rest of the cortex, by adrenocorticotropin. Gonadotropic stimulation of the adrenal has been thought to occur in other species, particularly man (Albright, '47, Zuckerman, '52) but clear-cut proof of this is, at the moment, lacking.


Isolation of mouse N-myc genomic clones and nucleotide sequence of the putative coding regions and the 3' non-coding region has been reported approx. a nucleotide sequence of the first intron and


In this study, the authors consider the problem of signal detection in cognitive radio under the cases of known and unknown noise levels. The analysis is focused on maximum eigenvalue-based method which requires the knowledge of noise variance and the ratio of maximum eigenvalue to the trace of covariance matrix. The analytical formulas are derived for threshold calculation and probability of detection for the considered methods. Performance of the considered methods is measured through simulation analysis. The performance comparison between the considered methods and other existing methods is provided. Simulations based on independent and identically distributed signals and wireless microphone signals are presented to verify the various sensing methods.


![Figure][1]

Joanne Chory

AS a senior graduate student contemplating my postdoctoral options, I was struck by the paper " Arabidopsis thaliana mutant that develops as a light-grown plant in the absence of light" ([Chory et al. 1989][2]). The temerity of looking for mutant plants that


To investigate the association of gestational cigarette exposure with breastfeeding the newborn in the first three hoursin women having vaginal delivery. The study was conducted with 462 mothers who delivered in Zeynep Kamil Hospital,Istanbul in 2010-2011 and their newborns. The data was collected by face-to- face interview through LATCHbreasfeeeding Charting System, Fagerstrom test of nicotine dependence, mother and newborn information form. Resultsshowed that 46.1% of women smoked during pregnancy and 7.1% of newborns didn't suck in the first three hours. Therate of not sucking was significantly higher when mothers were exposed actively, passively or both than when theyweren't exposed. It was found that the average LATCH breastfeeding score of mothers who smoked during pregnancywas 7.0 and the risk of not sucking in the first three hours increased three-fold in the newborns. Rate of not sucking inthe first three hours for babies whose mothers smoke during pregnancy is high


Recent literature points out that strategies are a necessary tool for a model{based diagnoser to cope with large{scale systems. The strategy language proposed by Frr ohlich, Nejdl and Schroeder covers all strategies used in literature. But still the language suuers from missing explicit backtracking control. We examine a smart measurement strategy, the problem of combining preference strategy formulas with other formulas and the general case of preferring strategies: all these problems lie beyond the boundaries of the language's expressivity. In the core of the paper we show how to overcome these limits by enriching the language by an additional operator. We deene the semantics of the operator and show how the problems motivating the extension are solved.


Hamlet is replete with references to visual culture. Apparel, cosmetics, color, and accoutrements appear in the dialogue and stage directions of virtually every scene in Shakespeare's longest play. These references are significant, for they hint at the way Shakespeare's original production was staged, seen, and understood in the early modern English theatre.Considering how Hamlet would have appeared on the Globe stage, this essay argues that the play establishes a strong, martial aesthetic with its opening scene. The Ghost, "Armed at point, exactly cap-à-pie," represents the ideal of this aesthetic. Neither Claudius nor Hamlet visually fit this martial ideal, a fact which highlights each character's shortcomings as a potential leader of the warlike state. Following the play's visual logic, only Fortinbras, a nobleman who shows promise as a military leader, is ultimately the appropriate leader of Denmark.Dressed in the apparel of mourning, Hamlet would have been visually aligned with Horatio who almost certainly also wore black when Hamlet was first performed. Following common theatrical convention, Horatio would have appeared in the black academic gown of a scholar and been visually connected to the melancholy Dane on sight. In composing Hamlet for the stage, Shakespeare established a complex visual world that had consequences for how meaning was established and received in production.


This thesis presents work in the area of computer-based speech therapy using different types of visual feedback to replace the auditory feedback channel. The study includes diagnostic assessment me ...


Floodplains are an important component of drainage systems, as they act like transport channels and stores or sinks for suspended sediment deposited during the floods. A geochemical study in floodplain sediments is a reliable method to reconstruct the evolution of anthropic contamination through time in a basin. As an application of this method, the floodplain of the Manzanares River (Madrid) has been examined, as an example of urban environment. Samples have been collected through the floodplain vertical profile at two dif ferent selected sites upstream and downstream the city of Madrid. The samples have been sieved at six sizes of grain in which trace ele ments have been analysed by ICP-MS and INAA. This study highlights an increase in the contents of contaminant elements in the profile sampled downstream as well as an enrichment of these elements as the sediment is younger.


Each month, subscribers to The Formulary Monograph Service receive five to six well-documented monographs on drugs that are newly released or are in late Phase III trials. The monographs are targeted to your Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee. Subscribers also receive monthly one-page summary monographs on the agents that are useful for agendas and pharmacy/nursing in-services. A comprehensive target drug utilization evaluation (DUE) is also provided each month. The monographs are published in printed form and on diskettes that allow customization. Subscribers to the The Formulary Monograph Service also receive access to a pharmacy bulletin board, The Formulary Information Exchange (The F.I.X.). All topics pertinent to clinical and hospital pharmacy are discussed on The F.I.X. Through the cooperation of The Formulary, Hospital Pharmacy publishes selected reviews in this column. If you would like information about The Formulary Monograph Service or The F.I.X., call The Formulary at 800–322–4349. The January 2003 monograph topics are ezetimibe, enfurvitide, aripiprazole, atomoxetine, and amoxicillin/clavulanate potassium extended-release tablets. The DUE is on ezetimibe.


In residential buildings, space heating and cooling are main energy consumers, which mainly relies on a vapor compression cycle. In this study, a life cycle climate performance (LCCP) of cooling and heating system is developed and evaluated for Korean weather conditions. While the heat pump is widely used for both space cooling and heating in United States, the heat pump is only used for the space cooling and gas boiler is used instead for space heating in Korea. Therefore, the gas boiler is applied for the LCCP evaluation. Then, the effect of using heat pumps is investigated and compared with gas boilers. The evaluation result shows that the use of the heat pump for space heating can reduce by 6.5 to 10.5% of total CO2 emissions.


Objective To study the present situation of public health emergency response capability of community medical staff and its influential factors in Guangdong province.Methods Stratified clustered sampling method was used to choose community medical staff from 220 community institutions of Guangdong province.Among them a self- designed questionnaire survey was conducted about health emergency response capacity.and the results were statistically analyzed.Results The score of public health emergency response capability of community medical staff was(67.2 ± 10.6),and there was a significant difference in the score among the staff members with different professional titles,types of work and service periods(P 0.05).Multiple linear stepwise regression analysis showed that the gender(β =- 0.078),professional title(β = 0.061),position(β =- 0.089),type of work(β = 0.084),service period(β = 0.147) and participation in training on emergency(β = 0.371) entered the regression equation.Conclusion The health emergency response capacity of community medical staff in Guangdong Province was lower.The main influencing factors were gender,professional title,position,type of work,service period and whether they paticipated in emergency training.


This document lists the requirements for the fiber optic mechanical shock sensor for the Los Alamos HERT (High Explosive Radio Telemetry) project and provides detailed process steps for fabricating, testing, and assembling the fiber shock sensors for delivery to Los Alamos.


Analytical studies are conducted to develop an effective analytical model to simulate the non-linear response of reinforced concrete (RC) walls subjected to three-dimensional (3D) loads. The interaction between the concrete and steel is taken into account with consideration of the smeared behaviour of steel and tension stiffening of concrete. The proposed model is formulated to address the interaction between the axial force, shear, bending and torsion loads. The shear mechanism along the beam is modelled by adopting a Timoshenko beam approach for 3D frame elements with arbitrary cross-section geometry. The non-linear behaviour of the composite element is derived entirely from the constitutive laws of concrete and steel. The concrete constitutive model follows the softened membrane model that predicts the tensile cracking, compression crushing, strain softening, steel yielding and material damage under combined loadings. The validity of the model is established through a correlation study of experimentally tested RC shear walls subjected to monotonic loading conditions.


We discuss the source of APM′s errors.Combining with azimuth-elevation type and antenna pedestal,an error model is established and effect of different error factors on antenna pointing accuracy are analyzed.The method provides a theoretical basis for these types antenna design precision.At the same time,concepts and methods used in the study can also be used for other multi-axis error analysis,so it has certain practical significance.


Protozoa are recognized as essential to reach high-standard performances in wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), namely activated-sludge, by drastically reducing the number of dispersed bacteria and therefore the turbidity of the final effluent. Moreover, protozoa are sensitive to environmental variations and changes in these populations are known to affect the whole food-web, thus affecting the performance of the wastewater treatment plant.


Two mussel settlements are found in the Kievka Bay - at Skaly and Vtoroy Islands. They are formed mainly by Gray mussel Crenomytilus grayanus in druses of 6-230 individuals. Size of their shells is 10-150 mm at Vtoroy Island, with domination of small-sized mollusks 2 , their mean biomass is 3235 g/m 2 (maximum 7215 g/m 2 , mainly animals), the average species diversity is 25.7 ± 7.3 species at Skaly Island and 13.9 ± 3.9 species at Vtoroy Island.


Despite the high degree of interest in inequality between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland, public policy and academic debates alike have focused largely on men's employment and unemployment. The paper suggests a number of reasons for this and analyses the nature of gender segregation in the Northern Ireland labour market, identifying the differences in the employment position of Catholic and Protestant women. Clear contrasts in the labour market position of the two sets of women with respect to unemployment are also demonstrated. The paper makes reference to certain alternatives to conventional measures of participation and underlines the importance of adjusting industrial and occupational categories so as better to reveal the patterns of women's employment. In Britain as a whole, there is increasing interest in a reconceptualisation of women's employment in order to acknowledge and to integrate more fully the specific experience of diverse groups. It is equally important for Northern Ireland, where debates about the changing labour market can all too easily proceed without reference to women at all.


Fiji is prone to the devastating effects of heavy rainfall during the passage of tropical cyclones (TCs) and as such accurate measurement of rainfall during such events is urgent for effective disaster mitigation and risk analysis. Fiji, however, has a sparse distribution of rain gauges, thus there is a deficiency in the accurate measurement of rainfall. This gap could be filled by satellite-based rainfall estimates but before they are used, they need to be validated against a reference dataset for their accuracy and limitations. This study thus validates the TRMM based Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) estimates over the island of Fiji. The study shows that TMPA has moderate skill in estimating rainfall during the passage of TCs over the island of Fiji. This skill is also highly variable as it decreases with an increase in rainfall intensity, increase in distance from the cyclone centre and increasing terrain elevation. The ability of TMPA also varies case by case but we report a general underestimation of rainfall by TMPA during the passage of TCs with a larger rainfall rate (defined in our case as those TCs with average daily rainfall greater than 25 mm day).


Participants in this workshop discussed the operation and maintenance needs of Integrated Transportation Management Systems (ITMS). Four general issue categories were identified to help focus this discussion. These were implementation, staffing and training, institutional, and funding. The role of the private sector in operations and maintenance was also discussed. The major issues (included here) in each of the four categories were identified.


In this work we propose four experimental activities of low cost in order to help the high school teacher in the classroom when introducing the concepts of action-reaction and conservation laws of momentum and mechanical energy. Our aim is to provide simple tools to make the classes more atractive and to improve the student's critical reasoning.


MANET is an temporary decentralized infrastructure less network where each node can behave like receiver and transmitter and having a permission to move any were across the network without loss the connectivity with rest of network. Message sharing is an important task of MANET, MANET have verity of routing protocol to serve massage sharing .Performance of these routing protocol depend upon collision rate ,reach ability, rebroadcasting and average latency. Message sharing scheme in MANET is categorized namely into deterministic and probabilistic schemes. This paper give an bird eye over MANET and its routing algorithms mainly probabilistic scheme for routing and also include recent research towards better performance in term of lower collision rate, battery consumption, rebroadcasting rate and higher degree of reach ability ,average latency.


Please Note: 1) Items may be taken out of order. The Council chair may combine two or more agenda items for consideration. The council chair may remove an item from the agenda or delay discussion relating to an item on the agenda at any time. 2) Public Comment is limited to three (3) minutes per person and cannot be acted upon at this meeting. 3) Meetings are audio-recorded as part of the public record. 4) To request backup materials, please contact Sulin Jones, 775-684-3340. 5) Asterisk (*) denotes possible action item for the Council.


Voicemail method, the calling subscriber device (10) for sorting unavailable conducted to the called subscriber device (20) call (or other screening calls). The screening method determines whether the called subscriber unit (20) comprises a voice mail sorting function (110). Internet Protocol Multimedia System (50) receives the call from the called subscriber unit (114). Then, the Internet protocol multimedia system transfers the call control to the voice mail screening server. Voicemail sorting server presents to return send play to the subscriber unit a start portion of the voice mail messages left by the subscriber unit (10) (20), a call to the called subscriber device (20) to. Then, the called subscriber unit indicates via a short code whether the called subscriber unit to receive a call (124).


Our group has discovered a many body effect that explains the surprising divergence of the spin susceptibility which has been measured by neutron scattering experiments on high temperature superconductors and vanadium oxide metals. Electron interactions on nested - i.e., nearly parallel paths - have been analyzed extensively by our group, and such processes provide a physical explanation for many anomalous features that distinguish cuprate superconductors from ordinary metals.


RESULTS: The cadence metabolic equation was [VO (mL/kg/min) = 0.0021*C – 0.24*C + 15.4, where C = cadence]. The RMSE [±95% CI] from the LOOCV of the cadence metabolic equation was 2.5 [±1.0] mL/kg/min and its bias [±95% CI] was 0.6 [±0.3] mL/kg/min. The RMSE from applying the ACSM walking metabolic equation to this data was 3.1 [±1.2] mL/kg/min, with a bias of -2.5 [±0.2] mL/kg/min. CONCLUSION: In the same way that speed is used in the ACSM metabolic equation, cadence may also be used in a walking metabolic equation with similar error and reduced bias. The greater sample size and sex distribution used herein to develop this cadence-based metabolic equation suggests greater potential to produce accurate and generalizable estimations. Future research should test this equation during overground walking and incorporate grade as an additional variable.


This article introduces an innovative electromagnetic drive. The construction is based on magnetic levitation in connection with a modified railway to wing rail. Actuation can be used in route-bound traffic for rail and road vehicles. This pioneering electromagnetic actuation can be applied in long-distance, regional and local traffic concepts.


In this paper a 2D bi-static, fully-polarimetric Ultrawideband (UWB) imaging system is presented. The exploitation of polarization diversity provides supplemental information compared to mono-polarized sensing techniques. This polarization diversity gain enhances the efficiency of target classification according to information contained in the back-scattered signal. Hence, additional characteristics of targets such as form, details of surface structure and orientation are gathered, which may remain invisible for mono-polarized systems. An experimental validation is carried out based on complex test objects, an M-sequence Radar device and new dual-orthogonal polarized antennas.


Plastics are an integral part in our daily life activities and it is difficult to conceive how we could function without them. Burning or chemical treatments of these plastic materials destroys the environment and have many dangerous effects on, water air and human health. Thus, other sources of plastic (biodegradable plastic) must be introduced. Under unfavorable growth conditions Poly s-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) is accumulated intracellular by many bacteria and the principal enzyme for the degradation of PHB is PHB depolymerase. A number of thermophilic actinomycetes have been screened for PHB degradation on agar plats. All these isolates were recovered from soil, sand and wastewater samples on starch nitrate agar at incubation temperature of 45. Five isolates (50%) out of 10 showed degradation activities, detected by the diameter of the clear zone. The Actinomycete isolate MM10 was the most PHB degrader and it was identified using morphological, physiological and biochemical characters. According to 16SrRNA analysis, it was identified as Streptomyces lydicusMM10. Growth at 45oC, in minimal medium (pH7.0) containing glucose and0.3% PHB as enzyme inducer, enhanced enzyme production and maximum activity was obtained after 24 h of incubation. The PHB depolymerase was precipitated and purified using column chromatography. The optimum temperature and pH of the pure enzyme were 45°C and pH 8, respectively. However, production of bioplastics is cost effective as compared to synthetic plastics they were non-toxic and completely biodegradable by some actinomycete isolates.© 2015 Friends Science Publishers


A transfer of genes from the species Noli (Elaeis oleifera) to the oil palm species (Elaeis guineensis) was made using backcrosses, with the objective of obtaining a cultivar with high fruit and oil production per unit of area, slow rate of growth, disease tolerance, and oil with high content of unsaturated fatty acids and carotenes. The first backcross generation, BC1, was obtained using controlled pollination between palms of the interspecific F1 hybrid (Elaeis oleifera x Elaeis guineensis) used as the female parent with palms of the species Elaeis guineensis as the male progenitor. In 1995 the progeny of five BC1s were established in the field, proposing the segregation hypothesis that 50% of the progeny would correspond to the genotype of oil palm and the remaining 50% to the genotype of the BC1 hybrid with a load of African genes (75% E. guineensis and 25% E. oleifera). The field data were analyzed based on a completely random design with hierarchical array and uneven number of repetitions per treatment; Chi2 was used to test the hypothesis. In the fourth year of production the promising BC1s reached 35 t·ha-1 of fruit, with 19.6% of oil and an estimated oil production of 6.3 t·ha-1 per year. These hybrids grew an average of 25.8 cm per year, a characteristic that increases the useful life expectancy of a plantation to more than 40 years. To date, these hybrids show tolerance to four deadly diseases that affect the oil palm in Colombia, since no symptoms have been observed during the eight years of evaluation. The oil from these hybrids contains greater concentrations of unsaturated fatty acids than that of oil palm.