Energy is central for the global decarbonization and the achievement of a sustainable future for all. This calls for a fundamental energy-systems transformation that would bring multiple co-benefits for health, climate and other challenges facing humanity and especially those without access to affordable and clean energy services. Pervasive transformation toward zero-carbon electricity and electrification of energy end use are central to achieving higher efficiencies, decarbonization and net-zero emissions. This is not merely a technical and economic issue. It is about people, about societies and about values and behaviors. Technology is an integral part of the society and an expression of collective intentionality through aggregation of sundry individual choices. The next disruptive transformation toward a sustainable future may indeed be powered by the digital revolution. It poses dangers for privacy, dissemination of alternative realities and erosion of evidence-based information but it also offers a great promise of catalyzing the emergence of a sustainable future by augmenting human capabilities by new, more convenient, more efficient and decarbonized goods and services. The key question is whether humanity will have the political will to collectively achieve the energy-systems transformation toward a sustainable future and net-zero emissions in merely three decades.


Adeno-associated virus (AAV) is a small single-stranded DNA-containing nonpathogenic human parvovirus, which has gained attention as an efficient and safe vector for gene transfer [1-6]. Recombinant AAV vectors have been, or are currently being, used in 165 Phase I/II/III clinical trials, and thus far, no serious adverse events have ever been observed or reported. AAV serotype 2 (AAV2) vectors have shown clinical efficacy in 3 human diseases: Leber's congenital amaurosis (LCA) [7-10], aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase deficiency (AADC) [11], and choroideremia [12]. In the past decade, at least 12 additional AAV serotype vectors, some derived from non-human primates, have also become available [13-21]. AAV1 vectors have successfully been used in the gene therapy of lipoprotein lipase deficiency [22], and AAV8 vectors have shown clinical efficacy in the potential gene therapy of hemophilia B [23-25]. More recently, AAV5 vectors have been to be effective in hemophilia A [26,27]. AAV9 vectors have successfully been used in gene therapy for Pompe


Presents a novel method to estimate the limit of lossless compression of digital cine angiograms. Three Markov models are used, one explores temporal dependency, one explores spatial dependency, and one explores both temporal and spatial dependencies. The models are from simple progressively towards complex. They have used 256, 256/spl times/256, and 256/spl times/256/spl times/256 contexts respectively. Five digital cine angiograms collected from both Siemens Hicore and Digitron digital cine angiographic imaging devices have been used for the test. The results have shown that the highest lossless compression ratio could approach to 6:1, which is slightly less than the limit of visually lossless JPEG compression ratio reported.


The invention discloses a bogie, a rail vehicle with the same and a rail transportation system. The bogie comprises a bogie framework, a first travelling wheel, a second travelling wheel, a third travelling wheel, a fourth travelling wheel, a plurality of first horizontal wheels and a plurality of second horizontal wheels. The first travelling wheel, the second travelling wheel, the third travelling wheel and the fourth travelling wheel are mounted on the bogie framework in a pivoted mode. The multiple first horizontal wheels are mounted on the bogie framework in a pivoted mode, are suitable for being matched on one side of a rail and are coaxially arranged at intervals in the vertical direction. The multiple second horizontal wheels are mounted on the bogie framework in a pivoted mode, are suitable for being matched on the other side of the rail and are coaxially arranged at intervals in the vertical direction. According to the bogie of the embodiment of the invention, the stability of the whole vehicle can be improved, the toppling risk of the rail vehicle at the time of turning or travelling with the high speed is reduced, and bearing capacity is high.


A combined sewage treatment device with the combination of a photocatalysis reactor and a biological oxidation reactor belongs to the technical field of sewage treatment technology in the environmental protection industry. The combined sewage treatment device of the utility model is composed of a photocatalysis reactor A and a bioreactor B, wherein a stirrer 3 is arranged in the photocatalysis reactor A of which the rotation speed is controlled by a speed governor 4, four ultraviolet lamp tubes 8 are arranged at the circumference of the inner part of the photocatalysis reactor A which is also provided with purpose-made nano titanium dioxide fillers, the bottom part of the photocatalysis reactor A is provided with a water outlet tube L3 which is connected to a water inlet tube L1 through a water pump 1, the water inlet tube L1 is arranged at the outer side of the bioreactor B, an aeration pump 2 connected to an aeration head 7 through a pipeline L2 is arranged below the bioreactor B, the top part of the bioreactor B is provided with a water decanting device 9 and the lower end of the bioreactor B is connected to the water outlet tube L3 through which purified water flows out. The device has the advantages of small floor occupation area, stable treatment effects, strong capacity of shock resistance and load, simple operation and management, convenient operation and low equipment investment.


The present invention relates to a layered catalyst composite (TWC-NT), in which a catalyst of a type commonly referred to as a three-way catalyst (TWC) and a nitrogen oxide adsorption component (NT) are integrated. In particular, the present invention relates to the layered catalyst composite integrating the three-way catalyst (TWC) and a nitrogen oxide trap (NT) for processing nitrogen oxide produced in a large amount under a lean condition which is momentarily created due to a fuel cut in a gasoline engine in which an air-fuel mixture reacts according to a stoichiometric air-ingredient ratio, in other words, under a condition having an oxygen concentration of at least a stoichiometric amount in exhaust gas.


An updated checklist of the Arabian species of Dryinidae is provided here. The list includes 40 identified species in eight genera and five subfamilies: Anteoninae (2 genera, 11 species), Aphelopinae (1 genus, 4 species), Bocchinae (2 genera, 5 species), Dryininae (1 genus, 5 species) and Gonatopodinae (2 genera, 15 species). Distributions, both on the Peninsula and extra-limital, are provided for each species; nine species (23%) are endemic to the Arabian Peninsula.


Lippia scaberrima Sond. (Verbenaceae) is an aromatic shrub, indigenous to South Africa. A camphorous essential oil was obtained from bulk aerial parts of L. scaberrima by steam distillation. Gas chromatography with flame ionization detection revealed that d-limonene, 1,8-cineole and (R)-(-)-carvone were the main oil constituents. Strong in vitro antifungal activity of the essential oil was observed against common postharvest spoilage pathogens of mango, avocado and citrus fruit. R-carvone was found to be largely responsible for this antifungal activity. These results were confirmed by semi-commercial and commercial trials using fruit treated with coatings, amended with L. scaberrima and Mentha spicata (spearmint) essential oil. The control treatments were done using standard commercial fungicide applications, while the experimental treatments all consisted of coating amended with the oil or single terpenoid constituents, in the absence of synthetic fungicides. Effective disease control was obtained using all of the amended treatments. Quality parameters measured indicated that the overall quality of the fruits was maintained. Essential oil amended coatings could eliminate environmentally harmful toxic waste originating from standard packhouse procedures. Alternatively, the use of essential oils alone or in combination with synthetic fungicides, could lengthen the useful lifespan of existing fungicides.


With the difficulty of employment continuously increasing,students' professional career plan has been the hot topic on campus. Professional plan has become the hotspot many college students show the most solicitude for every year. Based on the discussion on the concepts and meanings of professional career plan,this paper analyzes the problems of students' professional career plan in high vocational colleges now and puts forward a series of countermeasures which aim at those problems.


A survey was conducted of several alloy systems identified as having certain properties thought to be desirable in high figure‐of‐merit thermoelectric materials. The systems examined include the cerium and lanthanum borocarbides, yttrium nitrides, osmium silicides, and titanium sulfides. Various approaches to the preparation of these alloy systems were explored including vapor transport, arc melting, and mechanical alloying. Among these systems, the borocarbides were found to exhibit p‐type conductivity but generally suffered from relatively high carrier concentrations (on the order of 1021/cm3) and low mobilities (≤10 cm2/V‐s). Both carbon and sulfur dopants produced the highest figure of merit (0.13×10−3/ °C) in the yttrium nitride system at room temperature. Excess silicon was observed to increase carrier concentration and Hall mobility in osmium disilicide while additions of chromium were observed to stabilize the OsSi2 crystal structure. Electrical power factors comparable to state of the art silicon...


Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of adding glimepiride versus placebo to previous antidiabetic regionen in obese type 2 diabetic patients.Methods 76 obese type 2 diabetic patients inadequately controlled were given either control group or therapy group(combination with glimepiride) for 12 weeks.Results HbA_1c levels and blood glucose of each group were significantly decreased.Moreover,there was significant decrease in the levels of fasting insulin,HOMA-IR,BMI and daily insulin dose in the therapy group versus the control group(all P0.05 or0.01).The number of hypoglycemic episodes was only once in therapy group.Conclusions Adding glimpiride versus placebo to the previous antidiabetic regimen is efficient and safe with decreased insulin dosage in obese type 2 diabetic patients.


Catalyst support durability is currently a technical barrier for commercialization of polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells, especially for transportation applications. Degradation and corrosion of the conventional carbon supports leads to losses in active catalyst surface area and, consequently, reduced performance. As a result, the goal of this work is to develop support materials that interact strongly with Pt, yet sustain bulk-like catalytic activities with very highly dispersed particles. Ceramic materials that are prepared using conventional solid-state methods have large grain sizes and low surface areas that can only be minimally ameliorated through grinding and ball milling. Other synthesis routes to produce ceramic materials must be investigated and utilized in order to obtain desired surface areas. In this work, several different synthesis methods are being utilized to prepare electronically conductive ceramic boride, nitride, and oxide materials with high surface areas and have the potential for use as PEMFC catalyst supports. Polymer-assisted deposition (PAD) and aerosol-through plasma (A-T-P) torch are among several methods used to obtain ceramic materials with surface areas that are equal to, or exceed Vulcan XC-72R supports. Cubic Mo-based ceramic phases have been prepared with average XRD-determined crystallite sizes as low as 1.6 nm (from full profile, XRDmore » fitting) and a BET surface area exceeding 200 m{sup 2}/g. Additionally, black, sub-stoichiometric TiO{sub 2-x}, have been prepared with an average crystallite size in the 4 nm range and surface areas exceeding 250 m{sup 2}/gr. Pt disposition using an incipient wetness approach produced materials with activity for hydrogen redox reactions and ORR. Cyclic voltammetry data will be shown for a variety of potential Pt/ceramic catalysts. Initial experiments indicate enhanced Pt metal-support interactions as well. Plane wave periodic density functional calculations (VASP) are being used to predict the thermodynamic and activation barriers for fundamental electrode processes occurring at platinum surfaces supported on thin films of the ceramic support materials. The results of this work will be used in order to optimize support properties.« less


Advantages of scalable multifunction RF (SMRF) sensors and networked operation of sensors are well-known. Some advantages are surveillance persistence, multipath resistance, and interference resistance. The particular benefits of applying multifunction RF sensors in a network still need to be studied. In this study, the application of fixed SMRF sensor networks will be discussed and suitable scenarios will be described. Based on these scenarios it will be shown that e.g. locating accuracy improves when information of several multifunction sensors is combined.


Individual and shared intentions to participate in a group activity were studied for Koreans and for Americans. For Koreans, individual intentions were functions of attitudes, whereas shared intentions were functions of social identity reactions (i.e., self-categorization, affective commitment, and evaluative significance). For Americans, individual intentions were functions of attitudes and group norms (i.e., internalization), while shared intentions were functions of subjective norms (i.e., compliance) and group norms. The differential effects of personal and social factors on intentions were explained from the viewpoint of social influence theory. Further, cultural background (i.e., an independent-based versus an interdependent-based orientation) was found to moderate these effects.


Objectives: To compare efficacy of mometasone furoate topical intranasal therapy alone and combination of oral anti-histamine and anti-leukotriene therapy in seasonal allergic rhinitis. Methods: A randomized control trial at Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck surgery, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad, and Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar-Pakistan, was done in 1 year, from 25th Oct 2016 to 24th Oct 2017. A total of 146 patients were selected and divided into group A & group B (each group have 73 patients). The treatment given was topical Steroid (Mometasone) to Group A and oral antihistamine (loratadine 10mg), antileukotriene (Montelukast 10mg) to Group B. All patients who were included in our study were examined on three consecutive occasions, i.e. at zero presentation day, at 2 weeks and 4 weeks. Patient nasal symptom score was recorded and improvement noticed. Results: All146 patients were selected and were divided into two groups with each group consists of 73 (50%) patients. Male to female ratio was 1:1.8 and mean age was 27.93+7.8. Out of all patients 124 (84.9%) were responders and 22 (15%) were non-responders. 69 (94.5%) patients of group A were responders while 4 (5.5%) were non-responders. On the other hand, in group B, 55 (75.3%) were responders and 18(24.7%) were non-responders Conclusion: Intranasal Mometasone furoate spray as a first line therapy was more effective than combined oral anti-histamines and leukotriene receptor antagonistsin allergic rhinitis.


AbstractThe impacts of Asian orography on the wintertime atmospheric circulation over the Pacific are explored using altered-orography, semi-idealized, general circulation model experiments. The latitude of orography is found to be far more important than height. The Mongolian Plateau and nearby mountain ranges, centered at ~48°N, have an impact on the upper-level wintertime jet stream that is approximately 4 times greater than that of the larger and taller Tibetan Plateau and Himalayas to the south. Key contributing factors to the importance of the Mongolian mountains are latitudinal variations in the meridional potential vorticity gradient and the strength of the impinging wind—both of which determine the amplitude of the atmospheric response—and the structure of the atmosphere, which influences the spatial pattern of the downstream response. Interestingly, while the Mongolian mountains produce a larger response than the Tibetan Plateau in Northern Hemisphere winter, in April–June the response from the ...


We consider a strictly convex billiard table with C2 boundary, with the dynamics subjected to random perturbations. Each time the billiard ball hits the boundary its reflection angle has a random perturbation. The perturbation distribution corresponds to a situation where either the scale of the surface irregularities is smaller than but comparable to the diameter of the reflected object, or the billiard ball is not perfectly rigid. We prove that for a large class of such perturbations the resulting Markov chain is uniformly ergodic, although this is not true in general.


ABSTRACT: Lysozyme from egg white was purified using the anionic surfactant, di-(2-ethylhexyl) sodium sulfosuccinate (Aerosol-OT or AOT), as a precipitating ligand. Upon addition, AOT formed an insoluble lysozyme-surfactant complex with lysozyme and precipitated from the egg white solution. The lysozyme was then recovered as a solid from the insoluble complex using acetone, while AOT remained in the acetone phase. The precipitation efficiency was highest when the pH of the egg white solution was between 6 and 9. A molar ratio of 15 between surfactant and lysozyme provided 80% precipitation efficiency. The recovered lysozyme product was free of surfactant, and retained its original enzymatic activity.


The use of β-agonists in livestock production is prohibited in many countries because the residues of β-agonists in food pose a potential risk to human health. The present work describes the development and validation of the LC-MS/MS method for detection of ten β-agonists in bovine urine according to Commission Decision 2002/657/EC requirements. Linearity of the method resulted with coefficient of correlation >0.990. The decision limits (CCα) ranged from 0.127 ng/mL to 0.646 ng/mL, and the detection capability (CCβ) resulted in the range 0.140 ng/mL to 0.739 ng/mL. The observed recoveries in the fortified bovine urine samples were satisfactory at every fortification level with values from 73.67% to 118.80%. The coefficient of variation (CV, %) at three fortification levels for each β-agonist was in complete agreement with the requirements from Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. The CV for intraday precision varied from 1.619% to 15.472% and the CV for interday precision varied from 2.695% to 10.441%. From the obtained validation results the proposed method is an appropriate method for determination of β-agonists in bovine urine.


Graphs are very widely used to represent datasets in various real-world applications. Many algorithms dealing with graphs represent them in the form of sparse matrices and process them through sparse matrix operations. Recently, as the size of a graph increases rapidly, a single-machine-based graph engine has emerged as a general framework for effectively performing large-scale sparse matrix operations. Sparse matrices multiplication (SpGEMM) is a core building block for developing a variety of graph algorithms such as all source shortest paths, betweenness centrality, breadth first search from multiple sources, subgraph indexing, and graph construction. This paper addresses how to perform two sparse matrices multiplication (SpGEMM) efficiently on a single-machine-based graph engine. To effectively perform the large-scale SpGEMM, we have two issues: (1) selecting an appropriate type of matrix products (i.e., inner products, outer products, and row-row products), and (2) allocating memory space to matrices according to different types of matrix products. We first formulate the cost models for the three matrix product types by reflecting their characteristics. We observed the commonality in the processes of the matrix multiplication and the join in a relational database. Based on this observation, we propose memory allocation schemes for three matrix products by borrowing the idea of memory allocation employed in join. Finally, we show the effectiveness of our approach via extensive experiments with real-life datasets.


The article presents the organization of the system of the public finance control in department of government administration and entities of local government. It also presents the evolution of control in the public finance sector throughout introduction of new terms related to control: internal audit, financial control, management control and audit committee. The article also defines management control as well as describes its elements in accordance with COSO international standards.


To ignite the world trade, a number of global economic institutions have been formed to carry out multilateral free trade in the world of multilingual and multi religious community. General Agreement on Tariff and Trade is one of them, which was signed on 30.10.1947. The fundamental aims of GATT were to liberalize world trade negotiations among member countries. Therefore, reduction of tariffs on trade on manufacturers was adopted as major goal of GATT. One of the major activities of the GATT since its inception has been launching of a series of rounds of negotiations. The first one was Geneva Round (Switzerland, 1947) & the last one is Uruguay round (Punta del Este, 1986). Almost in all the rounds some trade related barriers have been tried to remove for free trade among countries.India is one of the signatory of Uruguay Round (UR). The basic thrust of UR Final Act attack was that the Indian government has surrendered its sovereignty under pressure from the US government and the multinationals. There is no doubt that some of the criticisms were politically motivated and value loaded.Any comprehensive analysis of the implications of the Uruguay Round for India would have to cover all-important concerns. However the present study is an attempt to delineate only the major concerns regarding the implication of Uruguay Round agreement for India concerning to Reductions in tariff, Agreement on Anti-dumping, Agreement on TRIMS, Agreement on Agriculture Agreement on Services, Agreement on TRIPS, Agreement on Textile and Clothing, Social causes in GATT, Dispute settlement body. Finally an attempt has been made to suggest the future avenues for further productive dialogues in future ministerial councils.


Metal hydrides are attractive for compact, low-pressure hydrogen storage, yet a foundational understanding of factors governing their thermodynamics and kinetics is still lacking. Predictive modeli...


Literary criticism requires students to interpret and critique a literary text using literary theories. This study examined the use of genre-based writing instruction to teach the writing of literary criticism to a group of first year undergraduate students. The genre approach used was based on the Teaching Learning Cycle (TLC) developed by Systemic Functional Linguistics scholars. Past studies have shown that there is a dearth of research studying the use of the genre approach in teaching writing for literature in the ESL context. This study was undertaken as an exploratory case study, using pre-post tests and interview as data collection methods. An analysis of respondents' essays revealed that they have improved in their ability to demonstrate all but a few of the rhetorical and linguistic conventions of a literary criticism. However, respondents who participated in the interview opined that they struggled in relating the exemplar studied during the deconstruction stage and felt that the writing instructor was too prescriptive in the joint-construction stage. Hence, the study revealed a need to hone students' mastery of the subject content and language use. Writing instructors need to cater to the needs of the learners in carrying out the TLC.


A s health care reform continues to be a primary topic of debate in the United States, understanding the physical health status and literacy of different populations is becoming increasingly important. One population at increased risk for poor physical health and health literacy is individuals with disabilities (Huscroft-D'Angelo, Trout, Epstein, & Thompson, 2014; Trout, Hoffman, Epstein, Nelson, & Thompson, 2014; Trout, Lambert, Nelson, Epstein, & Thompson, 2014; 2015). Although studies have examined these constructs in persons with disabilities in the general population, less is known about how physical health status and literacy manifest in school-based populations of youth with high-incidence disabilities, such as learning disabilities (LD) and emotional disturbance (ED). This is important as schools are ideal settings to contribute to the achievement of public health goals by providing students key information on health and graduating students who have strong health literacy skills that will help them lead healthier lives (American Association of School Health [AASH], 2016; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2016). Understanding the physical health status and literacy of students with school-identified disabilities will also contribute to a comprehensive knowledge base for developing school-based interventions aimed at improving overall health literacy in this population. Research on youth health-related outcomes has received national attention due to the close association between health and school-related outcomes (Cook, Li, & Heinrich, 2015). Professionals from the fields of health care and education agree that health and school functioning are interrelated. A clear association exists between physical health and academic and behavioral functioning areas in which youth with certain schoolidentified, high-incidence disabilities present increased Abstract: School environments provide an opportunity to address health-related topics and ensure students graduate prepared to manage health needs, including populations at risk for poor physical health or low health literacy, such as those with disabilities. Presently, little is known about the physical health status, health literacy, or approaches to address these topics in school environments for youth with high-incidence disabilities. The purpose of this study was to conduct a comprehensive review of the literature from 1994-2014 to understand the physical health status and health literacy of youth with Learning Disabilities (LD) and Emotional Disturbance (ED) as well as identify approaches to address these topics in school environments. A two-phase systematic process was used to examine the literature in each respective topic. This included identifying search parameters, an electronic database search, ancestor search, and coding of relevant articles. The initial search yielded 130 articles. After coding, 11 articles remained. Eight focused on physical health status, two on health literacy, and one on interventions related to health literacy. Although study results are tentative, youth with LD and ED are likely at risk for poor health outcomes and low health literacy. A need exists to develop school-based approaches that will contribute towards improving these outcomes.


CRATER, MARS. M. N. Hughes R. E. Arvidson, A. B. Bryk, W. E. Dietrich, M. P. Lamb, and J. G. Catalano, McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO (email@example.com), 2 Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA


A multiple nodes wireless communication network in LOS channel is considered, consisting of a sender (Alice), a receiver (Bob), several friendly helpers, and a passive eavesdropper (Eve), each equipped with an omnidirectional antenna. The helpers work cooperatively to jam Eve. But sender and helpers have no idea of the position of Eve, so the goal of the system is to jam equally to every direction except for the legitimate receiver. A random jamming pair scheme is proposed, in which each helper pair sends noise nulling at Bob, and the closed form direction pattern is derived. The outage performance of the scheme is introduced to measure the performance of the system in this paper, and we compare it with the conventional cooperative jamming scheme. The simulation results show that the random jamming pair scheme has a better outage performance than the fixed cooperative jamming scheme.


Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the effects on coatings performance in the epoxy silicone resin system owing to the existence of the different chain length of open-chain epoxy monomer. In this paper, [4-Methylphenyl-(4–(2-methylpropyl) phenyl)]iodonium as photoinitiator was added into epoxy silicone resin by ultraviolet (UV)-cured polymerization to investigate the effects on coatings performance owing to the existence of the different chain length of open-chain epoxy monomer.

Design/methodology/approach
A simple hydrosilylation reaction was used to synthesize epoxy-based silicone prepolymers by using hydrogen-terminated polydimethylsiloxane, 1,2-epoxy-5-hexene, 1,2-epoxy-7-octene and 1,2-epoxy-9-decene as precursors.

Findings
The results revealed that the glass transition temperatures (Tg) and hydrophobicity increased with the chain length of open-chain epoxy monomer in the UV curable epoxy-based silicone coatings, and these films had excellent heat resistance, hydrophobicity, antigraffiti and ink removal properties.

Research limitations/implications
The cationic photocuring systems are not susceptible to the effect of oxygen inhibition. However, the limitation of cationic light curing process is that it requires a long curing time.

Originality/value
The coatings prepared via the UV curing approach can provide superior antismudge effects, and thus they are promising candidates for use in various industries, especially in fields such as antismudge coatings and antigraffiti coatings.


ABSTRACT Background Malaria control is based on early treatment of cases and on vector control. The current measures for malaria vector control in Africa are mainly based on long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and to a much smaller extent on indoor residual spraying (IRS). While bed net use is widely distributed and its role is intensively researched, Bti-based larviciding is a relatively novel tool in Africa. In this study, we analyze the perception and acceptability of Bti-based larval source management under different larviciding scenarios that were performed in a health district in Burkina Faso. Objective To research people's perception and acceptance regarding biological larviciding interventions against malaria in their communities. Methods A cross-sectional study was undertaken using a total of 634 administered questionnaires. Data were collected in a total of 36 rural villages and in seven town quarters of the semi-urban town of Nouna. Results Respondents had basic to good knowledge regarding malaria transmission and how to protect oneself against it. More than 90% reported sleeping under a bed net, while other measures such as mosquito coils and insecticides were only used by a minority. The majority of community members reported high perceived reductions in mosquito abundance and the number of malaria episodes. There was a high willingness to contribute financially to larviciding interventions among interviewees. Conclusions This study showed that biological larviciding interventions are welcomed by the population that they are regarded as an effective and safe means to reduce mosquito abundance and malaria transmission. A routine implementation would, despite low intervention costs, require community ownership and contribution.


This paper presents a case study of assessing an applied statistics course. The assessment includes 10 computer lab activities, that students may voluntary complete during the fall semester. An individual voluntary project is also incorporated as part of the assessment. At the end of the semester there is a final examination about the course contents. These assessment methods and the difficulties to implement them are discussed. Students have heterogeneous backgrounds. Some of them show fear and anxiety towards the subject. This interferes with the implementation of the assessment and implies discipline problems.


unknown mythological poem must remain unexplained. Lugal-ki-se ni-du-du, " The king (title of some god) has made it beautiful on earth," is the most probable interpretation. Granting that this is the reading, then Lugal-ki-ni-es-du-du, as read by Gadd, is clearly the king of Erech, hitherto known as Lugalkigubnidudu. The new inscription makes him a contemporary of Entemena which is certain from all the historical evidence. It is incredible that famous kings of Erech in the same period should have names (in the old readings) so similar, and it is certain that they are the same persons. S. LANGDON.


Purpose: Whether clinicopathologic risk factors are associated with the number of metastatic lymph nodes remains unclear. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the effects of age range on the number of metastatic lymph nodes in papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC). Methods: A series of 1115 patients with PTMC who underwent total thyroidectomy plus central lymph node dissection were analyzed. The clinical correlation between the number of metastatic lymph nodes and age range was retrospectively studied after adjusting for potential confounders. Results: Lymph node metastases were found more frequently in the age <45 group than in the age ≥45 group (P<0.001). Univariate regression analysis showed that age was significantly correlated with the number of metastatic lymph nodes (odds ratio -0.6, 95% confidence interval -0.8 to -0.4, P<0.001). After multivariable risk adjustment for potential confounding factors, age, subtype, extrathyroid extension, infiltration, and maximum tumor size remained positively associated with the number of metastatic lymph nodes. A linear relationship between age and the number of metastatic lymph nodes was observed: when below the turning point (56 years), the number of metastatic lymph nodes decreasing with the increasing age. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that age is associated with the number of metastatic lymph nodes in PTMC. Radical treatment may be necessary for younger PTMC patients.


Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation chief economist John Edwards - former advisor to and biographer of Paul Keating - argues that the Australian economy has entered a new, high-growth phase which is changing the way we think about growth, employment and the role of government.


The virus is very infectious. It hides in animals' hair, birds' plumage, on people's clothes, even on car tyres, contaminated food and airborne water droplets. Only speedy countermeasures can prevent the repeat of the 1967 scenario when 400,000 cattle had to be slaughtered in Britain.


The main objective of this study is to contribute to the sustainable management of mangrove forests in Cameroon through assessing the impact of fish smoking activities on mangrove resources. Mangrove wood is harvested by local communities for many purposes, but most notably as fuel for fish smoking. Population growth has greatly increased the pressure on these resources in recent years. Our study focused on fish smoking activities in Ndian and Fako, in the southwest region of Cameroon. Through structured and semistructured questionnaires, 243 fish smokers were interviewed in 9 local markets. Our study found that all the fish smokers were women from Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria, and Benin. Ninety-three percent of our respondents purchase the wood they use, which is mainly red mangrove (Rhizophora racemosa). The quantity of wood consumed is governed not only by the amount of fish requiring smoking but also by the type of oven used. Per fish smoking session, a traditional oven takes 53 hr to smoke 528 kg of fish and consume 1,205 kg of wood at a cost of 50€. A modern cinderblock oven, on the other hand, requires only 5 hr to smoke 160 kg of fish and consumes 122 kg of wood at a cost of 10€. Cinderblock ovens are preferable both ecologically and economically and could be one of multiple solutions for the sustainable management of mangrove wood resources. However, interventions are necessary in order for fish smokers to become aware of the benefits of these improved cinderblock ovens.


An approach for building mixed-initiative tools for the procedural generation of game levels using interactive evolutionary optimisation is introduced. A tool is created based on this approach which (a) is focused on supporting the designer to explore the design space and (b) only requires the designer to interact with it by designing levels. The tool identifies level design patterns in an initial hand-designed map and uses that information to drive an optimisation algorithm. This results in a number of suggestions which are presented to the designer, who can then edit them providing the system with valuable designer feedback. The effectiveness of this approach to create levels with similar level design patterns to a target is illustrated through a series of algorithm driven benchmark tests. To test the mixed-initiative aspect of the tool a triple-blind mixed-method, user study was conducted. When compared to a control group, provided with random level suggestions throughout the design process, the mixed-initiative approach increased engagement in the level design task and was effective in inspiring new ideas and design directions. This provides significant evidence that procedural content generation can be used as a powerful tool to support the human design process.


1D Total Variation (TV) denoising, considering the data fidelity and the Total Variation (TV) regularization, proposes a good restored signal preserving shape edges. The main issue is how to choose the weight $\lambda$ balancing those two terms. In practice, this parameter is selected by assessing a list of candidates (e.g. cross validation), which is inappropriate for the real time application. In this work, we revisit 1D Total Variation restoration algorithm proposed by Tibshirani and Taylor. A heuristic method is integrated for estimating a good choice of $\lambda$ based on the extremums number of restored signal. We propose an offline version of restoration algorithm in O(n log n) as well as its online implementation in O(n). Combining the rapid algorithm and the automatic choice of $\lambda$, we propose a real-time automatic denoising algorithm, providing a large application fields. The simulations show that our proposition of $\lambda$ has a similar performance as the states of the art.


The propagation characteristics of optical fiber play a very important role in the design of a fiber optic communication system. In this paper, we have analyzed the Propagation Characteristics of Bragg fiber using transfer matrix method and have also found the modal filed distribution of the fundamental mode of Bragg fiber. We haves worked on the MATLAB and used its optical waveguide tool box for generation our results.


Editor's Notes (Dwight F. Burlingame).1. Thinking about the why of giving (Claire L. Gaudiani) Why should we engage in philanthropy at all? To this crucial question, the author presents an "American answer" as well as answers from other cultures found in the "wisdom tradition" collected in sacred and civic texts.2. Faith and family philanthropy: Stories of giving from faith-guided family grant makers (Virginia M. Esposito, Joseph Foote) First-person stories from diverse family grant makers offer reflective answers to such questions as What does my religion teach about charity? How can faith-guided giving become a family enterprise? How can we support worthy but distinctly sectarian nonprofit organizations or causes? The answers to these questions are unique and singular to each family.3. The spiritual secret of wealth: The inner dynamics by which fortune engenders care (Paul G. Schervish, Mary A. O'Herlihy) Financial wherewithal can make possible a "positive trajectory" toward caring. A long-term study of 143 wealthy individuals reveals how financial security affects the ability to focus on others' needs, how unmerited advantage in one life can awaken empathy for unearned disadvantage in another, how the experience of fortune or blessing produces gratitude, and how these findings apply to fundraisers.4. Financing American religion (Mark Chaves) Religious-giving patterns are inextricably bound up with the whole set of practices that constitute a living religious tradition. Few, if any, nonfundamental, nontheological, noncultural, or noninstitutional ways exist to change giving patterns. These observations, along with an assessment of how charitable choice might affect congregations, explain why the near future holds no fundamental shift in the funding environment in which the vast majority of congregations operate.5. The irony of parachurch organizations: The case of Habitat for Humanity (Jerome P. Baggett) A significant and growing social form of religion is represented in organizations such as Habitat for Humanity that are grounded in religious values and seek to have public impact. The prominence of these organizations in providing social services, mobilizing people politically, and raising consciousness is an understudied area that merits attention.6. Walking softly across the dialogue of religion, spirituality, and the Native American experience of giving (Jo-Anne E. Stately) An annotated excerpt from President Andrew Jackson's 1830 address to Congress stating the case for the removal of Indians from east of the Mississippi to west of the Mississippi forms a springboard for extended commentary on Native American history, spirituality, and approaches to philanthropy.7. Developing faithful and generous donors: The ideals and the challenges (Thomas H. Jeavons, Rebekah Burch Basinger) Encouraging giving in specific ways and for good purposes can be a way to help people grow in faith. Similarly, nurturing people in their faith can be a way to increase their generosity. The authors focus on Christian organizations that have made these connections and re-envisioned their development programs as ministry.8. The dance of giving and receiving: Spirituality and the development officer, volunteer, and donor (Susan M. Pudelek) This personal account examines attitudes and "shadow beliefs" that have potent effects on the lives of development officers, among them the confusion of money itself with our distorted attachment to it. Mistakenly seeing money as the root of all evil, we stereotype the rich and are unable to see untold possibilities to make a difference in the world.Index.


The driving force of today's e economic scenario is changing towards entrepreneurship which brings more competitiveness and life enhancement opportunities for the beginners and as well as existing entrepreneurs. The study aims at finding the opinion of entrepreneurs about MSME schemes that are available for the financial assistance of small and medium scale enterprises. The study was conducted with 55 respondents and found outthat there are few entrepreneurs who are still unaware about the various schemes and remaining entrepreneurs have a greater opinion about the schemes available and know the benefits which are available to them.


Based on point classifications, methods for geoecological zoning of water areas during dredging have been developed. Fourteen factors and quantitative indicators of their assessment are proposed characterizing the degree of negative influence of dredging on the ecological state of water areas. An expert assessment of the influencing factors significance was carried out. The weighting coefficients of the factors were calculated by the ranking method. Geoecological zoning of the seaport of Arkhangelsk water area in the Northern Dvina mouth area was carried out during dredging operations by means of a point-rating assessment of the water area. The areas most susceptible to the negative effect of dredging are those with the largest observed volumes of annual sediment accumulation (sea canals in the estuarine seashore zone (Mudyug canal)) and those with the highest level of pollution of waters and bottom soils (water areas with active harbour and other technogenic activities (Bakaritsa)). Delta areas, in particular the Maimaksan channel, have the most favorable conditions for dredging with the least possible negative impact on the ecological situation. With regard to the mentioned objects, a verbal-numerical scale of geoecological assessment has been compiled. The method can be recommended for use in all tidal estuaries of rivers in the Arctic seas.


Summary
For a satisfactory explanation of the growth, protoplasmic streaming, and photo- and geo-tropic responses of Phycomyces sporangiophores, information is needed concerning the ultrastructure of these coenocytic hyphae. The form and spatial distribution of vacuoles, and of the photoreceptors, are crucial to the analysis of phototropism. The ultrastructural basis of protoplasmic streaming and its bearing on the differential growth responses that produce tropisms need to be established, and so does a physical basis for geo-perception. This paper describes the general ultrastructure of the growing zone of stage I and stage IVb sporangiophores viewed in transverse and longitudinal sections.

Numerous small vacuoles are present in the upper part of the growth zone, and a large central vacuole extends to within I mm of the apex. The form and distribution of vesicles believed to he involved in wall growth, and of the nuclei and mitochondria, are described. Bundles of vesicles or coiled tubules of endoplasmic reticulum showing inter-bundle spacing comparable to that of the separate strands of the multi-striate streaming protoplasm are reported.


In Jammu and Kashmir, a number of diseases like scab, Alternaria leaf blotch, Marsonena, sooty blotch, fly-speck and a number of post-harvest diseases pose a major threat to the apple industry. The occurrence of Alternaria leaf blotch in J&K was reported and the disease is prevalent in almost all the apple growing districts of Kashmir valley. Alternaria leaf blotch was considered a disease of minor importance in comparison to apple scab. However, the disease resulted in epidemic during summer of 2013, and about 40-60 per cent yield loss was reported. This epidemic was attributed to climate change ( high temperature coupled with prolonged rains), absence of disease forecasting system in the valley and also to the fact that currently used fungicides do not provide satisfactory level of disease control. When overwintering mycelium forms conidia and infects fresh budding apple leaves in the spring, the infection begins. After 90 days after flowering, a rise in temperature combined with significant rainfall and relative humidity enhances secondary infection in leaves and fruits. For disease control, a variety of techniques are available, including cultural, chemical, resistance, and biological approaches. We'll go through the disease's cause, symptoms, and treatment options here.


A talk delivered on the occasion of 6th Prof S Das Gupta Memorial Lecture at Delhi Library Association on Wednesday 10 March 2004.


Sri Lanka has inherited a unitary state structure and a highly centralised approach to government administration. Since independence in 1948, various proposals to restructure government, including decentralising powers to provincial and local levels, have been proposed, but none have been fully implemented. The Sinhala nationalist parties and groups which have supported successive governments have generally rejected all decentralisation proposals. Moreover, the political elite has long been oriented towards and accepting of strong leadership from the centre, which has largely ignored local government and local development, with serious implications for much of the population. The tsunami of 2004 and the end of the war in 2009 saw NGO support and large amounts of foreign funding flow into Sri Lanka to assist in the recovery. Central government and its leadership have controlled the whole aid management and distribution process, by directing foreign funds towards conducting large scale construction projects at the local level without considering local needs. Despite restrictions imposed by central government, a number of NGOs have begun to play an important role in promoting local development through interacting with local government bodies and local communities. NGOs can, thus, be found to be at the forefront of endeavours to address social and economic needs at the local level. This study, examines how and why local communities have been neglected in development initiatives in Sri Lanka, and assesses the significance of support from NGOs in increasing the capacity of local government and in promoting local development. Hypotheses derived from the literature related to post-colonial criticisms, government-NGO relations, and NGO interactions in the policy process are examined and assessed. Based on research in the southern and eastern provinces of Sri Lanka, this study analyses the views of national, provincial and local level political representatives and administrative officials, NGO officials and CBO representatives. The research revealed that while local level respondents aspired to play an active role in decisions about the use of foreign support for local development, they tended to lack the knowledge and capacity to do so. Local level respondents highlighted the importance of NGO guidance in these processes, particularly in iii terms of promoting local people's participation in local government decision making. This thesis concludes that NGOs can play a positive role in supporting local government in addressing development needs at the local level. Local government-NGO relations were found to have made an effective and significant contribution to fulfilling local level needs. NGOs can thus be seen to play a positive role in empowering local government and local communities and their involvement has potential to lead to a move away from highly centralised power structures.


The case-based approach is presented through two of SERTIT's (Service Re/spl acute/gional de Traitement d'Image et de Te/spl acute/le/spl acute/de/spl acute/tection) major involvements in flood risk management. The first is operational crisis management action, contracted by ESA on the River Sao/spl circ/ne March 2001 flood. Archived and scheduled remote sensing data are used, leading to the delivery of rapid flood mapping products to the civil protection authorities. The second consists of research and development actions on well documented historical events. The case definition is based on the analysis of imagery products and environmental data, to both describe flood hazard and vulnerability. This approach stresses the synergy between landscape, its evolution and flood impact. Both optical and radar data are used in these two applications, with specified pre-processing levels.


A growing number of citizens and local governments have embraced the use of Twitter to communicate during natural disasters. Studies have shown that online communications during disasters can be explained using crisis communication taxonomies. However, such taxonomies are broad and general, and offer little insight into the detailed content of the communications. In this paper, we propose a semi-automatic framework to extract and compare, in retrospect, the digital communication footprints of citizens and governments during disasters. These footprints, which characterize the topics discussed during a disaster at different spatio-temporal scales, are computed in an unsupervised manner using topic models, and manually labelled to identify specific issues affecting the population. The end objective is to offer detailed information about issues affecting citizens during natural disasters and to compare these against local governments' communications. We evaluate the framework using Twitter communications from 18 snowstorms (including two blizzards) on the US east coast.


Cap (1; 100; 200) for a container neck (2), comprising a tubular skirt (12) adapted to surround elcuello and having a first peripheral line of weakness (20; 220) comprising the cortestraspasantes time troquelados (241-247; 2241-2247) succeeding the periphery of the skirt, and, between estoscortes, breakable bridges without punching (261-266; 2261-2266) which are adapted to be broken in laprimera cap opening and, before the first opening, together, in the direction of axis (XX) of the skirt, a non-removable portion (122) of the skirt, provided with means (22) retaining fixedly around the neck, anda movable part (121) the skirt, provided with means (16) for removable attachment to the neck, characterized in that the skirt (12) is provided with a second peripheral line of weakness (34; 134; 234) extending at least 180o around the axis (XX ) of the skirt, comprising at least one cortetraspasante die (38; 1381, 1382; 2381-2383) and which is delimited in part removable skirt (121) differently from the first line of weakness (20; 220), with the interposition, along the direction of delfaldon axis, a non-breakable strand (36) , and that the first weakening line (20; 220) extends in menosde 360o around the axis (XX) of the skirt (12) so that the two cuts (241, 247, 2241 and 2247) respectively located at the ends peripheral (20A and 20B) of the first line of weakness estenseparados by a connecting portion (28; 228) of the skirt, at least in part not blank and adapted to unirde not frangibly portion not removable skirt (122) and branch (36), while the two extremosperifericos (34A and 34B) of the second line of weakness (34; 134; 234) are located, according to periferiadel skirt respectively between a first (28A) of the two peripheral ends (28A and 28B) serving deunion and the jumper (261) l or closer to the first end along the first dedebilitamiento line, and between the second peripheral edge (28B) of the connecting portion and the jumper (266) so masproximo this second end along the first line weakening.


High performance liquid chromatography assay for determination of free 3-nitrotyrosine in human plasma was developed. After precipitation of plasma proteins and solid phase extraction of 500 μL-in-volume plasma sample, derivatization reaction between 3-nitrotyrosine and 4-fluoro-7-nitrobenzofurazon was carried out under alkaline conditions (pH 9.5). A 20 μL aliquot of the reaction mixture was injected directly into a HPLC apparatus using acetonitrile―phosphate buffer (0.02 mol L ―1 , plus 500 μL L ―1 TFA, pH 3.0) (36:64, v/v) mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min ―1 . Separation was performed on C 18 column at 35°C. Analytical signals were obtained using a fluorescence detector at excitation and emission wavelengths of 470 nm and 530 nm, respectively. Calibration plot was linear over the analyte concentration range in plasma 0.5-50.0 nmol L ―1 . Limit of detection was 0.15 nmol L ―1 . Intra- and inter-day variation coefficients were lower than 6.4% and 7.2%, respectively. The proposed method was sensitive, accurate, and reproducible; it allowed for determination of 3-nitrotyrosine in human plasma at a nanomolar level. It was successfully applied to the determination of 3-nitrotyrosine in plasma of healthy volunteers and patients with chronic hepatitis B.


This paper presents a way of formalising definite descriptions with a binary quantifier ℩, where ℩x[F, G] is read as `The F is G'. Introduction and elimination rules for ℩ in a system of intuitionist negative free logic are formulated. Procedures for removing maximal formulas of the form ℩x[F, G] are given, and it is shown that deductions in the system can be brought into normal form.


This paper proposes an improved adaptive approach involving Bacterial Foraging Algorithm (BFA) to optimize both the amplitude and phase of the weights of a linear array of antennas for maximum array factor at any desired direction and nulls in specific directions. The Bacteria Foraging Algorithm is made adaptive using principle of adaptive delta modulation. To show the improvement in making the algorithm adaptive, results for both adaptive and nonadaptive algorithms are given. It is found that Adaptive Bacteria Foraging Algorithm (ABFA) is capable of improving the speed of convergence as well as the precision in the desired result.


This study aims to analyze the level of education, business scale and business income on the use of accounting information for UMKM in Batam. This research is a quantitative study and uses primary data in the form of a questionnaire. The population in this study were all UMKM actors in Batam city who were registered at the cooperative and UMKM offices in Batam city. The sampling technique was simple random sampling and used the Slovin formula. The data analysis method used is validity test, reliability test, classical assumption, descriptive analysis, multiple linear regression, partial test, simultaneous test and determination coefficient test. By testing using SPSS, the results obtained are partially the level of education, business scale and business income have an effect on the use of accounting information. While simultaneously the level of education, business scale, and business income have a significant effect on the use of accounting information. The effect of education level, business scale and business income in using accounting information is 47.3% and the remaining 52.7% is influenced by other variables outside of this research model


Silent Brain Infarcts (SBr) are associated with an increased risk of subsequent stroke. SBr are incidentally revealed by CT or MRI executed in stroke patients. A prospective study was undertaken involving 200 consecutive patients aged >45 years with brain infarct admitted in University of Alberta Hospital, Canada (100 pa tients) and Valie-Asr Hospital, Iran (100 patients) in 2003. Patients were divided in age groups aged <65 and >65. All of the patients underwent brain CT. A stroke neurologist with knowledge of stroke history subsequently reviewed the scans and diagnosed SBI. The relations of race, gender and age groups with SBr were analyzed with chi-square and Fisher exact tests. SBr were present in 26.9% of patients aged <65 and 48.6% of patients aged >65. Canadian patients were significantly more preponderant to SBr in age group> 65 (p= 0.013). The mean age of Canadian patients was significantly higher than Persians (p<0.001). Within a total of 200 patients the female gender was significantly more preponderant to SBr (p= 0.02) which was not related to age and race groups. Small vessel territory infarct was present in 87 % of our patients with SBI. SBr are cornmon in stroke patients. The frequency of SBr is higher in female gender and the elderly. MJIRI, Vol. 18, No.4, 341-343,2005.


We report the synthesis of oligo(9,9-dioctyl-2,7-diyl)-alt-bithiophenes 4a–e. The molecular weight was tuned by an end-capping reaction with the monofunctional 2-bromo-9,9-di-(n-octyl)-fluorene 2. All oligomers showed nematic mesophases and no sign for crystallisation upon cooling. The clearing temperatures were in the range from 80 to 288°C in oligomers with different molecular weight. A plot of 1/P n versus the clearing temperature resulted in a clearing temperature of 366°C for the ideal polymer. First orientation experiments on rubbed polyimide films gave a maximum orientation of 8.2 to 1 parallel and perpendicular to the rubbing direction.


Introduction : The high rate of elderly population increase in developed countries has shifted the focus of attention to the issues related to this age group. One of the approaches adopted in recent decades for tackling the problems associated with the elderly and other age groups is community-based rehabilitation programs. Practicing such programs in different countries such as Iran is in its initial stages. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of these programs on the elderly and the quality of their life. Method : In this study, a case-control study is undertaken. Some 100 old people at or over the age of 60 years from Kahrizak nursing home (Karaj branch) were sampled randomly. These individuals were divided into two groups of 50 individuals; test group and control group. The principal characteristic of this categorization is participation or no participation in community-based rehabilitation programs. The needed information is extracted through a questionnaire and interview technique. Findings : The results indicate that there is a difference between the control and test groups, such that those elderly people who took part in the community-based rehabilitation program and were provided with significant services had a superior quality of life. Conclusion : Despite community-based rehabilitation programs have only recently been adopted in Kahrizak, the participants could regain their social and personal identity once they returned to the society had a better quality of life in comparison to the other aged people.


Based on the research of intelligent ship collision avoidance in the past decade,the connotation of the "Personifying Intelligent Decision-making for Vessel Collision Avoidance"(PIDVCA) is discussed,and the aim of studying the PIDVCA is presented.According to the major process of ship collision avoidance,the basic idea and theoretical framework of the PIDVCA is put forth,its automation principle and realization are mainly discussed.The theoretical features of the PIDVCA are summarized.


Spacecraft observations of Jupiter, Saturn, and Earth planetary bow shocks are assessed. For Jupiter, the unique composition of magnetospheric plasma, where oxygen and sulfur ions are major components, and the simultaneous presence of MeV electrons enable identification of the upstream particles as originating from within the magnetosphere. The observations at Saturn are phenomonologically similar, but no unique tracer element exists which can identify the origin. Earth observations show that substantial energetic particle activity occurs within the Earth's plasma sheet when upstream ions and electrons are observed in the interplanetary medium. Observations of the three planets are discussed to compare in-situ acceleration in the foreshock region vs. leakage of already accelerated ions from the parent magnetosphere. It is concluded that the evidence favors magnetospheric leakage.


This work focuses on the development of a synchronization and formation control method for multi-agent systems. The method is based on a modified consensus equation, the implementation of minimally rigid graphs and the use of flat tension functions. The goal is to bring a group of agents to a certain formation, and then lead them to a common goal, while avoiding obstacles. The use of minimally rigid graphs makes obstacle avoidance easier, compared to using totally rigid graphs, given the looser constraints for the swarms of robots. Using flat tension functions helps dealing with issues that minimally rigid graphs may present due to the lack of edges in the graphs. As a consequence, agents will keep the formation as closely as possible in the absence of obstacles, and they will adjust their positions and even switch formation if needed, when obstacles are present.


We demonstrate critically coupled silicon microring resonators with intrinsic Q close to 300,000 and mode volume Vap20times(lambda/ne)3. For sub-mW optical power, large pump induced resonance shifts were observed for applications in all-optical switching.


This paper investigates surplus-value rates and work time patterns among fulltime workers in five European Union economies - France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK - using macroeconomic EUROSTAT data and individual-level data extracted from the 2009 Labour Force Survey. This is considered in terms of the constituent drivers of the rate of surplus-value, in particular working hours. France and the UK are of most interest in terms of work time regulation because of the exceptional nature of their relationship to the European Working Time Directive, 1993 (WTD). The UK is characterised by absolute surplus-value production, whereas we can partially attribute low levels of surplus-value in France to fewer working hours. While this signals some success for workers, evidence indicates the WTD may also have had repercussions for income levels and the family. In the French case reductions in hours may have also depressed real wages (somewhat counteracting the effect of reduced hours in producing low levels of surplus-value), causing underemployment for some, particularly in the 'technicians and associate professionals' and 'all other occupations' categories.


Giorgio de Chirico's idiosyncratic symbolic style had a powerful influence on 20th-century art, and in particular on Surrealism. His strange landscapes, featuring classical statues, Italian piazzas, sinister shadows, geometric objects and mannequins are filled with enigma. This volume focuses on the artist's mysterious and fascinating representations of the human form and describes how events and friendships in his life influenced his artistic development. At a young age de Chirico was deeply impressed by Arnold Bocklin's painting of Odysseus on the island of Calypso. De Chirico appropriated Bocklin's Odysseus for his own paintings, at first with little modification, then pushing it ever further into the background until it appeared only as a shadow. The author explains how the figure underwent numerous additional alterations in later paintings before returning to centre stage as the famous "manichino" figure, the faceless tailor's dummy.


Abstract Background: Candida is a fungus that causes various types of candidemia, which is the fourth major infectious disease of the blood system. MALDI-TOF-MS is a simple and rapid detection instrument. The aim of the present study was to verify the accuracy of MALDI-TOF-MS in detecting Candida. Method: A pooled analysis of articles on MALDI-TOF-MS for diagnosis of candidemia was performed. The quality of original research was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) guidelines. Stata 12.0 software was used to merge the correct identification rates of Candida and Candida subspecies and obtain pooled sensitivity and specificity of the diagnostic methods. Heterogeneity was found in the subgroup analysis of the included articles. Hence, we explored the factors causing the heterogeneity and its impact on the overall situation. Sensitivity analysis was used to examine the effect of Candida level on total response. Egger's test was used to evaluate the publication bias of the included articles. Results: A total of 16 articles in Pubmed, 79 articles in Embase, 1 article in Cochrane Library, 30 articles in Web of Science and 3 from other sources were identified, of which 10 articles were included based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The overall identification accuracy was 100%. Conclusion: The accuracy of MALDI-TOF-MS for the identification of Candida was 100%. Further research is necessary to determine whether MALDI-TOF-MS can be used as a clinical diagnostic standard for the identification of Candida.


We give a cohomological characterisation of expander graphs, and use it to give a direct proof that expander graphs do not have Yu's property A.


The current system to manage the global pool of IP addresses is centralized in five transnational organizations, the Regional Internet Registries (RIRs). Each of these RIRs manage the address pool for a large number of countries. Because the RIRs are private organizations, they are subject to the legal framework of the country where they are based. This configuration results in a jurisdictional overflow from the legal framework of the countries where the RIR is based to all the countries that the RIRs are serving (the countries served by the RIRs de facto become subjects of the legal system of the country where the RIR is hosted). The situation is aggravated by the deployment of new security techniques such as the RPKI and BGPsec, that enable enforcement of allocations by the RIRs. In this paper we present InBlock, a blockchain-based distributed governance body aimed to provide de-centralized management of IP addresses. InBlock also aims to fulfil the same objectives as the current IP address allocation system, namely, uniqueness, fairness, conservation, aggregation, registration and minimized overhead. InBlock is implemented as a Decentralized Autonomous Organization, i.e., as a set of blockchain's smart contracts in Ethereum. Any entity may request an allocation of addresses to the InBlock registry by solely performing a (crypto)currency transfer to the InBlock. The fee required, along with the annual renewal fee, serves as a mechanism to deter stockpiling and other wasteful practices. As with any novel technology, there are many open questions about the usage of blockchains to build an IP address registry. For this reason, we believe that practical experimentation is required in order to have hands-on experiences about such a system. We propose to conduct an experiment on distributed address management using InBlock as a starting point to inform future directions in this area.


The meaning of hermeneutics should be understood in four ways: understanding, explanation, application and the ability of practice. There are three major turnings in western hermeneutics in its historic development:first, from special hermeneutics to general hermeneutics; next, from methodological hermeneutics to ontological hermeneutics; finally, from hermeneutics only as ontological philosophy to hermeneutics as philosophy of practice. Hermeneutics has become a philosophical theory from a methodology of understanding and explanation. Hermeneutics begins to be localized in China in four fields.


The phase behavior and hydrogen bonding in ternary polymer blends of phenolic resin, poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), and poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL) were investigated by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Although all three binary blends are respective miscible, there exists a closed immiscibility loop in the phase diagram due to the so-called "Δχ" and "ΔK" effects in this hydrogen-bonded ternary polymer system. The interassociation equilibrium constant based on the Painter−Coleman association model between phenolic resin and PEO can be indirectly calculated from the fraction of hydrogen-bonded carbonyl groups. Quantitative analyses show that the hydroxyl−ether interassociation is more favorable than the hydroxyl−carbonyl interassociation at room temperature. The interaction energy density value of BPEO/PCL= −2.85 cal/cm3 was obtained by comparing the theoretically predicted phase diagram with experimental data.


The triclinic modification of DMM-TCNQ2 is a linear-chain antiferromagnet with an incommensurate modulation of the lattice. As a consequence the antiferromagnetic exchange constant is also modulated along the chain. The effect of this modulation on the magnetic properties is calculated and is found to be in agreement with experiment. At 1.7 K a transition occurs to a low-temperature phase, which in zero field has a modulation q=0.54, a value that coincides with the fourth harmonic of the high-temperature modulation of the lattice. It is shown that this phase strongly resembles the field-induced phase of a regular spin-Peierls system.


In this paper, we study a diffusion model of Kirchhoff-type driven by a nonlocal integro-differential operator. As a particular case, we consider the following diffusion problem where [u]s is the Gagliardo seminorm of u, is a bounded domain with Lipschitz boundary, is the fractional Laplacian with , is the initial function, and is continuous. Under some appropriate conditions, the local existence of nonnegative solutions is obtained by employing the Galerkin method. Then, by virtue of a differential inequality technique, we prove that the local nonnegative solutions blow-up in finite time with arbitrary negative initial energy and suitable initial values. Moreover, we give an estimate for the lower and upper bounds of the blow-up time. The main novelty is that our results cover the degenerate case, that is, the coefficient of could be zero at the origin.


The care of high quality castings requires taking into account the possible negative influence of decomposition products of moulding and core sands on the structure of castings produced. Such products are emitted both from the sands of I generation, meaning sands bound by bentonite, especially those containing carbon forming additives, as well as from the sands of II generation, meaning the sands with the binding materials or even the sands without any binders, such as the forms produced by using the LOST FOAM technology. The literature often refers to the negative effects of nitrogen emitted from the sands with the urea resins on the tendency to create surface defects. That is why the aim of this study was to assess the degree of sulphur diffusion to the ferroalloy castings and the proposal of its limitation.


Inthis paper, aproposed algorithm forsurface reconstruction fromuniformornon-uniform pointsetsis introduced. Thepoints aretypically acquired withmultiple rangescansofany3Dobject. Theproposed algorithm follows theadvancing frontparadigm tobuildthereconstructed surface employing avariable radius movingballthatexpands andshrinks continuously basedon thesampling density. Starting withauser-specified initial radius, this initial ball may touch three points without containing anyother point forming a seedtriangle. Foranyedge, another point isfoundtoforma ballwithminimumradius generating another triangle. The process continues untilgenerating allpossible edges. The algorithm istheoretically provedundercertain sampling criteria ontheinputdataset.Theproposed algorithm was applied ondifferent datasets andcompared favorably withthe mosteminent techniques. Thekeyissues forcomparisons were thereconstructed surface quality, thememoryusageandthe execution time. Thepresent algorithm bested others intreating nonuniform samples, samples withsharpedgesandsamples withsmall holes.


The comic strip is now becoming intellectually respectable in somewhat the same way that film did, three or four decades ago. Studies of contemporary strips abound; serious artists are using the form for their own purposes-often, of course, satirical purposes. As the French historian Francis Lacassin argues in the pioneering article below, the "language" or syntax of the comic strip shows many similarities to (and certain historical priorities over) the language of film. The article has been translated by David Kunzle, author of the forthcoming The Early Comic Strip: Narrative Strips and Picture Stories in the European Broadsheet, c. 1450-1826--a sociocultural history of the first mass medium's origins-and he adds notes of his own which qualify some of Lacassin's findings and extend them even further back in time.


With the development of Connected Vehicle, various of on-board applications and functions rely on stable, reliable and fast-response wireless connections furtherly, making it more urgent and widespread for vehicles to be equipped with relevant antenna systems such as positioning and communication. There are many types of vehicle antenna systems, together with a wide range of installation locations and a complex electronic environment which brings a huge challenges to the development of antenna manufacturers and the matching of automobile OEMs. In order to carry out the R&D, matching and testing of the vehicle antenna system better, various parties have proposed a multi-dimensional test and evaluation methods, but there is still a lack of horizontal evaluation between them. This paper analyses the requirements of automotive antenna system evaluation, sorts out and compares the technical paths of various common solutions, summarizes the characteristics and differences of various solutions, and provides a research foundation for further optimizing the vehicle-level antenna system test and evaluation program.


No single individual did more to promote sea turtle research and conservation than Archie Carr (1909 1987). So entwined did he become with these creatures and the fight against their overexploitation and loss of habitat that the largest wildlife refuge for loggerhead turtles in the world was named in his honor, and World Sea Turtle Day is celebrated internationally on his birthday, June 16. Carr s work with sea turtles began in the 1940s.His many publications written for general readers, including his 1956 classic "The Windward Road," alongside numerous articles for "National Geographic "and other publications, brought widespread attention to the plight of these animals. "So Excellent a Fishe, "first published in 1967, combined everything the careful researcher had learned in more than two decades of fieldwork. This groundbreaking book answered many then-unresolved questions about sea turtle behavior, including those about their remarkable migrations. In large part because of the endearing charm of Carr s narrative style, it remains a beloved and often-consulted volume in the field. This new edition captures Carr s gentle humor, his passionate fascination with sea turtles, and his intense love of sharing his knowledge with readers. A foreword by Karen Bjorndal, director of the Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research, brings the story up to date even as it reveals how prescient Carr was more than 45 years ago.Archie Carr was professor of zoology at the University of Florida, a research associate of the American Museum of Natural History, and founder of the Caribbean Conservation Corporation. He authored many books about his life as a naturalist, including "The Windward Road "and "Ulendo, "both now available from the University Press of Florida."


The Digital era marked by the unparalleled growth of Internet and its services with day-to-day technological advancements has paved way for a data driven society. This digital explosion offers huge market value to organizations and business processes who gain valuable information from the collected data to promote futuristic decision making. The aftermath of this large scale analytics is the privacy breach of sensitive information of individuals. The confidential information of people is at a risk of disclosure when it is used for a purpose not intended. Not only should privacy techniques guard classified data, but also ensure that it does not weaken data value when considered for analytical purposes. The proposed work focuses on assessing the expediency of sanitized data for analytics, using a threshold based optimal strategy for improving anonymization with large data. Classification models are trained on the anonymized data using benchmark algorithms and its accuracy is determined. The work is extended to evaluate the performance aspects of the proposed technique on diverse parallel execution environments, Hadoop and Spark.


Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. The objectives of this study were to determine alcohol consumption after administration of (R)(-)-2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI) or naltrexone in Long–Evans rats, and to assess the effectiveness of these treatments based on individual differences in alcohol consumption. Adult male Long–Evans rats (N = 16) were given opportunities to orally self-administer a 20% (v/v) ethanol (EtOH) solution using an intermittent access, two-bottle (vs. tap water) choice procedure in their home cages. EtOH consumption and preference, total fluid consumption and food intake were measured. Last, we assessed the effects of naltrexone (1 mg/kg; subcutaneous) and (R)(-)-DOI (0.1–1 mg/kg; subcutaneous) on EtOH intake and preference using a quartile analysis. Rats showed stable EtOH (20%) intake and preference after 15 EtOH access sessions. Naltrexone produced a transient decrease in EtOH intake, but an inconsistent effect on EtOH preference, whereas DOI dose-dependently reduced EtOH intake and preference for at least 24 h. Subsequent quartile analyses revealed that rats with the highest EtOH intake during the first 60 min of access to EtOH showed greater reductions in EtOH intake and preference after DOI treatment. This is the first report to show that DOI-elicited reductions in EtOH intake and preference in rats depend on baseline EtOH intake, perhaps supporting a 'baseline dependency' hypothesis of effectiveness with phenethylamine psychedelics on EtOH consumption. If so, individuals with greater potential to develop severe AUDs may be particularly responsive to the positive motivational changes produced by treatment with psychedelics that target the 5-HT2 receptor family.


The author describes a TDMA (time-division multiple-access) portable radio system which has a quasi-fixed frequency-assignment architecture. This architecture is supported by two separate autonomous procedures for frequency assignment and for user access. A simple carrier sensing is performed by each port to determine its own frequency-reuse plan without requiring centralized control. The second autonomous procedure is used by each portable to select the best port transmission at access. The author discusses trade-offs of signal quality and traffic throughput based on these procedures.<<ETX>>


SUMMARY. The rate of gastric evacuation in perch Perca fluviatilis was studied at different mean temperatures (range 4.0–21.7°C). Gastric evacuation rates were empirically described by an exponential function and the relationship between the instantaneous evacuation rate (R) and temperature was also exponential. Evacuation rates were not significantly different (P > 0.1) for the following food organisms: Gammarus pulex, Chaoborus, chironomids and zooplankton. The effects of temperature, different food organisms and fish size on the evacuation rates in different fish species are discussed.


Even the copying machine has become a computer, or more precisely, a general purpose document device. But it still can be made simple in appearance, easy to use. It doesn't look like a computer and it shouldn't. On the outside, it looks like it always did: put something down on the glass plate, push a button, and out comes the copy. But the copy might be from an original produced half-way around the world. Or it might have been retrieved from a storage archive. In fact, it may be an original, for what does "copy" mean when the original is a computer image? The copying machine can transform the document: enhance it, modify it, send it around the world or store it. It can find the text and read it, perhaps aloud. It can translate the text, and send the translation around the world, perhaps speaking it aloud. After all, what is the differences between machines that scan, copy, manipulate, combine, compose, fax, or print in a world where everything is networked: answer, there is no difference.


Several contemporary philosophers and cognitive scientists (Robert C. Solomon, Antonio Damasio, Martha Nussbaum, Jenefer Robinson and others) have challenged, and even reversed the traditionally negative view of emotions, and have made the topic culturally respectable and relevant. However, religious emotion has been largely neglected in their work (as opposed, for example, to aesthetic emotion), so that the time seems to have come to explore this aspect in depth. One may start to do so by connecting recent theories on emotions in general to those of three authors whose works have been crucial in the field of the Comparative Study of Religions since the early decades of the twentieth century: i.e. Sigmund Freud, Rudolph Otto and William James. In fact, the issue of emotions in religion plays a prominent part in their research, which is articulated according to obviously different disciplinary methodologies and protocols, but which is similarly cognizant of the central role of emotions in religion.


Acrylamide monomer (AAm) was grafted onto poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) films using γ-radiation to produce high performance functional membranes which can be employed as ion-exchangers. The preparation and characterization of the synthetic membranes are investigated. To elucidate their possible applications, some selected properties have been studied. In addition, thermal properties have been studied using thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry; X-ray diffraction has been used to determine changes in polymer morphology. The selectivity of such membranes towards different radionuclides has also been investigated. On the basis of these investigations, the applicability of the prepared membranes is determined and discussed. The prepared PVC-g-PAAm has a great tendency to remove 60Co from a radioactive liquid waste containing both 60Co and 137Cs.

© 2002 Society of Chemical Industry


The mechanisms for exploiting nature and human beings and the consequences they bring to health and the environment are recurrent issues of perpetual importance. Nonetheless, despite all the evidence of their detrimental effects, the public health problems derived from the use of agrotoxins increase at an unsustainable rate, especially in Latin America. The monopolistic and export-oriented production of agricultural commodities, based in a model dependent on chemicals and biotechnology, has heightened this noxious policy to intolerable levels. Agribusiness has installed itself in our countries, corrupting our political, economic, and social structures. Brazil, for example, has been the largest consumer of agrotoxins worldwide since 2009: the country purchases 84% of all agrotoxins sold to Latin America (1). The major companies manufacturing these poisons, such as BASF, Bayer, Syngenta/AstraZeneca/Novartis, DuPont, Monsanto and Dow, established themselves in the country thanks to a policy aimed at protecting the interests of agribusiness and the ruralist seats in the Brazilian Parliament. Those occupying these seats paradoxically support a government that had proposed structural changes such as agrarian reform, changes which have thus far never been implemented. By way of their companies, the US, Switzerland and Germany jointly control 70% of agrotoxin sales to Brazil (1). Worldwide sales of agrotoxins (in dollars) increased by 53.8% between 1990 and 2008 (1). In 1976, during the military dictatorship, the National Policy of Agricultural Protection was launched in Brazil. This policy forced farmers to use part of their rural credit for the compulsive purchasing of poisons. Rapidly, in less than 40 years, the hegemony of an agrotoxin-dependent production was established. In the present, only the movements that support agroecology and organic agriculture fight to keep alive the ancient knowledge of agricultural production, seeking to protect the soil, the water, the biodiversity and the culture of rural communities in relation to the climate and the improvement of seeds. There exists a true state of exception involving the legal-institutional framework that sustains the abusive practices of agribusiness. Although some specific rights and laws regulating the production and consumption of agrotoxins have been gained, the wide variety of amendments made to the legislation render them ineffective, undermining the legal institutions and making the practical application of the laws more flexible (2). The enormous scale of present-day monopolistic agricultural production also comes at the cost of intensive hydroenergetic inputs, expansion over protected natural areas, the destruction of family farming and the expulsion of rural populations. This context has brought about a situation never before experienced. Augusto, Lia Giraldo da Silva1


The study explored the differences in procrastination behaviors among the students in terms of gender, academic courses, level of performance and level of academic self-efficacy. Responses were gathered from the 200 college students of Bulacan State University, Philippines. The hypothesized difference in procrastination scores were analyzed using independent samples t-test. Results revealed gender differences in procrastination where male students procrastinate more than the female students. Students with low perceived academic self-efficacy showed significantly higher procrastination scores than those with high self-efficacy. No significant difference in procrastination score was found when students were grouped according to type of academic course and level of performance.


The concept of knowledge management is not new to the public sector.  Knowledge management initiatives have always been integrated in government tasks and cannot be separated from strategy, planning, consultation and implementation. Through public policy in particular, politicians and public service workers use knowledge to shape their domestic environment and try to make a difference. Knowledge management is much necessary at the Anti-Counterfeit Agency to improve service delivery. Kenya is among countries most affected by the continued trade in counterfeits in the region even as industry-wide efforts are made to contain it. China remains the main source of counterfeit goods, and trade in counterfeits results in an annual net loss of $368 million. In Kenya, banned products are mainly imports from China. The aim of this study was to establish the influence of knowledge management on service delivery at the Anti-Counterfeit Agency. The study aimed to fulfill the following two objectives; to assess the influence of knowledge acquisition on service delivery at the Anti-Counterfeit Agency and to establish the influence of knowledge storage on service delivery at the Anti-Counterfeit Agency. This was a descriptive study. The population of study was all employees of Anti-Counterfeit Agency, who were 71 in number. The study used census since the number was small. The questionnaire was used in collecting primary data. Statistical Package for Social Sciences was used in analysing the data . On knowledge acquisition, it was found that the Agency mostly acquired knowledge from the research department (in-house research). On knowledge storage, it was found that the Agency mostly stores information in digital form. On service delivery, it was found that the Agency had generally performed below average in all the measures of service delivery namely; successful prosecution of the individuals/companies suspected of counterfeiting, customer satisfaction and the reduction of number of counterfeiting incidences. It was also found that knowledge acquisition had the greatest influence on the service delivery at the Anti-Counterfeit Agency. Key Words: Knowledge Acquisition, Knowledge Storage, Service Delivery


The cis- and trans- [RhCl2(dmap)2]+ (dmap=1,3-bis(dimethylarsino)propane) complexes were prepared by reaction of RhCl3·3H2O with dmap, and the molecular structures of these complexes were determined by the single crystal X-ray diffraction method. Crystal data and final R values are: trans-[RhCl2(dmap)2]ClO4 (1), monoclinic, Cc, a=20.018(4), b=10.229(1), c=12.972(2) A, β=99.98(2)°, V=2616(1) A3, Z=4, R=0.034 for 1298 observed unique reflections. cis-[RhCl2(dmap)2]PF6 (2a), orthorhombic, Pca21, a=14.699(2), b=9.381(2), c=19.640(9) A, V=2704(1) A3, Z=4, R=0.086 for 1284 reflections. cis-[RhCl2(dmap)2]CF3SO3 (2b), orthorhombic, Pca21, a=14.700(3), b=9.381(4), c=19.644(8) A, V=2709(2) A3, Z=4, R=0.088 for 1094 reflections. The Rh–As distances in the linear As–Rh–As groups are 2.442(4)–2.454(4) A (av 2.446(4) A) for (1), 2.345(4) and 2.484(6) (av 2.415(6) A) for (2a), and 2.389(10) and 2.441(10) A (av 2.415(10) A) for (2b), while those in the linear As–Rh–Cl groups are 2.385(3) and 2.370(4) A (av 2.378(4) A) fo...


The outbreak of the Arab Spring in the Middle East and North Africa reignited the debate over the possibilities of democratization, with much attention paid to the roles of the internet. This paper attempts to answer the questions of whether the expansion of the internet leads to democratization and how calls for democratization during the Arab Spring produced contrasting results in Tunisia and China. The time-series cross-sectional analysis based on data of 166 countries suggests that the annual change of internet penetration is positively associated with a country's Polity score and that the existing level of the penetration has a slightly negative effect on democratization, though the inclusion of the internet does not visibly improve the explanatory power of the models. The case study comparing Tunisia and China closely examines the multifaceted relationship between the internet and democratization and shows that the internet alone cannot determine the direction of political change. Rather, it is spatially and temporally situated state and societal actors who collectively determine the process and outcome of politics.


We present results of a strong laser field interacting with a two‐center system. The two centers consist of a donor and acceptor pair which are coupled by Fœrster–Dexter resonance energy transfer. The donor molecule is the indole chromophore in indolylethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (indolyl‐EDTA) which chelates the lanthanide ion acceptor holmium (Ho3+). The changes in the donor lifetime consequent upon excitation of the acceptor were examined. Excitation of the lanthanide acceptor with a second laser field resulted in the appearance of a substantially increased lifetime component. This additional (new) lifetime component is on the order of a second, compared with the original nanosecond lifetime of the donor in its complex with the acceptor. This new component is not attributable to the spontaneous lifetime of the acceptor. Rather, we propose that the large lifetime is due to the interaction of the donor with the excited state acceptor.


Thermal conductivity of high-density polyethylene was measured by the steady-flow method at temperatures from 4.2 to 20°K. Results were analysed assuming two scattering processes of phonons: grain boundary scattering with a mean free path ΛG which is independent of phonon wave number k and intragrain scattering with a mean free path ΛD=A/ak2. It was found that ΛG=0.48 μ and A/a=0.51×1010 cm−1 for the as-received sample, and both increase with annealing. The radius of spherulite which was kept constant with annealing ranged 5 to 10 μ. ΛG is attributed to the extension of lamellar crystallite in the ab-plane. ΛD is assigned to intralamellar sub-boundaries. According to results in literature, the ratio of thermal conductivity K to specific heat C is almost constant from 1 to 3°K, where the grain boundary scattering is predominant. Since at 1°K the contribution of two-dimensional lattice waves (Lamb waves in lamellae) is more appreciable than three-dimensional ones, the above result implies that ΛG is the same for the two types of waves, which is consistent with our conclusion for ΛG.


The invention relates to the technical field of functional materials for unmanned aerial vehicles, in particular to a carbon fiber reinforced composite material for an unmanned aerial vehicle shell and a preparation method of the carbon fiber reinforced composite material. The carbon fiber reinforced composite material comprises the following raw materials in parts by weight: 50 parts of a resin material, 20-30 parts of a reinforcing material, 5-10 parts of a filler and 5-10 parts of an auxiliary agent. According to the invention, a carbon fiber reinforced material is added into epoxy resin, so that the specific strength and the specific modulus of the solidified composite material are improved, and thus the composite material has good performances of low density and high strength; and when the composite material is applied to an unmanned aerial vehicle, the weight ratio of a coating to a vehicle body is reduced, so that the unmanned aerial vehicle can make a room for fuel and a payload to prolong the navigating time and improve the using performance of the unmanned aerial vehicle.


BACKGROUND
Rehabilitative health care is paying increasing attention to multimorbid people with 2 and more coexistent chronic diseases of sociomedical relevance.

METHODS
Terms, requirements, design, configuration, challenges and supply of sociomedical rehabilitation were described in part I. A project group of the Medical Advisory Board of the Federal Rehabilitation Council describes manifold fields of actions to be taken in the rehabilitation of persons with multimorbidity.

RESULTS
The actions proposed range from reviewing existing forms of management to identifying rehabilitative needs and initiating accurately fitting interventions, sensitizing and enlarging competences of involved personnel, considering multimorbidity in guidelines and further research on questions still open.


First,a view that the construction of digital city is to turn from providing "data service" to offering "application service" was proposed,and two aspects of "application service" were given,which is information services oriented to the public and the professional fields,respectively.Then,for the second aspect that has been studied less than the former,a model service system that is a part of the application service platform of digital city was designed.The role and functions of the model service system in the platform were discussed,and some critical characteristics of the system,including the structure,the model interface specifications,and the workflow to use it,were analyzed.Lastly,the system prototype was presented and its development status was given.


This paper describes the creation of a proof-of-concept design for an interactive glove that augments the mirror therapy protocol in the treatment of a paretic limb following a stroke. A review is completed of supporting literature that shows the potential of multi-sensory stimulation and augmentation to increase the efficacy of mirror therapy. Building on this background, a glove is designed to allow the user to stimulate the fingertips of their affected hand by tapping the fingers of their unaffected hand, using Force Sensing Resistors to trigger Linear Resonance Actuators on the corresponding fingers. This paper outlines the design considerations and methods used to create the glove, and discusses the potential for further work in the pursuit of a clinical trial.