When students ask me about the most important way to maximize recovery, my answer is long directional wells. These wells have revolutionized the oil industry and are drilled under conditions never imaginable years ago. One outstanding example is the Troll field in Norway. The field consists of large, very thin reservoirs, down to 30 ft thick, which are drained by multibranch horizontal wells with horizontal departures approaching 18,000 ft. Not only have many drilling challenges been overcome, but also, from a production perspective, the wells are equipped with intelligent technology such as autonomous gas stop to maintain the pressure drive for the oil. Initially of no commercial interest because of a lack of technology, this field has been a very important driver for the current state of the art for long horizontal wells. Troll has been Norway's largest oil producer in recent years. This has been made possible by the development of long-horizontal-well technology.
 The oil industry is currently undergoing a technological transformation that will add value, improve processes, and reduce cost. Future drilling engineers will have knowledge of robotics, automation, and organizational efficiency, which is highly appealing for recruitment. A prerequisite for this step change is the industry's high level of technology.
 The selected papers address various aspects of horizontal wells. A field case of how to plan and drill through highly depleted reservoirs is given in paper OTC 28517. Three depleted zones must be penetrated before drilling into the untapped reservoir with a low drilling margin. This is a good example of drilling an extended-reach well using an integrated approach between various disciplines. Another example is given in paper SPE 191436, which shows how a complex U-shaped well path from old wells can be used to obtain good reservoir exposure to drain depleted wells further. Equipment is continuously improved, and paper SPE 189947 presents new ultrasonic technology to evaluate the state of multilateral junctions.
 SPE 191271 Extended-Reach Wells in Unconsolidated Sands in Bolivia by Gabriel Dordoni, Pluspetrol Bolivia
 OTC 28971 Correlation of Numerical Simulation and Digital-Image-Correlation Strain Measurements for a Multilateral Junction While Subjected to High Internal Pressure by Aihua Liang, Halliburton, et al.
 SPE 192672 Wireline Tractor Conveyance—A Technology Game Changer for the Gulf of Thailand by Sarunya Jongnarungsin, Mubadala Petroleum, et al.


This study focused on the effects of administration mode (computer-adaptive test [CAT] versus self-adaptive test [SAT]), item-by-item answer feedback (present versus absent), and test anxiety on results obtained from computerized vocabulary tests. Examinees were assigned at random to four testing conditions (CAT with feedback, CAT without feedback, SAT with feedback, SAT without feedback). Examinees completed the Test Anxiety Inventory (Spielberger, 1980) before taking their assigned computerized tests. Results showed that the CATs were more reliable and took less time to complete than the SATs. Administration time for both the CATs and SATs was shorter when feedback was provided than when it was not, and this difference was most pronounced for examinees at medium to high levels of test anxiety. These results replicate prior findings regarding the precision and administrative efficiency of CATs and SATs but point to new possible benefits of including answer feedback on such tests.


Thermodynamic properties of atomic nuclei at high excitation energy (hot nuclei) are studied within two microscopic approaches. The latter are derived based on the solutions of the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) and self-consistent quasiparticle random-phase approximation (SCQRPA) at zero temperature embedded into the canonical and microcanonical ensembles. The results obtained for Mo, Mo, Dy, and Yb nuclei are in good agreement with the recent experimental data measured by the Oslo (Norway) group.


Model Driven Architecture serving to those who are mainly interested in building platform independent software architecture. At the same time it is quite interesting to see and calculate its performance on an overall basis. However no such scheme or matrices are available to us to do the same. This white paper is an attempt to come forward and start with some fruitful scheme that can help us to do the same.


Abstract Microporous SAPO-5 with an AFI topology has been synthesized by hydrothermal method; using this material, TiO2/SAPO-5 composite zeolites were prepared using sol-gel technique. The structures of SAPO-5 molecular sieves and TiO2/SAPO-5 composite zeolites were characterized by several analytical techniques. XRD patterns show the high crystallinity and purity of SAPO-5 molecular sieves. The small particle size (500-600 nm) and the large specific surface area have been analyzed by SEM and BET. The photocatalytic activity of TiO2/SAPO-5 composite zeolite was evaluated by photocatalytic degradation of phenol as model reaction. TiO2/SAPO-5 exhibits a higher activity for the degradation of phenol in comparison with pure TiO2.


Objective: To explore the effects of three-ball breathing training on the pulmonary function of patients undergoing thoracic closed drainage, and analyze the associated influencing factors of compliance. Methods: Lung cancer patients (n=400) treated with thoracic closed drainage tubes were selected and were randomly grouped into the observation group and control group following a random number table, with 200 cases in each group. After operation, patients in the control group conducted routine respiratory function training and the observation group received three-ball breathing training, both for 2 months. Subsequently, operation related indices, lung function and compliance of the two groups were compared. The influencing factors of patients' compliance were analyzed by one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and binary Logistic regression analysis. Results: The observation group had more drainage volume and shorter time for drainage tubes and hospitalization than the control group (P<0.05). Compared with 1 day after operation, Forced vital capacity (FVC), peak expiratory flow (PEF), forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) and FEV1/FVC of the two groups all increased in the 2 weeks following operation, and the corresponding indices of the observation group were much higher than the control group (P<0.05). Comparing to the control group, patients in the observation group had an evidently higher total compliance rate and a markedly lower partial compliance rate (both P<0.001). At last, the correlation analysis showed that patients' education level, respiratory function training methods, awareness of the disease and the degree of family assistance can all clearly affect the compliance of patients' respiratory function training (P<0.05). Conclusion: Correct and scientific respiratory function training after operation is helpful to increase the drainage flow and improve the pulmonary function of patients undergoing closed thoracic drainage. Education level, respiratory training methods, awareness of patient's condition and assistance from their families are the main factors influencing the compliance of patients.


This issue marks the beginning of the fortieth year of Statistics in Medicine. It is an opportunity to acknowledge the founding editors, Ted Colton, Laurence Freedman and Tony Johnson, and their vision to create a statistics journal that would not only advance knowledge and understanding of quantitative aspects of the biomedical sciences but would also influence practice. As we mark this anniversary, we note that the contributions and relevance of the biostatistical sciences could not be greater. We are currently in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, a time in which biostatistical scientists are playing vital roles, including modeling the course of the pandemic, and contributing to the evaluation of the efficacy of new vaccines and therapeutics on an unprecedented, accelerated time scale. It is a time when the ability to collect real-time, individual-level data is contributing to an explosion in the availability of health data and at the same time raising serious concerns about privacy; and it is a time due to advances in computer science and machine learning in which we have the ability to discover meaningful patterns in data on a scale never seen before. The role of the statistician in medicine could not be more relevant or urgent. Throughout the coming year we will continue to explore with our readers developments in the current practice of the biostatistical sciences. We plan to publish invited papers, featured articles, and tutorials, as well as the usual author-initiated submissions on clinical trials, observational studies, epidemiology, real world evidence, genetics, and statistical methodology for new and established data types, all of which will undergo the standard review process. In this issue, for example, we look backwards in time to assess how the role of the biostatistician has evolved over the past century. We are pleased to reprint the 1962 Alfred Watson Memorial Lecture delivered by Sir Austin Bradford Hill entitled, The Statistician in Medicine*. This lecture preceded Professor Hill's better known 1965 lecture entitled, The Environment and Disease: Association or Causation? and provides, in our opinion, context and insight into what has become known as Hill's criteria for showing a causal association presented in the latter paper†. We have invited a number of distinguished colleagues to reflect on Hill's perspective on the role of the statistician in medicine and how it aligns with their own experiences today. We hope you will find the original paper and the invited discussions as insightful and engaging as we have. Statistics in Medicine has been busier than ever, with a record number of submissions in the past year. Many individuals have contributed to the growth and success of the journal. We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the debt we owe to the Editors who preceded us, and in particular, recognize Ralph D'Agostino, Sr. who recently stepped down as an Editor-in-Chief after many years of service to the journal. We also recognize with appreciation the contributions of our amazing Associate Editors and our large and loyal group of reviewers. Further, we have benefited from the strong support from our publishing team at John Wiley and Sons, and we especially appreciate and owe special thanks to our indefatigable journal administrator, Suzanne Thompson. Last and certainly not least, the journal would never have achieved its current influence without the dedication and brilliance of our authors and the support of our readers for which we are deeply grateful. Through the publication of the highest quality papers, we at Statistics in Medicine recommit to our mission to inform and advance the practice of the biomedical sciences. As noted above, and a common theme among our invited discussants in this issue, the role of the statistician in medicine continues to be vital.


Aim This research was performed to study the anticancer effects of Panax quinquefolium effective parts (PQEP) in human chronic myeloid leukemia (K562). Method After K562 cells were routinely cultured,MTT assay was performed for cytotoxicity test. Cytotoxicity of PQEP (6.25~400 mg·L -1) in K562 cells was increased in a dose-and time-dependent manner. To explore the mechanism of cytotoxicity, we used several measures of apoptosis to determine whether these processes were involved in PQEP-induced leukemic cell death.Results PQEP induced the cell shrinkage, cell membrane blebbing, chromosomes condensation and DNA fragment. In addition, the flow cytometric analysis revealed PQEP (10~400 mg·L -1) dose-dependently increased apoptotic cells with hypodiploid DNA contents. Conclusion These results indicate that PQEP can control leukemic K562 cells through apoptosis and may have a possibility of potential anticancer activities.


Blood glucose information is important for self regulation in daily life, but the frequency of self test remains to be only 17%(9 tests/month) in Korea, mainly due to pain during blood sampling. The present study tried to validate the clinical efficacy of the forearm as an alternative sampling site with minimized pain. Capillary blood was sampled both on the index finger() and the forearm(), immediately followed by glucose measurements in 531 subjects, 25 who visited the Health Enhancement Center of C University Hospital, then venous blood() was sampled for glucose test. The blood glucose concentration measured on the forearm was closer to the venous glucose than on the finger. The mean difference between and was only 10 mg/dL well within the internationally accepted error limit. Error grid analyses of , and revealed that the number of data points in regions A and B took 100%, 99.8%, and 97.9%, respectively. These results demonstrate the forearm blood glucose test is not only accurate but also clinically valid. Therefore, the forearm blood glucose test can be a useful way of self managing the chronic diabetes with minimized sampling pain.


The Exoskeleton for Lower Limb Training with Instrumented Orthosis (ELLTIO) is a mechatronic device that can be used to assist in passive kinesitherapy to increase human muscles strength and resistance (1). This paper presents an alternative for passive rehabilitation process using an exoskeleton for knee and ankle. The main idea is assist a professional physiotherapist in the design and performance of exercises routines for his patients using the prototype. The knee and ankle joint's movements are recorded and storage during the exercises to propose a similar computer generated trajectories which the exoskeleton on should follow. An adaptive controller is implemented to track the trajectories and adapt the user parameters.


A total of 86 patients enrolled. Treatment involved 20 injections in the leg. In this interim analysis, after at least six months of follow-up, there were no adverse events. Bone marrow treatment improved amputationfree survival (P = 0·038): major amputation occurred in 19 per cent of treated patients and 43 per cent of controls (P = 0·14). Iafrati MD, Hallett JW, Gells G, Pearl G, Lumsden A, Peden E et al. Early results and lessons learned from a multicentre, randomized, double-blind trial of bone marrow aspirate concentrate in critical limb ischaemia. J Vasc Surg 2011; 54: 1650–1658.


Drawing on the belief that photographs could critically scrutinize landscape uses, this essay attempts to locate and discuss projects published and exhibited in Portugal from May 2011 to May 2014. This period corresponds to the "regime" determined by the Troika memorandum, signed by the European Commission, the Central European Bank and the International Monetary Fund with the Portuguese Government. It aimed to "rescue" the country from bankruptcy. The argument examines the use of photographs in close relation with the economics of the landscape. In order to unveil the context of their production and inquiry the issues they dispute, in their subjective role, as documents and as artistic representations


Fe(II)C{sub 2}H{sub 5}PO{sub 3}{center_dot}H{sub 2}O has been prepared via prolonged reaction between iron oxychloride and ethylphosphonic acid in acetone, in a sealed tube. The lamellar structure is very similar to that of previously reported divalent metal phosphonates M(II)(RPO{sub 3}){center_dot}H{sub 2}O (M = Mg, Mn, Ni, Zn). The compound shows sign of 2D antiferromagnetic correlations above the Neel temperature T{sub N} = 24K and a weak ferromagnetic behavior is observed below T{sub N}. The authors also report on the preparation methods and the crystal structures of two new anhydrous copper phosphonates {alpha}-Cu(II)(C{sub 2}H{sub 5}PO{sub 3}), and {beta}-Cu(II)(CH{sub 3}PO{sub 3}) which exhibits an original tubular three-dimensional structure. The reactivity of bulky phosphonic acids is also described, with the case of Co(II)(t-C{sub 4}H{sub 9}PO{sub 3}){center_dot}H{sub 2}O.


Pancreatic cancer(PC) is a highly malignant gastrointestinal cancer with rapid progression and poor prognosis.Due to the insidious onset and the absence of specific symptoms,pancreatic cancer is usually diagnosed at an advanced incurable stage.More and more studies have found that long-standing diabetes mellitus especially of 5 years or more will increase pancreatic cancer risk.Insulin resistance and induced compensatory hyperinsulinemia are widely considered to stimulate the insulin/insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor signaling pathway,then to promote cell proliferation,invasion and metastasis,which will contribute to the development of pancreatic cancer.On the other hand,diabetes may be an early menifastation of pancreatic cancer,because the duration of diabetes prior to the onset of pancreatic cancer is usually less than 3 years.Therefore,more attention should be paid to the patients,who have suffered from a long-term diabetes or new-onset diabetes less than 3 years.If necessary,relevant affliated examinations will help to diagnose PC earlier.


In Chapter 2, we discussed the discrete-time processing of continuous-time signals, and in that context reviewed and discussed D/C conversion for reconstructing a continuous-time signal from a discrete-time sequence. Another common context in which it is useful and important to generate a continuous-time signal from a sequence is in communication systems, in which discrete data — for example, digital or quantized data — is to be transmitted over a channel in the form of a continuous-time signal. In this case, unlike in the case of DT processing of CT signals, the resulting continuous-time signal will be converted back to a discrete-time signal at the receiving end. Despite this difference in the two contexts, we will see that the same basic analysis applies to both. As examples of the communication of DT information over CT channels, consider transmitting a binary sequence of 1's and 0's from one computer to another over a telephone line or cable, or from a digital cell phone to a base station over a high-frequency electromagnetic channel. These instances correspond to having analog channels that require the transmitted signal to be continuous in time, and to also be compatible with the bandwidth and other constraints of the channel. Such require ments impact the choice of continuous-time waveform that the discrete sequence is modulated onto. The translation of a DT signal to a CT signal appropriate for transmission, and the translation back to a DT signal at the receiver, are both accomplished by devices referred to as modems (modulators/demodulators). Pulse Amplitude Modulation (PAM) underlies the operation of a wide variety of modems. The basic idea in PAM for communication over a CT channel is to transmit a se quence of CT pulses of some pre-specified shape p(t), with the sequence of pulse amplitudes carrying the information. The associated baseband signal at the trans mitter (which is then usually modulated onto some carrier to form a bandpass signal


Objective: Discussing prognosis is often confronting and complex for cancer patients. This study investigates how patients' psychological characteristics relate to their preferences concerning the disclosure of prognosis.


Let Y I be nonhomogeneous Cartan-Hartogs domain of the fi rst type, ϕ a holomorphic self-map, and ψ a fi xed holomorphic function on Y I . We study the weighted composition operator ψ C ϕ f = ψ ð f ∘ ϕ Þ for a function f holomorphic on Y I . Our main results generalize both cases of the unit ploydisc and the unit ball obtained by Li and Stevi ć (Li 2007 and Li 2008). Firstly, we obtain two crucial inequalities on Y I ; furthermore, the boundedness and compactness of operator ψ C ϕ from the space H ∞ of all bounded holomorphic functions to the ð α , m Þ -Bloch space B ð α , m Þ on Y I are investigated.


Abstract Objective: To describe the interactions between incarcerated adolescents and their grandparents during the processes of living and ageing. Method: An exploratory, descriptive, qualitative study was carried out, based on a semi-structured interview with 11 adolescents aged from 17 to 20 incarcerated in a youth detention center in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The discourse of the adolescents was analyzed based on content themes. Results: Categories that were both intertwined and complete among themselves were constructed: a) grandparents as affective support for incarcerated adolescents and b) relationships of reciprocity and healthy coexistence between the adolescents and their grandparents. Conclusion: The results showed that despite relational conflicts, the participants perceived the role of their grandparents in their lives as beneficial, as they offer a familial reference space, providing shelter and affection against the anxieties of the adolescents and those related to their families. This form of coexistence was a potential part of the development of young people in conflict with the law, and a favorable environment of mutual exchanges and learning, and as figures continuing the transgenerational family culture. Family separation was mentioned as a recurring and underreported process in the lives of adolescents and their grandparents.


A method was proposed to simultaneously determine the content of six kinds of restricted plasticizers in PVC toys and childcare articles by gas chromatography-mass spectrometer with DHP as the internal standard.The restricted phthalate plasticizers in PVC toys and childcare articles was microwave extracted using ethyl acetate as the solvent.The average recovery varied from 91.15% to 98.72%,the relative standard derivation ranged from 1.98% to 4.47%.The limit of detection was 0.5 mg/L for DBP,BBP,DEHP and DNOP and 10 mg/L for DINP and DIDP(at S/N=5).


The invention discloses a decoking agent for a garbage incinerator and a preparation method thereof; the decoking agent is composed of the following raw materials in parts by weight: 30-45 parts of sodium nitrate, 20-30 parts of sodium carbonate, 12-15 parts of colemanite, 7-12 parts of sodium chloride, 6-10 parts of corundum, and 5-8 parts of a copper powder. The preparation method comprises the following steps: adding the copper powder to dilute nitric acid with the amount 10 times the weight parts of the copper powder; then adding sodium nitrate, sodium carbonate and colemanite to the solution, heating the solution to 50-60 DEG C, and stirring with a stirring bar; placing the solution into a drying oven, volatilizing and carrying out material receiving, and collecting a precipitated mixture; and adding sodium chloride and corundum to the mixture, then pulverizing, and mixing. The decoking agent can be sprinkled into the garbage incinerator through a blast orifice and a garbage inlet of the garbage incinerator at the same time and covers all coking parts in a hearth along with wind and garbage; the decoking agent undergoes a reaction with coking at high temperature, and ash deposits and the coking are allowed to be fluffy and softened, easily fall off and are removed.


Near-infrared images have been used to search for bright globular clusters near the center of the elliptical galaxy Maffei 1. The number of objects in various radial intervals from the center of Maffei 1 are compared with the number density of sources in two control fields, and we find an excess of 31± 11 objects with K between 16.6 and 18.0 in an annulus between 20 and 90 arcsec from the galaxy center. At radii in excess of 90 arcsec the ability to find clusters is frustrated by statistical noise in the foreground star population. It is demonstrated that the globular clusters located within 90 arcsec of the center of Maffei 1 span a range of near-infrared colors that are at least as great as that which is seen among M31 clusters; some of the clusters appear to have colors that are consistent with them being very young. The specific globular cluster frequency within 90 arcsec of the center of Maffei 1 is SN = 1.3 ± 0.6 if the distance modulus is 28.1±0.2 and AV = 4.7±0.2. The specific cluster frequency of Maffei 1 is thus similar to that of other nearby field elliptical galaxies. Subject headings: galaxies: individual (Maffei 1) – galaxies: elliptical and lenticular, cD – galaxies: star clusters Visiting Astronomer, Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, which is operated by the National Research Council of Canada, the Centre National de le Recherche Scientifique, and the University of Hawaii.


A new loop algebra is constructed based on the basis number and commutative operations of a loop 1 . An integrable coupling of a hierarchy of evolution equations is obtained by appling to an isospectral problem in ref and using Tu Guizhang's model. This method can be used generally.


This chapter presents an assessment of the consumption-based carbon footprints (CFs) in Iceland using an input-output based hybrid life cycle assessment method, including all private consumption and both direct and indirect emissions. Moreover, we compare the CFs in different types of settlements to test the "low-carbon illusion of cities" hypothesis. In territorial assessment schemes, highly urbanized areas are often reported as low-carbon areas in comparison to country averages or regional averages, but at the same time they are the key centers for consumption and actually just outsource/externalize the emissions they or their residents emit. Therefore, while cities often show reduced transport related emissions compared to less urbanized areas, the emissions from other forms of consumption typically increase and the overall CF can be greater in the densest settlements. What we found is that the CFs are the highest in the most highly urbanized areas and somewhat lower in more rural areas. Especially indirect emissions from services are significantly greater in urbanized and more affluent areas. With transport, the results also align with the hypothesis that higher population density reduces private driving, but as in several earlier studies, when all transportation related emissions are accounted for, the advantage of density is greatly reduced or disappears. Consumption power is the strongest driving factor of CFs, and affluence tends to increase in cities in comparison to less urbanized areas. Thus, when controlling for consumption expenditure, slight negative connection between density and CFs is found.


Proper names of organisations are a special case of collective nouns. Their meaning can be conceptualised as a collective unit or as a plurality of persons, allowing for different morphological marking of coreferent anaphoric pronouns. This paper explores the variability of references to organisation names with 1) a corpus analysis and 2) two crowd-sourced story continuation experiments. The first shows that the preference for singular vs. plural conceptualisation is dependent on the level of formality of a text. In the second, we observe a strong preference for the plural they otherwise typical of informal speech. Using edited corpus data instead of constructed sentences as stimuli reduces this preference.


Abstract In this study, the mean levels of anion and metals in "Hora" natural mineral water and soil were determined. Accordingly, the levels of N–NH3, Cl−, N–NO3−, SO42−, Mg, and Ca in water were not exceeding the World Health Organization (WHO) drinking water guideline values for humans and the levels of N–NO3−, SO42−, and Ca were also far below the Canadian Ministers of Health (CMH) guideline values for livestock. The levels of Al, Mn, Zn, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Mo were above the WHO guideline values, while majority of the trace metals were not exceeding the maximum permissible value for livestock except for Ni and Co. Among the trace metals found in the soil, Mn and Pb were found to be higher compared to the recommended value (40 mg/kg) by the Ethiopian guideline. The drinking water quality index (DWQI) was calculated to be 67.6 based on 21 important quality parameters.


thought which has assumed great prominence... since the late eighteenth century' (p. 55). While it may be asserted that the rule has been accepted by the organised world community, it is not always clear who should be the beneficiaries of the right of self-determination, not to mention the complications caused by other competing principles of international law. According to the U.N. Charter, 'peoples' are the 'selves' to whom self-determination applies, and the author reminds us that they are territorial rather than ethnic or religious groups. She presents illustrations of these intricate issues in an easily understandable sequence, and inter alia makes the following points: that self-determination is not a matter essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of a state, and that the right is now generally accepted in international law. Having established that national liberation movements may be entitled to the use of force in order to achieve self-determination, Wilson proceeds to balance the legal right against the actual practice. Since governments have to determine who should benefit from the right of self-determination, the question of recognition is extremely important, and as explained by the author: 'it is a right which many States recognise as operating against other States, but no State acknowledges as operating against itself (p. 123). Although the authority of national liberation movements to use force ' is not agreed upon as a matter of international law', Wilson notes that 'the trend... since i960 in particular has been toward the extension of the authority to use force' (p. 136). It is obviously desirable that this right be exercised in consonance with jus in bello, and this means that the application of the laws of war to any internationalised conflicts must be appreciated from the perspectives of The Hague and Geneva Conventions: namely, the means of warfare and the protection of the victims, not least because the former affects the latter. Given that it is still necessary both to change and to regulate an absurd world, Wilson has certainly made a very useful contribution to the literature on national liberation movements. This is the first book to concentrate on the right of self-determination and its effect on the law of war, and ought to be widely read, especially by those who still hold the conventional view that the use of force remains the exclusive province of sovereign states. ONJE GYE-WADO


This in vivo study revealed that porous hydroxyapatite (PHA) and dense hydroxyapatite (DHA) are good implant materials that can accelerate bone healing and resorbed in acceptable time. But there were differences in the mechanism of the resorption of DHA and PHA due to variability in the physical properties and osteogenicity.


Abstract. The outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has brought tremendous impact and influence on human health and social economy around the world. The lockdown implemented in China, starting on 23 January 2020, led to large reductions in human activities and the associated emissions. Sharp declines in primary pollution provided a unique chance to examine the relationships between anthropogenic emissions and air quality. Here, we report measurements of air pollutants and meteorological parameters at different heights on a tall tower in the Pearl River Delta, China, to investigate the response of the vertical scales of pollutants to reductions in human activities. Compared to the pre-lockdown period (starting from 16 December 2019), the observations showed that surface layer NOx, PM2.5 and mean values of the daily maximum 8 h average O3 (MDA8O3) had significant reductions of 76.8 %, 49.4 %, and 18.6 % respectively, but the average O3 increased (9.7 %) during lockdown period. The vertical profiles of NOx and O3 changed during the lockdown period, but not those of PM2.5. The correlation between PM2.5 and O3 was statistically significant, but not that between PM2.5 and NOx for data collected at four different heights during the lockdown period. The significance of these correlations was the opposite during the pre-lockdown period, indicating that the main composition of PM2.5 has changed dramatically since the lockdown, which is transited from primary aerosol dominating or nitrate dominating (affected by NOx) before lockdown to secondary organic aerosol dominant dominating (affected by O3) during the lockdown. We find weaker diurnal variation of O3 during the lockdown period is similar to the case at background regions. O3 concentrations were not sensitive to NOx concentrations during lockdown, which implies that O3 levels during the lockdown are more representative of the regional background, for which anthropogenic emissions are low and photochemical formation is not a significant ozone source. This evidence suggests that significant reductions of anthropogenic emissions are effective in simultaneous mitigation of PM2.5 and O3 levels.


A method of calibrating low-intensity spectral irradiance using a mesh attenuator and a 500-W spectral irradiance standard lamp has been developed. The intensity of the lamp's irradiance is the same as that of a 20-W spectral irradiance standard lamp. The photometric value of the 500-W lamp stabilizes (±0.04%) within 15 min. of being turned on. In testing, the reproducibility of the photometric value for the mesh attenuator and detector setting was ±0.07%. The stray light under indoor illuminant was under 0.002% of the photometric value. The uncertainty of this calibration system was less than when using a 20-W spectral irradiance standard lamp.


The follicle-enclosed oocytes from all follicular groups failed to resume meiosis beyond the germinal vesicle stage, whereas the oocyte-cumulus cell complexes underwent the first meiotic division at a frequency which increased with the follicular growth. Maturation rates were 42. 9% of oocytes from large, 22. 2% from medium and 11. 5% from small follicles. The incidence of degenerated oocytes decreased significantly as the follicular size increased. It is concluded that isolated oocytes from ovarian follicles of juvenile marmosets resume meiosis spontaneously in vitro and it was suggested that the ability to complete meiotic maturation is acquired during the stage of follicular growth. (Japan. J. Anim. Reprod., 28, 51-55, 1982)


Ambiq is a health care organization that provides treatment and support for children and (young) adults with mild intellectual disabilities and additional problems. The organization observes a high need for the uniformity and optimization of their primary processes. Interviews with employees from different regions and an analysis of Ambiq's current management, control and performance have shown that demand and supply do not match. This is caused by one of the core problems which states that the required capacity is not known early. Another cause is the overlooked tactical planning and control level. Based on the problem statement, the following research question is formulated: "How can Ambiq optimize their primary youth care processes on the resource capacity level for the benefit of their clients?". We advise mental (home) health care organizations and so, Ambiq, to apply the proposed integral resource capacity planning framework and to implement the tactical planning and control level in this approach, such that demand and supply can be balanced and integration and coordination among departments, operation strategy and operational planning in the care chain can be enforced. In this way, these organizations can optimize their primary youth care processes for the benefit of their clients.


Soviet-American cooperation for Africa can be an important confidence-building measure in reducing tensions, correcting misperceptions, promoting mutual understanding, fostering improved bilateral U.S.-U.S.S.R. relations, and creating trust. It could also lead to further cooperation in other fields or regions. At various times people have cited trade, cultural exchanges, exchanges of visitors, student exchanges, arms control agreements, and cooperation in space as initiatives that could be interpreted as confidence-building measures. All are valuable, and each can play a role in improving bilateral relations.


We demonstrate room-temperature stabilization of dipolar magnetic skyrmions with diameters in the range of $100$ nm in a single ultrathin layer of the Heusler alloy Co$_2$FeAl (CFA) under moderate magnetic fields. Current-induced skyrmion dynamics in microwires is studied with a scanning Nitrogen-Vacancy magnetometer operating in the photoluminescence quenching mode. We first demonstrate skyrmion nucleation by spin-orbit torque and show that its efficiency can be significantly improved using tilted magnetic fields, an effect which is not specific to Heusler alloys and could be advantageous for future skyrmion-based devices. We then show that current-induced skyrmion motion remains limited by strong pinning effects, even though CFA is a magnetic material with a low magnetic damping parameter.


The present invention relates to the acquisition apparatus and method for a digital receiver. The present invention, unit, obtain the average voltage and the predetermined voltage difference of the received analog signal gain recovery for compensating for signal gain to be converted into a digital signal; Fractional portion carrier recovery unit to remove the carrier frequency offset and phase noise of the analog signals, converts a band pass digital signal into a baseband digital signal; The fractional part of carrier lock (lock) the integer carrier recovery unit to capture the signal with the integer carrier frequency synchronization to estimate an integer multiple of the sub-carrier interval closest to compensate for the initial frequency offset; Scattered pilot estimator for estimating the sequence of a scattered pilot signal included in the received signal; And it provides the acquisition unit of each of said digital receiver comprising an acquisition processor for performing the acquisition of the sequential and dependent signal between the output block from the output signal of the recovery unit and the estimator. Accordingly, the present invention is effective to optimize the synchronization of the received signal reduces the excessive sync time taken for tracking and instability of the receiver. DVB-T, received synchronization, systematic acquisition processor, lock detector


eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) stands in the Catskill Mountains of New York. Soil samples were collected and observed in a glasshouse; germinants were identified and removed over a one year period. Yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis) seeds, evergreen woodfern (Dryopteris intermedia) spores, and hay-scented fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula) spores germinated in abundance from the propagule banks (means of 722, 2858, and 296 m-2, respectively) even though hay-scented fern only occurred in the understory of one stand. Seed densities were intermediate and propagule species richness values were low compared to previous studies of northeastern forests. Existing vegetation was also characterized; hemlock was the dominant tree species in all stands (6787% of basal area), with lesser abundances of red maple (Acer rubrum), yellow birch and/or American beech (Fagus grandifolia). Striped maple (Acer pensylvanicum), red maple, yellow birch, evergreen woodfern, shining clubmoss (Lycopodium lucidulum), and common wood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella) occurred in understories of most stands. Understory vegetation and propagule banks indicated potential stand replacement by evergreen woodfern and, eventually, yellow birch in the event of a major disturbance leading to hemlock mortality. However, hay-scented fern could become abundant if woody species are over-browsed by white-tailed deer.


A simple and effective approach to prepare conductive polystyrene/carbon nanofiber (PS/CNF) nanocomposite films via a solution dispersion method is presented. Inexpensive CNF, which has a structure similar to multi-walled carbon nanotubes, is chosen as a nanofiller in this experiment to achieve conductivity in PS films. A good dispersion is achieved in the PS matrix with ultrasonication. The experiment to prepare PS/CNF system is suitable as a laboratory experiment for college chemistry or material science course. The experiment provides students with a hands-on laboratory experience in nanotechnology and its related fundamental concept.


The continuous growth of the healthcare sector is followed by a corresponding demand to reduce costs and to improve the quality of its management processes. One way to meet these requirements is to leverage on a better management and traceability of medicines and medical devices through ICT, not only at the hospital but also at the patient's home. The project "LIFEMED – Integrated Logistic of Medicines and Medical Devices", aims, indeed, at the realization of an innovative digital model for medicines and medical devices logistic management. In particular, for the management and the traceability of medicines and medical devices at home, the solution will be characterized by a telemedicine platform together with a traceability platform based on RFId and barcode labels and readers. The telemedicine and traceability platforms will allow for a better monitoring of respectively the patient's correct medicine administration and the medicines and medical devices logistic, as demonstrated by the example of the peritoneal dialysis, a domiciliary treatment addressed in the project. Despite all the advantages, attention must be paid during the platform design in considering crucial factors like digital illiteracy of older people and the privacy, legal and ethical issues.


In recent years, security problems have been concerned in the well-developed information society. Although authentication methods such as password-systems and key-systems are used widely, various problems are pointed out. Therefore, biometric authentication which uses the information of personal characteristics is highly paid attention to. In the present study, a new biometric authentication system using finger friction is proposed. This system utilizes tactile information of which recording and playing technologies have not been established, in contrast to visual and auditory information. Moreover, it is using both physical characteristics related to the 3-D shapes of fingerprints and behavioral characteristics related to the way of rubbing. In the present system, PZT sensors generate frictional signals when a subject rubs them with its finger. As the result of verification, it is found that some statistics and dynamic programming enable to identify the subject with the frictional signals.


This essay examines a fable current in the discourse of the nuclear freeze movement in the 1980's, that of the "Hundredth Monkey," and shows through the analysis that Aristotle's classification of ...


A LACK OF suitably trained sexual health nurses will hamper implementation of a government advisory group's recommendations, the RCN has claimed.


Lactic acid bacteria are the most important and commonly used bacteria in food industrials. Specially selected starter cultures are required for the industrial production of cheese. These starter cultures are mainly composed of lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Starters LAB have many functions in cheese production. They produce lactic acid during the fermentation process and provide formation of the curd. Furthermore, they show proteolytic activity and also they play a role in the production of aroma compounds and antimicrobial substances. In order to prevent loss of LAB biodiversity and loss of traditional cheese diversity, it is important to identify novel LAB from traditional cheese.


Presented in this theory is a semianalytical solution for the problem of the motion of a satellite in orbit around the moon. The principal perturbations on such a body are due to the nonspherical gravity field of the moon, the attraction of the earth, and, to a lesser degree, the attraction of the sun. The major part of the problem is solved by means of the celebrated von Zeipel Method, first successfully applied to the motion of an artificial earth satellite by Brouwer in 1959. After eliminating from the Hamiltonian all terms with the period of the satellite and those with the period of the moon, it is suggested to solve the remaining problem with the aid of numerical integration of the modified equations of motion.This theory was written in 1964 and presented as a dissertation to Yale University in 1965. Since then a great deal has been learned about the gravity field of the moon. It seems that quite a number of recently determined gravity coefficients would qualify as small quantities of order two. Hence, according to the truncation criteria employed, they should be considered in the present theory. However, the author has not endeavored to update the work accordingly. The final results, therefore, are incomplete in the lunar gravitational perturbations. Nevertheless, the theory does give the largest such variations and it does present the methods by which perturbations may be derived for any gravity terms not actually developed.


The present invention discloses a process of preparing an edible paper Okara, Okara ultrafine grinding first and then adding water, heating the solution to form a first fiber Okara; okara fiber then the first solution is treated with lipase and proteinase; and Add mass percentage of 0.2% to 3.0% sodium carboxymethylcellulose, 0.1% to 1.5% of modified starch and 0.1% to 1.5% sodium alginate, and incubated for 20-40min stirred uniformly, to give a slurry okara; final after the above-mentioned okara papermaking slurry, and process oil dregs obtained after drying edible paper. Okara by the process of the present invention meets the requirements of food packaging.


Logistic regression is a very popular binary classification technique in many industries, particularly in the financial service industry. It has been used to build credit scorecards, estimate the probability of default or churn, identify the next best product in marketing, and many more applications. The machine learning literature has recently introduced several alternative techniques, such as deep learning neural networks, random forests, and factorisation machines. While neural networks and random forests form part of the practitioner's model-building toolkit, factorisation machines are seldom used. In this paper, we investigate the applicability of factorisation machines to some binary classification problems in banking. To stimulate the practical application of factorisation machines, we implement the fitting routines, based on logit loss and maximum likelihood, on commercially available software that is widely used by banks and other large financial services companies. Logit loss is usually used by the machine learning fraternity while maximum likelihood is popular in statistics. Depending on the coding of the target variable, we will show that these methods yield identical parameter estimates. Often, banks are confronted with predicting events that occur with low probability. To deal with this phenomenon, we introduce weights in the above-mentioned loss functions. The accuracy of our fitting algorithms is then studied by means of a simulation study and compared with logistic regression. The separation and prediction performance of factorisation machines are then compared to logistic regression and random forests by means of three case studies covering a recommender system, credit card fraud, and a credit scoring application. We conclude that logistic factorisation machines are worthy competitors of logistic regression in most applications, but with clear advantages in recommender systems applications where the number of predictors typically outnumbers the number of observations.


A Geographic Information System (GIS) was developed to establish a computerized information system for ecotourism management in Tanjung Tuan Birds Sanctuary, Malacca, Malaysia. Spatial Information on the historical relics, site potential characterizes for tourist attraction and attributes information can be packaged in the GIS database. The spatial information covered three zones comprising (i) ground condition, (ii) recreation zones, and (iii) distribution of flora and fauna. ARCINFO 3.4.2 and ARC VIEW 3.1 was used to display spatial data of these 3 zones and at the same time provide the attribute information such as drainage condition, soil types, flora/fauna, diversity and their population. Digital mapping which involved the need information within the area have been developed where the spatial information about the three zones mentioned earlier can be updated from time to time. The GIS will be useful for manager to make proper management plan and at the same time it can be retrieved the recent information of the Tanjung Tuan, Bird's Sanctuary.


As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads, healthcare systems are crashing worldwide. Public health authorities are focusing their decision-making processes toward best allocation of resources and personnel for the development of vaccines, establishment of effective treatments, management of affected patients, and protection of citizens and the workforce from human-to-human infection (). Further, the healthcare workforce should act in alignment with the quickly evolving evidence (). In this unparalleled healthcare scenario, a pertinent question has arisen: How do clinicians provide the best care [...]


The article provides approaches to the information security threats assessment in the case when the owner of an information resource has the right to choose an approach to the assessment. The official website of the organization presented in the article is not an information system that implies a strict approach to information security threats assessment because the information system does not process personal data, state information resources and other similar data. To prepare the article, regulatory and methodological documents of the federal executive authorities of the Russian Federation, international standards and methodological documents were studied. As the basis, methodological document «Methodology for assessing threats to information security» (February 5, 2021) and standard ISO/IEC 27005 «Information technology. Security techniques. Information Security Risk Management» were taken. The authors have prepared schemes with the main stages of information security threat assessment (risk assessment). Each described stage is implemented for the considered information system.


ion Upland: Arable, Mixed, Pastoral Lowland: Arable, Mixed, Pastoral An issue where largescale commercial users abstract water. Possible negative effect if land use change is perceived as reducing future abstraction potential. May have slightly positive effect on initial storage capacity of river channel at onset of winter. Refer to Section 5.2.2. N/a. Licence conditions. Water trading. Land preparation and cropping Upland: Arable, Mixed Lowland: Arable, Mixed Unprotected soil; compaction, capping, puddling, plough plans: decreased infiltration capacity leading to increased run-off, erosion and siltation even in gradual slope areas. Refer to Section 5.2.3. Negative impact on water quality (turbidity) and aquatic ecosystems. Sustainable land management strategies: integrated farm management, improved soil management (growing cover crops; undersowing grass; crop rotation including grass; minimum tillage; removing compaction; and ensuring surface roughness), and uncropped margins (as in agri-environment proposals).


Abstract The gonads of 528 female and 821 male stoats were examined. The weights of ovaries and testes in adults peaked simultaneously in October, the season of births and of post-partum oestrus. Of 73 females, 78% had even numbers of nipples, mostly 8 or 10. The mean number of embryos in 13 pregnancies was 8.8 (6–13), and embryo weights ranged from 0.005 g to 2.9 g. Of 11 pregnant females, 8 contained fewer embryos than corpora lutea, and there was evidence of transuterine migration of blastocysts in 6. All but 2 of 451 females caught in December–July inclusive carried corpora lutea of delay. Few adult and no young females were found in oestrus in September–October, though adult males were fertile from August to February (no first-year males were fertile). There was some evidence that the breeding season started later at more southerly latitudes in both males and females. The mean number of corpora lutea per female was 9.7 (n = 439), and there was a significant inverse correlation between counts for the ...


In theory, a Tomlinson-Harashima precoding (THP) implemented in a wireline transmitter (TX) can compensate for all inter-symbol interference (ISI) present in the transmitted data regardless of the channel profile. However, to eliminate pre-cursors, a TX suffers from reduced output swing, resulting in an inferior noise margin. In this paper, we propose cascading a feedforward equalizer (FFE) to a THP and analyze its design merits: Vertical eye margin (VEM) and modulus of the modulo operation with different THP topologies are compared. Mathematical analysis and simulation results conclude that the cascade of a THP and an FFE outperforms a conventional THP for channels having a pre-cursor.


PURPOSE: An amplifier for amplifying an optical signal transmitted though an optical cable is provided to realize terrestrial or satellite broadcastings through the optical cable by amplifying or changing the optical signal transmitted though the optical cable to an RF signal. CONSTITUTION: A photoelectric conversion receiving module(120) changes an optical signal inputted through an optical cable connected to the first drop terminal(110) to an RF(Radio Frequency) signal. A band divider(130) divides the RF signal into a MATV(Master Antenna TV) signal a SAT(Satellite) signal. The first amplifying module(140) amplifies the MATV signal. The second amplifying module(150) amplifies the SAT signal. The band combiner(160) combines the MATV signal and the SAT signal and restores to the RF signal. An RF output test terminal(180) measures an output level of the RF signal.


Abstract To what extent is the Irish Green Party affected by the presence of an additional, European arena next to the domestic one? The answer is twofold. Organizationally, the Irish Green Party drew on the experience and support of the pan‐European Green Party Federation and more developed Green parties in other countries. The European arena also provided a platform for electoral success and thereby an important route to resources used to professionalize the organization. Programmatically, and despite the above, the positioning of the Green Party towards European integration has always been ambivalent. European environmental law is more demanding than national law and environmental problems often ask for international solutions which, theoretically, should be welcomed by the party. Yet their fight for direct citizen participation makes them wary of shifting power to a polity whose democratic credentials are contested. While the Green Party originally opposed Europe, they have become more differentiated and constructive over time, pushing for democratization whilst simultaneously viewing the EU as an arena in which desired policies are generated. Having entered government at a national level in 2007, its closer involvement in EU decision‐making should reinforce this trend.


A detailed observation of the IEC flickermeter subject to rectangular voltage fluctuations indicates the presence of small discontinuities for a set of fluctuation frequencies. These discontinuities are not observed in the real lamp-eye-brain model. This work provides the theoretical framework for the analysis of this phenomenon, a consequence of the nonlinear variance estimator model used in block 4 of the flickermeter. This effect has a limited impact on the field performance of the flickermeter but should be avoided from a conceptual point of view


The San Luis caldera complex in the Southern Rocky Mountain Volcanic Field (CO, USA) consists of three overlapping calderas that overlie the sources of three large-volume mid-Cenozoic ignimbrites: the Rat Creek Tuff (RCT; zoned dacite-rhyolite, 150 km3), the Cebolla Creek Tuff (mafic dacite, 250 km3) and the Nelson Mountain Tuff (NMT; zoned dacite-rhyolite, 500 km3), which are indistinguishable in age by 40Ar/39Ar dating. In this study, we argue for a shared magmatic history for the three units on the basis of mineral trace element compositions (plagioclase, sanidine, biotite, pyroxene, amphibole, titanite and zircon), as well as zircon U-Pb geochronology in the RCT and NMT. It is postulated that these latter two are cogenetic, having occupied an elongated magma reservoir that erupted in two stages, prior to and following the eruption of the Cebolla Creek Tuff. This necessitates large-scale lateral magma transport of the NMT magma, which is corroborated by the formation of the nearby Cochetopa caldera with a paucity of intracaldera eruptive products. The implications of lateral magma transport and evolution in integrated magma chambers are discussed in the context of calculating magma fluxes, which can be redefined as an area-normalized flux to avoid inconsistencies in flux estimations.


Perhaps what is most remarkable about Alexander Scriabin's musical language is its dramatic transformation as he aged from one of late romanticism to one that transcended tonality. Its singularity, however, lies in the symbolist and theosophical beliefs with which it is infused. Notably, his later works assumed almost ritualistic purposes, taking symbolist "mysticism" to its extreme. Divided into tree parts, this paper will attempt to derive spiritual meaning from his music. The first will focus on the biographical elements of Alexander Scriabin, which made him prone to adopting the symbolist philosophy; the second will examine in depth this ideology, which played such an important role in his late musical language. Finally, the third part will trace the spiritual meanings and symbolist plot behind Piano Sonata No.3, Op. 23 based on the findings of the first two parts as well as the writings of theosophist Helena Blavatsky, to which he was exposed during his time in Paris.


In this paper, the influence of the AC three-phase voltage unbalance problem in the low-voltage distribution network on the operating characteristics of the VSC is studied. This paper deduces the expression of the negative sequence component of the three-phase unbalanced voltage after park transformation and develops the simulation model of the low-voltage DC distribution network. The correctness of the theoretical derivation is verified by simulation. The simulations of three-phase unbalances of 5%, 10%, and 15% were performed to investigate the effects of different three-phase unbalance on DC voltage. The results show that the three-phase voltage imbalance on the AC side will introduce a double-frequency voltage component on the DC side. The greater the voltage imbalance, the larger the amplitude of the introduced double-frequency voltage component, and the more serious the impact on the DC voltage quality.


Background: Several classical antipyretics are used to treat fever. But their harmful sides effects have led to the research of the others alternative based on medicine herbals. Rarely, studies are focused on the onset of action and assess the effects of Drugs Herbal interaction in vivo using experimental models. The main objective of this work is to assess potential antipyretic activities of two African plants (Ceiba pentandra and Pseudocedrela kotschyi concerning the onset of action and evaluate the effects of their association to the combination based on artemisinin (CTA).
Methods: Turpentine 2 ml/kg, yeast brewers 20%, boiled milk 1 ml/kg were used to induce fever in young rats. The crudes of the extract of Ceiba pentandra 200 mg/kg; 400 mg/kg and Pseudocedrela kotschyi 100 and 150 mg/kg were administered orally and the temperatures (°C) were taken each 10 minutes. The Drugs-Herbal medicine interactions were also assessed (Extracts of our plants plus CTA). GraphPad Prism software version 7 was used to analyse the data. The difference was considered significant when P<0.05.
Results: Aqueous extract of the Ceiba pentandra and Pseudocedrela kotschyi quickly reduce the fever by reducing the onset time of action (10-30 minutes). P-value<0.001 but our study has shown pharmacodynamics interaction between CTA and Pseudocedrela. There may have some interaction between CTA and the natural compounds contained in these medicine plants that reduce their efficacy.
Conclusion: This present study showed the onset action of our two plants is between 10-30 minutes. Their association with CTA reduce the efficacy of extracts aqueous of leaves of Pseudocedrela kotschyi 150 mg/kg but no Ceiba pendantra 400 mg. They may be used as an alternative to classical drugs as antipyretics especially in children. But others studies may be done to assess the pharmacokinetic pharmacodynamics interactions with association based on artemisinin.


Objective
To investigate the clinical features, diagnosis, treatment and therapeutic efficacy of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) infection in liver transplant recipients.

Methods
Among 336 liver transplant recipients who were followed up in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from October 2003 to December 2011, 3 recipients were diagnosed as TB infection after liver transplantation (LT). Two of them were male and one was female, aged 36-59 years old with the mean age of 47 years old. The three recipients underwent improved piggy-back orthotopic liver transplantation. Local ethical committee approval had been received and that the informed consent of all participating subjects was obtained. They received Tacrolimus-based immunosuppressive therapy. The clinical features, diagnosis, treatment and therapeutic efficacy were collected and analyzed and the relevant literatures were reviewed.

Results
The incidence of TB infection after LT in our center was 0.9% (3/336). Three patients developed TB 43 d, 19 months and 27 months after LT (15.8 month mean time) with atypical clinical manifestations. Two of them suffered from fever, one developed cough and sputum, one had night sweats and weight loss and the third patient had no obvious symptoms except positive purified protein derivative (PPD) test. Mycobacterium tuberculosis was isolated from wound in one patient. All the 3 patients were diagnosed as infiltrative pulmonary tuberculosis, among them one with combined abdominal TB. The time elapsed between onset of symptoms and diagnosis was 7, 7 and 395 d respectively (mean: 136 d) . After receiving anti-TB treatment, 1 case was cured, 1 was relieved and 1 was not cured.

Conclusions
Tuberculosis after LT has atypical clinical manifestations and is easily misdiagnosed or delayedly diagnosed. It can be well cured by anti-TB treatment with close monitoring of liver damage and graft rejection.

Key words:
Liver transplantation; Tuberculosis; Diagnosis; Treatment; Therapeutic efficacy


Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether knowledge-flows through social interaction occur within the context of a policy-driven industrial cluster. Design/methodology/approach - – The paper follows a single-case approach, adopting Malaysia's Multimedia Super Corridor cluster as the unit of analysis. Semi-structured interviews with firm- and non-firm-respondents in the cluster constitute the prime source of data. Findings - – Spontaneous social interaction leading to knowledge diffusion within the cluster may be lacking. However, policymakers may be able to remedy this somewhat by organising workshops, conferences and other events to help firms gain additional knowledge, although these measures should ideally complement, rather than replace, spontaneous face-to-face meetings. Practical implications - – Although policymakers may implement certain measures to try to compensate for the shortage of knowledge flows through social interaction (e.g. organising more "formal" events such as workshops and exhibitions), it is argued that these may not be sufficient in ensuring the long-term, self-sustaining success of the cluster. Originality/value - – The paper integrates extant literature on "organic" industrial clusters into a pre-planned, purpose-built, policy-driven cluster context. Research on policy-driven clusters is somewhat limited, with attention from scholars primarily focused on organic clusters. This paper attempts to bridge the gap for future research in the area.


Use of an experimenter‐controlled tracking procedure to obtain acoustic reflex thresholds has recently become popular. In this method, the intensity of the stimulus is adjusted by the experimenter to bracket the acoustic reflex threshold as visually observed on the meter of an acoustic impedance measuring device. The midpoint of the tracings is taken as the reflex threshold. Conventionally, the acoustic reflex threshold has been defined as the intensity needed for minimum meter deflection. This study investigated the relationships between acoustic reflex thresholds obtained using the two procedures. Acoustic reflex thresholds were obtained to pure tones of 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz. An ascending approach using manually interrupted tones in 5‐dB steps was employed to determine the conventional reflex thresholds. A self‐recording audiometer with a 2.5/sec pulse rate and a 5‐dB/sec attenuation rate was used to obtain the tracking reflex thresholds. High correlations and no significant differences were fou...


©2013 The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers A vehicle driver's operating performance is limited in emergency conditions. For this reason, the importance of vehicle safety technology geared to collision avoidance increases. This study discusses a collision avoidance technology designed to improve the safety of small or micro-sized vehicles. In this paper, autonomous steering experiment by the automatic steering system by micro electric automobile (ATS Vehicle) which steered the front tire by right and left driving force difference and kingpin offset is carried out. Autonomous steering utilizing 'Active Torque Steered' (ATS) vehicle is proposed and evaluated performance of collision avoidance using simulation of critical avoidance time compared with autonomous braking of this vehicle.


The article reveals a practical issue related to the legal conclusion of the cassation court as a tool to ensure the stability and unity of judicial practice in Ukraine.


The invention relates to the technical field of touch control, and especially relates to a conducting film manufacturing method, a touch control panel manufacturing method, and a touch control panel. The conducting film manufacturing method comprises the steps: S1, providing a transparent base material; S2, coating the transparent base material with a photoresist layer; S3, manufacturing a groove with the corresponding pattern on the photoresist layer, and solidifying the photoresist layer with ultraviolet light; S4, coating the interior of the groove with nano silver thread solution; S5, solidifying the nano silver thread solution in the groove, so as to form a nano silver thread conducting film.


The purpose of this study was to improve the learning achievement of students of SMAN 1 Gedangan Sidoarjo through the use of blogs as a learning medium. This research is a classroom action research (CAR). The study was conducted in two cycles in eight meetings, each meeting 2 x 45 minutes, and each cycle consisted of planning, action, observation, and reflection. The research subjects were students of class XI MIPA 4 of SMA Negeri 1 Gedangan Sidoarjo in the academic year of 2017/2018 with a total of 33 students. Data collection techniques are observation, tests, field notes, interviews, and documentation. Data analysis techniques use quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis, comparative analysis. The results showed that the use of blogs was proven to improve learning achievement. This can be proven from the increase in student learning outcomes in the first cycle with the percentage of completeness of the learning value of 88.85% and the average grade value of 84.85, resulting in an increase in the average grade of 12.45 (pre-value 72.40 cycle and the value of the first cycle 84.85) and the completeness of the results of the learning value of 41.30% (in the pre cycle 47.55% and cycle I 88.85%). Whereas for the results of learning cycle II the average grade value increased by 2.51 (the value of cycle I was 84.85 and cycle II 87.36) and completeness was 6.15% (in cycle I 88.85% and cycle II 95.00%). It was concluded that the use of blogs as learning media to improve learning achievement had achieved the expected results in this study, each of which had achieved an achievement indicator of> 75%


The flower-like and plate-like Bi2WO6 powders were synthesized using Na2WO4.2H2O and Bi(NO3)3.5H2O as raw materi-als via a microwave hydrothermal method at 200 ℃ through changing the pH value.The Bi2WO6 powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction,field emission scanning electron microscope,transmission electron microscope,selected area electron diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscope.The photocatalytic properties of the Bi2WO6 powders prepared under different pH values were also investigated.The results indicate that the pH value has a great effect on the phase composition,morphology and photocatalytic property of Bi2WO6 powders.The optimum photocatalytic property of the plate-like Bi2WO6 powder synthesized at pH = 9.5 is found and the decolorization rate of rhodamine B reaches 95% at 3 h under mercury lamp irradiation.


Nobre, A.M and Ferreira, J.G., 2009. Integration of ecosystem-based tools to support coastal zone management. Journal of Coastal Research, SI 56 (Proceedings of the 10th International Coastal Symposium), pg – pg. Lisbon, Portugal, ISBN Over the past decades policy makers have defined new legislative and policy instruments to address coastal ecosystem degradation. It is important to provide coastal managers with scientifically based information with which they may evaluate the performance of previously adopted responses as well future management policies. This implies the use of scientific applications that enable (i) the understanding of ecosystem biogeochemical processes, (ii) interaction of ecosystem's ecological and socio-economic components, and (iii) synthesis and communication of complex outputs to managers. The integration of tools, such as geographic information systems, ecological modeling (of both catchment and coastal systems), economic valuation methods and integrated environmental assessment, can empower coastal managers with a scientific framework for sound decision making. We present a case study reviewing the application of such a set of tools to support management of a coastal lagoon located in the South of Portugal. This ecosystem and its catchment were chosen given the considerable interaction between the ecological and socio-economic systems: on the one hand this coastal zone includes sites of environmental importance recognized by several international conventions and directives and on the other hand it supports several economic activities that represent the main source of employment and income in the region. ADITIONAL INDEX WORDS: Integrated coastal management (ICM), Ecosystem-based management tools, Integration of science and management.


Based on the architectural lighting control system as the research object,this paper expounds the general design of the intelligent lighting system framework and PC system software design process. GPRS and CAN technology are used in the system communication,and this system can not only preset state of illumination lamps and lanterns in a certain period of time in the future,but also undertake timing control and flexible control manner. This system can effectively reduce amount of work of administrator, allocate and manage flexibly on light control equipment. The experimental results have proved the reliability and stability of the PC software.


Decahedral CdMoO4 microcrystals have been synthesized by a reaction for 48 hours at 60 o C from CdCl2 and Na2MoO4 in the presence of 4 mL ionic liquid 1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([BMIM]Cl) as a surfactant. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize the structure and morphology of the microcrystals. The photoluminescence (PL) spectrum of the as-synthesized decahedral CdMoO4 microcrystals exhibits a strong and broad emission at visible zone. A plausible formation mechanism of decahedral CdMoO4 microcrystals was discussed in detail and evaluates as a typical Ostwald Ripening process. It is expected that this method can be extended to the fabrication of other microcrystals of metallic salts.


This report investigate evacuation safety in business premises. A number of rooms have been designed by old Swedish building regulations, Nybyggnadsreglerna, NR, 1988 as handbook. When NR doesn't corresponds with the building regulations of today, Boverkets byggregler, BBR 94, the rules in BBR will be followed.

The rooms have been chosen in a way so it will be possible to study the effects on the evacuation safety for different room heights, the relationship between the floor area and the room height, if an emergency exit is blocked, different evacuation alarms and when smoke evacuation is installed.

To be able to examine the safety in the rooms where the fire safety is designed with NR 1988 as handbook an expression for the safety margin has been determined. The safety margin will be calculated as time taken to reach untenable conditions minus the total escape time. The total escape time consists of the time taken to detect the fire, the response and behaviour time and the time required to move to a safe location. When the safety margin is zero or more can a safe evacuation take place, all people can evacuate before untenable conditions.

The safety margin has been calculated with probabilistic uncertainty analysis. This means that the variables that effect the time to untenable and/or the total escape time are described with distributions. The result
shows that the evacuation safety varies a lot in the examined rooms.


With the Oscar-nominated "Incendies", French-Canadian director Denis Villeneuve views the internecine conflicts of the Middle East through the prism of a family tragedy of Greek proportions


Aiming at removing the seams in a mosaics image,we present the improved weighted functions.First,the corners were got by using Harris detector,and then affine transformation can be obtained with least mean square,at last images were fused by using improved weighted functions.The results show that this novel method can handle the image composition problems between rotated images effectively.


SUMMARY The effect of the weedicides Tordon 22K, Tordon 50D and 2,4,5-T, applied at different times of the year, on the growth of Pinus radiata D.Don seedlings was examined. In general, Tordon 22K did not affect growth or kill the seedlings but it had morphological effects which could lead to growth malformation. Tordon 50D and 2,4,5-T greatly reduced growth and killed the shoot tips of seedlings at most times of the year but had least effect when the seedlings were not growing. Tordon 22K seems the safest weedicide of those tested to use in newly-established P. radiata plantations but Tordon 50D and 2,4,5-T could be used safely when the pines are not growing.


Conformationally rigid block copolymers prepared by alkyllithium-initiated polymerization of vinyl arenes, by molybdenum amide catalyzed ring-opening metathesis polymerization of chromophore-labeled norbornenes, and by nickel catalyzed polymerization of functionalized isonitriles are described. Steady state and time-resolved spectroscopic methods have been employed as tools for the structural characterization of these polymers and for studying the kinetics of long distance electron transfer.


in which "*" denotes the complex conjugate and T is a suitably chosen integration period. Itcan be shown that each of these correlations is a sample, in frequency space, of the spatialFourier Transform of the brightness temperature distribution over the field-of-view (FOV) of theantenna. Consequently, the visibility function in the FOV can be computed by inverting thesampled transform. Furthermore, the location of the sample in frequency space is determinedonly by the inter-dipole distance and not by the absolute locations of the dipoles themselves[5].The data processing system on ESTAR will compute, in real time, these correlationsfor each dipole pair (i,j). Sensitivity and resolution specifications dictate that 145 dipoles (73on each leg of the cross) must be used for a full ESTAR mission, or 73 (37 on each leg) for areduced mission [6]. The correlations will be done digitally at a centrally located processingunit called the CPU, as shown in the figure. The results will then be sent to earth where theinverse transform will be computed. Necessary dipole signal preprocessing, including down-mixing and A/D conversion, will be done at each dipole by circuitry contained in a "Front EndModule" (FEM).2.1 Major Digital Data Subsystem ComponentsAt the functional level, the Digital Data Subsystem (DDS) consists of six majorcomponents [7]. The first of these, the Digitizer, must convert the FEM data to digital formbefore sending it to the CPU. This will be done by an ND converter in each FEM. Thesecond, the Data Bus, must transport the digitized data from the FEMs to the CPU. The third,the CPU, must compute the correlations for each pair of FEMs. It is also responsible foroverall management of the DDS. Furthermore, it must interface with the Small Explorer DataSystem (SEDS), which is a software and hardware "operating system" on the space vehicle.Among other tasks, SEDS performs overhead functions such as error-coding and transmissionto earth, earth command processing and system test. The CPU must pass the correlationproducts to SEDS for transmission to earth.The fourth component, the System Clock, is necessary to ensure that dipole datasamples are generated synchronously by all FEMs. In effect, the Clock signals the FEMs togenerate data samples at the same instant of time. The fifth part, the Phase-Aligner (PA),removes the phase differences between FEM samples when they arrive at the CPU. Thesedifferences are caused by unequal data propagation times to the CPU from distant and nearbyFEMs. The PA must hold the early-arriving data until the late-arriving data is available. Onlywhen all FEM data for a particular sample time have arrived at the CPU will the PA signal theCPU that the data is ready for correlation. The sixth component, the Walsh FunctionGenerator (WFG), generates a unique Walsh function signal for each FEM. This signal is


Potato (Solanum Tuberosum L.) was originated in the central high lands of the Andes in South America and was brought to Europe in the 16th century. It is the world's fourth most widely cultivated food crop after wheat, rice and maize. Ethiopia has considerable potential for potato cultivation, as 70 percent of its arable land is suitable mainly highland areas above 1500 meters of altitude. Also, the country is one of the major producers in Eastern Africa because of its suitable agro-ecology and its domestic consumption levels. The main objective of the review was to know potato production and marketing status by small holder farmers in Ethiopia. The data were collected from secondary sources mainly from FAOSTAT, CSA and different published materials on production and marketing chain in Ethiopia. The general idea of the review shows that Ethiopia has potential for potato production but lack of certified improved seed for potato producers, local seed multipliers have limited access to information and depend on low-quality local potato varieties selected and multiplied according to individual knowledge, the high cost of agro-chemicals either refuse to purchase fertilizer or apply inadequate amounts per hectare. In addition, the use of the same type of chemicals repeatedly allows pests and diseases to develop resistance. The major constraints of potato marketing involve poor storage and handling and low upgrading strategies to the commodity. Lack of market information providing institutions, higher input price, multiple taxes, and chemical herbicides, adulteration, absence of road service, poor product quality and high cost of input, weak market linkages among market. Therefore, the government and other concerned bodies should focus on increasing production and productivity of potato which in turn focused for establishing well potato market development for mutual benefits of all actors.


Considered and studied chemical indicators of water quality of the rivers Inva and Kuva within Kudymkar Н center of Komi-Permyak autonomous Okrug over a 10-year observation period (2002-2012). Presents a comprehensive assessment of the extent of their pollution.


It's important to take the correct steps when becoming a dual citizen.
At the outset it is necessary to distinguish between "loss" and "deprivation" of citizenship status. The Constitution of South Africa in section 20 thereof provides that "no citizen may be deprived of citizenship" in terms of the Bill of Rights.


SYNOPSIS

A synthetic medium for Opercularia coarctata was developed that contains 20 amino acids, 10 vitamins, an 8-component balanced salt solution, Fe2(SO4)3·(NH4)2SO4·24H2O, Tween 80, stigmasterol, a 7-component nucleic acid mixture, phenol red as an indicator, and 2,500 U.S.P. units/ml penicillin to maintain sterility. This medium supported axenic survival for 96 hr. Multiple supplements of thioctic acid, niacin, niacinamide, inositol, PABA, oleic acid, and Fe(NO3)2·9H2O instead of Fe2(SO4)3·(NH4)2SO4·24H2O coverted the survival medium into a growth medium, which permitted 36–45 days continuous cultivation of populations in excess of 4 × 103 cells/3.0 ml final volume. Five generations were produced during the 48 hr logarithmic growth period. Serial transfers at 72 hr and during periods of greatest cell density produced a maximum of 8 generations 96 hr after initiation but the medium failed to sustain growth through more than 6 serial transfers. Extension of this investigation to formulating a minimal axenic medium is discussed.


Aiming at how to train the professional for the needs of society,the case of course design on computer interface was given.Based on integrated application of constructivism,behaviorism and cognitivism learning theory, combined with the characteristics of independent college students,this paper made some useful attempts to explore course design with the characteristics of independent college in all aspects.This method achieves good results.It is a useful reference for some other practical teaching.


Nonlinear phenomena are very prevalent in power electronic circuits. In this paper, rich nonlinear phenomena were studied in depth in power electronic circuit such as DC-DC converters, AC-DC converters, and DC-AC converters. It regarded voltage mode Buck converter, peak current mode Boost PFC, H bridge inverter as the object of study, elaborated the operation principle, listed in the corresponding differential equations, applied the concept of digit logic, combined the binary logic variables, set up model system and simulated these model. At last, it analyzed the complex dynamics of nonlinear circuit and provided a reliable instructor for the design of power electronic circuit.


Purpose: To evaluate the outcomes of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) receiving treatment from a rheumatology-trained primary therapist and to assess the feasibility of the research protocol. Method: The experimental (E) group received treatment from a primary therapist in addition to their overall medical care. The usual care (UC) group continued receiving usual medical care. The first 10 patients completed the Health Assessment Questionnaire, a pain visual analogue scale, and the Arthritis Community Research and Evaluation Unit RA Knowledge Questionnaire. Patients were classified as clinical responders if they showed 20% improvement in two-thirds of core measures between baseline and 6 months. Baseline assessment was performed immediately prior to randomization. All patients completed the EuroQol and a monthly health resource use questionnaire. Results: A trend towards improvement was found in the E group (n = 11) in all clinical measures at discharge (approximately 6 weeks from baseline) and 6 m...


This book analyses the roots of the current housing crisis in England, critically reviewing the development of policy under successive UK governments and presenting a specific critique of the current Conservative government's housing and planning reforms.


From a topological point of view, periodic orbits of three dimensional dynamical systems are knots, that is, circles (S∧1) embedded in the three sphere (S∧3) or in R∧3. The ensemble of periodic orbits comprising the skeleton of a 3‐D strange attractor form a link: a collection of (not necessarily linked) knots. Joan Birman and Robert Williams used a topological device known as the template, a branched two‐manifold that results when the stable direction is collapsed out of an attractor, to analyze the knot and link types appearing in the geometric Lorenz attractor. More recently, Robert Ghrist has shown the existence of universal templates: templates that support all knot and link types. I show that the template constructed from the geometric attractor of a forced physical pendulum contains a universal template as a subtemplate, and therefore the orbit set of the pendulum contains every knot and link type.


The utility model discloses a high-precision anti-interference excitation power supply for a ground screen flaw comprehensively-diagnosing system in a transformer substation. The excitation power supply consists of an input filter circuit, a rectifying filter circuit, an inverter, an output rectifying filter circuit, an auxiliary power circuit, a control circuit, a protection action circuit and a detection circuit. When in work, after passing through the input filter circuit and the rectifying filter circuit, 380 V AC achieves the transformation from DC to AC, the rectified DC is changed to be DC, and finally a stable and reliable DC can be provided after output rectification and filtration according to the needs of load. The excitation power supply is used for the ground screen flaw comprehensively-diagnosing systems in transformer substations, and has the advantage of reasonable structure design, small volume, convenient use, high output of current and power, wide voltage variation range, good interference resisting capability, easy achievement of automatic transmission and the like.


Abstract
Darier's disease, also known as keratosis follicularis or Darier-White disease, is an autosomal dominant inherited condition. The disease usually has its onset in the teenage years, meaning it co-exists with the years of


The description of an apparatus specially built for torsion tests is presented. The design allows for rapid and accurate positioning of specimens, testing at different temperatures as well as for temperature changes during a test, and freedom from axial constraints. The instrument is constructed so that it can be driven by a testing machine of the Instron type so that advantage can be taken of the versatility of the latter. As a result, instantaneous changes in torsional deformation rate as high as 250:1 are possible. Reversed loading is also possible so that the Bauschinger effect also can be studied. Several references to torsional deformation work are included.


In this chapter it is shown that N2H4 is produced from the anammox substrates ammonium ( N H / ) and nitrite (NO2) in situ and that nitric oxide (NO) is the direct precursor of N2H4. Evidence for NO as an intermediate came from incubation of whole cells with the NO scavenger PTIO. Upon PTIO addition, ammonium and nitrite conversion ceased. In addition, the presence of NO within the cells was visualized with diaminofluorescein-2-diacetate. 'Ihe involvement of N2H4 was established by incubating the cells with Ι Νθ2 , ' ' 'NH/ and H 2" N-NH2. This was followed by derivatization of the extracellular hydrazine withpara-dimethylaminobenzaldehydeand mass spectroscopy, which confirmed the production of H2 N-NH2. In addition to the direct measurement of the intermediates, genes and proteins central to anammox metabolism were resolved and the key enzymes that catalyze N2H4 synthesis and its oxidation to N2 were purified. 'Ihe N2H4 producing enzyme was a complex of three different subunits encoded by the consecutive open reading frames (ORFs) kuste2859, kuste286o and kuste286i. Combined with the N2H4 oxidizing enzyme kustcioói, "N^'^N was produced from NO and NH4, at a rate of 20 nmol-h '-mg protein '. These results present a new biochemical reaction forging an N-N bond and fill a lacuna in our understanding of the biochemical synthesis of the N2 in the atmosphere. Two distinct microbial processes, denitrification and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox), are responsible for the release of fixed nitrogen as dinitrogen gas (N2) to the atmosphere (Arrigo 2005, Brandes et al. 2007, Payne 1973, Strous et al. 1999). Denitrification has been studied for over 100 years and its intermediates and enzymes are well known (Zumft 1997). Even though anammox is a key biogeochemical process of equal importance, its molecular mechanism is unknown, but it was proposed to proceed through hydrazine (N2H4) (Strous et al. 2006, van de Graaf ei al. 1997). Ammonium is difficult to activate in the absence of molecular oxygen. 'Iherefore, how anammox bacteria are able to oxidize ammonium coupled to the reduction of nitrite and forge an N-N bond to make N2 has been an intriguing question for a long time. Based on the in silico analysis of the genome assembly of the anammox bacterium Kuenenia stuttgartiensis, a set of three redox reactions [equations (2.i)-(2.3)] involving N2H4 and nitric oxide (NO) was proposed (Strous et al. 2006) to explain the overall anammox stoichiometry [equation (2.4)]:


In 1936 Teilhard de Chardin summarized in the short space of a few paragraphs the broad lines of his whole life's work. The passage deserves to be quoted in its entirety, since it is perhaps the clearest statement of the triple direction taken by his thought in its search for unity in the Christian life.


The hands play a significant role for grasping and manipulating different objects. The loss of even a single hand affect the human activity and the prosthetic hand is a solution to equip the armless subject. Recognition of the surface electromyogram (sEMG) patterns is vital in the design of prosthesis hand. For this reason, there is a need for a proper analysis of muscle behavior. In this research, sEMG signals are used to control a robotic hand by using discrete wavelet transform (DWT) and bagging. Different types of muscle contraction can cause EMG signals to vary, affecting classification performance. In this study, MSPCA is used for denoising and DWT is used for feature extraction to evaluate their efficiency at classifying sEMG signals, which were recorded during the grasping movements with various objects. Furthermore, the performance of different classifiers with bagging were studied. An effective combination of DWT, and Bagging achieves good performance, using k-fold cross validation regarding to the total classification accuracy. The proposed methods in this study have potential applications in the prosthetic hand control.


Community question answering (CQA) services have emerged as a type of popular social platforms. In the social network, experts provide knowledgeable answers to the questions in their domain of expertise, while celebrities publish influential opinions toward the topics led by some questions. Given the large amount of knowledge organized in the format of question–answers, an interesting research problem is to recommend questions to users so as to maximize their engagements with the platform. However, recommending questions in CQA services is a non-trivial task. Data sources in the CQA services are of different types. It is challenging to incorporate heterogeneous information for the recommendation task. Furthermore, data sparsity is an inherent problem in such platforms. In this paper, we propose a model that is able to jointly model both implicit and explicit information for question recommendation. The model integrates multiple data sources and addresses the problem of data heterogeneity. In the proposed model, we dynamically discover latent user groups and incorporate those hierarchical information to bridge the semantic gaps among users in the shared latent space. We evaluate the proposed model on two real-world datasets, and demonstrate that our model outperforms the state-of-the-art alternatives by a large margin. We also investigate different structures of the proposed model to study the effects of different data sources.


Language regularities build linguistic knowledge and expectations, so humans comprehend language despite various peculiarities. It has been shown that linguistic anomalies elicit electrophysiological responses, but the specific effect of different types of anomalies on brain signals is rarely studied. In this paper, we examined the electrophysiological responses caused by different kinds of prose-embedded linguistic anomalies. To this end, we recorded Electroencephalogram in two different multi-tasking experiments in the Persian language: 1. reading prose while listening to a recorded version of the prose, and 2. writing prose while listening to a recorded version of that prose. Then, we evaluated how the brain responds to linguistic peculiarities by analyzing the power of recorded EEG in different bands. We found out that grammatical errors changed the power distribution between different frequency bands and increased the percentage of the theta band. Other anomalies affected the power of the delta and theta bands; in the first experiment, an increase occurred in the right and midline central, frontal and parietal channels, whereas in the second experiment, the increase happened in almost all channels. Moreover, in the first experiment, in anomalies except for grammatical ones, a decrease was observed in the beta power of the occipital, left central, right parietal, and right temporal channels. Finally, we compared the two experiments; the writing task causes an increase in the beta and gamma power and a decrease in the delta and theta power of the right frontal, central and temporal channels in comparison to the reading task.


In this chapter it has been exemplified that MOFs can exhibit photoactivity derived from the interaction of the organic linker with the inorganic clusters. Comparison with analogous systems in solution shows that the crystal lattice of MOF, in which the linker and the organic cluster have intimate contact, originates a photochemical response that is not found for the homogeneous solution. Furthermore, MOFs can act as passive matrices to accommodate, in the internal voids, photoactive chromophores that can exhibit a distinctive response due to the properties of the surrounding media. All the discussed examples illustrate the possibility of obtaining interesting photoresponses that can open up applications beyond absorption and catalysis. Among these applications we have commented the use of MOFs as photocatalysts for environmental remediation and for the generation of solid fuels, particularly hydrogen, as well as applications in optoelectronics including solar cells and phosphors. All these applications derive from the consideration of MOFs as semiconductors.


This paper investigates a novel design method for robust nonfragile proportional‐integral‐derivative (PID) control that is based on the guaranteed cost control (GCC) problem for a class of uncertain discrete‐time stochastic systems with additive gain perturbations. On the basis of linear matrix inequality (LMI), a class of fixed PID controller parameters is obtained, and some sufficient conditions for the existence of the GCC are derived. Although the additive gain perturbations are included in the feedback systems, both the stability of closed‐loop systems and adequate cost bound are attained. As a sequel, decentralized GCC PID for a class of discrete‐time uncertain large‐scale stochastic systems is also considered. Finally, the numerical results demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed controller synthesis.


Theories on the formation of coasts and dunes found in textbooks are not always based on up-to-date geomorphological research. They may lead to wrong decisions in coastal management. This paper exposes and corrects a number of these theories. It also identifies some enigmas in geomorphological dune research which have never been adequately solved. They include structural, process/response and scale problems. A conventional classification of dune landscapes which is relevant for dune management is used to describe the characteristics of dune landscapes. Some dune landscapes do not fit in with this classification because they depend on special factors: topography, past climate or former land use. Finally, the threats formed by sea level rise and climate change are discussed, ending with some geomorphology-oriented mitigation measures.


Al-Mg-Si-Mn alloy can be used to produce high strength automotive components due to its excellent strength and toughness.In order to improve the mechanical properties of die casting Al-Mg-Si-Mn alloy,artificial aging treatment (250℃×1 h) is adopted in the present work.Tensile and fatigue tests are conducted on as-cast and aged samples.Optical microscope and SEMare used to observe the microstructural variation after aging treatment and analyze the fatigue fracture surface.The results indicate that the amount of β-Al8Mg5 distributed in the matrix decreased obviously after aging treatment.Ultimate tensile strength,yield strength and hardness increased 14%,29% and 9%,respectively.Elongation slightly changed from 8.31% to 8.47%.In addition,effect of aging treatment on fatigue life is negligible.