This paper presents a newly developed image-processing algorithm that was customized for high-speed, real-time inspection of pavement cracking. The algorithm was based on the "grid cell" analysis, in which a pavement image is divided into grid cells of 8x8 pixels and each cell is classified as a non-crack cell or a crack cell based on the statistics of the grayscales of the cell pixels. Whether a crack cell can be regarded as a basic element (or seed) depends on its contrast to the neighboring cells. A number of crack seeds can be called a crack cluster if they can form a linear string. A crack cluster should correspond to a dark strip in the original pavement image that may or may not be a section of a real crack. Additional conditions to verify a crack cluster include the requirements in the contrast, width and length of the strip. If verified crack clusters are oriented in similar directions, they can be joined to become one crack. Because many operations are performed on crack seeds rather than on the original image, crack detection can be done simultaneously when the frame grabber is forming a new image from the linescan camera. This high-speed process algorithm permits real-time, highway speed pavement survey. The trial test results show a good repeatability and accuracy when the system conducts multiple surveys and runs at different speeds and different weather conditions.


The slit pores under delaminated films significantly contribute to the properties of the film and the coating. In the present study, a novel and practical technique, the white light interference method, is proposed to characterize the slit pores covered by the 8YSZ and LZ splats. In this method, only an ordinary optical microscopy (OM) is used. Interestingly, colorful Newton's rings and parabolic shapes of the slit pores were clearly observed by OM. The crack spacing and the shapes of the slit pores captured by OM were in good agreement with those obtained by scanning electron microscopy and focus ion beam. Moreover, this is the first time when successful quantitative imaging of the slit pores under the thermal spray splats is achieved. Besides, mechanical analyses were carried out, and the results were consistent with those obtained by OM. In addition, the essential fact that the slit pores were mainly caused by transverse cracking/delamination in the thermal spray coatings was clarified. These results indicate that white light interference is an excellent method to characterize the slit pores under smooth and transparent films.


A laterally driven micro machined tunable capacitor is proposed. As an alternative to the traditional designs using two electrodes, three electrodes are used so that the series resistance could be reduced. This design also offers opportunities in the circuit design, since the DC-bias voltage is not applied on the two ports. To achieve the capacitance on the order of 0.4 pF, the electrodes are periodically arranged to form three groups of arrays. Thermal actuator arrays are employed to drive the movable electrodes. In order to simplify the design and fabrication, a structure using two layers to build the electrodes is provided, where the capacitance varies from 0.05 pF to 0.13 pF. This two-layer capacitor has been fabricated using a polysilicon surface micro machining process potentially compatible with CMOS process.


— Overload tests were performed on compact tension (CT) and centre cracked panel (CCP) specimens made from 6082-T6 aluminium alloy and BS4360 50B structural steel. The specimens were sufficiently thick for plane strain conditions to apply. Consistently greater retardation was observed in the CCP geometry than in the CT geometry. The effect of geometry is understood in terms of the T-stress and its effect on the overload plastic zone size. This was confirmed by biaxial tests in which the T-stress was varied independently of K. The action of machining off the side faces of an overloaded specimen did not eliminate the retardation; thus overload retardation is not due to a propping open by the surface regions of the specimen. Discontinuous closure was observed after overloads in the aluminium alloy and steel, as predicted by finite element calculations.


Adaptive Noise cancelling is a speech-specific filtering technique to suppress additive interference. It is a sensible choice for speech-orientated devices in situations where the designer has no knowledge of the properties of interference that could potentially corrupt the input speech to a point beyond intelligibility. A good example of devices subject to such noise is mobile telephones, where the user may be communicating in a variety of environments. However, constraints appear when implementing a noise-cancelling algorithm on such a portable device, and issues of power consumption and silicon area become prominent. This paper discusses an adaptive noise cancelling scheme and presents a VLSI implementation strategy. It then considers some of the benefits of the implementation and its potential area for improvement.


Taking Xingxian county as the typical area with geologic disaster in northwest of Shanxi,on the basis of data gathered in field investigation of geologic disasters,a space database of geologic disasters of Xingxian county was established.The investigation results were made into digit on the GIS software platform,and then the distribution map of geologic hazards was obtained. Through pilling up the vectored chart layers and the files of geologic hazards points,the regionalization map of the geologic disaster occurrence of Xingxian country was formed,which there could be divided into 3 districts of high,middle and lower geologic disaster occurrence district.The high occurrence district could be divided into 2 grade districts.The result of the regionalization reveals the spatial distribution feature of geologic hazards and their relations with the human activities and geological environment.


Dry reforming of methane has attracted wide attention in new energy applications. Nanosecond pulse plasma-catalysis is able to increase the efficiency of producing synthesis gas (CO and H2 at low temperature. In this paper, a threedimension mixed gas flow model and a two-dimension plasma model are presented. The gas ratio of CH4 to CO2 is 1:1, and the total flow is 500 sccm. The maximum velocity of laminar flow is 0.23m/s, and the results show that the roughness and the position of catalytic materials lead to nonuniform gas concentration. In plasma model, two different discharge modes are found. One is the glow discharge mode, and the other is the streamer-surface composed discharge. The sheath breakdown happened as the applied voltage increases, therefore the discharge mode changed from glow discharge to composite discharge. The latter has higher catalytic efficiency. The results also show that the electron density, electric field and the concentration of active species are higher in the pores of the catalyst than in the smooth surface. The simulated selectivity of CO2 and CH4, the simulated conversion rate of CO and H2 are consistent with experimental results.


The workload of using grid infra-platform GT3(Globus Toolkit 3.x) to design grid services is hard and the process of debugging is vague.But there are some implement modules and operational steps in all grid services or the same type grid service,and the repetitive workload can be decreased by models and templates.Therefore,this paper implements the flows of grid services based on GT3 platform Eclipse Toolkit.The objective is to build codes automatically.The paper gives the framework of the platform GBuilder based on MDA.


left right up down new directions in signage and wayfinding is available in our book collection an online access to it is set as public so you can download it instantly. Our book servers hosts in multiple locations, allowing you to get the most less latency time to download any of our books like this one. Kindly say, the left right up down new directions in signage and wayfinding is universally compatible with any devices to read.


Biological and economic productivity of carnivora habitats in the Middle Urals for the period from 1987-1991 to 20002010 was estimated. The positive dynamics for marten, sable, otter, red fox was found, but negative for the Siberian weasel, ermine, and lynx.


Ultrasonic velocity, density and viscosity measurements have been carried out in a series of ketones with methanol/toluene at different temperatures. Various thermo-acoustical parameters and excess thermodynamic functions have been evaluated. An analysis of these values suggests the presence of a strong intermolecular interaction in all four binary mixtures and a stronger, specific interaction in the methyl phenyl ketone + methanol mixture.


Part of the highwayman's traditional defence is that all property originates in theft and that society is hypocritical in pursuing petty thieves. Introducing his collection of highwaymen's lives in 1734, Captain Charles Johnson asserts that a "universal History of Robbers" would be virtually tantamount to the "general History of all Nations," and that "even in Great Britain, where Property is better secur'd than anywhere else in the Universe," robbery is endemic—but only the "little Villains" tend to get caught.2 In The Beggar's Opera Mat of the Mint maintains that those who


The world is changing fundamentally and so is the architecture of global governance. Rising inequalities, a lingering crisis, disruptive digitalisation, and an array of cross-border geopolitical challenges, to give but a few examples, have put into question not only globalisation but the trustworthiness of international organisations and the reliability of their traditional policy prescriptions. Luckily, those organisations are listening. For instance, to judge by a recent article by three © R ig ht s re se rv ed


Research from all over the globe has recently brought attention to the laser as a tool for isotope enrichment. So far the main thrust of this effort has been toward uranium enrichment; however, numerous successes in other areas have been demonstrated. Isotopes of boron, sulfur, chlorine, and carbon have been separated. A new technique is proposed for laser isotope enrichment. The technique, referred to as photodesorption, involves selective isotopic excitation of molecules adsorbed on a surface such that an enrichment results from subsequent physical or chemical events undergone by the excited molecules. The specific processes of concern here are the physical photodesorption enrichment of heavy water from light water and tritiated water from heavy water. The ability to work directly with water molecules has significant advantages for a commercial process. A photodesorption enrichment process has been formulated and some analyses have been performed. This process is described and some preliminary cost estimates are made which assume successful accomplishment of the major R&D objectives of the new process. The results indicate that the process has the promise of a significant reduction in the cost of heavy water and that further study is warranted.


This paper introduces the design of W band microstrip antennas, which is feeding by the microstrip line on the material for Rogers RT/duroid 5880 medium plate, the energy is coupled into microstrip line by using waveguide microstrip converter, and the whole system is simulated and actual measured. Measured results of the antenna radiation characteristics are differences from the simulation results. At the end of this paper the possible reasons leading to the consequence and the improvement plan are put forward.


This is the third chance for Chinese private-owned enterprises to develop themselves.Based on its governance structure of family accumulation,assets highly fasten on the owner himself and central power management,this article holds the dualism view that the family governance style and corporate governance style should exist together,and brings forward that the change of civil enterprise governance structure during the third development is of spontaneity cooperation style,and the changing condition depends on if the family management ability and enterprise operation can achieve dynamic balance and realize balanced cost-income ratio.The private-owned enterprises that maintain the original family management mode have to optimize their core competence and enterprise culture.Those who were taking governance structure reform should use Japanese and Germany mode as reference,with considering their own situation,then explore governance mode suitable for our private-owned enterprise grow.


Household solid waste management is a major environmental and financial problem in developing countries. Developing countries experience high rural-urban migration due to high population, poverty and centralization of employment opportunities in cities. This has led to overcrowding and shortage of housing leading to establishment of informal settlements. Informal settlements have in turn become a major concern and the majority of municipalities now find it hard to deal with the growing volume of household solid waste produced in these settlements. This book outlines a research in one of the informal settlements in Kenya known as Kibera slum. Households in the slum have come up with solid waste management options which include disposal,reuse and recycle options, but disposal poses a major challenge. However,an overall assessment of the factors that influence disposal, reuse and recycle options towards good solid waste management is key.Discrete choice model, multinomial logit model is used to assess these options.Readers will surely be excited to realize socioeconomic factors don't determine choice of waste management options among poor households, rather institutional factors


ABSTRACT There is increasing interest in developing anticipatory governance of climate engineering (CE) research. Discourse is the source code with which contested futures are written, shaping how future governance options can be imagined, designed and institutionalized. 'Cracking the code' underpinning the CE research governance debate can, therefore, help anticipate and critically reflect upon the ongoing constitution of governance. I present a sociology-of-knowledge-based discourse analysis (SKAD) of a series of interviews with governance experts from the US, the UK and Germany about a proposed Code of Conduct for climate engineering research. I illustrate how – by shaping what is defined as the object(s) of governance, why governance is considered necessary, and who is assigned the authority to govern – the underlying discursive structure of a given governance debate can shape governance development.


Answer Set Programming (ASP) is a declarative logic formalism that allows to encode computational problems via logic programs. Despite the declarative nature of the formalism, some advanced expertise is required, in general, for designing an ASP encoding that can be efficiently evaluated by an actual ASP system. A common way for trying to reduce the burden of manually tweaking an ASP program consists in automatically rewriting the input encoding according to suitable techniques, for producing alternative, yet semantically equivalent, ASP programs. However, rewriting does not always grant benefits in terms of performance; hence, proper means are needed for predicting their effects with this respect. In this paper we describe an approach based on Machine Learning (ML) to automatically decide whether to rewrite. In particular, given an ASP program and a set of input facts, our approach chooses whether and how to rewrite input rules based on a set of features measuring their structural properties and domain information. To this end, a Multilayer Perceptrons model has then been trained to guide the ASP grounder I-DLV on rewriting input rules. We report and discuss the results of an experimental evaluation over a prototypical implementation.


The invention provides a long-term flow field three-dimensional monitoring device which consists of unidirectional tubular flowmeters and a fixed support. The three-dimensional monitoring device is characterized in that two parallel unidirectional tubular flowmeters with opposite circulation directions can form a group of duplex tubular flowmeters; and three groups of the duplex unidirectional tubular flowmeters are fixedly arranged on the same horizontal shaft in a pairwise vertical manner and then placed on the fixed support to form the long-term flow field three-dimensional monitoring device. The manufacturing method of the three-dimensional monitoring device comprises the following steps: selecting dies of components, manufacturing and molding the dies of the components, assembling the molded dies of the components and forming a production line of the inventive long-term flow field three-dimensional monitoring device. The long-term flow field three-dimensional monitoring device has the advantages of simple structure, scientific design, stronger practicability and greater convenience, thus conveniently realizing long-term three-dimensional status monitoring of large-scale water areas such as oceans, lakes and the like or other flow fields as well as long-term investigation and monitoring of environmental conditions of the flow fields. Therefore, the three-dimensional monitoring device is economical and practical and is suitable for wide popularization.


In this issue of Pacific Rim Report we are pleased to present a summary of a conference sponsored by the University of San Francisco Center for the Pacific Rim and its Ricci Institute at the University of San Francisco on April 17 and 18, 1997. Entitled "Hong Kong's Reversion to Chinese Sovereignty and Its Impact on 'Greater China,'" the conference convened experts from Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, and the United States who examined the implications of the historic hand-over of Hong Kong to China from political, economic, business, religious, and human rights perspectives


Although social disorganization theory provides a framework for understanding how changes in neighborhoods can influence crime rates over time, research on neighborhood characteristics and crime has relied primarily on cross-sectional data. Using a latent growth curve model and longitudinal data on residential burglary and vehicle theft in Indianapolis, measured annually between 1992 and 2006 at the census block group level, the authors analyzed the relationships between neighborhood characteristics and crime trends. For both residential burglary and vehicle theft, baseline models revealed that changes in crime rates were best captured by a quadratic function with an initial linear decrease and subsequent deceleration (slowing) of the decrease. When neighborhood characteristics were included as predictors, change in neighborhood disadvantage was significantly related to changes in both residential burglary and vehicle theft over time, while change in residential stability did not have a significant effect on changes in residential burglary or vehicle theft.


In 2014 the Groningen Museum organised an exhibition around the 18th-century nabob Jan Albert Sichterman. He made a fortune in Bengal and back in his birth town Groningen people were surprised about the black servants which formed part of his staff at his country house and monumental city 'palace'.


The activities of the author and his co-workers in hybridizing the RANS (Reynolds-averaged NavierStokes) and LES (Large-eddy Simulation) computational methods in both 'zonal' and 'global' frameworks for simulations of complex wall-bounded turbulent flows including separation and swirl is reviewed.


If it is the case that children with autism are distinctive in how they engage in self-other relations and express self-awareness, then how far is it also the case that they are able to recognize social emotions on the one hand, or report on their own experiences of such feelings on the other? We have already seen that, at least among able adolescents with autism, there is certainly not a total absence of self-ascription, for example of physical characteristics and preferences, or even emotions such as jealousy or guilt (Bauminger, 2004; Kasari, Chamberlain, & Bauminger, unpublished; Lee & Hobson, 1998). Yet there remains doubt whether individuals with autism have a depth and quality of self-awareness that is equal to that of people without autism. There is also the question of how far children with autism recognize self-awareness in others, and how refined is their understanding of related states of mind.


In order to evaluate the separation efficiency of oil-water mixture of the coherent and co-current flow pattern oil-water separator,the indoor wellbore simulation experiment was made.The relation curve was drawn between the fluid volume of single cup feeding at different water-content and the moisture content of oil-water mixture after separation.The test showed that,at single-cup flow rate(less than 0.2 m3/d),sand drainage hole and sunk sand had no efficiency to coherent and co-current flow hydrocyclone.The performance of hydrocyclone with four sand drainage holes is better than other ones with holes.


Possum populations are controlled by the use of trapping and poisoning. While trapping is not considered to have negative effects on invertebrates (ie any animal without a backbone such as insects, snails or worms), the application of poison bait has the potential to expose invertebrates to a range of pesticides used for possum or rodent control. These include sodium fluoroacetate (1080), anticoagulants (such as brodifacoum, pindone and diphacinone) and cyanide.


Cigarette smoking is a common habit that is associated with many diseases. Smoking is often an important confounding variable in pharmacoepidemiological studies. The General Practice Research Database (GPRD) is widely used in pharmacoepidemiological research. In this study, we compare data recorded in the GPRD with the smoking history obtained from direct query of general practitioners (GPs) and from a population‐based survey.


In the catalyst deterioration determination system for determining deterioration of an exhaust purification catalyst having an oxygen storage capacity, the deterioration determination based on the oxygen storage capacity of the exhaust purification catalyst. In the system, the oxygen concentration sensor having a characteristic to detect as the oxygen concentration of the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas richer air-fuel ratio side accordance rich gas component in the exhaust gas is increased is provided downstream of the catalyst. During determination of deterioration, the rich transition mode to shift the exhaust air-fuel ratio from the lean air-fuel ratio side to the rich air-fuel ratio side, lean to shift the exhaust air-fuel ratio by the exhaust Kisora ratio adjusting means from the rich air-fuel ratio side to the lean air-fuel ratio side transition mode is performed based on the detected value of the oxygen concentration sensor. Then, the rich transition mode and rate of change of the exhaust air-fuel ratio in at least the lean transition mode of the lean transition mode is limited to below a predetermined rate of change, and the change rate of the exhaust air-fuel ratio in the rich transition mode, It is larger than the change rate of the exhaust air-fuel ratio in the lean transition mode.


Adoption of conservation practices such as reducedand notillage, crop rotations and diversification, legume integration in the rotation, and cover cropping are important for increasing high-quality food production and strengthening ecosystem services. Sustainability of cropping systems is possible through championing crop selection and crop, soil, and environmental management strategies.2 Crop rotation and adoption of soil and water management and conservation strategies can improve crop production and enhance ecosystem services compared to the traditional system that relies on chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and soil amendments and uses repeated tillage for land preparation. The greater benefits from cropping systems are associated with additional challenges in the crop, soil fertility, and pest management. For example, there is a concern of nutrient and pesticide carryover from a crop in the rotation to the succeeding crop.3 Use of organic amendments may have smaller environmental footprints than traditional chemical-based systems, but optimizing nutrient release that meets timing and nutritional needs of crops is a greater challenge for achieving high productivity and profitability in organic production. Knowledge of interactions among diverse components of cropping systems is required to reveal the benefits from the conservation practices.


Introduction. Pictures in the comic-strip form are often used in practice as a means of examining the development of speech and language of children with hearing impairment. Objectives. The aim of the research was to establish the development of the lexicon and the level of content comprehension of pictures in the comic-strip format in written expression of students with hearing impairment 11-15 years of age (and to establish whether the age affected students' success and compare their results with their typical peers). Methods. A story in the comic-strip form, designed for the needs of this study, was used in the research. It comprised four pictures interconnected through the sequence of events. Each picture was allocated a number of expected answers. Results. The obtained results point to the difficulties in understanding the content of pictures in the comic-strip format in written expression of children with hearing impairment and their underdevelopment compared to their typical peers. It was observed that age had a partial effect on the development of vocabulary (no statistically significant differences) (t =-0.87, df = 122.9, p = .39). However, the trend of achievement with age was observed. Conclusion. We found that children with hearing impairment failed to understand the story, observe important elements, and comprehend the essence. The abstract side of the pictures in the series, which gives sense, was neglected, and thus, the conclusion was not made, nor was the message grasped.


Motion blur is one of the remaining concerns for LCD-TVs. A solution is provided by reducing the sample-and-hold time by driving the LCD-panel at a higher temporal frequency (120 Hz), and additionally properly converting the video signal into a 120 Hz video stream. Applying motion-compensated frame-rate conversion (MC- FRC) technology not only requires sophisticated algorithms but an underlaying video architecture as well which can sustain the high throughput rates, particularly for full HD at 120 Hz. In this paper, we present the algorithm and video architecture which enables the conversion of 120 Hz occlusion-free MC-FRC for up to full HD sources.


12.5 days embryos mouse midbrain ventral region and dorsal region by preparing total RNA subtraction (N-RDA) method was performed to obtain a cDNA fragment. By cloning a full-length cDNA sequences were sequenced and the gene was named Corl2. The results of homology search, Corl2 the GenBank sequence entries: but XM_355050 homology for about 850 residues was observed, exactly the homology is not for the remainder of about 150 residues, it has been confirmed that the new gene. As a result of analyzing the expression of Corl2 in various mouse organs by RT-PCR, Corl2 was brain-specific. 12. Day embryo and postnatal 12 days immunostaining results with brain, Corl2 was demonstrated to be useful as a Purkinje cell marker across differentiation stages in general.


Samples of soil, water and plants (terrestrial and aquatics) were collected in the vicinities of the old uranium (U) mine of Sevilha (Tabua, Central Portugal). Fluorometry was the methodology that was adopted for the determination of the U content in samples. Current U soil contamination on the Sevilha mine ranges from 8 to 560 mg kg -1 . In the most abundant families of terrestrial plants, the results show that the Asteraceae and Ericaceae families have the highest concentrations. For the Asteraceae, an average of 4.91 mg kg - 1 and a maximum of 13.12 mg kg -1 was found in Helichrysum stoechas and an average of 4.07 mg kg -1 and a maximum of 10.52 mg kg -1 was recorded in Hypochaeris radicata. In Erica umbellata an average of 1.70 mg kg -1 and a maximum of 7.50 mg kg -1 were obtained. Even though the concentrations obtained in this later species are not high it is particularly interesting because it has a high bio-productivity. Although the U concentrations in waters did not surpass 13 µg L -1 we have verified that in the vicinities of the mine drainage area, the U concentrations in aquatic plants are higher than in the surrounding water bodies. For these species proved to be uranium accumulators with maximum concentrations: Callitriche stagnallis (55.53 mg kg -1 ), Lemna minor (52.98 mg kg -1 ), Riccia fluitans (50.59 mg kg -1 ) and Lythrum portula (32.93 mg kg -1 ).


The news presenter is the artist who expresses the meanings by using vocal language.Language skill is the key factor of the presenter's qualities,and has a direct impact on the quality of the program and the result of broadcast.Language situation,intonation and language meaning,these three aspects will directly influence the presenters' language skill and its concrete connotation.The study of these will be significance to the work of the news presenters.


Activation, differentiation, and expansion of alloreactive CD8+ T cells, the dominant effectors that mediate murine heart allograft rejection, requires allorecognition, costimulation, and cytokine‐initiated signals. While previous work showed that alloreactive CD4+ T cell immunity entails immune cell‐produced and locally activated complement, whether and how C3a receptor 1 (C3aR1) signaling impacts transplant outcomes and the mechanisms linking C3aR1 to alloreactive CD8+ T cell activation/expansion remain unclear. Herein we show that recipient C3aR1 deficiency or pharmacological C3aR1 blockade synergizes with tacrolimus to significantly prolong allograft survival versus tacrolimus‐treated controls (median survival time 21 vs. 14 days, P < .05). Recipient C3aR1‐deficiency reduced the frequencies of posttransplant, donor‐reactive CD8+ T cells twofold. Reciprocal adoptive transfers of naive WT or C3ar1−/− CD8+ T cells into syngeneic WT or C3ar1−/− allograft recipients showed that T cell–expressed C3aR1 induces CD8+ T proliferation, mTOR activation and transcription factor T‐bet expression. Host C3aR1 indirectly facilitates alloreactive CD8+ T cell proliferation/expansion by amplifying antigen presenting cell costimulatory molecule expression and innate cytokine production. In addition to expanding mechanistic insight, our findings identify C3aR1 as a testable therapeutic target for future studies aimed at improving human transplant outcomes.


Primary cardiac tumors in pediatric patients are extremely rare. Of these, almost about three-fourths of cardiac tumors are benign. However, the clinical manifestations of primary heart tumors are variable, ranging from asymptomatic to life threatening complications like arrhythmias, severe heart failure or sudden cardiac death due to ventricular outflow tract obstruction. The most common primary cardiac tumors in children are rhabdomyoma, followed by fibroma and myxoma. For cardiac angiomas in children there are only few cases reported (Becker AE, Pediatr Cardiol 21: 317–323, 2000). New occurring heart murmur and chest pain are well described symptoms (Lin S et al., Eur J Pediatr (2017) 176: 253– 260). However, differential diagnosis of chest pain in this age group is plenty (e. g. musculoskeletal cause, asthma, pneumonia, gastroesophageal reflux, gastric ulcer, pneuomothorax) (Friedman KG et al., J Pediatr. 2013; 163: 896–901). In hemangioma, We are reporting about a 13 year old male patient presenting with acute self-relieving chest pain, located midsternally. His medical history revealed an afebrile pharyngitis 2 weeks ago without further complaints like dyspnea or fatigue. There is no cardiovascular disease present among the patient's family history. Aside a 2/6 systolic heart murmur located over the 2nd and 3rd intercostal space at the left sternal border the physical examination was remarkable. ECG showed no pathologic findings. Performing echocardiography we discovered a 1.1 × 1.4 × 1.8 cm mass with a stalk attachment to the endocardium of the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT), restricting half the diameter of the RVOT and leading to a mild stenosis of RVOT with a maximum gradient of 15 mmHg (▶Fig. 1). The pulmonary valve (PV) was found unremarkable without any impairment of flow pattern across the valve and into the main pulmonary artery. Biventricular function was unimpaired (i. e. LVEF: 66 %, tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion: 25 mm, both within age appropriate normal range) and echocardiography revealed no further pathologies. A cardiac magnetic resonance imaging showed no signs of malignancy and allowed for exclusion of thrombus (normal late enhancement pattern) and myxoma (no hyperintensity in T2 sequence) as differential diagnosis and presented papillary fibroelastoma (PFE) to be the most likely diagnosis (▶Fig. 2). Initially, the patient declined surgery and we started him on oral aspirin to prevent grafted thrombus formation. Due to growth of the mass throughout follow-up, surgery using a transvalvular Listen to the Heart – Rare Cardiac Tumor in an Adolescent Herzgeräusch bei einem Jugendlichen – ein seltener Herztumor


174 Background: Reports have demonstrated the activity of combining both Irinotecan and Oxaliplatin into a FOLFOXIRI therapy. An option to gain similar benefits and less toxicity to FOLFOXIRI would be to administer the irinotecan through an hepatic arterial apporach. The aim of this study was to assess the maximal response and adverse event rates of Irinotecan Drug Eluting Beads (DEBIRI) with FOLFOX and Bevacizumab (Bev) as a first line treatment for unresectable colorectal liver metastasis (CLMs). Methods: Metachronous and Synchronous CLMs were randomly assigned to mFOLFOX6/Bev or mFOLFOX6, Bev and DEBIRI (FOLFOXDEBIRI). Primary end point was optimal response rates and adverse events. Secondary endpoints were patients (pts) converted to resection and survival. Results: The intention-to-treat population comprised 70 pts, 40 pts randomly assigned to the FOLFOXDEBIRI arm and 30 pts to FOLFOX/Bev arm. Both were similar with synchronous disease (50% vs. 36%), extent liver involvement (35% vs. 31%), but greate...


Among the issues associated with the fabrication of polysilicon thin film transistor (TFT) active matrix displays is the contact resistance between indium tin oxide (ITO) pixel electrodes and the aluminum data lines. We have investigated the use of Co and Ni for use as barrier layers between the Al and ITO in order to provide good ohmic contacts. For comparison, a titanium barrier layer has also been used and measured. A thin, 10 nm Co layer sufficed to provide good ohmic contacts in an ITO-Co-Al stack, while a thicker layer was required in the case of Ni in order to form a similar good ohmic contact. The contacts have been characterized using resistance measurements in conjunction with X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) in order to correlate the electrical results with the physical metallurgy of the contacts.


We are performing a survey of a sample of 17 radio jets with Chandra and HST, with the aim of finding their X-ray and optical counterparts. In this paper, we present the preliminary Chandra results for the first six sources observed and analyzed so far. In four of them an X-ray jet is clearly detected. We compare the X-ray morphologies to the radio ones, using archival radio data and discuss similarities and differences with respect to previously studied cases. Our results show that X-ray jets are no longer rare and exotic phenomena, but qualify as a rather common occurrences of the extragalactic sky.


Saying NO to a parent's request without feeling guilty is extremely difficult for most of us! However, the ability to set limits with loved ones is a crucial skill needed to maintain emotional, physical, and spiritual health. When caring for an elderly parent, we need all the energy, rejuvenation time and emotional stamina we can muster. In order to keep ourselves full rather than drained, boundaries are necessary to protect our inner reserves and physical health. For without our health, we will not able to help anyone else. This means that it is actually our responsibility to create a balance between healthy self-interest and compassionate giving. Easier said than done, right? My motto on setting limits is, "it is better to feel a short-term twinge of guilt than to carry the long-term weight of deep resentment."


The invention relates to a heat pipe or cooling pipe for the cryogenics, with a cladding tube 1 and a means of condensing element 3 at one tube end and an evaporation element 2 at the other end of the tube hermetically sealed and filled with a material suitable for the cryogenic heat transfer fluid chamber 4. To superconductive elements or components with high operational reliability and efficiency to be able to cool for a short cooling to the required transition temperature is installed a cooling module 20 at least in the chamber 4 between the condensing member 3 and the evaporation element 2 with a tubular casing surface 21 on the inner surface 1 'of the cladding tube 1 partially present, and is at least condensing element each provided with a guide means 22 for biasing condensed and / or liquid heat transfer medium to the jacket surface 21st The invention also relates to a cooling device having a plurality of refrigerant pipes.


ABSTRACT The general equation of suppressor-controlled transconductance of a pentode contains three constants K, n and A of these, the constants K and n were determined by simple methods, but an approximate method was employed earlier to determine the constant A In this paper a simple approach for the determination of the constant A is presented along with the theoretical and experimental results obtained.


Mechanical pulping is a process that uses mechanical energy to grind logs or refine wood chips into papermaking fibers. Although the refining process has been around for many years, the exact mechanism of how wood breaks down into fiber is unknown. It is thought that during the refining process two mechanical processes are occurring, shear and cyclic compression. Some species of pulpwood have relatively uniform fiber morphology throughout the tree. In the Southern United States, the majority of wood used for mechanical pulping are the southern yellow pines. These pines are known for their abrupt transition between earlywood and latewood within an annual growth ring. Therefore, the wood source has fibers with very different fiber morphology subjected to the same refining conditions. Knowledge of how earlywood and latewood are affected by refnning should enable the production of better fibers for papermaking. Earlier studies at the Institute of Paper Science and Technology (IPST) have shown that there is a difference in energy absorption between the two types of fibers while in the wood chip level of fiber organization. By understanding the role of cyclic compression throughout the refining process, it should be possible to identify morphological traits that can be used to select southern pine variants with the potential to produce stronger mechanical pulps with lower energy requirements. The working hypothesis for this dissertation is that earlywood fibers selectively absorb energy applied by cyclic compression. The experimentation simulated fiber compression in a disk refiner, and determined whether there was differential energy absorption by the earlywood fibers. This was accomplished by separating earlywood and latewood chips of a loblolly pine, refining them separately and fractionating for whole fibers. Selected fibers were stained, and the stained and unstained fibers were recombined into an aggregate with the same earlywood and latewood proportions as the tree. Using an electromagnetic shaker, the aggregates were subjected to cyclic compression at frequencies ranging from 10 to 200 Hz. High-speed video and infrared imaging were used to record fiber deformation and temperature variations, respectively.


The removal of malachite green (MG) by cocoa (Theobroma cacao) shell activated carbon (CSAC) was investigated in present study. Adsorption studies were performed by batch experiments as a function of process parameters such as initial pH, contact time, initial concentration and adsorbent dose. A comparison of kinetic models applied to the adsorption of MG on CSAC was evaluated for the pseudo-first order and pseudo-second order kinetic models. Results showed that the pseudo-second order kinetic model was found to correlate the experimental data well. The experimental equilibrium adsorption data was represented with Langmuir, Freundlich, Tempkin, Dubinin-Radushkevich and Flory-Huggins isotherms. The experimental data obtained in the present study indicated that activated carbon developed from cocoa shell can be attractive options for dye removal from waste water.


The aim of this paper was to hydrochemically characterize Ibiraquera Lagoon (SC) and verify the changes in water column related to the opening dynamics of its mouth. The monthly monitoring of five physical-chemical properties and dissolved inorganic nutrients from march 2003 to april 2004 demonstrated the mixohaline nature of this lagoon, which presents well oxygenated waters, low turbidity and low inorganic dissolved nutrients concentrations. This lagoon is isolated from coastal waters influence in the most part of the year since its sand bar opens only under severe rainy events or by human intervention. On these situations changes in the water level and physical-chemical properties can be observed along all this water body. Among the monitored variables, the most significant alterations were observed in salinity, silica and dissolved oxygen. An increase in salinity and silica values was observed after the sand bar opening in all lagoonal sectors. In contrast, dissolved oxygen concentrations decreased. These changes were associated to the mixture of brackish and marine waters and to nutrient releases from surface bottom sediments to the water column as a consequence of the intensification of circulation processes.


ABSTRACT: It may be said that the shape of sand deposition is normally cone and sand grains are oriented a certain angle of deposition repose is made. This angle is such that no stability occurs. Thus the angle of repose is somewhat correlated to the sand internal friction angle. This paper presents the results of a series of laboratory experiments performed three types of sand. For this purpose, a special device has been prepared. The device is well equipped and makes it possible to pour sand from various heights. After pouring sand from a certain height, the angle of repose is measured using the geometry of sand deposition. Direct shear tests are also carried out on the sand at the same compaction to determine the friction angle. These two angles are then correlated. The results show that the angle of repose can be correlated to the internal friction of the sand. An empirical expression is presented to correlate these two, enabling users to estimate the friction angle of the sand in the field.


Continuing our studies on the genera Origanum and Amaracus (1—3) (Labiatae) with the aim of detecting a chemotaxonomical differentiation between the two very similar genera, we have now investigated Origanum cornpactum Benth., a species occurring in North Africa (local name "zaatar"). Origanum compactum is used, especially in Morocco, as a spasmolytic drug for the gastrointestinal tract (4). The present paper reports on the identification of several products extracted from a sample collected in Morocco.


The COVID-19 pandemic has created significant obstacles to the implementation of national foreign policies, including the reduction of the resource base. This article analyzes the schemes and forms of government activities that can reduce the negative impact of the pandemic factor. The object of the study is the Federal Republic of Germany, which is currently at a turning point in its development: the end of A. Merkel's «era» (autumn 2021) is accompanied by a large number of unresolved foreign policy tasks that prevent Germany from establishing itself as a world power. The article provides a detailed overview of these tasks and the ongoing efforts to solve them, presented on a problem-geographic principle. Issues related to the restart of relations between Germany and the United States under the Biden administration, the FRG's involvement in building up the political and military potential of the EU, as well as the dynamics and nature of the FRG's dialogue with the leading European NATO member states – Great Britain, Italy and especially France – are analyzed in the context of the ongoing pandemic crisis. Particular attention is paid to the problems associated with deepening cooperation within the framework of the German-French tandem. The paper also explores the difficulties that have appeared during the pandemic and new opportunities for expanding the political and military presence of Germany in Libya, «G5 Sahel» countries, Syria and Iraq. The consequences that a decision of the United States to carry out the «deal» with the Afghan Taliban may have for Germany are analyzed. The FRG's attempts to strengthen its positions in the post-Soviet space and the Far East are presented in the context of deteriorating relations with the Russian Federation and China. In conclusion, an assessment of Germany's activity in the sphere of security and defense during the first year of the pandemic is given.


This experiment was conducted from the latter part of June through the first part of October 1969 by picking up 30 among the patients hospitalized at the department of internal medicine of the Seoul National University Hospital, who were under low sodium diet fording. By applying 1,000mg sodium diet that the author invented for feeding, the result of measurement made daily on 24 hours urine sodium shows an average of 58.1 mEq/L (average 76.799mEq/24hr). The sodium restrict diet menu (Table 4 and Table 5) was made due to table for food exchange list by American Heart Association and especially the 3 and 4, sample meal plan was applicable to that of Korean.


To achieve an adaptive eLearning system, it is essential to monitor the learner behaviour dynamically to diagnose their learning style. Eye tracking can serve that purpose by investigating the eye gaze movement while engaging in the eLearning environment. In this study, an eye tracking experiment was developed to analyse the pattern of learner behaviour to obtain his learning style as a personalisation aspect in an eLearning system. The electroencephalography EEG Emotive Epoc device was used to disclose learners with more accurate data. In the experiment, we have developed a method to test the hypothesis whether the verbal and visual learning styles reflect actual preferences in an eLearning environment based on Felder and Silverman Learning Style Model. The outcome of this experiment can be used as the starting point for further exhaustive experiments. This paper presents the actual state of our experiment, conclusions, and plans for future development.


The main purpose of this study is to investigate the macroeconomic consequences of natural disasters in Vietnam for the period from 1983 to 2009. Augmented Dickey-Fuller and Phillip-Perron unit root tests, Johansen and Juselius co integration test and causality test based on vector error c(!)ITection model (VECM) are used to examine the model. The empirical results showed that all the time series data are stationary at first difference and cointegrated with single vector. All the explanatory variables have found to contribute to the long run equilibrium relationship. In addition, natural disasters have a statistically adverse impact on the macro-economy. Increase in the total number of victim leads to corresponding decrease in the income level. Furthermore, the Granger
I
causality te~t results based on vector error correction model reveal that the government consumption and gross capital formation do not have causality relationships with total number ofaffected in the short-run. This study provides a better understanding to people of the impact of natural disaster on macro-economy in Vietnam.


Despite the rapid social and informal-urban growth which causes a lot of problems in urban and rural settlements in Egypt, the lack of both stakeholders' coordination and genuine public participation cause additional issues. Nowadays, many cities in Egypt, including the capital, suffer from the lack of real public participation in the decision-making of urban projects which results in conflicts among the government, the public and even experts opposing these decisions. All over the world, many participation models have been adopted in urban planning and development projects with different levels and forms of public participation. Where public participation is a requisite, not a choice, the debate is how to develop the participation models using the potentials of ICT's and smartphones to ensure inclusiveness in participation processes. At the Covid-19 pandemic, most of the activities have been shifted to online platforms. This shift has made an urgent demand for complete digital methods of public participation which -in addition- supports the Egyptian government vision for digitalizing services. In this regard, the research opens the door for applying digital public participation in urban development projects that reflects the public's needs and preferences, taking the advantages of the new technologies and considering the precautionary measures and social distancing in the age of covid-19. The paper explores the state-of-the-art of current online public engagement tools used in Egypt, the potentials and challenges of applying digital public participation and recommends guidelines for implementation based on successful case studies and what fits in the local context


The fi ltration from the pits, which are fenced rabbets of Zhukovsky through a soil layer consider. At the bottom of the soil is highly permeable pressure aquifer with nonpermeable site. Mixed multiparametric boundary value problem of the theory of analytic functions is formulated to study the in fi ltration of the free surface. The problem is solved using the Polubarinova-Cochina's method. The limiting cases are considered. They associated with the lack of one of the factors which characterize the simulated process.


Data is stored in memories and the memories can be classified into static and dynamic memories. The static memories are widely used in today's world due to their design simplicity and speed. The emission of alpha particles usually gives rise to soft error through package radio active delay. The distribution of electrons is disturbed by the positive charged alpha particles which travels through the semiconductor. A signal which is digitalized can be altered from 0 to 1 or vice-verse if the disturbance is large. Many electronic components which are made up of semi conductors are susceptible to damage by radiation; But the susceptibility to radiation damage is decreased by the changes in the design and manufacturing which are based on the non hardened equivalents for radiation hardened components.The merits of 21T SRAM cell are robust and achieves high soft error tolerance and that the upsets can be tolerated when compared to 13T SRAM cell. Another advantage of 21T SRAM cell is that there is a reduce in power and delay when compared to 13T SRAM cell and can be practised in space applications for designing power supplies and batteries. This paper evaluates the 21T SRAM cell which can be operated at low voltage sub threshold region and is evaluated at 180nm using cadence tool


In this paper, we report successful fabrication of the first large area, monolithic, 1.2 kV 4H-SiC Bi-Directional FETs (BiDFETs) with integrated JBS diodes in a 6-inch commercial foundry for use in matrix converters. The fabricated BiDFETs support high voltage (>1.2 kV) in the first and third quadrants. They exhibit very low on-resistance of 50 mΩ in the on-state in both quadrants when the 20 V gate bias is applied to both gates, allowing conduction of 20 A with 1 V drop. Fully gate voltage controlled output characteristics are also confirmed in both quadrants.


Large regions of East Antarctica lack a reasonable topographic model because, until recently, only a few observations of ice thickness have been available to constrain the bedrock elevation. The acquisition of GRACE satellite gravity data has created a new opportunity to model the sub-ice topography. Here we have applied two methods for predicting topography based on the satellite data. Gravity inversion is a classical geophysical technique that predicts topography based on the physics relating it to gravity. Cokriging is a statistical method that uses the spatial covariance between datasets to predict one in the absence of the other. The geophysical and statistical solutions are compared to the best-known topography model (BEDMAP) in an area that is relatively well constrained by the BEDMAP data coverage.


Abstract : This handbook provides meteorological information for forecasters predicting the weather in Southwest Asia. It includes discussions of climatology, forecasting hints and rules-of-thumb, circulation patterns, and other factors that influence the weather. It is divided into four seasons for ease of use. Contents-- Introduction: Topography; Biotic Conditions of Southwest Asia; General Weather and Climate; Climate Controls; Weather Patterns; Southwest (Summer) Monsoon (June-September); Fall Transition Period (October-November); Northeast Monsoon Regime(December-March); Spring Transition (April-May); Special Phenomena; Glossary of Geographical Terms; Reporting Stations; Mean Wind Flows.


Objective: To prevent any complications following incidence of traumatic fracture of bronchus and improve the successful ratio of rescue.Method: 5 cases of traumatic fracture of bronchus have been accepted,we gave them close observation,took effective preventive nursing measures.Result: Patients suffered from no complications after anastomotic operation,all recovered.Conclusion: Our nursing measures be versified to be effective to prevent any complications of traumatic fracture of bronchus.


Abstract: The volume of electronically stored information (ESI) is expanding rapidly. Under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, litigants may request electronic discovery (ediscovery) of many different forms of ESI. In 1978, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the party responding to an e-discovery request presumptively pays all e-discovery costs, including the costs of preserving, producing, and reviewing the requested ESI. Therefore, the rapidly increasing volume of ESI has substantially increased the costs of e-discovery for producing parties. In the 2003 case, Zubulake v. UBS Warburg LLC, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York established a two-step test that allows a court to shift some of the e-discovery costs from the responding party to the requesting party. Since 2003, many federal district courts and some state courts have followed the two-step Zubulake test for conducting e-discovery in the United States. However, no court has yet established a test for cost-shifting in international e-discovery - conducting e-discovery on ESI located outside the United States. International e-discovery has unique costs and implicates concerns of national sovereignty. This Comment argues that courts should adopt a cost-shifting test for international e-discovery that starts with a comity analysis and then applies Zubulake's twostep cost-shifting test. Furthermore, courts applying this test should enforce cost-shifting orders through an escrow system whereby the requesting party will deposit some of the shifted costs with the court for later disbursement to the producing party. INTRODUCTION The amount of electronically stored information (ESI) worldwide is increasing at a rapid rate.1 In 2005, the total amount of ESI worldwide (the "digital universe") was 130 exabytes.2 In 2011, the digital universe expanded to over 1800 exabytes, enough data to fill 57.5 billion 32GB Apple iPads.3 Consistent with this rapid growth in ESI, Law Technology News reported that the total cost of e-discovery rose from $2 billion in 2006 to $2.8 billion in 2009 and estimated that the total cost would rise ten to fifteen percent annually in 2010 and 2011.4 Electronic discovery (e-discovery) begins when one of the parties in a lawsuit requests that the other party produce certain ESI that is relevant to the requesting party's claims or defenses.5 Many forms of ESI are discoverable in federal district courts.6 As a general rule, the producing party pays the costs of preserving, finding, and sending the ESI to the requesting party.7 Due to the high volume of available ESI, discovery requests can pose a burden for producing parties.8 In one case, the cost of complying with an e-discovery request was $249,000.9 In another case, the cost to restore, search, and produce data in archived electronic backup tapes was around $274,000. 10 Twenty-five percent of large-cap businesses11 in the United States and the United Kingdom anticipate an increase in their e-discovery budgets for 20 II,12 notwithstanding improvements in e-discovery tools and technologies.13 Federal district courts address the high costs of e-discovery in the United States by shifting some e-discovery costs to the requesting party under the two-step test articulated in Zubulake v. UBS War burg LLC.14 The first step of the Zubulake test is to examine the ESI's "accessibility."15 Although the original Zubulake case described accessibility in terms of the data storage format,16 some post-Zubulake cases have framed accessibility in terms of the overall cost to the producing party.17 The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP) state that ESI is inaccessible if it creates an "undue burden or cost" for the producing party.18 If the court finds the ESI accessible, then the producing party must bear the costs of e-discovery.19 However, if the court finds the data inaccessible, it will continue on to the second part of the Zubulake test, which requires considering and balancing seven factors related to the cost and significance of the e-discovery request. …


The aim of this study was to analyze the difficulties of teachers and students in teaching and learning material on the properties of quadrilateral. Based on these difficulties the researcher designed learning activities based on Kata Sepat which would be used to help students understand the material properties of quadrilaterals. The research method used is descriptive qualitative method. The instruments used were interviews and observations. The results of the study showed that teachers and students experienced difficulties in learning and teaching quadrilateral characteristics, so scaffolding was needed in the form of a learning design based on Kata Sepat


Satellite Remote Sensing scenes from optical satellite, are strongly affected by clouds. Most of the European countries (including Romania) have clouds about 1/3 of the year. So, it is necessary to reduce the clouds effects in order to use these images. The paper presents a method usable in this purpose.


IN AN ACADEMIC WORLD that thrives on departmentalization, Craig Vogel, Jonathan Cagan, and John H. Mather buck the trend with an interdisciplinary course on product development that brings together industrial design, engineering, and marketing. Student teams put theory to the test as they respond to consumer research by designing and prototyping new products. The creativity-focused lessons in this exercise include developing effective communication skills, interpreting customer needs, and integrating issues of materials and production.


Objective To compare the efficacy, benifits and defects between continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) and hemodialysis (HD) in treatment of chronic renal failure for selecting suitable dialysis way. Methods 84 patients who had been diagnosed with chronic renal failure and received dialysis therapy were randomly divided into Group CAPD (n=35) and Group HD (n=49). After dialysis, the renal function, every biochemistry serum indexes, residual renal function, complications and survival rate in these two groups were compared. Results After dialysis, the levels of BUN, Scr, STP, Hb, TC, HDL, K+in Groups CAPD and HD were the same, P0.05. But in Group CAPD, the residual renal function had got better protection than in Group HD, P0.01; the incidence of angiocardiopathy was obviously lower than that in Group HD, P0.05, while the incidence of infection was significantly higher than that in Group HD, P0.05. Conclusions The efficacy of HD and CAPD for treatmetn of chronic renal failure was almost the same and had their own benifits and defects, so it should depend on the patients' condition to select dialysis technique.


FIELD: smoke accessories for filtering tobacco smoke. SUBSTANCE: filter contains tubular filter made from microfibers for removing solid particles from tobacco smoke, and, optionally, outer filtering layer from activated carbon for adsorption of gaseous components from tobacco smoke. Tubular filters remove all solid particles and gaseous components from tobacco smoke so, that filtered flow is free from any odor of it. EFFECT: higher efficiency. 26 cl, 10 dwg


This work addresses the problem of metrics for multi-robot systems. It is often desirable to compare different strategies or algorithms for similar problems, e.g. mapping or localization. Since these are often real time applications, classical criterions like time or space complexity are not very helpful. Several other metrics have been suggested. In this paperformation navigation is used as an example application. Possible metrics are presented and discussed, and two of them are used to exemplarily evaluate the results of several formation experiments. Problems and drawbacks of these metrics are discussed and preconditions for a general metricfor the formation problem are adumbrated. Finally, first steps towards a generic and generally applicable metric are presented by means of simulation experiments.


Endocytosis is a fundamental cellular process by which cells transport material from the outside to the inside of the cell through the formation of membrane invaginations that bud off from the plas ...


Sun, as the energy source is abundant in nature, is a potential renewable energy source. In this paper, a five parameter model Solar Photovoltaic (PV) module is simulated to produce data. Machine Learning Regression algorithm using R software is applied to predict the electrical parameters of the cells while varying the independent parameters from the simulation. The study has an impact on reliable and maximum power dispatch considering model parameter change and the variable nature of PV power in a standalone system. The proposed approach is mathematical model-independent and has extensive use.


Most of the previous researches conducted on shear lag of box girders were only concerned about simple types of structures, such as simply supported and cantilever beams. The structural systems concerned in these previous researches were considered as determined and unchangeable. In this paper, a finite element method considering shear lag and creep of concrete was presented to analyze the effect of dynamic construction process on shear lag in different types of concrete box-girder bridges. The shear lag effect of the three types of a two-span continuous concrete beam classified by construction methods was analyzed in detail according to construction process. Also, a three-span prestressed concrete box-girder bridge was analyzed according to the actual construction process. The shear lag coefficients and stresses on cross sections along the beam including shear lag were obtained. The different construction methods, the changes of structural system with the construction process, the changes of loading and boundary conditions with the construction process and time, the prestressing, and creep were all imitated in the calculations. From comparisons between the results for beams using different construction methods, useful conclusions were made.


The possibility to use microchannel flow reactors for obtaining kinetic and technological parameters of the synthesis of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (BMIMCl) ionic liquid was demonstrated for the reaction of 1-methylimidazole (MIm) with 1-chlorobutane in the absence of solvents. BMIMCl was produced with high selectivity and specific output in a microchannel flow reactor at temperatures 120–180 °C and contact times 2-45 min at a pressure of 20 bar. The positive result is obtained due to the laminar profile of the flow and a uniform distribution of the reagents' concentration over the microchannel cross-section. Investigation of the process kinetics in a microchannel flow reactor made it possible to reveal that the reaction moves to the diffusion resistance mode at a temperature above 150 °C. The kinetic data obtained for the BMIMCl synthesis were used to develop methods for the production of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium and 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium chlorides (EMIMCl and HMIMCl, respectively) under the conditions of a microchannel flow reactor. The approach suggested in this paper is of interest for the development of flow and batch setups for a small-tonnage production of dialkylimidazolium, ammonium and pyridinium salts by quaternization of the corresponding alkyl chlorides and nitrogen-containing bases.


-+ Ur~riecessaty treatment, i~ial~oropriate treal~iiel~t arid follow up O~ily an obscrvcr wlio is awarc oftlic factors tliat lead to false rcadings sliv~ild measure blood pressure. Wrong readings obtained througli failure to use tlic prol,cr t c c l i ~ ~ i y ~ ~ c ortell lead to the wrong diagnosis, whicli may rcsulr in unnecessary or i~ialq>ropriate rcatinent and follow up. 'I'l~c ailii of tlicsc reco~~llrlc~ldatio~~s is to provide siti~ple guidelilies for the indirect a~rasurc~nei~t of blood pressure.


A streamline-traced Busemann inlet was tested in the Virginia Tech supersonic blowdown wind tunnel in a Mach 4.08 freestream flow. These tests involved the starting and operational characteristics of a high contraction ratio (10) circular inlet, commonly referred to as a 'sugar scoop'. For this inlet, Mach 4.08 is near the limit of isentropic-compression and beyond some empirically derived viscous operational limits. In addition, at this speed the internal contraction ratio of the scoop design is significantly above the Kantrowitz criterion for starting. In order to operate the inlet supersonically at Mach 4.08, the inlet must spill at least enough air to reduce the effective contraction ratio below these limits. To achieve starting and allow supersonic operation of the inlet at low speeds, a sliding door was integrated into the region of the inlet crotch to reduce the internal contraction of the inlet and allow additional spillage. Both unsteady 3D viscous CFD and an experimental investigation were performed. In the experiment, starting and operation were verified with the door near the full open position. The mass flow rate of the captured air was measured and aerothermodynamic probing of the flow downstream of the inlet throat was accomplished. Results verified that the flow had become supersonic at the inlet throat when the door was opened slightly over two-thirds of its full travel. The experimental trends qualitatively agreed with the CFD simulations.


Abstract : Experimental work was done on four subprojects with potential rock-mechanics applications ranging from earthquake prediction and control to advanced excavation technology. Measurements of the rate of flow of air through porous Navajo Sandstone with simulated fractures show that as confining (overburden) pressure increases, the fractures (1) have a greater fractional rate of permeability loss than does the rock as a whole, (2) experience the greater inelastic deformation, and (3) become effectively sealed when their permeability approaches that of the whole rock. A cause of the dilatancy that is premonitory to certain earthquakes may be the feather fracturing, associated with frictional sliding on pre-existing faults. In Coconino Sandstone specimens sliding on a sawcut, extension microfractures develop near the 'fault zone.' Their abundance increases with increasing normal stress and shear displacement, and they dilate the rock. Frictional sliding of Tennessee Sandstone under cyclic loading has been investigated in an electrohydraulic, servocontrolled testing machine. At confining pressures in the range of 0.5 to 0.75 kb, no stick-slip occurs at low shear-displacement rates of the order of .0001 m/ sec, but it does occur at .001. The static coefficient of friction is about 0.8, independently of normal stress and displacement rate over the narrow ranges of these tests. Stick-slip is favored, when the testing machine is effectively soft. The stress drop occurs in less than 30 microseconds so that no machine could react quickly enough to arrest the event.


This study was aimed to evaluate the effect of tomato and tocopherols (vitamin E) intake on IgE levels in GALT (gut associated lymphoid tissues). An experimental model of secondary allergy to protein malnutrition was used. The effect on IgE + B cells in Lamina Propria of intestinal villi was evaluated by Indirect ImmunoFluorescence and IgE level in intestinal fluid by ELISA (Bethyl Laboratories). Weanling rats of Wistar strain were fed a protein-free diet until they lost 25% of their initial body weight. This diet developed an allergic state. Re-feeding was performed by the administration of an experimental diet containing 20% casein as the only source of protein (Renourished group = R). Other groups received this experimental diet plus oral administration of a) fresh tomato (R +T):3.31mg/g rat/day, equivalent to 230 g/day for an adult man of 70 kg; b) a tocopherols mix (a, b, g , d) (R +mix Tph) equivalent to those present in tomato fruit; c) gammatocopherol (R +G):0.21mg/g rat/day, equivalent to 80x to those present in tomato fruit. All compounds were added to drinking water during 35 days. The animal protocol was approved by the Ethical Committee of the University of Buenos Aires. The small intestine was removed, the intestinal fluid collected and further processed by Saint-Marie's technique. The abundance of tocopherols isomers in tomato (cv. M82) was measured by HPLC with UV-Vis diode array and fluorescence detectors. Results showed that Lamina Propria of intestinal villi from the R +T group presented higher % of IgE+ B cells compared to those from the R group (99 8 vs 62 11). Intake of tocopherols mixture in low concentration and gamma-tocopherol in higher concentration reverted that situation lowering the levels to 31 6 and 38 5, respectively (Fig.). A similar pattern was observed in intestinal fluid (Table) but without significant statistical difference (p>0.05).


Software has a longstanding association with a state of crisis considering its success rate. The explosion of Internet-connected devices – Internet-of-Things – adds to the complexity of software systems. The particular characteristics of these systems, such as its large-scale and heterogeneity, pose increasingly new challenges. Model-based approaches have been widely used as a mechanism to abstract low-level programming details and processes. By using such approaches, and leveraging concepts as reactive design, visual notations, and live programming, we believe to be able to reduce the complexity of creating, operate/monitor and evolve such systems. The main objective of this Ph.D. is to delve into the software engineering practices for developing IoT systems and systems of systems, exploiting models as a suitable abstraction, expecting to reduce the complexity of managing most of the software development lifecycle that targets IoT systems and to develop the prototype that will aid on the validation of such approach.


Traditionally sound has been considered as an assistant for image. But Bresson said that sound must not be used as a simple assistant for image and vice versa, adding that image and sound must not cooperate but alternate. This opinion of his urges us to ask what is the role of sound in film. In the acting of answering that, I intended to show how sound composes a self-reliant frame and how Bresson designed film sound practically in this article . For this I depended on the theory of film sound suggested by Michel Chion. For he has established his film sound theory in the study on the specificity of film sound in the works of Bresson. After theoretical review I showed practical art of sound design in Bresson, that is the neutralization of sound and dialogue , the way of composing of independent sounded image and the role of music. Michel Chion divided sound in film into three domains ; 'in'(onscreen diegetic sound), 'off'(nondiegetic sound), 'offscreen sound'(offscreen diegetic sound). He emphasized that this division makes sense only in the relation of image. Besides, he defined three edges, uncovering the way that these edges are shown , determined and destroyed and so the specific structure of 'the world of director'. Each edges can not be changed and replaced by another edge. As for film music, he argued that it doesn't share with another music genre and it belongs to film itself. According to his opinion, it is film that renders music an effect and a possibility, so to speak, what matters is when music stops and when it starts again in film. After I analyzed the works of Bresson depending on above theory, I found following characteristics of the film sound in him. First, there is self-reliant 'sounded image'. According to Bresson, sound enables us to see the invisible and it converts image into the visual instead of repeating image. He used the principles of non coincidence of sound and image. Second, we can feel the accuracy and purity of sound in Bresson's. He compelled actors and actresses to practice monotonous vocalization (so called Bresson's vocalization) for this. Third, Bresson used box music only early times and later he used it merely at the point of climax in psychology of characters. So it can be said that his music in film is existential and psychological. As the result that I analyzed the total works of Bresson applying to the theory of Michel Chion, I determined that sound in Bresson is far from concomitant and assistant. Instead, sound is the means of communicating the inner side of image. He valued the exclusion of sound and silence, saying that sound film invented silence. When it comes to music, he thought it unavoidable to exclude music in film to vitalize image. For music tends to occupy all places in film. Finally he emphasized the invention of the world in which image and sound are well balanced.


Globally, malaria control programmes have experimented with innovative strategies aligned with the healthcare delivery system status of each country. One of the foremost strategies involves the introduction of communitybased management of malaria through the deployment of community health workers. During the last decade, India's malaria control strategies under the aegis of the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) introduced this strategy among other innovations to strengthen its fight against malaria.


The utility model discloses a compound fine blanking mold of a press machine, comprising an upper mold, a lower mold and a guide mechanism; the guide mechanism is arranged at two ends of the upper mold and the lower mold and is connected with the two ends of the upper mold and the lower mold in a locating way, an upper mold part is provided with a punching groove concave mold and a blanking convexmold, and an independent convex mold panel, a lower mold part is provided with a blanking concave mold, a punching groove convex mold and a concave mold panel, the convex mold of the punching grooveis arranged on the lower mold for form a whole by the independent convex mold panel of the punching groove, the independent convex mold panel of the punching groove and the concave mold panel are connected by screws and are located by a locating pin; the convex mold of the punching groove is higher than the blanking concave mold for 2mm; the independent convex mold panel of the punching groove isconnected detachably. The compound fine blanking mold has the advantages of easy maintenance, low manufacturing cost and long service life.


Modern transmission systems are becoming heavily loaded. In addressing this issue Eskom has been installing series capacitors in their power transmission grids for the purposes of ensuring improved system stability, increased transmittable power, reduced transmission losses, enhanced voltage control and more flexible power flow control. Environmental concerns are also addressed at a fraction of the cost when compared to the alternative. However, with the utilization of series capacitors and their over-voltage protection devices typically the Metal Oxide Varistors and Spark Gaps when installed on transmission lines, several problems are created for the distance protection relays. This is because series capacitors when used on transmission lines can have serious effects on the performance of distance relay protection. This is because of the change of impedance seen by the distance relay since the electrical impedance measured by the relay is no longer a unique correspondence of the physical distance from the relay location to the point of fault when the protection of the series capacitors comes into play. The research results will show that, because of subsynchronous oscillations and voltage inversion phenomena as a result of series compensation, can cause distance protection's zone 1 directional elements to operate incorrectly, more specific to internal faults which may appear as external faults and external faults which may appear as internal faults. The research will be investigating some of the challenges that are encountered by the distance protection relays when protecting a transmission line incorporating series capacitors. In answering the research question: "What are the issues associated with the utilization of series capacitors on the Eskom Transmission grid to the performance of distance protection?" the Digsilent PowerFactory software simulator package will be utilized to achieve the desired objectives. Other research projects have looked into the research question at hand utilizing the physical REL 531 relays and a real time model of the Eskom Hydra South Network, a system that supplies power to the Western Cape. In this research the author will be looking at the ability of Digsilent and its REL 531 Models to repeat and confirm the same conclusions, before considering possible alternative solutions. The Muldersvlei-Bacchus and Bacchus-Droerivier lines forming part of the Eskom Hydra South Network were selected as the area of focus. The decision to select these two particular mentioned lines as the area of focus was because the studies will be able to cover impact of external series capacitors to both the performance of the relays on lines that are series compensated and those that


Teenagers are increasingly using video chat systems to communicate with others, however, little research has been conducted to explore how and why they use the technology. To better understand this design space, we present the results of a study of twenty teenagers and their use of video chat systems such as Skype, FaceTime, and Google Hangouts. Our results show that video chat plays an important role in helping teenagers socialize with their friends after school and on weekends where it allows them to see emotional reactions and participate in activities like shared homework sessions, show and tell, and performances over distance. Yet video chat is also used to engage in more private activities such as gossiping, flirting, and even the viewing of sexual acts. This presents an interesting design challenge of supporting teen use of video chat while mitigating privacy and parental concerns.


This paper fist talks about the development,characteristics and application prospects of the power line carrier communication(PLC).And then it introduces several implement schemes of PLC(QAMTCM,OFDM and Spread Spectrum Communication) and other important techniques such as Synchronization,Adaptive Channel Equalization,AGC,Channel Coding,and so on.The implement methods and the relative references of these techniques are also enumerated in the paper.


Recently, the microelectronics industry has.been s~ifting its resources away from conventional ceramic packaging '.and towards plastic packaging. The advantages of plastic packages are lower overall package weight and cost. Silver-f:tlled adhesives are typically used in the microelectronics industry to bond silicon integrated circuit chips to a wide variety of substrates. The substrates include copper, silver, nickel/palladium, polyimide, and glass-filled epoxies. This work will examine the adhesive strength of several silver-filled epoxy die-attach adhesives on copper leadframe substrates. Specifically, H35-175MP (Epo-Tek), AB84-1LMISR4 (Ablestik), and K01Il (Dexter) die-attach adhesives will be examined on Olin C-194 Cu alloy and on a Ni/Pd coated C194 Cu alloy. In order to quantify the adhesive strength, the interfacial fracture toughness will be determined through the use ofthe mixed-mode bending test (MMB). The'adhesive strength of each system will be determined under ambient conditions as well as after a conditioning of 85°C/85% RH for 168 hours. In addition, the Olin C-194 Cu alloy will be cleaned wit~ UV ozone for 0,5, and 10 minutes in order to detennine the effect ofcleaning on adhesion. It was found that adhesion in these systems significantly decreased up0I! exposure to an elevated temperature and humidity conditioning of 85°C/85% RH for 168 hours when compared with ambient. Also, UV ozone cleaning ofthe C-194 Cu alloy was not found to influence the ~dhesive strength. , -"'~'---,. •. -.~......,. ·r'· 1 .~ .. ~ --. -.... -.-.-"~' '-'''-~'._.. -


Human skeletons and their individual bones have been studied, measured and weighed for many years, but even more information is needed from series of adequate numbers, with good, uniform preparation and with as much of the histories of the cadavers known as is possible. Furthermore each skeleton should be a complete skeleton from a single body. The disarticulated skeletons which were studied for this report, we feel, meet several of these conditions. They were all from a rather restricted region, were very completely and uniformly cleaned, degreased and bleached by experienced workers. Each of these skeletons is complete from a single body with no bones substituted from other sources. However we have no knowledge of their sex or age, except as these are revealed by the appearance of the bones themselves. In skeletons from laboratory dissections, the stature and at least the approximate weight may be obtained, but this information is not available in this series. These skeletons were to be used in the medical students' loan collections, but they were all measured and weighed before being issued to the students; thus they had not been handled nor soiled before this study was made.


embedded four rapporteurs at the Complex Aerospace Systems Exchange (CASE) held in August 2013 with the objective to capture the essence of the conference presentations and discussions. CASE was established to provide a discussion forum among chief engineers, program managers, and systems engineers on challenges in the engineering of complex aerospace systems. The meeting consists of invited presentations and panels from industry, academia, and government followed by discussions among attendees. This report presents the major and reoccurring themes captured throughout the meeting and provides analysis and insights to further the CASE mission.


Abstract: This article deals with Communication and its Role in Islamic Administration; it includes definition of the communication, and its process. Furthermore, this paper seeks to spread the idea that Islam is a communicative religion and it has inclusive framework about communication and its role in administration. Meanwhile, this article will provide on how Islam deals with every element of the communication process. Thus, the paper will suggest that it is important for scholar to investigate more about the role of commutation in Islamic administration. Keywords: Communication , Islam, Islamic Communication, Commutation process, Administration,


The propagation of an ultrashort and relativistically intense laser pulse in a preformed plasma channel is investigated. The nonlinear paraxial wave equation describing the laser propagation in the plasma is solved both analytically and numerically. For any arbitrary temporal laser pulse profile with a given power (less then the critical power for self-focusing) and any prescribed transverse density profile in the channel, we determine the laser intensity distribution along the pulse ensuring quasi-matched propagation, neglecting non-paraxial effects. For the case of a Gaussian laser with an initially uniform spot throughout the pulse, we determine the optimal channel depth that minimizes laser evolution (e.g., minimizes spot size oscillations). The analytical and semi-analytical results obtained for both cases in the weakly relativistic regime are presented and validated through comparison with numerical simulations.


Aim – to analyze the results of the completed and published in Russia to date, controlled studies on the direct comparison of generic statins relevant original drug. Materials and methods. The analysis included five studies, published in the Russian peer-reviewed medical journals, the purpose of which was direct comparison of the clinical efficacy of generic and the corresponding originalstatin. To assess the extent of the confirmity of the original drug and generic previously developed system of quality assessment was used, which included a comparison of two separate drugs for safety and efficacy. In addition, the analysis of the effectiveness of statins separately on the lipid profile was performed. Separately the results of randomized KARDIOKANON in patients with stable coronary artery disease were analyzed at compared treatment generally required component of it were statins. Mandatory component of therapy in a group of patients was the original statin in another – generic. In these two groups of patients we compared the frequency of fixed low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level achievement. Results. Five studies (4 study with simvastatin drug and one with atorvastatin) answered the criteria of randomized study and quality of ran-domization assessment was performed, efficiency, safety, and adherence to therapy were assessed. Among 4 generics of simvastatin studies only 2 performed full conformity to the lipid-lowering effect with the original drug, the rest – revealed differences in the impact on the atherogenic index. Not all generic simvastatin demonstrated compliance with the original drug therapy safety. In assessing the generic by more rigorous criteri generics more likely appear to reveal the discrepancy between it and the original drug. Conclusion. Because there is evidence that statin do not always perform full compliance with original drug, it is desirable to perform strictly designed clinical studies with the most commonly used generic statins.


A novel statistic based algorithm for watermarking 2D vector maps is proposed. Unlike other multimedia data types, 2D vector map data has many special features, which make the selection of the cover data become a crucial issue directly influencing the performance of the watermarking scheme. In our proposed scheme, the selected cover data is a distance sequence extracted from the original map based on a feature point detecting procession. For a certain original map, this distance sequence can be regarded as a random variable with a stable distribution and the watermark is embedded by changing its distribution. Watermark extraction is based on statistic detection. Experiment results show that the proposed method has better shape-preserving performance, which is of great importance for vector maps. Moreover, this scheme is proved robust to certain attacks such as map interpolation, simplification, data reordering and some geometric transformations like rotation, translation, and their combination


In this paper, the effects of the engine hood on an FMCW radar in an elevated mounting position is evaluated. The setup is analyzed for possible reflections on the engine hood, resulting in a lower and upper limit for the height of targets that can cause a reflection. The findings are then verified by measurements showing the applicability of the bounds. Further, unexpected effects and possible solutions for arising problems are discussed.


Portable electronic systems and wearable sensor networks are offering increasing opportunities in fields like healthcare, medicine, sport, human-machine interfacing and data sharing. The technological research is looking for innovative design solutions able to improve performances and portability of wearable systems. The power supply strategy is crucial to improve lifetime, reduce maintenance, preserve the environment and reduce costs of smart distributed electronic systems applied to the body. The conversion of biomechanical energy of limbs and joints to electricity has the potential to solve much of the actual limitations. The design and building of wearable energy harvesters for wearable applications require different approaches respect to traditional vibratory energy harvesters. This chapter focuses on transduction materials, modeling strategies, experimental setups, and data analysis for the design of biomechanical energy harvesters; a case study based on system integration and miniaturization is also described for applications in the field of human-machines interfacing


This article examines the concept of attribute of action which explains the relationship between Allah and the universe, how and by which attribute the creation takes place based on the matter of operation of the universe. During this study, the takwin issue is also dealt with as origin of the attributes of action. Additionally, the opinions of Salafiyya, Mutezila, Ashariyya and Maturidiyya schools about this issues and their methods of inferences used to confirm their views are studied.


In computer graphics, stippling is a widely used non-photorealistic rendering technique. As the art of representing images with dots, one of the key problems is the placement of dots. In general, they should be distributed evenly, and with some randomness at the same time. Blue noise methods provide these characteristics and are used by state-of-the-art gray-scale algorithms to distribute dots. Color stippling, however, is more challenging as each channel should have even distribution at the same time. Existing approaches cast color stippling as a multi-class blue noise sampling problem and provide high quality results at the cost of a very long processing time. In this paper, we propose a real-time structure aware method for color stippling, based on samples generated from an incremental voronoi set. Our method can handle an arbitrary input color vector for stippling and produce significantly better results than previous methods, at real-time frame rate. We evaluate the perceptual quality of our stippling with a user study and its numerical performance by measuring the MSE between the reconstructed image from the stippling and the input image. As a result, the real time performance of our method makes interactive stippling editing possible, providing the artist with an effective tool to explore quickly a wide space of color image stippling.


Purpose:Being 'in flow' or 'in the zone' enables individuals to focus on tasks more fully and to maximise performance. As this phenomenon results in pleasure being experienced whilst mastery is gained, it can be a natural aid to goal-oriented activities such as coaching. This paper explores the applications of flow theory to coaching psychology.Method:Various conditions are thought to influence the acquisition and maintenance of psychological flow. These are reviewed and linked to the work of coaches and coaching psychologists.Results:The literature and models reviewed indicate that flow theory has a number of applications to coaching psychology, and that it can provide a useful framework for coaching psychology practice.Conclusions:This paper suggests how these factors may be captured by coaching methodology thereby: (i) helping the client and coach to find focus and fulfilment during sessions; and (ii) encouraging the client to remain 'on task' whilst engaging in goal actioning activities afterwards.


In mammalian sperm cells, regulation of spatiotemporal Ca2+ signaling relies on the quadrilinear Ca2+ signaling nanodomains in the flagellar membrane. The sperm-specific, multi-subunit CatSper Ca2+ channel, which is crucial for sperm hyperactivated motility and male fertility, organizes the nanodomains. Here, we report CatSperτ, the C2cd6-encoded membrane-associating C2 domain protein, can independently migrate to the flagella and serve as a major targeting component of the CatSper channel complex. CatSperτ loss-of-function in mice demonstrates that it is essential for sperm hyperactivated motility and male fertility. CatSperτ targets the CatSper channel into the quadrilinear nanodomains in the flagella of developing spermatids, whereas it is dispensable for functional channel assembly. CatSperτ interacts with ciliary trafficking machinery in a C2-dependent manner. These findings provide insights into the CatSper channel trafficking to the Ca2+ signaling nanodomains and the shared molecular mechanisms of ciliary and flagellar membrane targeting. Highlights CatSperτ encoded by C2cd6 is a C2 membrane-associating domain containing protein CatSperτ loss-of-function impairs sperm hyperactivation and male fertility CatSperτ adopts ciliary trafficking machineries for flagellar targeting via C2 domain CatSperτ targets the CatSper channel into nanodomains of developing sperm flagella


s:Job training is the important way to enhance the quality and the competitive power,to cultivate intelligence and talents of an enterprise.And it is also an important guarantee to promote the shared growth of employees and the enterprise.Based on the above-mentioned analysis,the current thesis focuses on the exploration of the importance,characteristics and ways of job training in college logistics management.


The major objectives of this paper are to describe preliminary results from a systematic analytical study of the improvement of damping in polymer composites at the micromechanical level by the use of special fiber coatings. Since shear deformation is essential for viscoelastic damping in polymers, and large shear strains are generated near the fiber/matrix interface in composites, it is believed that the use of special viscoelastic polymer fiber coatings will be an effective way to improve damping in such composites. The analysis was carried out by developing finite element, theory of elasticity, and mechanics of materials models. A strain energy approach was implemented in both the finite element and theory of elasticity formulations to analyze the damping in the coated fiber composites. The models, based on a "representative volume element" or repeating element of a continuously reinforced fiber composite, are used to study damping and stiffness under longitudinal normal (LN), transverse normal (TN), transverse shear (TS) and longitudinal shear (LS) loading. Of particular interest are hybrid composites having a mixture of coated and uncoated fibers, since coating all the fibers would cause unacceptable reductions in other important properties like strength and stiffness. In order to analyze hybrid composites, two and three dimensional multi-cell finite element models have been developed. Parametric studies were done with particular emphasis on the effect of fiber coating thickness and coating volume fraction in order to improve the damping of the composite structure. Large shear strain deformations occur in the fiber coating material since the stiffness of the coating material is lower than that of the fiber or the matrix. This condition leads to improved damping in the coated fiber reinforced composite. A rapid increase in damping with increasing coating volume fraction was found for the cases of TN, TS, and LS loading. For the case of LN loading, damping does not change much with increasing coating volume fraction. Good agreement for the damping and stiffness results was obtained by using the finite element, elasticity, and mechanics of materials formulations.


It was shown that chaos suppression in a chain of discrete phase-locked loops can occur through the change of symmetry coupling: 1) the change of boundary conditions; and 2) the change of the isotropy of coupling.