Transfontanellar ultrasound (TF) is extensively used in various neonate and infant intracranial abnormalities. TF become the recommended screening method in preterm intracranial hemorrhages, as well as in other neonate and infant intracranial specific lesions as result of continuous technical progress and of noninvasive character. Various cerebral malformations may accurately diagnosed by head ultrasound. Hydrocephalus is diagnosed and efficiently monitored by ultrasound. Simultaneous Doppler examination bring supplementary data on congenital or achieved vascular anomalies. Cerebral flow monitoring in preterm allow conservatory attitude to reduce complications risk in post ischemic lesions. A complete diagnosis is sustained by anamnestic, clinical and paraclinical data. Some cases impose complementary imaging techniques. Transfontanellar ultrasound is easy to perform, non invasive and remain the excellent screening tool in neonates and infants.


Today, the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is found only on the island of Tasmania, despite once being widespread across mainland Australia. While the devil is thought to have become extinct on the mainland approximately 3000 years ago, three specimens were collected in Victoria (south-eastern Australia) between 1912 and 1991, raising the possibility that a relict mainland population survived in the area. Alternatively, these devils may have escaped captivity or were deliberately released after being transported from Tasmania, a practice that has been strictly controlled since the onset of devil facial tumour disease in the early 1990s. Such quarantine regimes are important to protect disease-free, 'insurance populations' in zoos on the mainland. To test whether the three Victorian devils were members of a relict mainland population or had been recently transported from Tasmania we identified seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the mitochondrial genome that can distinguish between Tasmanian and ancient mainland populations. The three Victorian devil specimens have the same seven SNPs diagnostic of modern Tasmanian devils, confirming that they were most likely transported from Tasmania and do not represent a remnant population of mainland devils.


In this paper, we present a deterministic mathematical model for the study of overweight, and obesity in a population and its impact on the growth of the number of diabetics. For the construction of the model, we take into account social factors and the interactions between the elements of society. We find the basic reproduction number and prove the global stability of the disease-free equilibrium point. We present theoretical results and find the sensitivity indices to characterize the impact of parameters associated with overweight, obesity and diagnosed diabetes on the basic reproduction number. To validate the model, we perform computational simulations and study the basic reproduction number and compartments. We present the behavior of the compartments for a scenario and study the impact of the variation of parameters associated with overweight by social pressure and diabetes due to causes other than obesity.


This paper discusses the use of a cool tube as an air-to-earth heat exchanger that is used to reduce the HVAC requirements of a building. The cooling effect of the cool tube was analytically investigated, considering sensible and latent heat. The thermal characteristics of a cool tube are evaluated in Part 1 of this paper, taking into account only sensible heat. A method to utilize a wet cool tube was proposed for effective use. In order to determine the condition of the tube surface, the thermal and hygric behavior of cool tubes was analyzed using a model that considers simultaneous heat and moisture transfer in the ground. In regions with a climate such as that of Osaka, Japan, the tube surface is found to be practically wet throughout the year.


The purpose of this paper investigates the effect of perceived value on customer loyalty through brand image and customer satisfaction in a low- priced cosmetic brand, as well as to examine the moderating role of gender. The results showed that perceived value positively affects brand image and customer satisfaction. Brand image positively influences customer loyalty but does not influence customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction has a positive effect on customer loyalty. The moderating effects of gender between perceived value and brand image and customer satisfaction, brand image and customer satisfaction and customer loyalty are not significant at the level of 0.05. Thus, marketers should focus on perceived value to enhance customer loyalty through brand image and customer satisfaction.


Synergistic measurements of both active and passive nadir looking microwave sensors onboard Topex/Poseidon (T/P) satellite are explored for their instantaneous rain estimation capability over tropical oceans. Data of T/P altimeter (the differential radar backscatter at C and Ku band frequencies, i.e. δσ° = σ°C−σ°Ku), and Topex microwave radiometer (TMR) (brightness temperatures at 18, 21 and 37 GHz frequencies) coincident with special sensor microwave/imager (SSM/I) and tropical rainfall measuring mission (TRMM)–microwave radiometer (TMI) have been analysed for this purpose. The rainfall response has been separated from the surface variability and atmospheric water content (in terms of water vapour and liquid water), by analysing the TMR data in view of the radiative response of its channels under different ocean–atmospheric conditions over the Indian oceanic region. Among a large collocated data on different spatial and temporal scales, the most restrictive criteria (< 10 km spatial, < 30 min temporal difference) produce the better statistics (in terms of correlation and rms errors) from the rainfall rate from SSM/I and TMI with the combined radar and radiometric observations from T/P and TMR respectively. The analysis thus shows the added advantage of optimally integrated active and passive microwave measurements for instantaneous rain estimation as compared to our earlier study (Varma et al. 1999) by passive TMR measurements alone, for both better estimation of rain and corrections to T/P radar backscatter due to its path attenuation. The equation is further used to estimate monthly averaged global rain rate maps for its qualitative and quantitative assessment. Typical rain rate maps from blended radar and radiometer for two contrasting seasons for the months of January and July for the year 2000 (during the north‐east and south‐west monsoon respectively), are compared with similar maps of TRMM–precipitation radar of monthly rainfall accumulations, showing most of the regional and global tropical features delineated.


The theses proposed in this article are intended neither as progress report nor as agonised re-appraisal, but as a generally optimistic sketch of possible future developments. They are unashamedly polemical; if they also appear dogmatic, it is only as a consequence of brevity, for dogmatism, together with restrictive inhibitions, is the principal target of the polemic. In general, they attempt to steer a course mid-way between philosophical considerations of the nature and purpose of literary studies on the one hand, and prac tical problems of detailed curricular organisation on the other; it is assumed that there is a broad measure of agreement on the former, but uncertainty and dispute concerning the modalities by which they are translated into the latter. If, in the context of a celebration of the organised study of 'modern languages' in the university, only literary studies are dis cussed here, it is not with any intention of identifying the two; in deed, the principal occasion for the discussion is the conviction that the time is ripe for reconsideration of the relationship between them. Dissatisfaction with the generally literary character of courses offered by modern language departments is widespread, and modifications designed to broaden their scope by the inclusion of more thorough and explicit consideration of history and of present-day cultural and political life have become sufficiently common to excite little comment. Such developments are no doubt to be welcomed; it is abundantly clearthat many students in modern languages have in effect been ensnared by the ambiguity of 'French', 'German' and so on as subject-designations in school and university into a specialised study of literature from which they profit little. The opposite side of the coin has, however, been less frequently observed; that is, that for those whose commitment to


Linear programming is an important tool for system optimization and modelling. This paper presents a recurrent neural network with a time-varying threshold vector for solving linear programming problems. The proposed recurrent neural network is proven to be asymptotically stable in the large and capable of generating optimal solutions to linear programming problems. An op-amp based analog circuit design for realizing the recurrent neural network is described. The asymptotic properties of the proposed recurrent neural network for linear programming are analyzed. A detailed example is also presented to demonstrate the performance and operating characteristics of the recurrent neural network. >


Lower-level officials often engage in clientelistic relations with the upper-level government. The nature of these relations might be determined by institutional factors such as how the lower-level officials come into their position. This paper specifically highlights the different political incentives that elected versus appointed lower-level officials have for becoming political intermediaries for the upper-level government, and it investigates empirically how these differing incentives bring electoral consequences. Upon exploiting a natural experiment in Indonesia, the study found that the elected village headmen have stronger incentives to support the incumbent mayor than the appointed village headmen do. The results suggest that while civil service reforms might weaken the bureaucratic clientelism, the pre-existing patronclient relations that are deeply embedded in the society are immersed in local political competitions; thus, this practice challenges political consolidation in the young democracy.


sis: the BELIEVE study. Br J Dermatol 2010; 163:402–11. 3 Langley RG, Strober BE, Gu Y et al. Benefit-risk assessment of tumour necrosis factor antagonists in the treatment of psoriasis. Br J Dermatol 2010; 162:1349–58. 4 Thurber M, Feasel A, Stroehlein J et al. Pustular psoriasis induced by infliximab. J Drugs Dermatol 2004; 3:439–40. 5 Sfikakis PP, Iliopoulos A, Elezoglou A et al. Psoriasis induced by anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy: a paradoxical adverse reaction. Arthritis Rheum 2005; 52:2513–18. 6 Iborra M, Beltrán B, Bastida G et al. Infliximab and adalimumabinduced psoriasis in Crohn's disease: a paradoxical side effect. J Crohns Colitis 2011; 5:157–61. 7 Bocquet H, Bagot M, Roujeau JC. Drug-induced pseudolymphoma and drug hypersensitivity syndrome (drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms: DRESS). Semin Cutan Med Surg 1996; 15:250–7. 8 Pathak P, McLachlan RS. Drug-induced pseudolymphoma secondary to lamotrigine. Neurology 1998; 50:1509–10. 9 Nathan DL, Belsito DV. Carbamazepine-induced pseudolymphoma with CD-30 positive cells. J Am Acad Dermatol 1998; 38:806–9. 10 Guis S, Schiano de Colella JM, Bonnet N et al. Cutaneous pseudolymphoma associated with a TNF-alpha inhibitor treatment: etanercept. Eur J Dermatol 2008; 18:474–6.


Abstract Disclosure: G. Schang: Employee; Self; 35Pharma Inc. M. Poujol de Molliens: Employee; Self; 35Pharma Inc. E. Brûlé: Employee; Self; 35Pharma Inc. C. Chauvet: Employee; Self; 35Pharma Inc. J. Denis: Employee; Self; 35Pharma Inc. A. Sours: Employee; Self; 35Pharma Inc. V. Ganesh: Employee; Self; 35Pharma Inc. G. Tremblay: Employee; Self; 35Pharma Inc. J. Schoelermann: Employee; Self; 35Pharma Inc. M. O'Connor-McCourt: Employee; Self; 35Pharma Inc. Introduction: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) remains one of the largest unmet medical needs in cardiovascular medicine. Eighty percent of HFpEF patients are obese, and adiposity is associated with increased HF-related hospitalization. Lean mass, conversely, is a major driver of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in HFpEF, with greater CRF being a predictor of more favourable survival. Therefore, improvement of body composition in addition to cardiac parameters is a desirable treatment goal for novel HFpEF agents. Activins and growth differentiation factors (GDFs) have been validated preclinical and clinically as targets driving the pathophysiology of cardiopulmonary diseases as well as controlling body composition and metabolism. While previous activin targeting agents have shown therapeutic promise in clinical trials, full pathway inhibition remains unachieved. HS135 is an activin receptor ectodomain-based (ActRII) Fc-fusion protein, rationally designed to achieve best-in-class potency against activins and GDFs, without dose-limiting effects that would impede achieving full activity. We have previously demonstrated that HS135 achieves best-in-class in vivo target engagement and induces positive effects on lean body mass and muscle metabolism. Here we sought to assess the combined effect of HS135 on cardiac efficacy and body composition in an obesogenic model of HFpEF. HS135 was also explored in combination with empagliflozin, a recently approved SGLT2 inhibitor in HFpEF which, though effective at reducing HF-related hospitalization, has minimal effect on body composition in patients. Methods: The ability of HS135 to improve heart function was assessed using a validated HFpEF rodent model. Mice were fed a high-fat diet in conjunction with water containing L-NAME for a period of 5 weeks. The mice were then treated with HS135 (5 or 25 mg/kg, twice weekly), empagliflozin (10 mg/kg daily), or a combination of both over 3 weeks. The efficacy of HS135 and empagliflozin was assessed at the end of study by echocardiography, hemodynamics, histological assessments, and biomarker readouts. Results: Animals treated with HS135, empagliflozin, or both, displayed improvements in HF-related readouts. Specifically, test agents significantly decreased heart hypertrophy and lung congestion, and improved cardiac diastolic function and exercise tolerance. Notably, HS135 alone and in combination with empagliflozin significantly increased lean body mass while decreasing fat mass. Conclusion: Potent and selective inhibition of activins and GDFs represents a novel treatment strategy in HFpEF targeting both cardiac effects as well as improvement in body composition in this largely obese patient population. Collectively, these data support the development of HS135 as a novel agent in cardiometabolic and cardiopulmonary diseases, including heart failure. Presentation: Friday, June 16, 2023


12 science education and civic engagement 5:1 winter 2013 Abstract Background: Recommendations from leading U.S. health agencies concerned with reducing childhood obesity call for increased physical activity during school and afterschool environments. Methods: We developed the Active Science curriculum, which is a variety of activity-based lessons (e.g., nature hike, dance class, walk at local park, treadmill at local YMCA) and incorporated them into traditional science classes and after school programs for middle school children in a low-income, ethnically diverse community. Following the activity experiments, students and teachers uploaded data from devices to an interactive website that provided inquiry-based exploratory learning of science content. Results: Physical activity results showed that the activity portion of the program were consistent with national recommendations for accumulating physical activity. Significant increases in science inquiry test scores from preto post were observed. Conclusions: The findings from this study suggest incorporating movement into traditional science curriculum helps to promote physical activity and academic performance in underprivileged middle school-age students


The population,habitat and food status of otter in three main rivers in Changbai Mountain Nature Reserve were monitored from 1980 to 2010 with the methods of field route survey(investigating along river bank) and fixed spot investigation;The population of otter in 18 rivers and habitat(non frozen river surface) in 8 rivers in winters were investigated from 2006 to 2008;fixed spot investigation in Toudaobaihe was carried in May to July in 2004-2010.The results indicated that the population of otter had been decreased significantly in Changbai Mountain Nature Reserve and surrounding rivers since 1990,and was decreased 99.3 percent in 2010 compared to 1975.There were no otter found in 2006-2008 winter and in May to July in 2004-2010,which indicated that otter regional disappear in Changbai Mountain area.The population variety of otter was significantly correlated to aquatic biomass variety(n=8,r=0.977,P0.01).Because of several negative influences of human activities,such as overfishing,pesticide utilizing,dam construction,etc,leading to food shortage,the population of otter decreased dramatically and even locally depopulation occured.Especially,river pollution resulting from excessively using insecticide and herbicide may be the key factor for the population decrease of otter.The habitat(non frozen river surface) of otter was decreased due to human disturbance year by year,which influenced the feeding of otter to a certain extent.


In this article we are interested in the difficult problem of relating the large time behaviour of the Navier–Stokes equations to the large time behaviour of their Galerkin approximation. We restrict ourselves to the simplest situation dealing with stationary solutions and the question is the following one; if the computed approximation of the time dependent equations "seems to converge" to some limit as $t \to \infty $, is the same true for the exact problem and are the limits related? We give here some sufficient conditions (reasonably easy to verify) which guarantee a positive answer to this question.


Privacy is a critical challenge for the mobile application ecosystem. US policy approaches to mobile data protection rely on privacy by design: encouraging developers to proactively implement privacy features to protect sensitive data. But we know little about how application developers define privacy, how they decide to implement privacy features, and what motivates them to consider privacy as a primary design value. This project investigates the discussion of privacy as a professional practice within a community of mobile application developers. Analyzing posts on an iOS forum reveals that privacy is a frequent topic of conversation in this community. This paper describes how iOS developers define and legitimate privacy, and reveals a challenge: iOS developers rely heavily on a definition of privacy provided by Apple which does not reflect current empirical or theoretical understandings of how users understand privacy. Understanding this challenge can help us shape better guidelines for privacy by design, and broach challenges to the widespread adoption of privacy by design principles.


Tongguan-to-Sanmenxia Dam river reach is situated in the middle course of Yellow River and it occupies an important place in the river regulation of Yellow River.The banks of the reservoir and river are intensely caved after the completion of Sanmenxia Reservoir.A series of protection works has been built in both banks of the river section,which is successful.The existent problems are analyzed in the caving banks and harnessing works and the external restriction conditions at present situation for Tongguan-to-Sanmenxia Dam river reach,and the harnessing principles and measures are put forward.


Abstract This study clarifies the relationship between internal lean practices (ILP) and sustainable performance using the triple bottom line framework (i.e. social, environmental and operational). A conceptual model grounded in the natural resource-based view and resource orchestration theory is empirically tested using data collected from manufacturing companies in Chile. The survey data are analysed using structural equation modelling. The results reveal that ILP is significantly and positively associated with environmental performance and social performance. Further, social performance was found to fully mediate the relationship between ILP and operational performance, and partially mediate the effect of ILP on environmental performance.


We consider the problem of ground filtering of LiDAR point cloud by utilizing geometric properties of the scene area. We propose a new approach for detecting man-made object edges from the elevation profile using a novel angle filtering method. This method analyzes neighbors from two nearby tiers, which alleviates the need for multiple gradient calculations from different directions. A subsequent connected component and convex– hull analysis separate all planar surfaces from the detected edges. These separated planar surfaces provide information about objects' geometry. All objects are separately analyzed to reduce the error around the border region, which is prominent in several existing ground filtering algorithms. Experimental results are shown for a complex urban scene, where complicated building structure is present.


Abstract Study design Experimental design. Objective To determine test-retest reliability across sessions of the thoracolumbar multisegmental motor responses (MMR) in the upper and lower limbs of healthy subjects. Test-retest reliability of MMR has not been established or examined in previous studies. Settings Neuro Laboratory of the Texas Woman's University (School of Physical Therapy, Houston, TX, USA). Methods The MMR of 15 healthy subjects were tested over two sessions. T11–12 vertebral segments were electrically stimulated using surface electrodes. MMR signals of the upper and lower limbs were recorded, using surface electrodes, from the upper extremity muscles (abductor pollicis brevis, flexor carpi radialis, biceps brachii, triceps brachii), and from the lower extremity muscles (vastus medialis obliqus, medial hamstring, soleus, tibialis anterior). The peak-to-peak maximum amplitude and deflection latency were the dependent parameters. Data from the first session was compared with a second session (on a different day), using interclass correlation coefficient (ICC), to evaluate the reliability across sessions. In addition, data from the right limbs were compared with the left limbs. Results MMR of the right and left, upper and lower extremities were comparable between limbs in all subjects. Further, signals were highly correlated between days of testing (ICC = 0.58–0.99) and was not statistically different between the two sessions in the same subject. Conclusion These results indicate that MMR studies could be useful for serial testing of patients with neurological disorders, such as spinal cord injuries and diseases.


This paper is a confrontation of the statements made by eminent Polish Professor of Law, Adam Strzembosz, in the interview published in the form of a book Między prawem i sprawiedliwością, with the views presented in the legal, historical, and sociological literature. I describe the ways judicial independence was limited in Communist Poland, and the strategies judges undertook to counteract that phenomenon. Special emphasis is put on the attitude of the "Solidarity" movement towards this problem and the judge's behavior under Martial Law. In conclusion, I try to prove that the post-totalitarian trauma in Polish judiciary provoked an "over-sensitivity" in regard to the judicial independence.


A novel locating vehicle license plate (VLP) method is proposed in this paper. Firstly, preprocessing is used on the license image. Then a series of morphological operations are used to extract important contrast features to find out all license plates candidates. As a result of the noise, more than one candidate will be extracted after the morphological operations, so the auto -correlation based verification method is applied. Experimental results show that the proposed method is very robust and effective for locating vehicle plate.


a. Department of Neuroscience and INFM Research Unit, 10125 Torino, Italy. b. Present address: Department of Pharmacology, U.A.M., Madrid, Spain. In rat chromaffin cells (RCCs), L-channels carry ~50% of the total Ca current and are effectively inhibited by the neurotransmitters released by their own secretory granules. This inhibition is membrane-delimited and mediated by G protein-coupled receptors co-localized with L-channels in membrane microdomains. The inhibition is reversed when intracellular cAMP is raised or after exposure to isoprenaline (b-AR-stimulation), suggesting the existence of parallel and opposite effects on L-channel gating by distinctly activated membrane autoreceptors. Rising intracellular cAMP by either applying the membrane permeable analogue pCPT-cAMP or through b-AR stimulation induces multiple effects on RCCs: i) a 20% increase of L-currents, ii) a 100% potentiation of the depolarizationevoked secretion occurring downstream of Ca-entry and iii) a slow recruitment of T-type channels following long-term exposures of permeable cAMP or isoprenaline. This multiform action of pCPTcAMP appears to nicely counterbalance the inhibitory effect on Lchannels and argues in favor of an effective increase of catecholamine secretion and cell excitability under conditions of sustained cell stimulation with minor increases of intracellular Ca.


We introduce a new statistic on linear and circular $r$-mino arrangements which leads to interesting polynomial generalizations of the $r$-Fibonacci and $r$-Lucas sequences. By studying special values of these polynomials, we derive periodicity and parity theorems for this statistic.


The invention discloses an active and passive ankle joint combination training rehabilitation system. Pneumatic muscles are taken as power drive units, the three pneumatic muscles are uniformly distributed between a moving platform and a fixed platform in the circumferential direction, the pneumatic muscles when shortest are as long as a support rod, and the lower end of the support rod is fixed on the fixed platform while the upper end of the same is connected with the moving platform via a spherical hinge. The moving platform can rotate by controlling one single or multiple pneumatic muscles to be inflated or deflated according to a certain rule. Ankle joints of a person can be subjected to passive rehabilitation training by binding legs of the person on the moving platform with bands. Since the pneumatic muscles have good flexibility, when the pneumatic muscles are not inflated, the ankle joints of the person can drive the moving platform to move so as to perform active rehabilitation training of the ankle joints. The active and passive ankle joint combination training rehabilitation system has the advantages of compact structure, cleanliness and good anti-explosion performance, thereby being applicable to ankle joint rehabilitation training.


Without complicating the manufacturing process, to prevent damage to the reflective layer in a manufacturing process, which provides the exposure process when the reflective layer surface reflective photomask and a method of manufacturing the same capable of preventing contamination of the no decrease in reflectivity at the same time. Reflective photomask of the present invention is silicon, the the glass substrate or the like, and the molybdenum and silicon are laminated to each other multi-layer film formed on the substrate layer and formed in a predetermined pattern capable of absorbing EUV line formed in the reflective layer and having a capping layer of ruthenium or the like formed on the entire surface of the substrate is the absorber pattern and the absorber pattern is formed of a material such as tantalum nitride.


The present invention discloses a thin film transistor array panel and a manufacturing method thereof. Wherein the shorting bar comprises a gate formed on the film and the gate lines and connecting the gate lines on the substrate. Sequentially forming an insulating layer, a semiconductor and an ohmic contact portion of the gate. And a thin film is formed on the data lines and the data lines connected to data shorting bar includes on its lower. Forming a passivation layer on the data lines and the data shorting bar. The passivation layer and the gate insulating layer is patterned to form a contact hole exposing the film gate lines and data lines. Connecting portions of the gate and data lines for connecting the drive circuit with respect to the short-circuit bars opposite the contact hole.


We investigated how various modifications to the KPCN generalizer with the goal of reducing inference and training times affect the denoising quality through an ablation study on the SIDD dataset. Table 1 shows a comparison between the full Robust KPCN that we described in Section 4 and several other configurations where we halve the bandwidths of each layer of the KPCN generalizer, reduce the depth of the KPCN generalizer. Note that all configurations still use 5 specialized U-Net denoisers, which are factored into the reported time measurements. The results show each of these approaches could be viable ways to reduce the inference and training times with modest sacrifices in denoising quality.


Current available refactoring tools, even stand-alone or integrated in development environments, offer a static set of refactoring operations. Users (developers) can run these refactorings on their source codes, but they can not adjust, enhance, evolve them or even increase the refactoring set in a smooth way. Refactoring operations are hand coded using some support libraries. The problem of maintaining or enriching the refactoring tools and their libraries are the same of any kind of software, introducing complexity dealing with refactoring, managing and transforming software elements, etc. On the other hand, available refactoring tools are mainly language dependent, thus the effort to reusing refactoring implementations is enormous, when we change the source code programming language. This paper describes our work on aided refactoring construction and evolution based on declarative definition of refactoring operations. The solution is based on frameworks, XML and reflective programming. Certain language independence is also achieved, easing migration from one programming language to another, and bringing rational support for multilanguage development environments.


One of the assumptions is that ecommerce is global in nature. This contribution discusses this proposition. The question is addressed if the opportunities of e-commerce shouldn't be looked at from a more local, regional or national level. Two case-studies are presented. Although the scope of the two cases is different, the main focus is comparable: embedding of ecommerce within a specific geographical area. The case studies show that a national, and not a global orientation is dominant. The use of Internet for ecommerce, according to both cases, was still rather passive in early 1997. Internet is a showcase for information rather than a mean for on-line purchases. Safe electronic payments standards will not be sufficient to generate e-commerce. Increased awareness of potential benefits and possible solutions should be increased.


(Pritchard 1969: nos. 386, 393). Glyptic and sculptural evidence suggest that, in the second millennium BCE, the adaptation of the Egyptian sphinx with the addition of wings may have originated in Anatolia, rather than Syria (Canby 1975:234). During that period, both male and female sphinxes occurred. In Beach's description of the banquet scene on the wall relief from Ashurbanipal's North Palace at Nineveh (1993:96), she states that "the woman at the window and lions adorn the couch, and winged sphinxes decorate a box on the table between king and lady." Photographs of those carved decorations on the assyrian stone relief, taken by the present writer and reproduced in this article, disclose that the above-quoted description requires modification. The woman at the window motif does not occur on the square panels attached to the king's couch. Rather, each panel shows a pair of personages en face; a column stands between them. The human figures (attendants?) are posed with their right arms lowered and their left arms held across the waist. Below each figural grouping is a row of three columns. The small box (pyxis) set upon the table is decorated not with sphinxes, but with two winged human-headed bulls arranged back-toback. Iconographically, the bovine creature was a prerogative of the Assyrian king and had symbolic significance (Albenda 1986:101-102). It should also be mentioned that the small lions which embellish the royal couch may allude to the efficacy of the Assyrian king, since those animals were the object of the royal hunt (Barnett 1976: pls. VII-XIII, L-LIII).


Materials that Drive Animal Locomotion Stephen A. Wainwright, Department of Zoology, Duke University, Durham, NC All animals are mobile polymeric machines that are actuated by a polymer that shortens forcefully (muscle). Reaction to muscular forces is accomplished by a variety of hierarchical polymeric and polycrystalline mineralized materials. Forces are reacted unidirectionally by tendons of fibrous collagen (protein in vertebrates) and chitin (polysaccharide in arthropods). Internal hydrostatic pressures are reacted by 2-dimensional sheets of polymeric fibers in oriented arrays. Ridged materials (bone, scallop shell, lobster shell, feather) forming the levers that power locomotion are hierarchical arrays of oriented polymers and mineral crystals. Insect flight, mammalian running and jumping and swimming of scallops, sharks, and whales depend on elastic energy release of tendons and membranes. Force transmitting junctions between materials are often shear rather than simple tension. Locomotor performance depends on compatibility of materials through hierarchical levels. Hierarchical Structures in Soft Connective Tissues Lessons from Biology Eric Baer, Department of Macromolecular Science, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH Hierarchical structures in biocomposite systems such as in collagenous connective tissue have many scales or levels, have highly specific interactions between these levels, and have the architecture to accommodate a complex spectrum of property requirements. As examples, the hierarchical structure property relationships are described in three soft connective tissues: Tendon, intestine, and invertebral disk. In all instances, we observed numerous levels of organization with highly specific interconnectivity and with unique architectures that are designed to give the required spectrum of properties for each oriented composite system. From these lessons in biology, the laws of complex composite systems for functional macromolecular assemblies are considered. The Making of a Hierarchically Structured Biocomposite: Shell ofMollusks Mehmet Sarikay a, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA The structure of red abalone, Haliotis rufescens (a gastropod), as well as those of Nautilus, Nautilus pompelius (a cephalopod) and pearl oyster, Pinctada margaritifera (a bivalve), is made up of two sections: inner nacreous (mother-if-pearl) and outer prismatic. Two polymorphic forms of CaC03 constitute the inorganic component (each 98% of the overall composite) on the inside, i.e., aragonite (orthorhombic) and on the outside, i.e., calcite (rhombohedral). Each section forms in a unique way into significantly different microarchitectural conformations, but with an overall microstructure which is a functionally gradient composite having hard, outside, and tough, inside, layers, whose room temperature mechanical properties far surpass that of "hightechnology" covalent ceramics. Morphology and crystallography of the shell microstructure are not random, but highly ordered and predictable. For example, in the brick-and-mortar microarchitecture of the nacreous section, the aragonite is in the form of platelets (0.25 jam thick, and 5 um in edge length) that are surrounded by a thin (5-10 nm) organic matrix, which appears to be a molecular-composite of Structural Hierarchy in Materials 13 proteins and polysaccharides. Detailed electron microdiffraction reveals that the aragonite platelets form a multiply-tiled space-filling structure with hierarchical twinning. A model, from this result, gives the organization of possible nucleator proteins that order into a long-range nearhexagonal coincidence-site-lattice within the organic matrix which itself may actually be a pseudo-membrane. Based on this model, crystallography and morphology of the platelets, and the growth of the shell into a spiral macroform can be explained. This is a significant lesson toward engineering complex, but highly-ordered, bioduplicated-synthetic materials microstructures. The central issue in nacre, and in other mineralized tissues, is the question of how organic matrix may control the formation of the inorganic phase and influence its twoand threedimensional order. Intrinsic in this issue is the nature of proteins, or other macromolecules, which may be major factors for the nucleation and growth of the inorganic phase. Our results gives new insight into how this might take place in nacre. It is desirable, therefore, to isolate the macromolecules, characterize them (including their genetic sequence), and to decipher their effect in crystal formation. The knowledge base regarding biomineralization has reached the point where creation of new protein sequences to organize mineralization can be realistically considered. One unique approach may be to mimick the organismal pathway in nacre formation to organize, by self assembly, the membrane-bound proteins that have affinity to specific inorganic crystal surfaces and that are selected via a combinatorial approach, and to use this protein-membrane complex as a substrate to nucleate and to control a directed growth of inorganic particulates and thin films, including iron oxide and calcium carbonate. Elastically Extremal Composites and Structures Robert V. Kohn, Courant Institute, New York University, New York, NY The macroscopic properties of a composite depend in a subtle way on the geometry of the microstructure. Composites with extremal effective behavior are special interest. There are some classical examples ~ for example Hashin's "concentric sphere" microstructure, which produces a composite with extremal bulk modulus. There are also some general techniques for constructing elastically extremal composites ~ particularly in the two-component case, through an algorithm based on the Hashin-Shtrikman variational principle and sequential lamination. It should be emphasized, however, that elastically extremal microstructures can be far from unique. The Vigdergauz microstructure provides an enlightening example. It achieves the same effective bulk modulus as the concentric sphere construction (for mixtures of two isotropic materials in plane elasticity), but it is totally different and much more highly ordered. The optimization of microstructure is just structural optimization on a microscopic length scale. There is an extensive literature on structural optimization, and much numerical work on how to improve or optimize structures. This work has mostly concentrated on macrostructure not microstructure, but the distinction is quite artificial. Recently, extremal composites have been used as a "regularization," and as a tool for "topology optimization." Also, numerical structural optimization has begun to be used at the microstructural length scale, as a tool for identifying new examples of elastically extremal composites. Kelvin Mode Coalescence in Bone and Wood Stephen C. Cowin, The City College of The City University of New York, New York, NY Two natural composites, wood and bone, have special types of orthotropic material symmetry characterized by coalescence of some of their Kelvin modes. Since both of these natural composites are known, in vivo, to have mechanisms by which their microstructure Structural Hierarchy in Materials 14 optimally adapts in time to the mechanical environmental load they experience, it may prove profitable for man-made composite design to understand the physical microstructure that endows these natural composites with these special types of orthotropic material symmetry. The observed Kelvin mode coalescence in natural composite materials raises the possibility that nature has devised a mechanism for minimizing or mitigating the damaging effects of repeated cyclic loading as the mechanical loading on both living bone and trees is cyclic. This presentation will focus on softwood. The hierarchical composite structure of softwood will be reviewed and special mechanical properties of softwood will be highlighted. Structure and Properties of Hierarchical Composites Salvatore Torquato, Department of Civil Engineering and Operations Research, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ The preponderance of studies on composites have focused on those with a single characteristic length scale. Composites with factual structures (i.e., with self-similarity on all length scales) are popular multi-scale models. However, biological materials are hierarchical composites in which the number of levels is neither infinite nor self-similar. I shall briefly review our state of knowledge regarding structure/property relations for single-scale composites. New results for hierarchical composites with finite number of levels will also be presented. Structural Hierarchy in Cellular Solids and in High-loss Viscoelastic Composite Materials Roderic Lakes, Department ofBiomedical Engineering and Center for Laser Science and Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA System Design of Materials Gregory B. Olson, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL A multi-institutional research program focuses on the fundamental principles underlying strength, toughness, and hydrogen resistance, and the integration of these principles within a systems approach as the basis for design of a new class of ultra-high-strength martensitic steels. Based on a combined SANS, TEM, APFIM, STEM investigation of M2C carbide precipitation, computed thermodynamic scaling factors allow control of competing precipitation reactions to achieve efficient strengthening without embrittlement. Substantial toughness enhancement is demonstrated applying martensitic transformation kinetic theory to predict optimal precipitated austenite dispersions for transformation toughening. Quantum electronic calculations explore the basis for design of boundary composition for enhanced cohesion, and novel impurity-gettering compounds demonstrate major im


This paper examines how the extent of industrial firms' connectedness to other firms through board interlocks is associated with their bond yield spreads. We hypothesize that the transmission of more "soft" information about better connected firms would lower information asymmetries of such firms, potentially lowering the perceived riskiness of their bonds. Using bid-ask spread as a measure of information asymmetry and a sample of 5,402 bond-year observations over the 1994-2006 period, we find that greater connectedness is associated with statistically and economically significant lower bond yield spreads, ceteris paribus. Supporting the information flow hypothesis, we find larger benefits from greater connectedness for firms with higher information asymmetries and for firms with more extensive ties to financial firms. Overall, our findings suggest that firms obtain benefits from being better networked in the form of lower borrowing costs.


Objective: To evaluated the safety and effects of intra-atrial thromyolytic therapy on acute cerebral infraction.Methods:30 patients with acute cerebral infraction 6 hours of onset were intraatrially administrated with 300-750 thousands units urokinase within 6 h after onset.Results:21patients were completely recanalized,3 patients were partly recanalized,but 1 patient failed.No obvious abnormality was identified in 5 patients.There are serious complication in two patients,including one with cerebral hemorrhage,and one with gastrointestinal bleeding.Follow up for 6 months showed that 25patients had complete life self-care,1 patient had partial life self-care and 1 patient lost the ability.Conclusions: Intra-artrial thromobolysis was safe and effective for acute cerebral infraction treatment,and it can improve the prognosis.


Effect on the yield, the nitrate content and the main nutritional quality of celery by organic fertilizers applied in the greenhouse was studied. The results indicated that the celery yield increased obviously with the increasing amount of the organic fertilizers, and an increase of 47. 4% than contrast. The content of NO3- -N increased obviously either, but didn't exceed the green vegetable standard (785 mg/kg) . In the view of nutritional quality, it was better to apply the organic N 1 125 kg/hm2. By summing up several factors, the optimum applying rate of organic N should be 1 244. 9 kg/hm2 in greenhouse celery field.


In the interweave cognitive networks, the interference from the primary user degrades the performance of the cognitive user transmissions. In this paper, we propose an adaptive cooperation scheme in the interweave cognitive networks to improve the performance of the cognitive user transmissions. In the proposed scheme for the bidirectional communication of two end-source cognitive users, the bidirectional communication is completed through the non-relay direct transmission, the one-way relaying cooperation transmission, and the two-way relaying cooperation transmission depending on the limited feedback from the end-sources. For the performance analysis of the proposed scheme, we derive the outage probability and the finite-SNR diversity multiplexing tradeoff (f-DMT) in a closed form, considering the imperfect spectrum sensing, the interference from the primary user, and the power allocation between the relay and the end-sources. The results show that compared with the direct transmissions (DT), the pure one-way relaying transmissions (POWRT), and the pure two-way relaying transmissions (PTWRT), the proposed scheme has better outage performance. In terms of the f-DMT, the proposed scheme outperforms the full cooperation transmissions of the POWRT and PTWRT.


Padlet can be used as a platform to collaborate in collecting ideas, brainstorming, and more. Students will be able to access it for free, no matter what device they have. Padlet is used in this research as a tool in learning L2 Grammar as it is in line with the Malaysian education blueprint whereby there is the need of leveraging ICT to scale up quality learning across Malaysia in shift 7. This study explores the impact of Padlet in learning L2 grammar among primary ESL students and it aims to study the students' perceptions of using Padlet in learning L2 grammar and it consists of observation, document analysis, pre-post tests and semi structured interviews collected from 24 respondents and 2 teachers. The data were analysed using SPSS and thematic analysis. The findings suggest that when students use learning software such as Padlet, they achieve better understanding of L2 Grammar because Padlet highly motivates them to connect the use of technology with the contents of the lesson. Moreover, they are able to trace their grammar acquisition by doing their self-assessment from the activities and material provided by the teacher during every lesson.


An overview of various application forms of CAD in architecture is given,the problems existing presently in the utilization of CAD in architectural design are analyzed,and the reasons discussed.Based on the analysis of the present utilization circumstances of computer in the architectural design,the future of computer aided architectural design(CAAD) is described,and several essential conditions for the further development of CAAD are pointed out.


A surface motor (SFM) that enables bidirectional motion using only one motor has been proposed. Considering the difficulty of obtaining a three-dimensional finite-element method usable for the SFM, the authors set up a method of analysis that is an approximate three-dimensional analysis. For the approximation, the authors corrected the distributions of magnetic field, and then checked for coincidence. As a result, the measured and analytical values of static thrust were almost the same, thus confirming the establishment of an analytical method. >


The focus for my senior project is to empathize, define and ideate an app design called Kutz, a barbering software app that allows for users to search, review, and book appointments with ease. This app will represent a unique target audience of college students that want a more efficient way of booking haircut appointments in nearby locations. Throughout the quarter, I documented the steps and design process to ensure a successful app design.


This industry (SIC 3261) includes establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing china plumbing fixtures and china and earthenware fitting and bathroom accessories. The number of companies in the industry, their production and geographic distribution are described. The energy consumption by each segment in the industry in 1972 and 1974 is presented. The technical feasibility of various energy conservation options for the industry, and the cost of such conservation options are discussed in detail. (LCL)


The invention relates to pellets for making hot drinks leach, especially coffee. It also relates to the preparation process for making the so-called pellets.


Abstract : Over the past 20 years, the United States military has had difficulty gaining access to land while trying to conduct military operations, such as in Operation DESERT STORM and Operation IRAQI FREEDOM (OIF). Events such as these have caused today's military to seek a viable solution to ensure successful operational maneuver from the sea (OMFTS) and over-the-horizon (OTH) actions. In the future, friendly nations possibly could deny U.S. military forces land basing or transit due to their own sovereign interests. The U.S. military sees the solution to this problem as the concept of sea basing. However, despite influential and significant support from military's top officials, sea basing is not currently a viable concept because it creates a large center of gravity, creates an easy target for maritime terrorism, lacks current support requirements, and faces the scrutiny of current budget issues.


To probe into the present learning situation and the influencing factors in university students' self-study against the background of lifelong education,this article conducts a questionnaire survey to the junior college students,undergraduates and postgraduates of Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine,with its self-edited questionnaire.It tries to conduct an empirical study of the present situation and the influencing factors in university students' self-study through the construction of ordered probability model for university students' self-study.The results are:obvious influencing factors include being the only child,the interest in the specialty,the motivation of mastering"double bases",regular life,wellplanned study and self-confidence;non-obvious influencing factors include sex,eduction of the parents,grade,family income,and expectation from the parents;slight influencing factors include learning environment and sociability.Thus the article puts forward the following suggestions:to actively train university students' awareness of self-study and to cultivate their interest in the specialty;to attach importance to the training of basic knowledge and basic abilities,esp.,the basic knowledge and abilities of specialty;to guide students in forming the habits of regular life and planned learning;to strengthen the training of students' sense of competence and self-confidence.


We are currently engaged in an exercise of power dynamics that we find a lack of connection between citizens and political parties, citizens and politicians, citizens and government, citizensand state. This may be due to distance and lack of continuityemerging social demands. Also due to the lack of legitimacy ofdemocratic political system and the Political Party Systemincreasingly weak. Electoral political participation is crucial to analyze why elections are competitive or not and the reasons that influence theelectorate to participate politically in elections. Therefore we consider this research relevant electoral politicsparticipation in Latin America and Mexico to propose a strategy that achieves analysis hologrammatic combat voter turnout,political disaffection and lack of trust in political institutions.


Classical conditioning of Hermissenda, involving paired light‐rotation events, results in a 30–35% decrease in the levels of a 20‐kDa G protein (cp20). To test whether a similar protein exists in vertebrates, rabbits were trained to associate a tone with periorbital electrical stimulation and g proteins were analyzed by photoaffinity labeling with [œ‐32P]GTP‐azidoanilide. A 20‐kDa G protein similar to cp20 decreased by 36% in the hippocampus of rabbits subjected to paired tone and electrical stimulation, but not in unpaired controls. Learning‐specific decreases were also found in the amount of ras protein.


Level control is a significant parameter in industries like chemical plants,nuclear reactors and even for various biomedical applications. Sliding Mode Controller(SMC) which belongs to the class of Variable Structure System(VSS) can be used to accurately control the level compared to conventional ones especially PID controller .A single cylindrical tank system is first modeled in real time using Process Reaction Curve method. For this the system is put in manual mode and operated using UT35 controller module. The Sliding Mode Controller for this system is then designed by First Order Plus Delay Time (FOPDT) approximation. The step responses of the system for SMC and PID controllers are obtained using SIMULINK and the results are compared Keywords—SMC; PID; VSS; FOPDT


Aiming at the problem of how to quickly identify the types of quality defects in the quality control of mechanical products in the manufacturing process, a quality defect identification method in the manufacturing process based on variable precision rough set and deep belief network is proposed. The variable precision rough set is used to reduce the dimension of quality characteristics influencing factor data, and the quality defect recognition model is established combined with the deep belief network algorithm to classify the quality defects of the quality problems in the manufacturing process of mechanical products. Finally, the feasibility and effectiveness of the model are verified by an example of crankshaft machining.


Cyproheptadine has been compared with a multi‐B vitamin preparation in its effects on appetite stimulation, weight gain and linear growth in a group of small children. During a three‐month course of cyproheptadine, weight gain was 559% of normal and linear growth 215% of normal, both being significantly greater than the corresponding changes seen in children given a multi‐B vitamin preparation. The effect of cyproheptadine on appetite stimulation and possible mechanisms of action are discussed.


Abstract : This is the final report of the Interoperable Global Information Services Research Program. The project was tasked with investigating Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) technology and its impact on the U.S. Army Information Systems Command (ICS). The project was broken down into three major subtasks; 1) an engineering survey and technology forecast (reported on in a previous deliverable AIRMICS); 2) the conduct of a video workshop to gather opinions of experts on the issues associated with the transition to ISDN; and 3) a set of recommendations for facilitating the Army's transition. Due to the significant progress in digital communications technology and the increasing demands by users for improved data, voice and image transmission, as well as the demands for reduced costs of communications, providers have proposed a network technology called the integrated Services Digital Network. (ISDN). ISDN as currently envisaged integrates the three transmission needs and provides value added services to users of these media. This results in an apparent single network for all communications requirements. In addition to the integrated services, ISDN attempts to maximize the use of existing plant of the user's facilities.


The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of case teaching on running sport management curriculum.On two separate academic year,295 students completed a time-trial teaching of sport management curriculum.At the end of each semester,students completed questionnaires assessing relevant attitude and satisfaction on teaching method.Several profiles were observed that students wish the cases more practicability and in time as well as grouping fairly.Although their effects might not result in actual teaching policy changes,they might result in changes in teaching perceptions and attitudes.


Hurricane Elena, following an erratic and difficult-to-forecast course along an unusually large section of the Gulf Coast, posed special problems from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Sarasota, Florida, well before it came ashore on September 2, 1985. Considerable wind damage occurred in this area to structures that were ostensibly designed to resist such extreme wind conditions. Because similar design conditions and building control procedures exist along other U.S. hurricane-prone coasts, the conclusions drawn in this detailed book catalog the structural damage caused by the hurricane and emergency response actions, establish the wind conditions of the storm, review in-depth the building control process used in the area, and conduct necessary structural and wind tunnel tests relevant to a large number of communities along the coastal areas.


Unlike the recycling of particleboards, the recycling of medium-density fiberboards (MDF) is not a widespread industrial practice, and currently, most waste MDF panels are landfilled or incinerated after the end of their life cycle. Therefore, it is of great importance to develop cost-effective methods for MDF recycling. The extraction of resins used for bonding the panels, mostly urea–formaldehyde (UF) resins, is carried out mainly with hydrolysis. Hydrothermal hydrolysis is a more environmentally friendly and cheaper recycling technique compared to acid hydrolysis and allows obtaining a high yield of recycled fibers. The aim of this research work was to investigate and evaluate the effect of hydrolysis regime applied on its efficiency and on the properties of the recycled MDF fibers. For this purpose, thermal hydrolysis was carried out in an autoclave with saturated steam as a heat carrier. The main novelty of the research is the preliminary preparation of the recyclable MDF in samples with dimensions close to those of pulp chips. The effect of hydrolysis regime characteristics, i.e., process time and temperature on the properties of recycled MDF wood fibers, was studied. The hydrolysis temperatures used were 121 °C (saturated steam pressure of 0.2 MPa) and 134 °C (saturated steam pressure of 0.3 MPa); for each temperature, three durations were applied—30, 45, and 60 min. After hydrolysis, the resulting fiber fraction was refined using a hammer mill. The fractional and elemental composition of the recycled fibers obtained were evaluated. The hemicellulose content after each hydrolysis treatment was also determined. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) was defined as an indicator of wastewater contamination and as an indirect indicator of the quantitative yield of the process. The results revealed no significant changes in the elemental composition of the recycled fibers, and the hydrolysis regimes used showed no decrease in pentosan content. The recycled MDF fibers exhibited similar fiber morphology and fractional composition, being shorter than fibers from industrial pulp. The increased temperature and time of hydrolysis resulted in a significant increase in COD values. Based on the obtained results, with a view to the slightest contamination of wastewater (as determined by COD), the most promising hydrolysis regime was at a temperature of 121 °C and a time of 30 min. It should be emphasized that for a confirmation of this statement, the properties of MDF panels fabricated with fibers recycled in different regimes should be subsequently investigated.


This study highlights the utilization of nano-particle fluids as the refrigerants in the conventional vapour compression based thermal systems due to their super improvement in thermo-physical properties together with heat transfer capacity to enhance performance of the system described by its COP and reliability of refrigeration system. Further, demanding situations of performance enhancement of system the usage of nano additive refrigerants had been presented. Lubricant oil is described as the important part inside the complete refrigeration system, typically for the operation characteristic of the compressor. Presently, a collection of research goes on inside the area of the nanoparticles like metals, carbon nanotubes or carbides and many more. Nano-lubricants are somewhat different form of nano-fluids that can be types of nanoparticles, lubricants are identified as typical agents in the fields of refrigeration. This paper is representing the utility of nanoparticles balanced in lubricating oils of refrigerating structures. The purpose of this research is to look at and locate what kind of lubricant oil works higher with nanoparticles in refrigeration. From the assessment of literature, it's been found that nanoparticles blended with mineral oil offer improved performance than polyester oil.


Abstract : The pamphlet examines in detail the basic characteristics of stainless steels, which are being used to an increasing extent in the production of ships' propellers of the highest and the normal classes; presents comparative data relative to operational durability of stainless steel propellers and of those made of cast iron, carbon steel and colored metal alloys.


In the title compound, [CuHgBr4(C10H8N2)2], the CuII atom is coordinated by four N atoms of two bidentate 2,2′-bipyridine ligands and one Br atom of a tetrabromidomercurate anion in a distorted trigonal–bipyramidal geometry. The Br atom occupies an equatorial position and bridges the CuII and Hg atoms, with Hg—Br distances of 2.7503 (15) A, longer by more than 0.15 A than the terminal Hg—Br bonds. Weak π–π interactions between symmetry-related pyridine rings stabilize the packing; the shortest C—C distance between two parallel aromatic rings of bipy ligands is 3.491 (9) A.


This paper studies the performance of dynamic bandwidth allocation (DBA) algorithms, with quality of service (QoS) support, appropriate to be used in a super Ethernet passive optical network (Super-EPON). By using an amplified double-fiber ring structure, the network architecture provides protection to the feeder section of the E-PONs. The behavior, in both service and protection states, of the medium access control (MAC) scheduling algorithms is evaluated in terms of mean/maximum packet delays, mean bit rate per optical network unit (ONU), time-slot occupation efficiency, and mean cycle duration.


The Jinhu Depression of the North Jiangsu-South Yellow Sea Basin in eastern China was considered to be a suitable habitat for the formation of "immature oil". This study characterized the detailed chemical compositions of crude oils and the potential source rock extracts in the Jinhu Depression in order to understand their genetic relationship. The oil samples were collected from the major producing fields in the Western Slope and the Biandong-Yangjiaba-Minqiao uplift belt. The source rock samples were selected after Rock-Eval pyrolysis screening of a large suite of samples and consist of shales in the Paleocene Funing Formation from the oilfield areas and the Sanhe sag all within the Jinhu Depression.


Monolayers of third-generation amphiphilic poly(amido amine) (PAMAM) dendrimer were prepared at the air/water interface and then were successfully transferred onto silicon wafers by a horizontal lifting method. A comprehensive characterization of the PAMAM monolayers was made, structurally and dynamically, by scanning force microscopy in conjunction with X-ray reflectivity and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The PAMAM molecules sit on the substrate with an oblate shape, in which hydrophilic core and hydrophobic alkyl end groups were toward substrate and air sides, respectively. In the PAMAM monolayers, distinct three, αa-, αH2O- and δ-, relaxation processes were observed on lateral force−temperature curves. They were assigned to segmental motion, plasticized segmental motion by residual water molecules, and a local mode relaxation, respectively.


The goal of this research was to evaluate the efficacy of a novel rechargeable non-leaching polycationic N-halamine coating applied to stainless steel (STEEL) food contact surfaces to reduce Listeria monocytogenes contamination on ready-to-eat (RTE) foods. For this purpose, four L. monocytogenes strains were inoculated onto the charged (C; chlorine-activated) or uncharged (NC) N-halamine coated STEEL coupon surfaces (intact vs. scratched). After inoculation, test surfaces were incubated under different temperatures (2, 10, and 25°C) for different exposure times (0, 48, and 72 h). L. monocytogenes transfer from coated adulterated surfaces to ready to eat meat (beef sausages and roast beef) was also tested at 2 °C. Results showed that both intact-C and scratched-C coated surfaces showed significant reductions at any temperature; however, in presence of organic material, they were more effective in reducing L. monocytogenes at 2 °C and 10 °C than at 25 °C (p < 0.05). In contrast, INTACT-NC and SCRATCHED-NC increased their reduction capability at 25 °C (p < 0.05) decreasing the magnitude of difference of L. monocytogenes reduction with INTACT-C and SCRATCHED-C at the same temperature. Overall, higher L. monocytogenes reduction was observed for INTACT-C and SCRATCHED-C (≈ 4.1 ± 0.19 log CFU/cm2) than INTACT-NC and SCRATCHED-NC (≈ 2.3 ± 0.19 log CFU/cm2) at any temperature (p < 0.05). Additionally, the combination of the surface condition and chlorine presence on the N-halamine coating exposed for 2 h at 2 °C in presence of organic load (50 % meat purge) did not significantly affect the coating bactericidal efficacy. Regarding L. monocytogenes transfer to RTE meat, an overall reduction of ≈ 3.7 logs CFU/g was observed in sausages and roast beef. These findings suggest that a novel rechargeable N-halamine coating on STEEL surfaces has considerable potential to inactivate L. monocytogenes.


Delay-Tolerant network (DTN) is a network in which no simultaneous end-to-end path exists. And the messages delivered in the DTN usually have large delivery latency due to network partition. These special characteristics make DTN routing a challenging problem. In this paper, we propose a DTN routing protocol SMART. SMART uses travel companions of the destinations (i.e. nodes that frequently meet the destination) to increase the delivery opportunities. In the first phase of SMART, a fixed number of copies of a message are injected into the network to forward the message to the companions of the destination. In the second phase of SMART, a companion of the destination only forwards the message to a fixed number of the destination's companions. Our analysis and simulation results show that SMART has a higher delivery ratio and smaller delivery latency than opportunistically controlled-flooding schemes and has a significantly smaller routing overhead than pure flooding schemes.


The copper and aluminum terminal connector equipment has been widely used in power transmission transformation lines,at present,copper and aluminum terminal connector production process mainly finished by the copper and aluminum sheet metal bar or through the flash welding,friction welding or the completion of several processes,procedures and more complicated,low productivity,large amount of raw materials.Particularly,the amount of copper more than one of the most prominent problem was not firmly welded,which was prone to breakage,and we will make copper and aluminum welding terminal connector further improves,where copper and aluminum equipment focused on explosive welding clamp application and advantages and disadvantages.Taking friction welding SLG-4A bulk and bulk explosive welding SLGB-4A for example,forming and welding of materials were improved,different processes were analyzed and compared,so that improved technology can increase the weld strength,production efficiency and conservation of raw materials.


We report a case of a solitary fibrous tumor of the oropharynx and the retromolar area among a 26 years old female patient who was referred with a large mass in the oropharynx causing dysphagia and nocturnal dyspnea. Physical examination, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Carotid Angiography, and Fine Needle Aspiration revealed the presence of a highly vascular solid multilocular mass of the oropharynx. Multiple aspirations revealed pure blood aspirate with no cellular components to reach a preliminary diagnosis, it was decided to embolize and reomove the lesion to be submitted as an excisional biopsy.


Signs of impending labour consist of transient contractions lasting for a few hours; they do not always signify the start of true labour.


The aim of this report is to discuss the use of multi sensor data fusion for mobile robot navigation Smart sensory systems are crucial for successful autonomous systems We will only give a short review of existing techniques since there exist several recent thorough books and review paper on this subject Instead we will focus on the main results limitations and open problems with relevance to the intelligent service robot project at the Centre of Autonomous Systems CAS at KTH We will also describe the on going experimental work on the NOMAD platform on local navigation using ultra sonar and infra red range sensors We will conclude by discussing some possible future extensions of the project


The utility model provides a sheath bracket of a flat plate electronic device, which comprises a first support part and a second support part, wherein the first support part comprises a first connecting end and a first support end which are opposite to each other; and the second support part comprises a second connecting end and a second support end which are opposite to each other, as well as a plurality of clamping grooves which are parallel to one another. When the sheath bracket is used as a sheath, the first connecting end is clamped with the connecting end; and when the sheath bracket is used as a bracket, the first connecting end is clamped with one of the clamping grooves. The sheath bracket of the flat plate electronic device can be applied to panel computers, personal mobile assistants, intelligent type mobile phones, e-books and other panel electronic devices and used as a sheath as well as a bracket, and can protect the flat plate electronic device when not in use and achieve supporting and positioning effects when the flat plate electronic device is used for a long time. Therefore, the quantity of accessories is reduced.


INTRODUCTION A great deal of evidence points to Group A hemolytic streptococci as being related to the cause of rheumatic fever. 1 This does not explain, however, why only certain children develop the disease after having had streptococcal infections. It is well known that there is a high familial incidence present and that heredity may play a role. In addition, evidence is accumulating to show that the highest incidence of the disease with more serious complications occurs in children whose general health is suboptimal prior to the onset of the disease. Our research, therefore, has been directed toward the host factor, and inasmuch as we have been primarily interested in nutritional and metabolic studies, the problem has been approached from this standpoint. Studies in this clinic have shown that protein metabolism is altered, and the electrophoretic analysis of plasma or serum proteins of patients with rheumatic fever provides a sensitive


A bifurcated vascular prosthesis (100) implanted using a combined laparoscopic/open and endovascular technique for curing aneurysms of the abdominal aorta includes two stents (115,116) on distal arms (111,112) of the prosthesis. A delivery system and surgical kit for the release of the vascular prosthesis includes a pair of balloon release catheters (1), to be inserted within each corresponding stent and to remain adhering thereto throughout the time prior to release until reinflated with an inflating syringe (10), and a pair of balloon guide catheters, each including a dilator and a sheath. A method for implanting the prosthesis is also provided.


The Botany Bay WaterCAST model has been used extensively to estimate flows and pollutant loads to Botany Bay to assess the potential impacts of future land use change and land management practices. Until recently however, the relative impacts of these changes had not be assessed with respect to climate change. This paper describes an extension of this work to investigate the combined hydrological and water quality effects of land use change and climate change for 2030 and 2070 on the Botany Bay region. Climate data used to drive the Botany Bay WaterCAST model was directly scaled on a seasonal basis consistent with available projections for 2030 and 2070 climate change scenarios (CSIRO 2007). Broad scale landuse change data to 2031 was gathered from the NSW Department of Planning (DoP) METRIX Subregional Planning Tool web site. This was then used as the basis to extrapolate landuse change to 2070. Model results show an increase in total flows and pollutant loads for future land use scenarios from baseline conditions without climate change reflecting the relative increases in urban density and resultant directly connected impervious fraction of urban land use. Future land use change results also show increases in medium to high flows in some catchments. This potential impact on low and medium flows may be counteracted in climate change scenarios which show that baseflows are likely to be significantly decreased for nearly all climate change scenarios. No strong climate change signal regarding high flows is apparent. The potential impact of climate change on both the stream hydrology and pollutant exports appears to overshadow the potential impacts of land use change. Climate change scenarios indicate a general drying of the catchment resulting in less runoff and pollutant export.


Datura metel is one of psychoactive substances of great ethno-pharmacological significance often abused because of its unrestricted availability, yet, little is known about its mechanisms of action. This work was therefore aimed at assessing the activity of ethanolic seed extract of D. metel on Nissl substances, astrocytes, axonal and neuronal integrity of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of Wistar rats. Eighteen Wistar rats averaging 175 g were used and randomly assigned to three groups: group A rats (n = 6) were administered extract of 100 mg/kg bw, group B rats (n = 6) received extract of 200 mg/kg bw, and group C-control (n = 6) took distilled water only for 14 days. The results revealed that D. metel is deleterious to the health of Wistar rats at a dose-dependent rate as observed in its actions on the medial prefrontal cortex at 100 mg/kg bw and 200 mg/kg bw. The histological study of the treated Wistar rats exhibited features of disoriented neuronal integrity such as, chromatolysis, reduced protein synthesis due to loss of Nissl substances and nuclei, neuronal loss as well as axonal injuries.


Fabrication of nanocomposites is a highly challenging task because of the particles need to be disseminated across the molten liquid due to broad surface area, poor wettability. Homogeneous dispersion is tough in traditional stirring methods leads to cluster and agglomeration formation in high viscous molten metals. In such attempts, the ultrasonic vibration process exhibits the better dispersion and distribution of nanocomposites with enhanced material properties as compared to other fabrication processes. This paper deals with the fabrication process, probe design and effective process parameters of sonication process to the uniform dispersion of nanoparticles.


The legislatives procedures and norms for law-making are the important elements of good governance. This results with an attempt to examine them from the perspective of Polish Council of Ministers. Such body – as a basic legislator in our political and legal system – keeps putting efforts in improving the legislative procedures. The goals phrased in a governmental programme "Better Regulations 2015" (the Council of Ministers' resolution of 22.01.2013, no. 13/2013) may be pointed out as a good illustration of aforementioned efforts and approach. However, there is still a lot to be done in such area. For these reasons the paper focuses not solely on the range and the degree of the Council of Ministers' involvement in legislative level, but also on some remarks de lege ferenda that may lead to increasing the transparency of the procedures and improving the quality of law.


We present a new approach to optimize subrecoil Raman cooling, based on L\'evy flight statistics. It shows that simple time sequences using square pulses can lead to very efficient cooling. We tested the method in a one-dimensional experiment with cesium atoms and obtained temperatures below 3 nK, less than $\frac{1}{70}$ of the single photon recoil temperature.


In this paper we describe a case study of Universal Design applied to mobile phone physical devices. Using a user-centered design process, we tried to integrate visually-impaired, hearing-impaired and elderly peoples' needs to design mock-ups adapted in terms of usability and design style.


 Thank you, brother. Thank you, Brother Shakarian. And good morning, friends. Certainly good to be here in Los Angeles again this morning, prior this great convention, and the oncoming meeting of this coming week over at the Embassy Hotel. I'm expecting to see you all over there. And we're all under a great expectations to meet our Lord Jesus, to see Him over there. He promised that He would be, "wherever two or three was gathered together," He would be there.


A transmitter and an identification pattern transmission method thereof and a receiver and an identification pattern detection method thereof are provided. The transmitter includes a random sequence generator, a mapper and a resource allocation unit. The identification pattern transmission method includes following steps. A random sequence is generated. The random sequence is mapped to an identification pattern. The identification pattern is partitioned into a plurality of identification segments. The identification segments are allocated to a plurality of communication resource blocks to generate a transmitted signal having information of the identification pattern, where each of the communication resource blocks is spaced from another adjacent communication resource block by a predetermined number of symbols and/or a predetermined number of subcarriers.


Starbucks is a premium coffee shop that has been present in Indonesia for 20 years and is part of the lifestyle of urban communities in Indonesia. The aim of this research, firstly, is to determine the influence of brand identity on repurchase intention. Then, to find out the influence of brand preference on repurchase intention. This study uses a component-based SEM (Structural Equation Modeling) using PLS (Partial Least Square) to analyze the data. The results of the study show that Brand Identity and Brand Preference contribute to repurchasing interest in Starbucks products in the city of Bekasi. Therefore, the better the two variables formed by Starbucks for consumers, the better the level of interest in repurchasing Starbucks products in Bekasi City.


In this paper a description and analysis of a four dimensional direct sequence spread spectrum (DS-SS) modem structure (Linde and Marx, 1999) employing complex spreading sequences (CSS), is presented. A description of the the four dimensional DS-SS transmitter as well as the receiver is given. The synchronization loops, including the four dimensional decision-directed Costas carrier recovery loop (DD-CGRL) and four dimensional decision-directed complex delay-locked-loop (CDLL) (De Gaudenzi and Luise 1991) are analysed and presented. The whole system is simulated and the simulation results as well as the performance in AWGN, which is comparable with a conventional BPSK SS modem, are shown.


Usage of technology for on-distance diagnosis of open angle glaucoma in early stage is presented in this paper. Early diagnostic of primary open angle glaucoma is current worldwide problem that strongly depends on the recent achievements in ophthalmology . The solution of problem was offered in Russia health centers, particularly at Krasnoyarsk territory. Central medical-sanitary part Geleznogorsk city of Krasnoyarsk Region tried to solve the problem using the self-developed methods of artificial neural network, The study included 344 patients with suspected open angle glaucoma. The diagnosis was confirmed in 55.2 % of cases and was rejected in 28.8 %. The suspicion on glaucoma remained at 16% of cases.


Facing to the development of injection mould electrode CAD system,the secondary development tool of Pro/TOOLKIT and MFC dialog technology are used under the VC++6.0 compiling environment.The module of automatic generation of engineering drawing for injection mould electrode is realized and the design efficiency of injection mould electrode is improved.


This study interest flow control using a new vortex generators (VGs) shape with counter-rotating vortices, obtained by adding a new element to a configuration mostly investigated. The experiments were performed in the aim to determine the VGs answer when placed on the suction face at 10% from the leading edge of an airfoil Naca 0015 in order to improve the lift and drag coefficients. The investigations were accomplished in wind tunnel for two Reynolds numbers and geometrical vortex generators configurations. The obtained results are analyzed according to several parameters such as the VG height, the space between the same VG pair and the additional factor. The results show a profit brought by the passive devices estimated at about 28% of the CL/Cd ratio.


Rediscovery of the power of markets, now featured as a centerpiece in most new agricultural development strategies, is perhaps the most notable change in the operational landscape of development practice over the past decade. Many early efforts focused on the opportunities offered by higher value fruit and vegetable crops and export commodities. The relatively inelastic demand for many highvalue products, combined with their often highly specific production requirements and growing global competitiveness, has served to limit the extent to which these opportunities can be broadly extended as a poverty reduction tool. In areas where growing conditions, proximity to markets and the necessary infrastructure backbone make this possible, the value-chain development approach applied to targeted commodities has succeeded in improving the lives of millions. In other contexts, such as the broad bands of semi-arid Africa, where rain-fed cereal production dominates, the approach has yet to be fully tested. If the value-chain development approach is limited to the more favorable physical and economic environments, farmers with greater resource endowments and more refined cash crop markets, what then for the hundreds of millions residing outside of these contexts?


Internal pressure fluctuations during pipeline operations could contribute to crack growth in steel pipelines. These pressure fluctuations create a variable amplitude loading condition with large amplitude cycles at near-zero stress ratio, R (minimum stress / maximum stress) and small amplitude cycles (minor cycles) at near +1 R ratio which can both affect crack propagation. Mean stresses fluctuate with pressure due to fluid friction losses proportional to the distance from the pump/compressor station. A deeper understanding of mean stress sensitivity on crack growth rate in steel pipelines is sought. The aim of this research is to retard crack growth in pipelines by prescribing pressure fluctuations, thus controlling mean stress effects on imperfection growth in steel pipelines under a near neutral pH environment. This study shows that prescriptive mean load pressure fluctuations can be used to reduce crack growth rates in steel pipelines, thus expanding pipeline integrity management methods.


The COVID-19 pandemic has put fashion manufacturers' needs for optimization in the spotlight. This study argues that mass customization is becoming increasingly instrumental for offering consumers individualized solutions and that suppliers of fashion have to look for more sophisticated solutions in order to face the increasing demand for more sustainable products. With the deduction of a mathematical model derived from production sequencing it became evident that sustainability can be associated with a level production schedule and that cost-based production optimization is useful in achieving holistic sustainability in the fashion industry. The flexibility in the conceived mathematical model specifications allows for a generalizable approach, not limited to a single branch of the fashion industry. This paper additionally delivers a cost-based optimization approach which fashion companies, operating in a mass customization production layout, can easily implement without extensive know-how. The proposed two-stage algorithm is based on the concept of level scheduling. In a first stage, the algorithm determines a feasible production sequence in a time-efficient way while, in the second stage, it further advances the efficiency of the solution. Thus, it offers a framework to optimize a production in a mass customization environment and can contribute to a company taking major steps towards a holistic sustainable orientation as available resources are used more (cost) efficiently.


phagia secondary to squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus, staged as T4N1M0. A covered self-expandable metal stent (SEMS) (Choostent; Solco Intermed, Seoul, Korea) was inserted for symptomatic relief, chemoradiotherapy was performed with carboplatin and 5fluorouracil, and this was followed by radiotherapy to deliver 39.6 Gy in 22 daily fractions. The patient presented with cough, thoracic pain, and vomiting 3 months after SEMS placement. The chest radiograph revealed mediastinal enlargement, right pleural effusion, and infiltrates (●" Fig. 1). Upper endoscopy revealed patency of the stent with the distal end of the stent ending in a closed cavity (●" Fig. 2a), which after aspiration had an appearance compatible with that of the pleural cavity (●" Fig. 2b;●" Video 1). Computed tomography (CT) confirmed migration of the esophageal SEMS to the pleural space, secondary to tumor growth, with formation of a 105 × 42-mm cavity (●" Fig. 3). Multiple hepatic metastases were detected. After medicosurgical discussion, a derivative lateral esophagostomy and jejunostomy were performed, and broad spectrum antibiotics given. CT performed after 15 days revealed resolution of the cavity. SEMS placement provides effective palliation for patients with esophageal cancer [1]. However, its safety in patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy is uncertain [1,2]. In fact, SEMS migration is common following down-staging of esophageal carcinoma with chemoradiotherapy, with several published case reports of prosthesis migration in this context [3–5]. However, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of migration of an esophageal SEMS to the pleural cavity. This case is also original for the fact that migration of the prosthesis was not related to down-staging of the tumor after chemoradiotherapy. We hypothesize that fragility of the esophageal wall due to radiation injury might have favored prosthesis migration in the setting of tumor growth. This hypothesis is supported by the previously described association between SEMS placement with chemoradiotherapy and esophageal perforation [2].


To mitigate imbalance in the numbers of assignees in the Hospitals/Residents problem, Goko et al. [Goko et al., Maximally Satisfying Lower Quotas in the Hospitals/Residents Problem with Ties, Proc. STACS 2022, pp. 31:1–31:20.] studied the Hospitals/Residents problem with lower quotas whose goal is to find a stable matching that satisfies lower quotas as much as possible. In their paper, preference lists are assumed to be complete. In this paper, we study more general model where preference lists may be incomplete. For four natural scenarios, we obtained maximum gaps of the best and worst solutions, approximability results, and inapproximability results.


A key characterization of dispersion in aquifers and other porous media has been to map the effects of inhomogeneous velocity fields onto a Fickian dispersion term (D) within the context of the conventional advection-dispersion equation (ADE). Recent compilations of data have revealed, however, that the effective D coefficient is not constant but varies systematically with the length or timescale over which transport occurs. A natural strategy to encompass this "anomalous" behavior into the context of the conventional ADE is to make D time dependent. This approach, to use D(t) to handle the same anomalous dispersion phenomena, has also been common in the field of electronic transport in disordered materials. In this paper we discuss the intrinsic inadequacy of considering a time-dependent dispersivity in the conventional ADE context, and show that the D = D(t) generalization leads to quantifiably incorrect solutions. In the course of proving this result we discuss the nature of anomalous dispersion and provide physical insight into this important problem in hydrogeology via analysis of a class of kinetic approaches. Particular emphasis is placed on the effects of a distribution of solute "delay times" with a diverging mean time, which we relate to configurations of preferential pathways in heterogeneous media.


These calculations treat the effect of ion--ion interactions on ion storage in electron rings. It is shown that these interactions are only important when light ions are stored. Approximate equations are found for the average charge and total number of ions in storing heavy and intermediate-weight ions in beams of alternating volume. Calculations are carried out for argon, krypton, and xenon ions in the compression of electron rings in the heavy-ion accelerator of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna.


Nursing is the heartbeat of health care and Nurses have been called "Angels in comfortable shoes". Over the years, the nursing field has grown in scope and complexity as well as size, and nurses now make up the largest workforce within the healthcare industry, as the field grows to 0.9 million nurses only in India.3,4 Nurses as a health care provider work hours of the day. For most nurses changes that are inherent to night shifts are unwelcome imposition on a normal life, yet one they have no control over, leading to physical health problems that effects the life of an individual.5Nurses are obliged to work during the day and during the night to cater for the needs of sick people.
While Intensive care nurses were vulnerable to a stressful environment because of the complex nature of patient's health problems that requiring an extensive use of very sophisticated technology.7if a patient is unconscious, nurses will try to turn him every two hours or so to prevent him from getting bed sores.
Nurses often work 12 hours shifts, the amount of lifting in one shift adds up a lot, and the job could be very hard to manage physically.8Night shift nurses are responsible for patient care with little support in a difficult working environment under conditions of fatigue and other hardships directly related to working at night.9 Nurses, irrespective of their shift, are under constant stress from staff shortages, aging workforce, more complex patient needs, continued technological progress and exponential advances in knowledge.10
Background:  Night shift nurses are responsible for patient care with little support in a difficult working environment under conditions of fatigue and other hardships directly related to working at night.Intensive care nurses were more vulnerable to a stressful environment because of the complex nature of patient's health problems.
Objectives:

To assess the knowledge and attitude scores on ill health of night-shift Nurses.
To determine the association between knowledge and attitude scores of ill health with selected demographic variables of the subjects.
To find the correlation between knowledge and attitude scores of ill health among subjects.

Method: Descriptivedesignwithcross-sectionalapproachwasusedforthisstudyto assessthe knowledge and attitude on ill health, of night shift nurses. Purposivesampling wasusedtocollectdatafrom60ICUnurses.Data wascollectedfortheperiodof15days. Structured questionnaire and attitude scaleswereusedastoolstoassessthe knowledge and attitude on ill health. Thedataobtainedwereanalyzedin terms ofobjectives and itwas calculated and tabulated.
Results:knowledge level of respondents on ill health of night shift 28.30% had inadequate knowledge, 46.70%had moderate knowledge and 25.05% of nurses had adequate knowledge regarding ill health of night shift.


Political advising is an increasingly important stepping-stone for a parliamentary career in many advanced democracies. Not only does this trend inform our understanding of political parties and careers, there is reason to think former advisors may have distinct attitudes compared to other types of elected officials. Using elite survey data from 42 elections in 21 countries, this study asks whether former political advisers approach representation differently than candidates with other pre-legislative experience. We find that they do. In particular, former advisors are more willing to prioritize their party's preferences over their constituents' preferences, and favor their own convictions over their constituents' priorities. These findings demonstrate that former advisors have a more party-centric approach to representation, consistent with the "loyal partisan" archetype. The results inform our understanding of an increasingly common pathway to elected office as well as the personalization and professionalization of politics and have important implications for representative democracy.


There has been little documentation of the success of introduced agents for classical weed biological control. Field evaluation of an insect's establishment, spread and early host impact within its new environment must be performed before agent success can either be documented or predicted. Population attributes of the endophagous biological control agent, Mecinus janthinus Germar (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), and interactions with its target weed, Dalmatian toadflax, (Linaria dalmatica (L.) Mill.) (Scrophulariaceae), were explored across variable levels of resource availability and insect abundance. Patterns of population growth and impact of this biocontrol agent were very consistent throughout this study. Within four years of release, populations of M. janthinus achieved outbreak population levels and virtually eliminated the seed producing shoots from toadflax stands. There is a tight but flexible relationship between oviposit ion site selection and offspring performance in this endophagous herbivore, maximizing offspring survival even under moderate to high M. janthinus densities. These attributes allow M. janthinus to be an effective biocontrol agent under changing levels of resource availability.