Highlights

 Most simulated scenarios showed low probabilities of meeting with 0.9% and 1.5% tolerance limits.

 3.0% and 5.0% tolerance limits were achievable at some supply chain stages under specific conditions.

 Feasible tolerance limits at individual supply chain stages ranged from 2.25% to 6.25%.

 Seed purity and cross-pollination were key factors affecting the probability of meeting AP tolerance limits.

 Abstract. Tolerance limits for the adventitious presence (AP) of GM material in non-GM grain, food, and feed vary worldwide from 0.9% to 5.0%. This research analyzed the likelihood of meeting four common trade tolerance limits for AP (0.9%, 1.5%, 3.0%, and 5.0%) in the U.S. commodity corn supply chain. A model was developed to evaluate existing practices and patterns for bulk corn production, handling, and processing in an open-market supply chain that concurrently handles GM and non-GM products. Monte Carlo simulation was used to test 50,000 iterations of supply chain scenarios to determine the likelihood of successfully meeting specified tolerance limits. The model revealed that the supply chain, as it exists today, does not effectively facilitate the concurrent handling of GM and non-GM streams at 0.9% and 1.5% tolerance limits in most cases. At individual supply chain stages, some tolerance limits were reasonably achievable, such as 3.0% and 5.0% at the farm stage. The probabilities of complying with 0.9% and 1.5% tolerance limits at the farm stage were just over 10% and 67%, respectively, while the probabilities of complying with 3.0% and 5.0% tolerance limits were more than 90%. The grain elevator and grain processor could achieve 3.0% and 5.0% tolerance limits with reasonable likelihood. At the feed mill, a 5.0% tolerance limit was achievable but only when bypassing some supply chain stages. The 99% feasible tolerance limits at individual supply chain stages ranged from 2.25% to 6.25%. Significant factors influencing the ability to meet AP tolerances were identified using sensitivity analysis. These factors included seed impurity, cross-pollination, and transportation vehicles. Keywords: Adventitious presence, Corn, Feed, Genetically modified grain, Monte Carlo simulation, Segregation, Supply chain.


The design of the running gear of a passenger car is dominated by two main requirements. comfort and safety, which often lead to conflicting demands. In this paper the choice of drive system and front and rear suspensions are discussed. The criterion taken for choosing the drive system is safety, in particular directional stability. Safety, comfort and economical manufacture influence the choice of suspension. A Macpherson strut from suspension and a 'dead' trailing–arm torsion–beam rear suspension, as in the new Golf, are found to satisfy, economically, the demands of both safety and comfort.


Natural contaminations such as the emis-sion of poisonous gases during a volcanic erup-tion and earthquakes, swamps poisoned evapo-rations, synthesis of toxic compounds by lower(microorganisms) and higher plants, etc., incomparison with the human contribution inthe environmental contamination is much lessimpressive. As a result of urbanization, theunpredictable growth of industry and trans-port, production of chemicals for agriculture,military activities, etc. the concentration ofanthropogenic toxicants spread in nature,especially in some regions exceeds all the per-missible standards. In spite of difficulties inquantitative, as well as in qualitative estima-tion, and having a tendency to be increased,the amount of spread out contaminantsexceeds annually one billion of tons. Most dan-gerous among these contaminants are consi -dered as emergent because of their persistence,bioaccumulation, and toxicity along with ourawareness of their prominent occurrence inthe environment. In different ways, hugeamounts of these hazardous substances ortoxic intermediates of their incomplete trans-formations are accumulated in the differentniches of biosphere, significantly affectingecological balance. Lately, many ecologicaltechnologies have been elaborated, targeted tominimize the flow of toxic compounds to thebiosphere and to control their level or state [1,2]. Despite the definite positive effect fromthe realization of these technologies (physical,chemical, mechanical etc), the intensive flowof toxic compounds to the biosphere is stillincreasing. Nevertheless, the plants kingdom assimi-lates toxic compounds, removing them fromthe environment, naturally providing long-term protection and monitoring against theirenvironmental dispersal. Obviously, microor-ganisms and plants represent the main powerof nature permanently straggling for themaintaining of ecological balance. Plants being recently recognized as impor-tant ecological tool and in order to properlyevaluate their detoxification potential; thefollowing ecobiological specificities of theseorganisms should be emphasized:– Higher plants simultaneously contactthree main ecological niches: soil, water and air.– Well-developed root system of higherplants determines soil-plant-microbial inter-action, representing unique process, signifi-cantly affecting the overall plant metabolism.– Large assimilating surface area of plantleaves (adaxial and abaxial), significantlyexceeding in size the above ground surface


With the development of geographic information system and the wide use of GIS software,creating and maintaining objects topological relations becomes very important.This paper describes an application system used for city pipeline management.It is designed that objects relations are stored in database.The topological relations are dynamically created by edit.Using hash table map the object ID and object attribute data to improve the query speed.As a result of our experience,it reduces the complex of the application system,improves the speed and lightens the cost of user maintenance system.


There exist many applications where analog interfacing is abundant, e.g. sensor networks, automotive, industrial control, (quantum) physics etc. In those fields the use of FPGAs is continuously growing, however a direct link between the analog world and the digital FPGA is still missing (except for the newest generation of FPGAs, where analog-to-digital conversion is present, but limited in performance). External analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) are combined together with the FPGA to form a complete, application-specific system. This system is thus limited in compactness, flexibility, and reconfigurability. To address those issues we propose an ADC architecture, implemented in a FPGA, that is fully reconfigurable and easy to calibrate. This allows to alter the design, according to the system requirements. Therefore it can be used in a wide range of operating conditions and adjusted to changes in supply voltage and FPGA temperature. This architecture employs time-to-digital converters (TDCs) and phase interpolation techniques to reach a sampling rate higher than the clock frequency (400 MHz) of up to 1.2 GSa/s. The resulting FPGA ADC can achieve a 6 bit resolution over a 0.6 to 1.9 V input range. The system non-linearities (INL, DNL) are less than 0.45 LSB. The main advantages of this architecture are its scalability and reconfigurability, enabling applications with changing demands, on one single platform.


The study is novel in that the author attempts to define unequivocally the term "information resources" to be integrated into scientific, professional and regulatory discourse. The concept of information resources is one of the key ones for building information society and information space, meanwhile it has been still interpreted equivocally. The author analyzes the meaning of the term "information resources" as used in reference, legal, regulatory and scientific documents. He also reviews its historical background from the very introduction till nowadays. In considering the phenomenon of information resources, the author proceeds from the category "knowledge," which serves as a link in embracing the nature, development and use of technologies, and life activities. This approach forms the basis for the model of information resources circulation from individuals to the society using computer and communication technology. The importance of information resources in the era of information space development is emphasized. The author proposes the component structure of information resources to comprise five elements: the society, hardware, software (software), data and knowledge bases, and communication. Each element of this structure comprises a number of complementary components. The findings of the study evidence on the significant role of the term in research, library and information activities, as well on the need to include this term in law and regulatory documents.


To gather views of older LGBTI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex) people on their experiences and expectations of aged care.


Book Review of Moulik, T. K., B. H. Dholakia, R. H. Dholakia, K. V. Ramani and P. R. Shukla, Regional Energy Demand Model and Analysis, Oxford and I.B.H Publishing Co., Delhi, 1991


Objective To derivate the paperboard constitutive model in the z- direction by compression and bending based on related literature and tests. Methods The stress- strain curve for z- compression was described by a Ramberg- Osgood function,and unloaded by a porous material model according to characteristics of the internal structure of the cardboard. The stress- strain relationship for band was described by composite laminates model and network model,and it was based on the paperboard of bending deformation processes. Results The model was able to describe the paperboard in the z- direction of the mechanical properties. It provided reference for the establishment of paperboard mold,and provided theoretical basis for finite element simulation of deformation in the z- direction of paperboard.


1. Ph. D Scholar, Department of Psychology, International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan 2. Research Scholar, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan 3. Research Scholar, Institute of Southern Punjab, Multan, Punjab, Pakistan PAPER INFO ABSTRACT Received: October 08, 2020 Accepted: December 05, 2020 Online: December 31, 2020 The main objective of this study is to find out whether parental occupation affects parental authority, introversion, self-esteem, religiosity and social anxiety of Youngsters or not. Total of 550 participants were screened out in the initial process out of which400 were selected who fulfilled the selection criteria. Out of 400 students, 50% (N = 200) were male and 50% (N = 200 were female students from different colleges and high schools of Pakistan. Urdu version of The Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS), Self-esteem Scale, Big Five Inventory, Parenting Authority Scale and Religiosity and Spirituality Scale for Youth scale was used to collect data. Result show that there is non-significant difference between father and mother's occupation (job and business) on social anxiety and self-esteem of youngsters. However, there exist a significant difference between father and mother's occupation on religiosity of youngsters.


How to cite: Jargin S. Food Insulin Index: Implications for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Eur J Ther 2022; 28(4): 313-4. Corresponding Author: Sergei V. Jargin E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com Received: 17.11.2021 • Accepted: 11.01.2022 The education of diabetic patients about their disease is an integral part of prevention, treatment and care (1). Realistic perceptions about nutrition are important for the control and prevention of complications (2). This letter questions the usefulness of the food insulin index (FII) concept for the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with overweight. FII has been proposed to quantify postprandial insulin response to a food in comparison with an isoenergetic portion of a reference food such as white bread or glucose (3, 4).


BACKGROUND The forehead flap is a time-honored regional flap that has been used in nasal reconstruction for centuries. The flap is traditionally divided in a second stage 3 to 6 weeks after initial flap elevation and transposition into the defect to be reconstructed. Strengths of the forehead flap include excellent success rates due to the use of a vascular pedicle and well-matched tissue type. Disadvantages include the need for a second surgery and the unwieldy time period that the patient has the flap pedicle from the eyebrow to the nose, with a negative impact on the patient's quality of life. Division of a forehead flap earlier than the standard 3 weeks is therefore a desirable goal if similar aesthetic and functional outcomes can be accomplished without compromising flap viability.


A Case of Completely Thoracoscopic Surgery for Chylothorax after Ascending Aorta and Aortic Arch Replacement Shota Nakagaki, Tetsuyuki Ueda, Masami Sotokawa, Akira Murata, Shingo Otaka and Kazuhiro Tani(Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Toyama Prefectural Central Hospital, Toyama, Japan) A 66-year-old woman attended our hospital for ascending aortic aneurysm. She was admitted with sudden back pain and acute aortic dissection of Stanford type B was revealed by computed tomography. We performed replacement of the ascending aorta and aortic arch with the frozen elephant trunk technique. The left pleural drainage fluid turned cloudy white after diet initiation on postoperative day 2. We diagnosed chylothorax with biochemical analysis and stopped oral intake completely, but the drainage increased to 3,700 ml/day. On postoperative day 8, completely thoracoscopic ligation of thoracic duct was performed. The drainage decreased immediately after the procedure. She could start meals on postoperative day 12 and was discharged on postoperative day 22. We conclude that a completely thoracoscopic ligation of thoracic duct for persistent chylothorax after aortic surgery can lead to early resolution. Jpn. J. Cardiovasc. Surg. 48 : 272-276(2019)


The article investigates the diffusion of police models in the 19th century taking the Danish import of the Metropolitan Police implemented in London in 1829 as its main object of analysis. Building on the sociological framework of Pierre Bourdieu, the focal point of the analysis is how an international police model was crafted by national elites who profited from the import of a specific form of policing. In the Danish context, the import and mutation of the English role model was closely related to a transformation of the national field of power as absolutism was formally disbanded but practically folded into a new constitutional monarchy in which conservative and liberal elites coexisted.


Abstract : A study was undertaken to develop a modified Wingate anaerobic power (WAP) test that could be administered with a minimum of equipment and personnel. This study was done in the summer of 1989, under contract with the University of North Carolina. The accuracy of using the time to pedal either 240, 270, or 300 M (at a resistance of 0.095 kp/kg of body weight) on a stationary ergometer as a predictor of mean power output from a standard WAP was examined. Forty-four healthy male volunteers participated in the study. Significant correlations were found between completion time and the standard WAP mean power output (r = -0.55 to -0.57); however, extensive predictive error (aprox. 15%), was found to exist when the bivariate regressions from the correlation analyses were used to estimate mean power output. Multiple regression analysis, however, indicated that use of time to completion, and exercise resistance setting as independent variables resulted in highly significant multiple R values (0.98 to 0.99), and relatively accurate predictive capability (approx. 3% error).


Innovation is vital to firm value. Accordingly a number of recent papers in the finance literature have begun examining the impact of governance and other firm measures on innovation. To date these papers have used patent-based measures to capture innovation. However such measures ignore the greater than 50% of firms who do R&D but don't patent their innovations. To address that concern, we examine the feasibility of using a more universal measure of innovation — the firm's research quotient (RQ), defined as the firm-specific output elasticity of R&D. We show that RQ is more strongly associated with firm value than previous patent-based measures. Given RQ's universality advantages and stronger relation with firm value relative to patents, we propose using RQ in future studies of innovation.


From ancient times cryptography has been used for encoding and delivering messages safely with advancements in technologies cryptography is used now all over the internet and over all types of files for encryption. With the advent of Quantum computing, present-day cryptographic methods are insufficient as quantum computers possess exponential computation and can crack present cryptographic methods. But right now quantum computing and its related resources are still under development so its required to develop post-quantum cryptography in advance. This paper deals with the implementation of NIST(National Institute of Standards and Technology) shortlisted algorithms till the third round which includes Classic McEliece, Kyber, NTRU, Saber, Dilithium, Falcon, and Rainbow for making quantum-safe IPsec protocols using socket programming and strong swan between two virtual machines.


Introduction During the past decade people have become much more aware about the environment and environmental concerns. Knowledge about the exterior and interior environments has increased significantly, resulting in tougher demands for protecting the environment and providing a healthier, more comfortable and more productive indoor climate in public areas, commercial buildings and manufacturing facilities. At the same time, manufacturing and process industries have become more and more advanced, requiring cleaner, more efficient and more economical air processes. All these trends are clearly reflected in todayûs choices of air filters for air handling systems. Stricter requirements for filter performance and increased concerns about the hygienic aspects of filter design and use are other apparent developments. In addition to improving indoor air quality, air filters are used to protect sensitive manufacturing processes and components, and to prevent harmful emissions of particles, gases or microorganisms to atmosphere. Since filters must meet increasingly tough performance requirements, a serious need has emerged to find new test methods that can document their true efficiency. Concerns about conserving energy and reducing costs have led to new guidelines for cost and environmental analyses of filters.


Addition of surfactant solution can enhance the solubility and mobility of NAPLs and the removal efficiency,and shorten the remediation time.The application of surfactant is restricted by conditions of the site.The solubilization and the decrease of interfacial tension should be considered in the application of the site specific studies.Surfactants are typically used in conjunction with other remediation technologies as an enhancement.It can be used in both ex situ and in situ arrangements.Surfactants can be used to aid in the removal of a wide range of contaminants.They have been used to remove Chlorinated solvents,BTEX compounds,VOCs,SVOCs,and PCBs and in-situ remediation.Surfactant can be recycled and reused in the remediation process.Biosurfactants have a potential application in the remediation of soil and groundwater.


Objective To approach the expressions and the roles of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and membrane type 1 matrix metalloproteinases (MT1-MMP) in valve disease with pressure overload which induces extracellular matrix remodeling of left ventricle. MethodsOf 32 patients, 16 cases were pressure overload group (PO), who had the multiple valve disease with predominately aortic valve stenosis, having a ring diameter of aorta valve less than 1.3 cm, cross valve pressure gradient equal or more than 40 mmHg, and valvular regurgitation less than 4.0 cm2; The other 16 cases, as mitral stenosis group (MS), were simple mitral stenosis patients with single valve replacement. Meanwhile, 5 normal individuals served as control, who died from accident. Echocardiography was used to analyze the left ventricular function and detect the hypertrophic level of the left ventricle. Left ventricle muscle samples were obtained during operation. Histological features were studied by Masson staining, and collagenous contents were quantitated with a computer-assisted imaging analysis system. The mRNA expressions of CTGF and MT1-MMP were detected with RT-PCR. ResultsConcentric hypertrophy was observed significant in PO group, but myocardial hypertrophy was not found in MS group. Compare to the MS group and control, PO group had significantly more collagenous contents in left ventricle, thickened vessel wall, and narrow lumen of blood vessel (P0.05). The mean mRNA levels of CTGF and MT1-MMP were significantly increased in PO group than in MS group and control (P0.01). The mRNA levels of CTGF and MT1-MMP expressions in MS and control group were both lower. There was no statistically difference of MT1-MMP mRNA expression between MS group and control group (P0.05), but CTGF mRNA expression was increased in MS group compare to control (P0.01). ConclusionCTGF and MT1-MMP expressions are significantly increased at mRNA level in pressure overload induced by valve disease. It may be one of the important factors which is involved in the progress of concentric hypertrophy and the process of extracellular matrix remodeling of left ventricle.


Urinary tract, gastrointestinal, and pyogenic infections are the common hospital-acquired infections caused by members of Enterobacteriaceae. Among Enterobacteriaceae, Klebsiella and Escherichia coli has been the most commonly isolated species. Klebsiella are very well known to exhibit multidrug resistance. β-lactamase production is perhaps the single most important mechanism of resistance to penicillins and cephalosporins. E. coli &Klebsiella possess a naturally occurring chromosomally mediated β-lactamase or plasmid mediated β-lactamases. These enzymes are thought to have evolved from penicillin binding proteins. This development was likely to be because of selective pressure exerted by βlactam producing soil organisms found in the environment. In early 1960s, TEM-1 was the first plasmid mediated βlactamase described in Gram-negative organisms. Another common plasmid mediated β-lactamase is SHV. Extended spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs), enzymes that show increased hydrolysis of oxyimino-β-lactams, which include cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, ceftazidime, and aztreonam, have been reported increasingly in recent years. They belong to Ambler molecular class A and Bush–Jacoby functional group 2be. These enzymes have been identified in large numbers from different regions and are significantly detected in various E. coli &Klebsiella strains. They have also been found in other members of Enterobacteriaceae such as Citrobacter spp, Enterobacter spp, Proteus spp and non-lactose fermenters like Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Today over 200 different ESBLs have been described. Major outbreak involving these resistant organisms has been reported all over the world in many members of the Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas spp, resulting in limitation of therapeutic options. Current knowledge of prevalence and incidence of ESBL production by commonly isolated organism such as E. coli and Klebsiella is necessary to understand the disease burden and to take necessary action to prevent the spread. Therefore the present study was conducted with an objective to find out the prevalence of ESBL producing Klebsiella and its antimicrobial resistance profile to formulate effective antibiotic strategy and plan a proper hospital infection control strategy to prevent the spread of these strains.


Cap 50 includes a recess 53a, a low-strength portion 55, and a high-strength portion 57. High-strength portion 57 is at least provided in a portion except the concave portion 53a in the axial direction around the cap 50. High-strength portion 57 is disposed in a straight line continuously between the tip 53 and a proximal end 51 in the axial direction of the cap 50.


To the Editor: —After the death of Dr. John Herr Musser, a number of absurd statements appeared in the lay press in regard to the weight of his brain. Believing it to be only just to the memory of our distinguished and beloved colleague, I place in your possession the following facts which have just been communicated to me by Dr. Edward Anthony Spitzka, the prosector of the American Anthropometric Society, of which Dr. Musser was a member. The brain was removed by Dr. Milton J. Greenman. Dr. Greenman stated that he did not weigh the brain, but placed it in a 10 per cent, dilution of liquor formaldehydi in which it remained for three weeks and that it was then transferred to 60 per cent. alcohol. On May 11, the brain was transferred by Dr. Greenman to the care of Dr. Spitzka. The latter furnishes the following preliminary report:


Abstract : This paper has addressed the subject of price competition for major weapon systems at the prime contractor level. It has been shown that most of the 14 variables that determine the economic benefits of price competition have changed over the last 10-20 years. They have changed in a direction that opposes competition as a useful way of reducing and controlling the cost of major systems. The nonrecurring costs associated with establishing a second source are typically greater than the recurring costs that can be saved through competition. Still the policy lingers on, in spite of its lack of viability. The paper has offered reasons for this inconsistency between policy and practice. More importantly, alternatives are offered which, if emphasized, will help control and reduce system costs. These include use of virtual competition, competition at the subcontractor level, breakout and more appropriate contract forms.


Assuming the Statistical Hadronization Model and charm flavour conservation, one can quantify the deviation of charm and anti-charm quarks from chemical equilibrium both in the hadronic phase and in the quark-gluon plasma. By linking the hadronic fireball volume and the corresponding plasma source volume via entropy conservation as proposed by Grandchamp et al., a direct comparison between the $J/\psi$ yields in both pictures can be used to obtain limits for the charm quark mass in the medium.


Summary Seismic data offer an abstract, incomplete and ambiguous representation of the subsurface. The interpreters' task is to use these data and identify and classify objects they have never seen before. During interpretation they rely on context and association: seismic data are analysed as part of a larger scene and certain fragments of information are associated to geological features that are not necessarily obvious in the data set. Experience and knowledge of the interpreters are of paramount importance, the less complete and more abstract the representation, the greater level of expertise is required to extract information from the data.


Introduction: Alcohol and beverages are one of the challenges in the field of hygiene and health today. By increasing the number of people suffering from covid-19 cases of alcohol and disinfectant poisoning increase and the reason was rumors spreading all over the country at the beginning of covid-19 prevalence. The aim of this study was to survey of alcohol poisoning and disinfectants cases in the patients referred to hospitals in Yazd Province during the Covid-19 epidemic.
Methods: This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was performed on 101 patients with alcohol poisoning who were admitted to hospitals affiliated to Yazd University of Medical Sciences during the prevalence of covid-19. Sampling was completed by census and information using the standard questionnaire of the Passive Defense Department of the Ministry of Health. Data analysis was performed using independent t-test and Chi-square and also with SPSS 16 software. The significance level was 0.05.
Results: The mean age of 101 patients was 26.07± 7.33 years. 88.1% of patients were male, 58.4% were single and 42.6% had a diploma. 88.51% of the patients obtained their alcohol through peddlers and 47.5% of patients used alcohol to achieve happiness. 59.4% of the patients had no complication-free recovery, 12.9% had improvement with vision problems and 22.8% had other cases.
Conclusion: Given that the covid-19 pandemic will continue, the most important action is to educate families and society about the dangers of alcohol poisoning its long-term effects and mortality, as well as the wrong misconception about effectiveness of alcohol in prevention and the last word in to authorities to pay more attention to public health and strategic planning to prevent It is from the prevalence of methanol.


—Fuel cell along with energy storage devices is a very promising source of clean energy power system. One main weak point of the fuel cell is its very slow dynamics. To overcome this limitation, energy storage devices are used.The energy storage devices used in this paper are battery and supercapacitor. Battery has a very good charge storage capacity and supercapacitor has high current density making them the ideal choice.DC/DC converters are designed for the power electronics interface. The integrated control of these three power sources is a very challenging task for the control system designer. In this paper we do a comparative study of two efficient control systems, one which usesfuzzy logic control and the other is amultilevel supervisory control. All the simulationsare carried out in the matlab/simulink environment.


In continuation of an experiment described previously [D. Terbeek and R. Harshman, J. Acoust. Soc. Amer. 50, 147(A) (1971)], judgments of perceptual similarity and difference for 12 natural vowel sounds were obtained from native speakers of Turkish and Swedish. These new data, like the earlier data from English, Thai, and German subjects, were analyzed using the PARAFAC multimode factor analysis method [R. Harshman, UCLA Working Papers in Phonetics No. 16 (1970)]. The resulting perceptual spaces are roughly interpretable in terms of traditional vowel descriptions, but certain difficulties remain. The results for the five languages tested, together with results reported by other investigators, were subjected to several further types of analysis. The patterns which emerge suggest that the function relating perceived distances between vowels to their positions along underlying perceptual dimensions is non‐Euclidean in two ways. First, the perceptual dimensions do not lie orthogonally to one another, implying...


(57) Abstract: The present invention relates to a radiation curable sheet or film comprising at least one support layer and one covering layer. Feature of the present invention, the coating layer is made of a radiation curable material having a high glass transition temperature greater than 40 ° C..


With this study, we aimed to investigate cellular phone and refrigerator users' differentiated characteristics based on their value perceptions by clustering the consumers. According to this, research findings indicate that cellular phone consumers can be clustered in to three groups, on the other hand refrigerator consumers in to five groups.


The role of feeds as possible sources of salmonellosis has been reported frequently (1,6). Meat scrap products (tankage) have been the most important source of feed contamination, although other feed ingredients have been incriminated occasionally (3,7). Epidemics of human salmonellosis have also been traced to contaminated animal products (10). Both of these situations contribute to high economic losses in the United States each year. This report describes an investigation of salmonella flora and various sources of contamination within a rendering plant.


The recent discovery of massless Dirac fermions in single layers of graphite (graphene) and superconductivity in graphite intercalation compounds (GICs) such as CaC6 at unexpectedly high temperatures stimulated intensive research to explore the nature and interactions of charge carriers in these low-dimensional systems. The early prediction of free-electron-like interlayer electronic states in graphite and the importance of the interlayer states for the formation of GICs, verified experimentally, are regaining considerable interest. Based on calculations on the structure of YbC6 Cs+nyi et al. [5] also characterized a similar quasi-free electron band in GIC and argued about its relevance for superconductivity. However, the proposed quasi-free-electron picture and the implied pairing mechanism are at odds with experiments, particularly the large Ca isotope effect. Mazin correctly predicted the interlayer band in CaC6 as originating from calcium, but the chemical bonding remains unresolved. Recent theoretical work based on the correct structure of CaC6 does not address the nature of chemical bonding. Here we report our studies on CaC6 using the full-potential linear muffin-tin orbital (FP-LMTO) method, semi-empirical extended H9ckel (EH) method, and the tight-binding (TB) model. Figure 1 shows the R3̄m rhombohedral structure of CaC6. The structure exhibits AaAbAcAa... stacking of graphene sheets (A) and metal-atom layers (a, b, c) in such a way that the metal atoms center the hexagons of the graphene sheets. In contrast, the structure of YbC6, which contains analogous graphene and metal-atom layers, has the stacking sequence AaAbAa... Our first-principles FP-LMTO calculations for CaC6 [11] resulted in C 2s and 2ps bands far below the Fermi energy, as expected. The Ca valence bands lie close to the Fermi level. The calculated band structure along four symmetry lines together with the total density of states (DOS) and four partial DOSs are shown in Figure 2.


Welcome to this issue of the British Journal of Visual Impairment (BJVI). Since the last issue, we at the journal have had some very exciting news. The BJVI has now been accepted into the Web of Science's Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI). As you know, as editor, I have been working hard along with the team in Sage to get the journal a full impact factor. However, before we can obtain one, the journal was required to be accepted into the Web of Science's Emerging Sources Citation Index. As this has now been completed, we shall continue with the efforts and progress made to strive forward and continue to raise our citations and linkages with journals and other papers. I would therefore like to thank all the editorial board, our large team of reviewers, and, of course, contributors for the continued support shown to the journal. Here are the benefits of being within ESCI.


This qualitative study is based on the assumption that moral virtues may partly be acquired contextually, i.e. , implicitly in the context of cooperative learning among children themselves. Twenty-five children from 4 to 6 years old were observed twice a week for one semester, mostly in whole class meetings and group project work. Interpretation of data led to the conclusion that different social contexts called for different kinds of morality, and that cooperative group work context was most fertile for implicit moral education. Contextual moral education may be particularly appropriate for early childhood, being implicit but active.


Education in Ecuador is regulated by the Ministry of Education, divided into
particular tax education, Fiscomisional, municipal, and; secular or religious,
Spanish or bilingual intercultural. Public education is secular at all levels,
compulsory up to primary level and free through high school or its equivalent.
Article 11 of Chapter IV of the Labour Code, the mean classification contract,
which can be: The employment contract can be: a) express or implied, and
the first written or verbal; b) A salary, wages, and joint ventures; c) For fixed
time for an indefinite time and casual; d) A test; e) For certain work, by task
and by the piece; f) By coupling; and g) Individual or team.
And Article 14 of Chapter IV of the Code and Labour says about the
minimum stability and exceptions: Law down least one year duration of any
contract for a fixed period or indefinitely, to celebrate workers with
companies or employers usually when the activity or work is stable or
permanent nature, without this circumstance indefinite contracts are
transformed into contracts, such workers must be considered for the
purposes of this Act as stable or permanent. Exceptions to the provisions of
the preceding paragraph: a) Contracts for certain work, not common in the
activity of the company or employer; b) The temporary, casual and seasonal
contracts; c) The domestic helpers; d) The learning; e) concluded between
artisans and their workers; f) Contracts proof; and g) any other prescribed by
law.
This research is titled: "NEED TO INCREASE AN ARTICLE IN CHAPTER IV
THE CODE OF ECUADOR WORK, AS TO THE RIGHTS OF TUTORS IN
ACCORDANCE WITH THAT PROVIDED IN ART. 11 and 14 THEREOF.
"The same that addresses the problems related to the rights of tutors in the
Labour Code.
The hypothesis that I lead is you work research was: "The failure to specify
the type of contract to be celebrated by hiring education teachers to the
private sector and Fiscomisional, in Article 78 of the Code of Ecuadorian
Labour violent. and violates several rights of workers ".
The processes used were the hypothetical inductive method - deductive,
analytical, explanatory, statistical; for the preparation of the descriptive
analysis method was used. The techniques were applied was the survey of
30 practitioners in the free exercise of the city of Loja, through the instrument
that consisted of a series of questions designed to obtain relevant
information.
Among the outstanding results we have through study and legal and legal
analysis of the issues raised, it is shown that there are shortcomings in the
Labour Code, which contributes to mediate or resolve the various labor to
tutors problems, so you need to modify or update the Labour Code.


The decisional conflict scale (DCS) measures the perception of uncertainty in choosing options, factors contributing to decision conflict and effective decision making. This study examined the validity and reliability of the Chinese version of the DCS in Hong Kong Chinese women deciding breast cancer (BC) surgery.


Most of emerging applications deal with an infinite data stream in an incessant, immense and volatile manner. Consequently, it is very important to analyze not only the varying characteristics of a source data stream in a short-term period but also those in a long-term period. For this purpose, this paper demonstrates an OLAP system, DS-Cuber (Data Stream Cuber) for the analysis of data streams. The proposed system consists of two analytic components: short-term and long-term, so that it can provide an integrated analysis environment for infinite data streams. Furthermore, each of these two components supports diversified exception detection methods which can be used for the automatic identification of abnormality in the data elements of a data stream in order to guide the data cube navigation of a user effectively. Network traffic flow streams are used to demonstrate the features of the DS-Cube system.


The purpose of this study was to analyze the population density and intensity of attack of Brown Planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens Stall) and green leafhoppers (Nephotettix virescens) on rice plants of Inpara 2 variety in Bokem Village. The research was conducted from August to October 2022 in the rice fields of Bokem Village, Merauke District. Sampling was carried out on three rice fields with an area of 20 x 40 m divided by five observation sub-plots spread diagonally with a size of 2 x 2 meters. Plant height of Inpara 2 variety at the age of 14 DAP (23.1 cm), 28 DAP (33.2 cm), 42 DAP (53.8 cm), 56 DAP (64 cm) and 70 DAP (70.2 cm) . The number of tillers at the age of 14 days old (3.2 tillers), 28 days old (5.5 tillers), 42 days old (11 tillers) and 56 days old (12.1 tillers). The panicle length of the Inpara 2 rice variety was on average (21.1 cm) while the weight of 1000 grains was 14.7 grams. Brown planthopper population at the age of 14 days after planting (0.19 individuals), 28 days after birth (0.07 individuals), 42 days after birth (0.19 individuals) and 56 days after planting (0.31 individuals) while the green leafhopper population at 14 days old (0.30 individuals) 32 individuals), 28 days old (0.33 individuals), 42 days old (0.25 individuals) and 56 days old (0.01 individuals). Keywords: Pest, Inpara 2, Population,  Brown planthopper, green leafhoppers


Objective To achieve the objective of zero rate of stage II pressure ulcer in orthopaedic patient through the comprehensive management.Method The following measures were carried out,such as establishing the identification standards of stage I pressure ulcer,assessing the risks of pressure ulcer,establishing nursing records of prevention for pressure ulcer,implementing nursing measures according to the standard prevention procedure,practicing the rewards and punishment system.Result This practice improved nurses' sense of responsibility and prevention awareness of pressure ulcer,promoted the positive cooperation of patients and their relatives.As a result,the rate of stage II pressure ulcer achieved to be zero.Conclusion The rate of stage II pressure ulcer can be achieved to be zero through strict implementation of precaution management measures.


The US healthcare delivery system has undergone a flurry of rapid changes during the last decade. The desire to control rising costs, the dramatic advances in treatments and pharmaceuticals, and an increased prevalence of chronic diseases and disability have contributed to the current push to change the way medicine is practiced in America. Patients are increasingly expected to be "empowered"-able to quickly absorb information, make complex medical decisions, and follow through with complicated self~care treatment plans.


We have measured the electrical resistivity and the magnetoresistance (MR) of the single-component molecular metal [Ni(tmdt) 2 ] at high magnetic fields. The temperature dependence of the resistivity shows a T 2 behavior up to 30 K, but this is difficult to explain in terms of the simple Fermi liquid picture. We find a highly isotropic positive MR below 4.2 K which exhibits a metal–insulator behavior. These results are discussed in terms of the Zeeman effect in the presence of spin–orbit coupling on the Ni sites.


Investigations into the neural underpinnings of the "self" highlight its complexity and multi-dimensionality and emphasize that various aspects of the self are sustained by different neural systems. Here, we focused on the Relational Self, a dimension denoting the self-within-attachment-relationships that taps the continuity of attachment across individual development and affiliative bonds. Mothers and children were followed across two decades and videotaped in naturalistic interactions at three ages: infancy (3-6 months), childhood (9-12 years), and young adulthood (18-24 years). During fMRI scanning, young adults were exposed to videos of their own mother-child interactions from the three ages versus matched unfamiliar interactions. Relational Self-stimuli elicited greater activations across preregistered nodes of the human caregiving network, including thalamus-to-brainstem, amygdala, hippocampus, ACC, insula, and temporal cortex. Critically, Relational Self-stimuli were age-invariant in most regions of interest despite large variability of stimuli across multiple self-related features, such as similarity, temporal distance, affect, or mentalization, and Bayesian analysis indicated strong evidence for lack of age-related differences. PPI analysis demonstrated that Relational Self-stimuli elicited tighter connectivity between the ACC and insula. Greater child social engagement during interaction with mother correlated with higher ACC and insula response to Relational Self-stimuli. Findings highlight an important novel dimension in the neural representation of the self, suggest that the Relational Self may be sustained by a paralimbic interface integrating exteroceptive and interoceptive self-related signals, and demonstrate overlap in the attachment network of parents and children, lending support to perspectives on the continuity of attachment and self across the individual's developmental history. Significance Statement Describing the neural underpinnings of the "self" is inherently complex due to the multi-dimensionality of the construct. Following mothers and children from infancy to adulthood, we focused on the Relational Self, a dimension denoting the self-within-attachment-relationships, and exposed young adults to own versus unfamiliar mother-child interactions across their relational history. Relational Self stimuli triggered greater activations in the human caregiving network, including thalamus-to-brainstem, amygdala, hippocampus, ACC, insula, and temporal cortex, were age-invariant, and elicited tighter connectivity between ACC and insula, creating a paralimbic interface of interoception-exteroception sustaining the Relational Self. Findings highlight a novel dimension in the neural representation of the self and lend support to perspectives emphasizing the cross-generational transmission of attachment and its continuity across the individual's developmental history.


Dengue patients may experience some grade of severity. Cardiac involvement is common in severe dengue, therefore cardiac markers could be used to ensure the diagnosis of dengue myocarditis. However, information of the cardiac marker profiles in patients with milder severity of dengue infection is limited. The study aimed to evaluate creatinine kinase (CK), creatinine kinase-MB (CK-MB) and troponin I (TnI) in dengue myocarditis against the spectrum severity of dengue infection in children. This cross-sectional study was conducted using secondary data from medical records of dengue myocarditis patients aged 1-18 yr in Dr. Sardjito General Hospital, Yogyakarta. Fisher's Exact tests were performed to compare the increase in cardiac markers to the dengue severity. The increase of CK was observed in dengue fever/DF (6 or 75% of patients), dengue hemorrhagic fever/DHF (6 or 67%) and dengue shock syndrome/DSS (16 or 73%). Furthermore, the increase of CK-MB was also observed in DF (6 or 75%), DHF (8 or 87%), and DSS (21 or 95%). No significant difference in the increase of CK and CK-MB proportions was observed in DF compared to DHF groups and in DF compared to DSS (p>0.05). The increase of Tn I was observed in DHF (2 or 22%) and DSS (10 or 45%) groups but not observed in DF group. Significant difference in the increase of Tn I proportion was observed in DF compared to DSS groups (p=0.022). In conclusion, cardiac involvement is common in all dengue severity level. The increment of Tn I corresponds to an increase in the dengue severity level. Further research by observing cardiac markers sequentially is needed.


Abstrcat Mountainous and sandy area in Lingwu is located in the edge of Eerduosi tableland. The zonal vegetation belongs to desertification steppe. It is the harsh natural environment and overload artificial activities that make the vast natural pasture being desertization and degeneration gradually. After forest reservation, because of making full use of natural resilience and replanting trees and grass, desertification of steppe in reservation district has been contained effectively. The eco-environment is going onto the right track of good development.


Abstract Numerous railroads, pipelines, and other utilities are presently considering the use of their rights-of-way for fiber optics communications. This article identifies the multiple methods through which a utility may structure a communications fiber optics venture and the resulting federal and state regulatory implications for each option.


PHM has the potential to drive future warranty strategies for companies to increase their competitive advantage. PHM methods are able to prevent a system from degrading by isolating it from inappropriate conditions or failing parts. PHM will permit companies to offer longer warranties at lower prices, which can further enable lifetime warranties in industry. Availability-based warranties can be implemented with the adoption of PHM, which will guarantee the availability of a system or a fleet and reduce life cycle costs. Reliability evaluation through PHM will enable flexible extended warranties and bring various benefits for both warranty providers and customers.


Still's disease in adults is a variant of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. It occurs most often in people between 16 and 36 years of age. This paper presents a 23-year-old female patient who was hospitalized at the Clinic for Infectious Diseases, Clinical Center Kragujevac, due to high temperature (up to 40°C), accompanied by both pain in the area of the wrists and shoulder belts, which increased when moving, and the appearance of hives. Our patient was examined and treated by rheumatologists. Since these problems persisted, the patient was hospitalized for further examination. Soon the patient developed lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly and rash on the front of the upper and lower extremities, particularly on the forearms and chest area, which was of maculo-papular type with merged erythematous areas (active hyperemia type), up to 2 cm. The diagnosis was based on clinical, laboratory analysis, and diagnostic criteria for Still's disease. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were applied in the treatment, and after four days of therapy, the patient became afebrile and without subjective symptoms. The laboratory parameters after two weeks since the start of the treatment pointed to the gradual regression of the disease.


Time-frequency analysis (TFA) is an effective tool to identify the signal frequency components and to reveal their time variant features. In this paper, a new instantaneous frequency (IF) estimation method is proposed for signals with heavy noise, which is based on a polynomial chirplet transform and a ridge curve extraction scheme. Based on this method, an iterative stepwise refinement algorithm is developed to generate a time-frequency distribution (TFD) with satisfactory energy concentration. Both simulated signals and experimental vibration signals are used to validate the performance of the proposed methods. The results demonstrate that the proposed TFA method is more effective in processing the nonstationary signals with heavy noise. Further, it can perform an accurate evaluation of the IF and obtain a clear TFD.


This article discusses emotions as a management resource that might influence human behaviour. Aspects of socialization of emotions are identified as emotional standards, linguistic labels, gender differences, emotional experience, etc. The author proposes a concept of structuration of emotions.


One of the main activities of the brain is the recognition of signals. As it was pointed out in [22, 25] the procedure of recognition can be described as follows: There is a set of complex signals stored in the memory. Choosing one of these signals may be interpreted as generating a hypothesis concerning an "expected view of the world". Then the brain compares a signal arising from our senses with the signal chosen from the memory. That changes the state of both signals in such a manner that after the procedure the signals coincide in a certain sense. Furthermore, measurements of that procedure like EEG or MEG are based on the fact that recognition of signals causes a certain loss of excited neurons, i.e. the neurons change their state from "excited" to "nonexcited". For that reason a statistical model of the recognition process should reflect both — the change of the signals and the loss of excited neurons. Now, [5] represents the first attempt to explain the process of recognition in terms of quantum statistics. According to the general conception of quantum theory, the procedure of recognition should be described by an operator on a certain Hilbert space. In [5] we proposed two candidates for such an operator. One of them reflects in a clear sense the mentioned change of the signals. The other one reflects the loss of excited neurons. We will prove (cf. Theorem 4) that for sufficiently high intensities of the signals both operators are approximately equal.


Strategic changes will take place in education forms,types,methods and patterns in adult education in colleges and universities because off-the-job training students will not be enrolled by adult education institutions in colleges and universities,which is sure to have a profound effect on adult education in colleges and universities.


We summarize current issues related to New Physics searches with muons. We focus on the ratio of magnetic moments of the muon and the proton, needed for the muon gμ−2 determination; on using the bound-electron g−2 to help independently check the persisting discrepancy between the measured gμ−2 and the Standard Model; and on the bound-muon decay as a background for the muon-electron conversion.


Radio Frequency Identification technology is a short distance wireless data communication technique for identification of objects. With the recent advancement and accelerated deployment of RFID technologies, the application areas have also been increasing from simple identification and security to the retail markets, military, medicine, animal tagging, original parts manufacturing, space application and even monitoring the positioning of an implanted organ in a human body. Using RFID, a tracking algorithm has been developed to locate the infected chicken in a poultry farm. Thereafter an attempt has been made to design a hardware model of RFID based tracking system. Further in order to validate design and implemented system we have verified the proposed system using simulation environment. In order to validate the developed model, an experimental test bench is built and found that results exhibit a good agreement with the simulation results thereby establishing the accuracy of our proposed tracking system.


The present paper is devoted to the study of a priority multiclasssystem stability, where we establish a sufficient condition for the stability of aqueueing network composed of N-units, N ≥ 3 and N2classes (N classes ateach unit); that is the stability under all work conserving disciplines with thepriority discipline


The effect of acoustic pulses of a resonance frequency omega and duration t/sub omega / 1/2 was examined theoretically. It is shown that in contrast to the-action of an electromagnetic field on the spin system, a single acoustic pulse does not induce a free precession signal in the first approximation in h/sub Mm/kT. Two acoustic pulses produce a spin echo signal which equals that produced by electromagnetic pulses. (auth)


Between 1923 and 1927, the KMT dispatched three delegations to negotiate with the Comintern, the first led by Chiang Kai-shek, the second led by Hu Hanmin, and the third led by Shao Lizi. During his visit, Chiang Kai-shek talked with the Comintern about the KMT's interpretation of Sun Yat-sen's Three Principles of the People in its First National Congress proclamation and reached an agreement regarding Soviet Russia's aid to the KMT in building a party-army, yet Moscow's Outer Mongolia policy had a negative impact on Chiang's future relationship with the Soviet Russia. Hu Hanmin's mission was to seek Comintern advice on how to draft the KMT platform for its Second National Congress and to apply for KMT membership in the Comintern, or to win a status at least equal to that of the CCP. However, what he achieved was only the acceptance of the KMT as a sympathizer instead of a Comintern member. The delegation led by Shao Lizi aimed at transmitting Chiang Kai-shek's assertions that the KMT must hold exclusive leading authority in China's National Revolution and that the CCP should not strive for leadership or attempt to build its own army. The three delegations' negotiations with the Comintern all focused on whether China should implement the Three Principles of the People or Soviet-style Communism and on which party should lead the Chinese revolution.


Type-II diabetes Mellitus is characterized by defects in insulin action on peripheral tissues, such as skeletal muscle, adipose tissue, and liver and pancreatic beta cells. Since the skeletal muscle accounts for approximately 75% of insulin-stimulated glucose-uptake in our body, impaired insulin secretion from defected beta cell plays a major role in the afflicted glucose homoeostasis. It was shown that the intracellular reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide level was increased by non-thermal-plasma treatment in ambient air. These increased intracellular reactive species may enhance glucose uptake and insulin secretion through the activation of intracellular calcium (Ca+) and cAMP production.


Image Preprocessing is a vital step in the field of image processing for biometric pattern recognition. This paper studies and reviews various classical and modern fingerprint image de-noising models. The various model used for de-noising ranges widely from transform matrix using frequency, histogram model de-noising, de-noising by introducing Gabor filter and its types to enhance fingerprint images.
The output efficiency of various de-noising model proposed earlier is calculated on the basis of SNR (signal to noise ratio) and MSE (mean square error rate). Our simulated experimental results indicates that incorporating the de-noising model based on Gabor filter inside domain of wavelet ranges with composite method only betters MSE (Mean Square Error). Improved MSE without significant improvement in SNR improves the fingerprint images only by a little margin which is non-optimal in nature. Thus the objective of this research paper is to build an optimal de-noising model for fingerprint images so that its usage in biometric authentication can be more robust in nature.


The invention discloses a chair used for antenatal examination and parturition. The chair comprises a support. The support is formed by risers and horizontal plates. A vertical plate is arranged on the support in the vertical direction. A horizontal fulcrum bar is horizontally installed at the front end of the vertical plate. A movable support plate is installed on the horizontal fulcrum bar and located below the horizontal plates of the support. A panel is arranged at the front end of the movable support plate. Side support plates are installed on the left side and the right side of the panel respectively. A vertical groove is formed in each side support plate, wherein a first sliding chute and a second sliding chute are formed in the inner side and the outer side of the side support plate respectively, a first slide bar is installed in the vertical groove, a first guide rod is arranged at the lower end of the first slide bar, a first limiting ring is installed at the lower end of the vertical groove, and a first spring is installed on the first guide rod; a positioning box is installed on the panel, wherein an inner cavity and a horizontal groove are formed in the positioning box, and a third sliding chute is formed in the positioning box; a connecting rod and a pull block are installed on the first slide bar, and a wedge block is installed at one end of the connecting rod; a second slide bar is installed in the horizontal groove, a second guide rod is installed at the inner end of the second slide bar, a second limiting ring is installed at the inner end of the horizontal groove, and a second spring is installed on the second guide rod.


Based on the logarithmic relation of gain on carrier density,the rate equations are described for multi-quantum well of vertical cavity surface emitting lasers(VCSELs) taking into account the influence of nonradiative depopulation rate.The relation of device parameter(cavity length and the reflect coefficient of mirror) on threshold current and quantum well numbers are discussed.It will provide theoretical basis for improvement of threshold property optimization of device construction.


Currently, many countries worldwide are facing problems of climate change and depletion of natural resources, which requires the search for alternative energy sources. Republic of Uzbekistan, being a member of the world community, also faces these challenges. The article discusses the issues faced by Uzbekistan in the process of transition to renewable energy sources, as well as the prospects for their use.


Australian railway networks possess a large amount of aging timber components and need to replace them in excess of 280 thousands m 3 per year. The relatively high turnover of timber sleepers (crossties in a plain track), bearers (skeleton ties in a turnout), and transoms (bridge cross beams) is responsible for producing greenhouse gas emissions 6 times greater than an equivalent reinforced concrete counterparts. This paper presents an innovative solution for the replacement of aging timber transoms installed on existing railway bridges along with the incorporation of a continuous walkway platform, which is proven to provide environmental, safety and financial benefits. Recent developments for alternative composite materials to replace timber components in railway infrastructure construction and maintenance demonstrate some compatibility issues with track stiffness as well as structural and geometrical track systems. Structural concrete are generally used for new railway bridges where the comparatively thicker and heavier fixed slab track systems can be accommodated. This study firstly demonstrates a novel and resilient alterative by incorporating steel-concrete composite slab theory and combines the capabilities of being precast and modulated, in order to reduce the depth, weight and required installation time relative to conventional concrete direct-fixation track slab systems. Clear benefits of the new steel-concrete composites are the maintainability and constructability, especially for existing railway bridges (or brown fields). Critical considerations in the design and finite element modelling for performance benchmarking of composite structures and their failure modes are highlighted in this paper, altogether with risks, compatibilities and compliances.


We examine the effects of stochastic input currents on the firing behavior of two excitable neurons, coupled with fast excitatory synapses. In such cells (models), typified by the quadratic integrate and fire model, mutual synaptic coupling can cause sustained firing or oscillatory behavior which is necessarily antiphase. Additive Gaussian white noise can transiently terminate the oscillations by moving the dynamics away from the stable limit cycle. Further application of the noise may return the system to spiking activity. When the noise is sufficiently weak, the durations of the times spent in the oscillating and the resting states are strongly asymmetric. Hence weak noise tends to stop the spiking activity. When the noise is stronger, the periods of cessation of activity tend to be smaller. We numerically investigate an approximate basin of attraction, , of the periodic orbit and use Markov process theory to explain the firing behavior in terms of the probability of escape of trajectories from .


As alternative forms of medicine have become increasingly popular, research on the health benefits of meditation has grown. Specifically, Mindfulness Meditation, Transcendental Meditation, and Qigong have been shown to be effective in treating psychological disorders, enhancing immune function, and in delaying disease progression in patients diagnosed with HIV, the varicella-zoster virus, and dermatomyositis. This paper briefly reviews the historical background of the many forms of meditation and examines in detail the effects meditation has on several markers of immune function including Natural Killer cell activity, Blymphocytes, telomerase activity, and CD8+ T-cells.


This paper represents a concise comparative presentation of how and why can imprisonment be a penalty in different legal systems when committing cybercrimes that affect personal data. Yet, since personal data is closely linked to cybersecurity (especially in cases of non-compliance with regulatory standards), the subject matter herein will focus on the subsequent relationship between personal data and cybercrimes, but from a peculiar perspective – how impactful unlawful acts can be so as to result in criminal convictions. It relies, therefore, on a symbiosis of acknowledging where personal data sits in the cybercrimes' ecosystem and applying this to the most threatening cases identified by global regulators. In this context, the current research is contingent on mirroring the major legal models worldwide, based on which these offences are sanctioned with imprisonment. It is utterly thought-provoking to analyse how the contrasting legal provisions are driven by a common goal: preventing cybercrimes or, as the case may be, minimising their consequences. All these differences have, essentially, homogenous values at a foundational level. Particularly, that foundational level is the research core of this paper.


In pot experiments with a polder soil low in reducible Mn (extractant: 1N NH4OAc + 0.2% hydroquinone at pH 7), 50 kg/ha Mn applied as MnO (55 or 63.5% Mn) or MnSO4 (32.5% Mn) were as effective for preventing Mn deficiency in oats as spraying with MnSO4 or Mn-Rayplex (a polyflavonoid); reducible Mn in the soil increased to 50-60 ppm. With a more recent polder soil where Mn deficiency was not closely related to reducible Mn, but to C/N ratio, applying up to 176 kg/ha Mn did not completely control Mn deficiency. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI's permission)


Composite materials for various purposes are made on the basis of initial mixtures of fillers and bonding components. The varieties of these components and their quantitative ratio determine the qualitative indicators of the composite. This causes rosettes of the raw material base for the production of composites, including the use of by-products of mineral extraction, which meets the objectives of resource saving. This paper presents the results of the study of composite materials on the basis of by-products of extraction of igneous rocks of Transcarpathia – siftings of andesite as a filler and copolymer Latex 2012 as a matrix. The analysis of chemical and mineralogical composition of andesite siftings from Khust quarry was carried out. An analysis of the dependence of the main physical and mechanical characteristics of the studied composites on the concentration of andesite in the range of 55 85 wt. % and of the corresponding change in the quantitative ratio of filler and copolymer is performed. Differences in parameters using andesite samples with different particle size distribution (the poly-fractional with particle size ˂ 3 mm and the dispersion one with particle size ˂ 0.5 mm) were determined. The peculiarities of the formation of the pore structure of the composite material obtained using andesite samples of different granulometry connected with the increasing degree of dispersion associated with the increase in the number of filler particles in the composite, increasing adhesion forces in the copolymer-filler system and increasing of surface energy of andesite particles are shown. The possibility of increasing the abrasive resistance of the composite material when using the initial mixture based on the andesite-copolymer system has been experimentally confirmed.


FIELD: chemistry. SUBSTANCE: invention relates to making antiadhesion coatings, for example on the surface of fibre-glass or metal moulds used when making various articles from polymer composite materials. The method involves mixing epoxy resin, an active diluent, tetrafluoroethylene powder and a curing agent, and then applying the mixture of components onto a surface. The epoxy resin is premixed with tetrafluoroethylene powder; the active diluent and curing agent are then added; the mixture is held until achieving a given degree of demixing and then hardened, heat treated at 200-250°C and then polished. The components are mixed in the following ratio, pts.wt: epoxy resin - 100, active diluent - 25-55, tetrafluoroethylene powder - 20-50, curing agent - stoichiometric amount. The epoxy resin used has an epoxy value of 24-25; the active diluent is glycidyl ether of triethylene glycol, triglycidyl phosphate; the curing agent is aromatic diamines and acid anhydrides. EFFECT: improved antiadhesion properties of coatings on the surface of fibre-glass and metal moulds. 2 tbl


Using molecular dynamics simulations and theoretical analysis we study heat flow and phase behavior at the interface between high power-density, nanoscale heat sources and an embedding fluid medium. We show that the fluid next to the nanoparticle can be heated well above its boiling point without a phase change. Under increasing nanoparticle temperature, the heat flux saturates, which is in sharp contrast with the case of flat interfaces, where a critical heat flux is observed followed by development of a vapor layer and heat flux drop. These differences in heat transfer are explained by the curvature-induced pressure close to the nanoparticle, which inhibits boiling. We observe similar behavior for water, organic fluid, as well as generic model fluid underscoring generality of the results. We will also discuss the limits of the spatial and temporal localization of extreme temperature excursions and the limits to the applicability of the linear response theory to heat transfer at extremely large heat fluxes.Copyright © 2009 by ASME


This paper presents the basic concepts and motivation for standardized time series analysis. Various applications to the analysis of simulation output are mentioned.


Acoustic velocities, refractive index, and elastic constants have been determined in liquid and cubic crystalline‐phase I of N2O by applying Brillouin spectroscopy developed for condensed gases in a diamond anvil high‐pressure cell, and these parameters increase against pressure with discontinuous changes at liquid‐solid phase transition point of 1.4 GPa. The transition pressure of cubic phase I to orthorhombic phase II is 5.3 GPa at 300 K.


We constructed a model of neutrino masses using Froggatt-Nielsen mechanism with U(1)xZ{sub 3}xZ{sub 2} flavor symmetry. The model predicts that (2/3)m{sub 2}/m{sub 3}{approx}{radical}(2)sin{theta}{sub 13} at lepton number violating scale M{sub 1}. It is shown that the small values for m{sub 2}/m{sub 3} and sin{theta}{sub 13} are consequences of breaking discrete symmetries.


Previous studies have suggested that being imitated by an adult is an effective intervention with children with autism and developmental delay. The purpose of this study is to investigate if an imitation game with a robot can arise interest from children and constitute an effective tool to be used in clinical activities. In this paper, we describe the design of our nursery rhyme imitation game, its implementation based on RGB image pose recognition and the preliminary tests we performed.


We demonstrate the emergence of a pronounced thermal transport in the recently discovered class of magnetic materials-altermagents. From symmetry arguments and first principles calculations performed for the showcase altermagnet, RuO2, we uncover that crystal Nernst and crystal thermal Hall effects in this material are very large and strongly anisotropic with respect to the Neel vector. We find the large crystal thermal transport to originate from three sources of Berry's curvature in momentum space: the pseudo-nodal surfaces, the Weyl fermions due to crossings between well-separated bands, and the spin-flip ladder transitions, defined by transitions among very weakly spin-split states of similar dispersion crossing the Fermi surface. Moreover, we reveal that the anomalous thermal and electrical transport coefficients in RuO2 are linked by an extended Wiedemann-Franz law in a temperature range much wider than expected for conventional magnets. Our results suggest that altermagnets may assume a leading role in realizing concepts in spincaloritronics not achievable with ferromagnets or antiferromagnets.


An explicit marching-on-in-time (MOT) scheme for solving the time domain volume integral equation is presented. The proposed method achieves its stability by employing, at each time step, a corrector scheme, which updates/corrects fields computed by the explicit predictor scheme. The proposed method is computationally more efficient when compared to the existing filtering techniques used for the stabilization of explicit MOT schemes. Numerical results presented in this paper demonstrate that the proposed method maintains its stability even when applied to the analysis of electromagnetic wave interactions with electrically large structures meshed using approximately half a million discretization elements.


The Research of the Super Capacitor as a Back-up Power for Elevator Flat Layer's Emergency Device ZOU Jie-long, WANG Qing-ping, WANG Wei-ping 1.Institute of Applied Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China, 650093; 2. Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering , Kunming University of Science and Technology Kunming, China, 650093. 1. email@example.com, 2. email@example.com. Abstract: The article introduces an application of the super capacitor as a back-up power supply for the elevator flat layer's emergency device in our daily life. Super capacitor is used for the back-up power in the automatic relief devices in that it is of low cost, environmentally-friendly, with long service life, easily maintained and of high rescue efficiency and so on. At the same time, with the demonstration of the model elevator, it also introduces how to control the model elevator, how to choose the type of super capacitor, super capacitor charging and discharging circuit and the elevator power failure detection. Likewise, it elaborates on the hardware circuit and software flow diagram respectively. At last, the paper also shows the inverter process using super capacitor for back-up power in the real elevator and gives the related calculation of inverter process and the super capacitor group selection, which are based on the model elevator.


We solve the longstanding problem of smoothing a stadium billiard. Besides our results demonstrate why there were no clear conjectures how much the stadium's boundary must be smoothened to destroy chaotic dynamics. To do that we needed to extend standard KAM theory to analyze stability of periodic orbits, because of the low smoothness of the system. In fact, the stadium has a $C^1$ boundary, and we show that $C^2$ smoothing results in appearance of elliptic periodic orbits.


Poisoning is a significant public health concern in the UK. Accidental poisoning and deliberate self-poisoning may involve drugs, household products, environmental contaminants or occur as a result of occupational exposure. This article aims to provide a strategy for GPs to use for assessment and management of patients presenting in the community with a history of exposure to poisons.


We consider non-constant coefficient elliptic equations of the type -div(a \bigtriangledown u) = f$, and employ the P-version of the finite element method as a numerical method for the approximate solutions. To compute the integrals in the variational form of the discrete problem we need the numerical quadrature rule scheme. In practice the integrations are seldom computed exactly. In this paper, we give an $L_2(\Omega)$-error estimate of $\Vert u = \tilde{u}_p \Vert_{0,omega}$ in comparison with $\Vert u = \tilde{u}_p \Vert_{1,omega}$, under numerical quadrature rules which are used for calculating the integrations in each of the stiffness matrix and the load vector.


Studies of microbial communities from aquatic ecosystems provide important insights into relations between various aspects of ecosystem functioning and changes in biodiversity. Aquatic microbial systems provide a valuable counterpoint to studies of terrestrial systems, because patterns reflect consequences of interactions occurring over many generations of community development, and are unlikely to represent artifacts of the initial conditions established in experimental communities. In this paper we re-analyse our previously published data to separate the contributions of temporal and spatial variation to overall variation in ecosystem functioning. A new analysis based on re-sampling confirms a negative relationship between richness and the variability of one ecosystem process, carbon dioxide flux. The negative relationship reflects high variation among communities of low species richness, rather than high temporal variation within communities of low richness. We also review the various transformations and summary statistics proposed as alternate measures of variability in ecosystem functioning, to point out that different measures are often appropriate for different kinds of data. Finally, we conclude that arguments about the cosmopolitan distribution of microbes do not preclude the existence of important relations between microbial species richness and ecosystem functioning.


The United Nations has one significant role it plays in its member states. This role is to maintain peace and security. It is expected that when a country goes into war, the United Nations steps in and, through various processes, helps put the war to an end. The UN has tried to execute this role by sending UN troops to The Democratic Republic of Congo to intervene in the never-ending conflicts. The UN troops have been vital to the conflicts in DRC, which can be seen through their various functions. The UN troops have been critical in helping salvage the conflicts through their commitment to protecting civilians and humanitarian personnel. This paper highlights four main activities the UN troops have carried out in DRC in an attempt to put the conflicts to an end. Through the efforts, it can be concluded that the troops have been key to the conflicts.


A method to identify complex Young's modulus of viscoelastic materials using forced longitudinal vibration of slender rods is proposed.The method differs from the beam one.Experimental tests were carried out at room temperature with different lengths in 108 mm, 100 mm,90 mm,83.5 mm,80 mm.74.5 mm,70 mm for the polycarbonate bars,and the curves of ratios A2/A1 between two ends of a viscoelastic bar versus frequencies are obtained, furthermore,the corresponding 3 dB bandwidth and the storage and loss modulus can be calculated.Sufficient number of obtained complex Young's modulus at different frequency allows us to calculate other ones using the least square method.If the step of the tested frequency is 5 Hz,the maximum error of results can be less than 6%.By comparison with the measurement methods which the previous literature mentioned,this new method simplifies the calculation,and the physical meaning appears apparently and clearly.


The external auxiliary means including UV illumination, Fenton reagent addition and O3 aeration are broadly used to activate self-generated H2O2 from CaO2 for toxic chemicals removal, wastewater remediation, and even...


A short daytime nap of less than 30 min can prevent later sleepiness. However, severe sleep inertia often occurs after awakening from slow-wave sleep (SWS). The present study examined the appearance pattern of SWS during daytime hours. Polysomnograms of university students (n = 101) showed that SWS did not appear during a nap of less than 15 min, but did appear at least 9 min after the first sleep spindle. These results suggest that a short nap (less than 15 min) does not produce sleep inertia.


The International Roughness Index (IRI) has been widely used to characterize the road ride quality in the highway engineering community. IRI is commonly obtained via the longitudinal profile data collected by a high-speed inertial profiler. It is well known that the IRI value based on an inertial profiler can be biased under low-speed or varying-speed conditions. This stems from the inherent limitation of the accelerometer embedded in the measurement system. This study proposes a different approach to solving the problem by employing three-dimension laser scanning technology. Without relying on the accelerometer to offset the vehicle vertical dynamics/vibration, the new approach uses the measurement by a line laser to transfer the elevation along the driving direction. Following this principle, a road profiler was developed and installed on a host vehicle. A preliminary evaluation of the newly developed profiler was conducted on two urban road sections in Beijing. The elevation was focused on wavelength, IRI index, and repeatability analysis. The results showed that the proposed profiler could effectively capture road elevation and accurately characterize ride quality. It was indicated that this new equipment could serve as a useful tool to better accommodate the ride quality measurement under varying-speed data collection conditions, particularly in the urban environment.


In the pursuit of advancing autonomous vehicles (AVs), data-driven algorithms
 have become pivotal in replacing human perception and decision-making. While
 deep neural networks (DNNs) hold promise for perception tasks, the potential for
 catastrophic consequences due to algorithmic flaws is concerning. A well-known
 incident in 2016, involving a Tesla autopilot misidentifying a white truck as a
 cloud, underscores the risks and security vulnerabilities. In this article, we
 present a novel threat model and risk assessment (TARA) analysis on AV data
 storage, delving into potential threats and damage scenarios. Specifically, we
 focus on DNN parameter manipulation attacks, evaluating their impact on three
 distinct algorithms for traffic sign classification and lane assist. Our
 comprehensive tests and simulations reveal that even a single bit-flip of a DNN
 parameter can severely degrade classification accuracy to less than 10%, posing
 significant risks to the overall performance and safety of AVs. Additionally, we
 identify critical parameters based on bit position, layer position, and
 bit-flipping direction, offering essential insights for developing robust
 security measures in autonomous vehicle systems.


A miniaturized K-band VCO (voltage controlled oscillator) using GaAs pHEMT device is presented. A compact mushroom-type edge-located vias electromagnetic bandgap (ELV-EBG) resonator loaded with a varactor is adopted instead of conventional resonator. The parallel feedback structure VCO is designed to operate from 22.9 GHz to 25.6 GHz. The measured results show that the proposed VCO provides a maximum output power of 10.4 dBm at 23.6 GHz with output power flatness less than 1 dB from 24 GHz to 25.4 GHz. The phase noise of the VCO with ELV-EBG resonator is around −95 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset from carrier. The size of this compact VCO is about 17 mm×7.5 mm.


Surface texturing has been recognized as a method for enhancing the tribological properties of surfaces for many years. Adding a controlled texture to one of two faces in relative motion can have many positive effects, such as reduction of friction and wear and increase in load capacity. To date, the true potential of texturing has not been realized not because of the lack of enabling texturing technologies but because of the severe lack of detailed information about the mechanistic functional details of texturing in a tribological situation. Experimental as well as theoretical analysis of textured surfaces define important metrics for performance evaluation. These metrics represent the interaction between geometry of the texturing element and surface topology. To date, there is no agreement on the optimal values that should be implemented given a particular surface. More importantly, a well-defined methodology for the generation of deterministic textures of optimized designs virtually does not exist. Nature, on the other hand, offers many examples of efficient texturing strategies (geometries and topologies) specifically applied to mitigate frictional effects in a variety of situations. Studying these examples may advance the technology of surface engineering. This paper therefore, provides a comparative review of surface texturing that manifest viable synergy between tribology and biology. We attempt to provide successful emerging examples where borrowing from nature has inspired viable surface solutions that address difficult tribological problems both in dry and lubricated contact situations.


The objective of this paper is to develop a numerical method to simulate mildly cracked fuel flow and heat transfer at supercritical pressures. The thermodynamic and transport properties determined by temperature, pressure, and mass fraction of each component were simplified to the function of temperature, pressure and conversion rate. These properties were reconstructed by a three-dimensional equation of state (EOS) look-up table. The three-dimensional EOS table look-up method was two orders of magnitude faster than SUPERTRAPP database. This method was validated and could improve the efficiency of design for active cooling system of scramjet engine.


Carbon tetrachloride is a solvent that has been used in the past as a cleaning fluid or degreasing agent, as a grain fumigant, and industrially in the synthesis of refrigeration fluid and propellants for aerosol cans. Although most of these uses have been discontinued, the possibility still exists for carbon tetrachloride to be released to the environment, primarily through industrial processes or old bottles of cleaning agents containing carbon tetrachloride that may still be in the home. Degradation of carbon tetrachloride occurs slowly in the environment, which contributes to the accumulation of the chemical in the atmosphere as well as the groundwater. Carbon tetrachloride is widely dispersed and persistent in the environment, but is not detected frequently in foods.


 Abstract— Steady-state simulation plays a vital role in power system analysis and design. Steady-state initialization is important for the startup of an electromagnetic transient simulation. One of the commonly used steady-state analysis is phasor analysis. If the system is free from harmonics, phasor analysis is accurate. However, when a nonlinear or time-varying component is present in the system, phasor analysis is inadequate because the impact of the harmonics on the operating point is not taken into account. This paper presents a new power flow algorithm based on both time and frequency domains, which is also called the hybrid analysis. The proposed power flow algorithm employs a time-domain method to model nonlinear components and time-varying components and uses a frequency domain method to handle linear and distributed elements. Although in the past work, hybrid approach has been used to obtain steady-state voltage and current waveforms of a nonlinear or time-varying system, it has not yet been used for a power flow analysis. In this paper, we will show how to extend the existing hybrid method to account for the power flow constraints, imposed by the generator and load buses. Moreover, the proposed method is more efficient, as compared to the existing method because one redundant Newton iteration loop is eliminated in the proposed hybrid method.


From the fundamental collection paradigms known in conceptual modeling - sets, bags, lists, and arrays - it is the array concept which has long been neglected by the database community. However, as sensors are becoming ubiquitous and inexpensive, and as further simulations become large, multi-dimensional arrays are attributed a large share of today's archive spaces. Geoscientific examples include 1-D sensor time series, 2-D satellite imagery, 3-D x/y/t image time series and x/y/z geology data, and 4-D x/y/z/t climate and ocean simulation data. A similar wealth of array data can be found in space, life, and other sciences. Sparse arrays appear in OLAP. In summary, arrays (by practitioners often referred to as raster data) comprise the natural representation of n-dimensional sensor, array, and statistics data. Typically these data come in massive volumes, with Petabyte - in future Exabyte - sizes for single arrays.

Unleashing this huge data reservoir for online analytics by scientists, industry, government, and citizens represents a major information services challenge. As traditional databases do not support large arrays, in today's practice ad-hoc implementations prevail, often done by service providers themselves and centered around some particular data formats. Databases are hardly involved for array management. Many researchers believe, however, that database technology can offer its traditional benefits, such as information integration, flexibility of query language, scalability, and dynamic optimization, on arrays as well.


THIS ARTICLE IS ABOUT A LITTLE DISCOVERY . In Florence's Archivio di Stato, folded between lists of publications and postage prices, are some one hundred documents belonging to a forgotten Medici project for recording all the measurements of the world. A week before the end of July 1683, the chancellery of Grand Duke Cosimo III (r. 1670–1723) sent letters to some of his agents across Europe, asking them to provide the dimensions of standards in use in their areas of operation. It also solicited up-to-date information on currencies, even if the replies indicate that this second request only inquired about the names of units of accounts and their divisions. Those responses got stacked together, bound to the drafts (minute) of Cosimo's letters, and inserted in a towering miscellanea of receipts and wish lists. The result—what I call the "ribbon files"—is as curious as was the decision to keep all the letters together. Florentine archivists usually place each missive in the folder of the respective sender. They sometimes even divide them into different years. The current arrangement instead points to a different objective: to keep those documents together even after the endeavor was eventually abandoned.


An exoskeleton (100) system comprises at least one garment selected from the group consisting of a shirt or vest (110), short or pants (120), an upper arm sleeve (130). a lower arm sleeve (140), a thigh sleeve (150), and a leg sleeve (160) wherein the garment is a multilayer construct that essentially comprises an inner layer (201) of nylon material, a middle layer (202) made of neoprene, an outer layer (203) made of plush material; and an article (300) with attached hook and loop fasteners (301) to be mounted onto the garment by securing the hook and loop fasteners (301) onto any spots of the outer layer (203).


Obesity has reached epidemic proportions and is continuing to grow into one of the leading healthcare issues worldwide. With this development, bariatric surgery has emerged as an acceptable treatment for morbid obesity, generally achieving meaningful and sustained weight loss. In a surprising turn of events, bariatric surgery was also found to be the most effective therapy for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This observation has sparked a great deal of research that has improved our understanding of T2DM pathophysiology; it has facilitated the development of medical treatment and is expanding the indications for bariatric surgery.


In this paper, the need for and the difficulties associated with outcome-based conditionality for foreign aid are examined with reference to the European experience in Burkina Faso. Although the theory of this new conditionality appears to be well founded, its implementation shows the difficulty of moving away from the traditional instrument-based conditionality.


Let $\mathbb{F}_{p^m}$ be a finite field with $p^m$ elements, where $p$ is an odd prime and $m$ is a positive integer. Recently, \cite{Hengar} and \cite{Wang2020} determined the weight distributions of subfield codes with the form
$$\mathcal{C}_f=\left\{\left(\left( {\rm Tr}_1^m(a f(x)+bx)+c\right)_{x \in \mathbb{F}_{p^m}}, {\rm Tr}_1^m(a)\right)\, : \, a,b \in \mathbb{F}_{p^m}, c \in \mathbb{F}_p\right\}$$ for $f(x)=x^2$ and $f(x)=x^{p^k+1}$, respectively, where $k$ is a nonnegative integer. In this paper, we further investigate the subfield code $\mathcal{C}_f$ for $f(x)$ being a known perfect nonlinear function over $\mathbb{F}_{p^m}$ and generalize some results in \cite{Hengar,Wang2020}.
The weight distributions of the constructed codes are determined by applying the theory of quadratic forms and the properties of perfect nonlinear functions over finite fields. In addition, the parameters of the duals of these codes are also determined. Several examples show that some of our codes and their duals have the best known parameters with respect to the code tables in \cite{MGrassl}. The duals of some proposed codes are optimal with respect to the Sphere Packing bound if $p\geq 5$.


In this paper a regional power network oriented technical supporting system for dispatching and marketing in electricity market is described. On the basis of making full use of the hardware resource and the data of MIS and according to the principle of fairness, impartiality, rationality and feasibility, the application modules such as electricity energy data acquisition, working out operating plans and reporting to higher level, load forecasting, information distribution, power network dispatching and management, check and assessment upon the local power plants and power supply bureaus in accordance with management method for dispatching and marketing are developed to implement the dispatching automation and marketing automation in overall process.


ABSTRACT The sand pit of Pécs-Danitzpuszta is one of the most important mixed Neogene vertebrate localities in Hungary, with older Miocene (Langhian – Serravallian) terrestrial and marine animal remains re-deposited into the upper Miocene (Tortonian) Lake Pannon sediments. Due to the mixed status of the Pécs-Danitzpuszta vertebrate assemblages, limited information is available about the former depositional environment and age of these fossils. However, the rare earth element (REE) composition of the fossil apatite can help to determine the stratigraphic origin and the early depositional environments of unprovenanced vertebrate remains. In this study, the REE composition of more than 60 vertebrate fossils, among them reworked and in situ remains from the Mecsek Mountain, were analysed. The results allowed separation between the Badenian, Sarmatian, and Pannonian aged fossils. The REE content and their distribution also helped us characterise the ancient depositional conditions of the investigated reworked fossils. Furthermore, several different types of vertebrate fossils were analysed, resulting in a large database that helped clarify the likely timings and mechanisms of REE uptake at this locality. Apparent variation in REE chemistry within bones (cortical vs cancellous) and teeth (enamel vs dentine) are best linked to fractionation along the REE series during their incorporation.


A method of forming a layered-perovskite bismuth-strontium-tantalum oxide (SBT) ferroelectric material is performed by dissolving a bismuth compound in a first solvent to form a first solution, mixing a strontium compound and a tantalum compound to form a binary mixture, dissolving the binary mixture in a second solvent to form a second solution, mixing the first solution with the second solution to form a SBT precursor solution, evaporating the first and second solvents to form a SBT precursor material and subsequently sintering said SBT precursor material in the presence of oxygen.


This article considers the determination of the optimal burn-in time, the degree of preventive maintenance, and the preventive maintenance interval (or, equivalently, the number of preventive maintenance actions) for warranted products with time-dependent maintenance costs. The expected cost function is derived by adopting an appropriate age-reduction model and the determination of the optimal joint solution is discussed. Finally, the impact of providing a burn-in/preventive maintenance program is evaluated through numerical examples.


Abstract When overdrilling into established pasture, the application of paraquat plus dicamba, or glyphosate, sprayed simultaneously in bands on the drilled rows, was both a feasible and an effective way of suppressing competition from resident plant species. Pilot experiments highlighted the need for precise control of nozzle height and suggested preferences for placement of the nozzles in relation to both chisel and triple disc coulter assemblies. Experiments in the Bay of Plenty, Waikato, and Manawatu on paspalum-, browntop-, and clover-dominant swards suggested that in all these pastures, paraquat + dicamba produced a more rapid and complete suppression of resident vegetation within the bands than did glyphosate. Both herbicides applied in bands were better than not spraying, but suffered in the longer term in comparison with blanket spraying. In the Waikato there was an advantage with paraquat using a chisel coulter assembly in comparison with a triple disc coulter assembly but no logical explanation...