Serials Handling in Essen University Library

It is so much published about serials automation that it is very difficult for librarians to give an up-to-date information and to cover the immense amount of information about the mysteries of serials automation. However, the routines in a manual series department have proved to be similar in all libraries and are equal to all new developments. Only on this base and with deep knowledge of serials procedures it is possible to develop new techniques, i.e. automated procedures that could be feasible and considered. Serials automation is no more a puzzle as documented by this IATUL meeting. A very wide range of presentations, lectures, and communications will touch on this topic, namely serials automation and/or handling. E A S Y \u27Essen Automated System\u27 - journal module is not a simple type of serials automated system, i.e., is not only a straight listing of information regarding each periodical .title, neither has the amption to automate clerical procedures involved with the receiving or check-in procedures and claiming. The aims of serials automation in Essen University Library within the frame of our automated system E A S Y is that it should has a complete bibliographic file with an access to records for all titles held in the library and include detailed description of holdings. It is the basis for the periodical holdingslist and a joint for a cooperation on nationwide scale for the publication of the union list of serials. In addition to subscription renewals, the binding of actively received serials, i.e. to automate the binding procedures is part of the system. We have a complete machine readable file for all our periodicals on subscription, gift, exchange, arid seized publication as well as on continuation. The file includes all pertinent bibliographic as well as holdings information. All needed data are entered into the applicable fields, corrections, additons, alterations, or deletion of information included in a record can be done at any time. We have different search keys which can be entered and the desired record is displayed on the terminal screen. The system produces - when needed - lists of all titles in an particular fund, arranged by entry, call number, or costs, displaying the subscription amounts paid for those titles year by year, etc. Bibliographic lists produced include main entry, call number, location etc. as long as the information is stored in the serials file. The Essen tagging scheme generally covers the following information: title, serial number, branch library, location, cost per copy, no. of copies, account no., call number, etc. For management purposes regular reports for each serial fund according to subject include all expenditures made from that fund

IN VITRO STUDIES ON CYANIDIN PROTECTION AGAINST DOXORUBICIN CARDIOMYOCYTE CYTOTOXICITY AND ANTICANCER ACTIVITY

Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) are recognized for their role in several health related problems when produced at excessively high concentrations. Due to their potent antioxidant activity and potential mitochondriotropic behavior, the anthocyanidins may have the potential to lower mitochondrial ROS levels. Nevertheless, the effect of anthocyanidins remains overlooked due to their presumed low stability and bioavailability. In addition, this instability has lead to a general belief that the phenolic degradation products, protocatechuic acid (PCA) and phloroglucinaldehye (PGA), exert the bioactivity rather than the parent compound. In this work, doxorubicin-induced cytotoxicity in differentiated H9c2 cardiomyocytes was initially established as a model in which the mitochondrial antioxidant activity of the selected flavonoids would be examined. First, we delineated the mechanisms by which doxorubicin affected H9c2 cell survival and mitochondrial function. The results showed that the early effects of doxorubicin on mitochondrial superoxide generation led to a delayed effect on cell survival. Using this model, we then revealed the protective ability of cyanidin against doxorubicin-induced cytological damage, showing protection to mitochondria. While cyanidin co-incubation with doxorubicin did not show protection when cell survival was assessed after 24 h, it gave delayed protection after a further 24 h drug-free period. Using the delayed protection model, we also showed that cyanidin had greater bioactivity over other flavonoids tested (quercetin, catechin and cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G)). The protection by cyanidin also exceeded that of its degradation products (PCA and PGA), suggesting that the parent compound has additional bioactivity. The cytoprotective ability of the flavonoids was related to their ability to lower mitochondrial superoxide at early time points, with cyanidin being the most effective. Experiments on doxorubicin cytotoxicity to HepG2 (liver cancer) and K562 (erythroleukemia) cells showed no protective effect with cyanidin. These results suggest cyanidin protects cardiomyocytes but does not interfere with the cytotoxic activity of doxorubicin in the cancer cell lines. Investigations on the degradation of cyanidin in physiological media, UV-vis, HPLC and MS analytical techniques provided evidence that cyanidin does not degrade immediately to PCA and PGA. Instead, intermediate compounds (hemiketal and chalcone) survived for sufficient periods to exert putative bioactivity. Studies on the influence of different media on the degradation of cyanidin showed that the stability in human serum was significantly higher (t½ 43.2 min at room temperature, 22 ¬± 1°C) compared to phosphate buffered saline and Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle’s Medium with and without 10% fetal bovine serum (t½ 10.2-32.6 min). In conclusion, using differentiated H9c2 cells, our results show an ability of cyanidin to survive long enough in cell culture media, and presumably intracellularly, to exert cytoprotection against doxorubicin which exceeded that of other flavonoids (quercetin, catechin, C3G) and its degradation products (PCA and PGA). The results present cyanidin as a possible antioxidant choice to use in clinical practice to protect the heart from the mitochondrial toxicity of doxorubicin and warrants investigation into this possible therapeutic application

Self-Medication in University Students from the City of Mansoura, Egypt

Background. Self-medication is a common practice in developed and developing countries. Objectives. To explore the prevalence of self-medication practices among university students, probable reasons, symptoms requiring self-medication, and sources of advice. Methods. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in Mansoura University, Egypt, and included 1st and last year students of both medical and nonmedical faculties. Results. Prevalence of self-medication was 62.9%. Younger age, female, medical, and ever-married students and those having home pharmacy tended to self-medicate more than their peers with significant difference between them. Being medical student, being from urban area, having good current health condition, being careless about health, and having drugs stored at home pharmacy were independently associated with the likelihood of self-medicating. Conclusion. Prevalence of self-medication among university students is high which constitutes a health problem that needs intervention

Simultaneous Rheoelectric Measurements of Strongly Conductive Complex Fluids

We introduce an modular fixture designed for stress-controlled rheometers to perform simultaneous rheological and electrical measurements on strongly conductive complex fluids under shear. By means of a nontoxic liquid metal at room temperature, the electrical connection to the rotating shaft is completed with minimal additional mechanical friction, allowing for simultaneous stress measurements at values as low as 1 Pa. Motivated by applications such as flow batteries, we use the capabilities of this design to perform an extensive set of rheoelectric experiments on gels formulated from attractive carbon-black particles, at concentrations ranging from 4 to 15 wt %. First, experiments on gels at rest prepared with different shear histories show a robust power-law scaling between the elastic modulus G[superscript '][subscript 0] and the conductivity σ[subscript 0] of the gels—i.e., G[superscript '][subscript 0]∼σ[superscript α][subscript 0], with α=1.65±0.04, regardless of the gel concentration. Second, we report conductivity measurements performed simultaneously with creep experiments. Changes in conductivity in the early stage of the experiments, also known as the Andrade-creep regime, reveal for the first time that plastic events take place in the bulk, while the shear rate [dot over γ] decreases as a weak power law of time. The subsequent evolution of the conductivity and the shear rate allows us to propose a local yielding scenario that is in agreement with previous velocimetry measurements. Finally, to establish a set of benchmark data, we determine the constitutive rheological and electrical behavior of carbon-black gels. Corrections first introduced for mechanical measurements regarding shear inhomogeneity and wall slip are carefully extended to electrical measurements to accurately distinguish between bulk and surface contributions to the conductivity. As an illustrative example, we examine the constitutive rheoelectric properties of five different grades of carbon-black gels and we demonstrate the relevance of this rheoelectric apparatus as a versatile characterization tool for strongly conductive complex fluids and their applications.United States. Dept. of Energy. Office of Basic Energy Sciences. Joint Center for Energy Storage ResearchMIT-France Seed FundCentre National de la Recherche Scientifique (France) (PICS-USA Scheme 36939

The Unruly World of Tax: A Proposal for an International Tax Cooperation Forum

International cooperation in tax policy is deeply fractured. Inconsistencies, loopholes, and ineffective mechanisms—which could be avoided if real collaboration among countries existed—have created significant inefficiency losses for decades. This Article focuses on the institutional infrastructure underlying international cooperation in tax issues and argues that the current forums in which such cooperation is encouraged do not provide an adequate platform in which countries with similar interests can effectively make a collaborative effort. To facilitate cooperation, this Article proposes to create a new institution currently missing from the international tax policy-setting arena: an informal forum for coordination among countries that share similar interests in tax policy, inspired by the model of “Like Minded Groups” in international organizations. This forum will enable countries that share similar interests to cooperate and reach understandings about necessary policy adaptations. We identify two major projects that this forum could promote—efforts to curtail tax evasion and efforts to harmonize various aspects of tax policy. We argue that this model might have significant advantages in promoting cooperation, reducing the “competitiveness” threat, advocating coordinated policies, and overcoming external and domestic pressures. In light of the current challenges in the field of tax policy, and the difficulties in forming international cooperation within the current institutional framework, the proposed model is worth serious discussion and consideration

Yield Hardening of Electrorheological Fluids in Channel Flow

Electrorheological fluids offer potential for developing rapidly actuated hydraulic devices where shear forces or pressure-driven flow are present. In this study, the Bingham yield stress of electrorheological fluids with different particle volume fractions is investigated experimentally in wall-driven and pressure-driven flow modes using measurements in a parallel-plate rheometer and a microfluidic channel, respectively. A modified Krieger-Dougherty model can be used to describe the effects of the particle volume fraction on the yield stress and is in good agreement with the viscometric data. However, significant yield hardening in pressure-driven channel flow is observed and attributed to an increase and eventual saturation of the particle volume fraction in the channel. A phenomenological physical model linking the densification and consequent microstructure to the ratio of the particle aggregation time scale compared to the convective time scale is presented and used to predict the enhancement in yield stress in channel flow, enabling us to reconcile discrepancies in the literature between wall-driven and pressure-driven flows

Jungpaläozoische Glazialspuren auf dem Arabischen Schild

Ausgedehnte geologische Kartierungen des Ministry of Agriculture von Saudi Arabien werden zur Zeit westlich des Rub al-Khali an den Südausläufern des Dj. Tuwaik zur Wassererschließung durchgeführt. Detailliertere Profilstudien im Gebiet zwischen 18°—19° nördl. Br. und 44°30'—46° östl. v. Greenwich (vgl. Abb. 1) ergeben östlich des Dünenfeldes von Nefud Ed Dahi an den Westabstürzen des Dj. Tuwaik folgendes allgemeine und regional weitverbreitete Profilbild.researc

Determining concentrations and temperatures in semiconductor manufacturing plasmas via submillimeter absorption spectroscopy

Plasmas used in the manufacturing processes of semiconductors are similar in pressure and temperature to plasmas used in studying the spectroscopy of astrophysical species. Likewise, the developed technology in submillimeter absorption spectroscopy can be used for the study of industrial plasmas and for monitoring manufacturing processes. An advantage of submillimeter absorption spectroscopy is that it can be used to determine absolute concentrations and temperatures of plasma species without the need for intrusive probes. A continuous wave, 500 – 750 GHz absorption spectrometer was developed for the purpose of being used as a remote sensor of gas and plasma species. An important part of this work was the optical design to match the geometry of existing plasma reactors in the manufacturing industry. A software fitting routine was developed to simultaneously fit for the background and absorption signal, solving for concentration, rotational temperature, and translational temperature. Examples of measurements made on inductively coupled plasmas will be demonstrated. We would like to thank the Texas Analog Center of Excellence/Semiconductor Research Corporation (TxACE/SRC) and Applied Materials for their support of this work

Extended of TEA: A 256 bits block cipher algorithm for image encryption

This paper introduces an effective image encryption approach that merges a chaotic map and polynomial with a block cipher. According to this scheme, there are three levels of encryption. In the first level, pixel positions of the image are scuffled into blocks randomly based on a chaotic map. In the second level, the polynomials are constructed by taking N unused pixels from the permuted blocks as polynomial coefficients. Finally, the third level a proposed secret-key block cipher called extended of tiny encryption algorithm (ETEA) is used. The proposed ETEA algorithm increased the block size from 64-bit to 256-bit by using F-function in type three Feistel network design. The key schedule generation is very straightforward through admixture the entire major subjects in the identical manner for every round. The proposed ETEA algorithm is word-oriented, where wholly internal operations are executed on words of 32 bits. So, it is possible to efficiently implement the proposed algorithm on smart cards. The results of the experimental demonstration that the proposed encryption algorithm for all methods are efficient and have high security features through statistical analysis using histograms, correlation, entropy, randomness tests, and the avalanche effect