On Spending Money

An ever present concern is at what rate can one spend money if one currently has a given amount and one wishes to have a certain amount at some time in the future. Initially we view the problem in the deterministic sense with increasing expenditures and a yield on the remaining principal. The problem is then extended to recognize the fact that the future time may be a random variable as in the case of an estate at the time of death. The second extension includes “shocks” to the system such as large medical expenses. It is shown that the most important consideration to the budgeter is the difference between the inflation rate and the return rate (yield) on principal.     

Selective IgA deficiency and ankylosing spondylitis

A man with an ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and selective IgA deficiency is described. There have been several reports in the literature indicating coexistence of AS with selective IgA deficiency. As it is suggested in the literature, we believe that selective IgA deficiency is a poor prognostic factor in AS.     

Macroanatomic,light and scanning electron microscopic studies of the pecten oculi in the stork (Ciconia ciconia)

This study was undertaken to investigate the pecten oculi of stork by using macroscopic, light and electron microscopic techniques. A total of 20 eyes that were obtained from 10 storks were used. The eyes were cleaned and isolated by dissection. After various procedures, four of the pecten oculi were examined by light microscope while the other four with an electron microscope. The remaining 12 eyes were assigned for macroscopic investigation. Pecten oculi of the stork were determined as accordion‐like structures that originated from n. opticus, consisting of 15–17 plica and projecting up to 2/5 of the diameter of the bulbus oculi. Light microscopic examination revealed two types of blood vessels. Afferent–efferent vessels were larger in diamater (40–45 µm), fewer in numbers, and the capillary vessels were smaller in diamater (2–5 µm) and more in numbers. There were granules including amount of melanin pigment at the apical part of the pleats. These granules were fewer and scattered randomly on the basal part of the pleats. As a result, pecten oculi in the stork, which is a migrating bird, were determined to be similar to those of other diurnal birds. Microsc. Res. Tech. 76:963–967, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The Generalized Newsboy Problem, Contract Negotiations and Secondary Vendors

The single period inventory model, known as the newsboy problem, has been extended by considering the supply of inventory as a random variable. A rule for acceptance of inventory from the primary vendor (supplier) is given. Analyses for the newsboy's use in contract negotiations with his supplier are presented. The analyses ensure that the newsboy suffers no decrease in expected revenue by determining values for fixed and proportional penalties when shortages exist. In addition, the unit cost that the newsboy can afford to pay to purchase the excess supply is determined so that there is no decrease in expected revenue. The optimal use of secondary vendors is derived when the specific amount of shortage is known and when the specific amount (if any) of shortage is not known. Illustrative distributions for supply and demand and specific numerical cases are given.     

Enhancing ebXML Registries to Make them OWL Aware

ebXML is a standard from OASIS and UN/CEFACT which specifies an infrastructure to facilitate electronic business. In this paper, we address how ebXML registry semantics support can be further enhanced to make it OWL aware. OWL constructs are represented through ebXML registry information model constructs, and stored procedures are defined in the ebXML registry for processing the OWL semantics. These predefined stored queries provide the necessary means to exploit the enhanced semantics stored in the registry. In this way, an application program does not have to be aware of the details of how this semantics support is achieved in ebXML registry, and does not have to contain additional code to process this semantics.We believe that this approach is quite powerful to associate semantics with registry objects: it becomes possible to retrieve knowledge through queries, the enhancements to the registry are generic and also the registry specification is kept intact. The capabilities provided move the semantics support beyond what is currently available in ebXML registries and it does so by using a standard ontology language.To be able to demonstrate the benefits of the enhancements, we also show how the resulting semantics can be made use of in Web service discovery and composition.Recommended by: Athman Bouguettaya and Boualem BenatallahThis work is supported in part by the European Commission, Project No: IST-1-002104-STP SATINE and the Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey (TÜBÍTAK), Project No: EEEAG 104E013 and is realized as a proposal to OASIS ebXML Semantic Content Management subcommittee which is working on possible semantic extensions to the registry.     

Magnetic properties and spin-reorientation transition in DyFe10−xNixSi2 compounds

The magnetic properties of DyFe_10−xNi_xSi₂ compounds with x = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9 and 10 have been investigated by means of X-ray diffraction and magnetic measurements. Substitution of Ni for Fe leads to a decrease in the lattice constants a, c and the unit-cell volume V. The Curie temperature reaches a maximum of 590 K at x = 2, then decreases strongly for x ≥ 2. The spin reorientations are observed for the compounds with x = 0, 1, 2 and 3. The spin reorientation temperature decreases strongly from 255 to 60 K as the Ni content is increased from x = 0 to 3. Below the spin reorientation temperature, the compounds exhibit ferrimagnetic ordering. For the Ni-rich compounds with x = 9 and 10, the magnetization of the Dy sublattice decreases strongly since the magnetization of the Dy sublattice is strongly affected by the molecular field produced by the 3d sublattice.     

Growth and by‐product profiles of Kluyveromyces marxianus cells immobilized in foamed alginate

The aim of this research was to study how the yeast cell immobilization technique influences the growth and fermentation profiles of Kluyveromyces marxianus cultivated on apple/chokeberry and apple/cranberry pomaces. Encapsulation of the cells was performed by droplet formation from a foamed alginate solution. The growth and metabolic profiles were evaluated for both free and immobilized cells. Culture media with fruit waste produced good growth of free as well as immobilized yeast cells. The fermentation profiles of K. marxianus were different with each waste material. The most varied aroma profiles were noted for immobilized yeast cultivated on apple/chokeberry pomace. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparing six video chat tools: A critical evaluation by language teachers

This article presents a critical comparison of the usefulness and practicality of six CMC video chat tools (CUworld, ICQ, MSN Messenger, Paltalk, Skype, and Yahoo Messenger) from the perspective of language teaching professionals. This comparison is based on the results of a semester-long project between graduate students at an American university and their counterparts at a university in Turkey. The language teachers were asked to pair up with a partner in the collaborating university to test and then evaluate each of these tools via video chat tool evaluation sheets. They also completed an overall evaluation sheet commenting on CMC tools in general and ranking the video chat tools in terms of their potential as language teaching tools and their usability for personal communication purposes. The qualitative and quantitative analyses of the evaluation sheets indicate a clear preference for MSN Messenger and Skype while placing CUworld and Paltalk at the bottom of the list. The article also provides pedagogical implications and applications for using tools for language teaching purposes.     

Super toughened and highly ductile PLA/TPU blend systems by in situ reactive interfacial compatibilization using multifunctional epoxy-based chain extender

This study investigates the influence of using multifunctional epoxy Joncryl ADR 4468 chain extender (CE) on the properties of various polylactide (PLA)/thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) (75 wt/25 wt) blend systems. The blends were based on two different TPU grades with ether- and ester-based soft segment as the dispersed phase (i.e., TPUether and TPUester) and an amorphous and a semicrystalline PLA grades as the matrix (i.e., aPLA and scPLA). PLA appeared to be more compatible with the TPUester, which caused the enhancement of the impact strength and strain at break values of the blends more remarkably. The dynamic rheological experiments also confirmed that the CE revealed a better reactivity with TPUester than TPUether. This further enhanced the interfacial compatibility between the PLA and TPUester and thereby dramatically improved the impact strength and ductility of the PLA/TPUester blends, specifically those with 0.5 wt% CE. Meanwhile, aPLA as the matrix reflected the TPUs toughening effect more efficiently than scPLA. This was due to the possible shrinkage caused by the crystallization of scPLA matrix, which could deteriorate the interfacial interactions between the phases in the corresponding blends.     

Effects of ultraviolet light and ultrasound on microbial quality and aroma-active components of milk

BACKGROUND: Heat treatment is the most common way to extend the shelf life of milk. However, alternative technologies such as ultraviolet (UV) light and ultrasound (US), which are non‐thermal methods for processing milk, have been developed to replace heat treatment. These technologies do not have any adverse effects on the quality of milk. The major purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of UV and US on different micro‐organism groups and aroma compounds in milk. RESULTS: Heat pasteurisation at 65 °C for 30 min was used as thermal control treatment. The growth of total coliform group bacteria, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus spp. was completely reduced by UV treatment. Application of US was not sufficient to reduce the numbers of yeasts and moulds. In neutral/basic fractions, 3‐methylthiophene (plastic), hexanal (grass) and 1‐hexen‐3‐one (floral) were major volatiles in milk samples. CONCLUSION: UV had a major effect on total coliforms, E. coli and Staphylococcus spp., but US was not as effective as UV and heat treatment in reducing certain groups of micro‐organisms. No major differences were observed in terms of aroma‐active compounds and flavour of milk following the different treatments. However, some new volatiles and change in rheological properties were generated by UV and US treatments. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry