Trajectories of knowledge economy in SSA and MENA countries

In the first critical assessment of knowledge economy dynamic paths in Africa and the Middle East, but for a few exceptions, we find overwhelming support for diminishing cross-country disparities in knowledge-based economy dimensions. The paper employs all the four components of the World Bank's Knowledge Economy Index (KEI): economic incentives, innovation, education, and information infrastructure. The main finding suggests that sub-Saharan African (SSA) and the Middle East and North African (MENA) countries with low levels of KE dynamics and catching-up their counterparts of higher KE levels. We provide the speeds of integration and time necessary to achieve full (100%) integration. Policy implications are also discussed.     

Low-cycle fatigue properties of eutectic solders at high temperatures

This paper details the deformation mechanism and low‐cycle fatigue life of eutectic solder alloys at high temperature (around 0.8T_m). Grain boundary sliding generally nucleates a wedge‐type cavity that reduces the low‐cycle fatigue life of metals. In this study, grain boundary sliding has promoted intergranular failure contributing to the reduction in fatigue life of Sn–Ag–Cu alloy. However, grain boundary sliding has exerted no deleterious effects on fatigue resistance of eutectic Pb–Sn and Bi–Sn alloys. The phase boundary sliding with very fine microstructure induces exceptional ductility in these alloys leading to superior low‐cycle fatigue endurance for theses eutectic Pb–Sn and Bi–Sn alloys.     

S-57电子海图数据读取和自动多模式分层显示

电子海图显示与信息系统(Electronic Chart Display and Information System,简称ECDIS)是以数字形式储存的海图并与多种传感设备、图形显示终端等高度融合的船舶航行综合信息处理系统,而S-57是电子海图国际通用的数据格式。在Linux/Fedora系统下,针对于S-57格式,研究其数据结构模型,从最基本的点、线、面出发,读取海图数据并根据时间和天气数据实现S-57海图数据自动多模式显示,并提出了一种根据物标重要性进行分层显示的方法。     

Synthesis and characterization of soluble (porphyrinato)iron(II) polymers

The use of (tetrakis(4-hexylphenyl)porphyrinato)Fe(II) in polymerization reactions with bidentate ligands such as 9,10-diisocyanoanthracene and 1,4-diisocyanobenzene led to well-defined stacked polymers1 and2 which are still soluble in common organic solvents such as chloroform, dichloromethane, and tetrahydrofurane. They have been completely characterized by¹H-NMR and UV/vis spectropscopy in solution, even allowing end-group analysis for determination of the average degree of polymerization, yieldingn=10 andn=5 for1 and2, respectively. Mößbauer and IR spectroscopy further established the strong Fe-CN bonding reflected by very small isomer shifts and quadrupole splittings (E _Q0.2 mm s^–1) and a large decrease in the IR stretching frequency (v _CN60 cm^–1). The axially stacked polymers exhibit semiconducting properties only upon doping.Presented at the 5th International Symposium on Macromolecule-Metal Complexes (MMV), Summer 1993 in Bremen, Germany.     

On the convective nature of the instability of a front undergoing a supercritical Turing bifurcation

Fronts are traveling waves in spatially extended systems that connect two different spatially homogeneous rest states. If the rest state behind the front undergoes a supercritical Turing instability, then the front will also destabilize. On the linear level, however, the front will be only convectively unstable since perturbations will be pushed away from the front as it propagates. In other words, perturbations may grow but they can do so only behind the front. It is of interest to show that this behavior carries over to the full nonlinear system. It has been successfully done in a case study by Ghazaryan and Sandstede [A. Ghazaryan, B. Sandstede, Nonlinear convective instability of Turing-unstable fronts near onset: a case study, SIAM J. Appl. Dyn. Syst. 6 (2007) 319–347]. In the present paper, analogous results are obtained for the same system as in Ghazaryan and Sandstede (2007), but for a different parameter regime.     

Unexpected products of the allyldiethylamine hydroformylation homogeneously catalyzed by rhodium complexes

Attempts to carry out the hydroformylation of allyldiethylamine homogeneously catalyzed by rhodium complexes led to unexpected formation of N,N,N,N-tetraethyl-1,4-diaminobutane and 4-(diethylamino)-1-butanole as final products. The role of the catalyst on the product formation and the reaction mechanism are briefly discussed.     

双频法在浮地交流电网绝缘故障定位中的应用

针对浮地交流电网，提出了用双频法对电网绝缘故障支路定位的方案，分析了对浮地电网注入低频信号后的漏电流特性，给出了从包含复杂频率成分的信号中提取注入频率电量的方法，注入频率的选择直接影响到双频法应用于电网绝缘故障支路定位的效果，在给定注入信号频率的选定原则基础上，根据实际情况，确定了注入信号频率的可选择范围，通过现场实际应用表明，该方案是可行的。     

Design and evaluation of mucoadhesive microemulsion for neuroprotective effect of ibuprofen following intranasal route in the MPTP mice model

Background: The present study is to investigate the neuroprotective effect of ibuprofen by intranasal administration of mucoadhesive microemulsion (MMEI) against inflammation-mediated by dopaminergic neurodegeneration in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) model of Parkinson’s disease (PD).

Methods: Ibuprofen-loaded polycarbophil-based MMEI was developed by using response surface methodology (RSM). Ibuprofen with dose of 2.86 mg/kg/day was administered intranasally to male C57BL/6 mice for two consecutive weeks which were pre-treated with four intraperitoneal injections of MPTP (20?mg/kg of body weight) at 2?h intervals. Immunohistochemistry was performed.

Results: Optimal MMEI was stable and non-ciliotoxic with 66.29?±?4.15?nm as average globule size and??20.9?±?3.98?mV as zeta potential. PDI value and transmission electron microscopy result showed the narrow globule size distribution of MMEI. The result showed that all three independent variables had a significant effect (p?<?0.05) on the responses. Rota-rod and open-field test findings revealed the significant improvement in motor performance and gross behavioral activity of the mice. The results from in vivo study and immunohistochemistry showed that nasal administration of Ibuprofen significantly reduced the MPTP-mediated dopamine depletion. Furthermore TH neurons count in the substantia nigra and the density of striatal dopaminergic nerve terminals were found to be significant higher for ibuprofen treated groups.

Conclusion: Findings of the investigation revealed that Ibuprofen through developed MMEI was shown to protect neurons against MPTP-induced injury in the Substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) and striatum and hence, could be a promising approach for brain targeting of Ibuprofen through intranasal route to treat PD.     

Betulinic Acid in Complex with a Gamma-Cyclodextrin Derivative Decreases Proliferation and in Vivo Tumor Development of Non-Metastatic and Metastatic B164A5 Cells

Betulinic acid, a very promising anti-melanoma agent, has very low water solubility that causes low bioavailability. To overcome this inconvenience, a highly water-soluble cyclodextrin was used (octakis-[6-deoxy-6-(2-sulfanyl ethanesulfonic acid)]-γ-cyclodextrin). The complex was physico-chemically analyzed using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) methods and then in vitro tested for its antiproliferative activity by the MTT assay and by cell cycle analysis. Finally, the complex was tested in vivo using an animal model of murine melanoma developed in C57BL/6J mice, where it caused a reduction in tumor volume and weight. The study revealed the beneficial influence of betulinic acid inclusion into the cyclodextrin in terms of antiproliferative activity and in vivo tumor development.