The emission control of non-CO2greenhouse gases is conducive to slowing down global warming.It is also helpful in controlling environmental pollution,and beneficial in improving the local health benefits.This paper ai...The emission control of non-CO2greenhouse gases is conducive to slowing down global warming.It is also helpful in controlling environmental pollution,and beneficial in improving the local health benefits.This paper aims at six kinds of non-CO2greenhouse gases under United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change,namely methane(CH4),nitrous oxide(N2O),hydrofluorocarbons(HFCs),perfluorocarbons(PFCs),sulfur hexafluoride(SF6),and nitrogen trifluoride(NF3).This paper analyzes the emission status and trend of China’s non-CO2greenhouse gases,and provides some technology selections for non-CO2emission reduction.Through strategic policy arrangements and appropriate technology choices,China can gain environmental protection and greenhouse gas control.展开更多
Objective: To explore the significance of dual-energy CT non-linear fusion technique in improving the quality of CTA image of renal cancer. Methods: The CTA images of 100 patients who had been confirmed by pathology a...Objective: To explore the significance of dual-energy CT non-linear fusion technique in improving the quality of CTA image of renal cancer. Methods: The CTA images of 100 patients who had been confirmed by pathology as renal cancer were collected and were randomly divided into experimental group and control group with 50 cases respectively. The two groups of patients were treated with iodine concentration of 300 mg/ml and 350 mg/ml non-ionic contrast agent, with a dosage of 1.5 ml/kg and an injection rate of 4 ml/s. The contrast agent intelligently tracking method was adopted bolus. The control group used the conventional CTA scanning, with a reference tube voltage/tube current of 100 kv/ref150 mas. The experimental group adopted the double energy scanning, with ball tube A and ball tube B. The reference tube voltage/tube current was 100 kv/ref250 mas and sn150 kv/ref125 mas respectively. The images of the experimental group were non-linear fused to obtain the Mono+ 55 kev single-energy images. The CT value, SNR contrast ratio of the abdominal aorta, renal artery and tumor tissue of the experimental group images and the 100 KV images and the Mono+ 55 kev images of the control group were compared. The objective evaluation and subjective evaluation of the image quality of the three groups of images was performed. Results: The results showed that the 100 kV images of the experimental group were statistically different from those of the control group (P05) in CT value, SNR and CNR (P 0.05). And there was no statistically significant difference between the non-linear fusion single-energy Mono+ 55 kev images and the control group images in CT value, SNR and CNR (P > 0.05). The subjective evaluation of image quality showed that there was no significant difference between Mono+ 55 kev images and control group images, and the quality of Mono+ 55 kev images was higher than that of experimental group 100 kV images. Conclusion: The dual-energy CT non-linear fusion technique can improve the quality of CTA image in patients with renal cancer, and it is possible to obtain high quality CTA images with low iodine concentration contrast agent.展开更多
Based on the development of the non-governmental enterprises of science and technology in the past twenty years, this paper applied an interpretive structure model (ISM) to make a research on the regular development p...Based on the development of the non-governmental enterprises of science and technology in the past twenty years, this paper applied an interpretive structure model (ISM) to make a research on the regular development pattern of these enterprises and to probe into the interior development mechanism theoretically. The studying results supply ideas underlying the scientific decision for the governments at all levels and show the direction of the development of the non-governmental enterprises of science and technology in the future.展开更多
The research reported in this paper aims at developing means of Non Destructive testing (NDT) to increase the line efficiency of pipe production in oil and natural gas pipe manufacturing plants using the Standard Allo...The research reported in this paper aims at developing means of Non Destructive testing (NDT) to increase the line efficiency of pipe production in oil and natural gas pipe manufacturing plants using the Standard Allowed Minutes (SAM) method. Existing line production stations encounter difficulties in maintaining the recommended testing speed of smaller diameter pipe, due to limitations in the Visual Inspection (VI) station. We propose to implement one additional technique which will prevent the decline of line efficiency in a pipe production factory. The range of diameters identified as a problem in this research is from 254 mm to 762 mm. Microwave techniques are expected to improve the line efficiency by increasing the production of the plant. This happens as a consequence of maintaining the production rates of the identified pipe diameters, so that they equal the production output of the larger pipe diameters. We analyze the velocity traveled by the pipe through Radiographic Testing (RT) according to the VI output (production). The RT velocity is decreased for the diameters identified above, in order to maintain quality control and cover the shortcoming of the VI. The number of pipes produced is computed during shift hours of the factory and pipe lengths of the forming department are determined. We compare the output (production) of a series of NDT line stations with and without the microwave technique for the first of the three pipe cases considered in this study, classified as perfect pipe (PP), repair pipe (RP) and scrap pipe (SP). The velocity of RT stations analyzed in the paper ranges from 50 mm/s for larger diameter pipe, and decline to 16.667 mm/s for the identified diameters. The analytical calculations of line output (production) and line efficiency demonstrate the solution of this velocity problem after the microwave technique is introduced. It demonstrates that an economical and precise methodology to extend the production capability of the pipe plant has been determined.展开更多
Purpose: First, to review the state-of-the-art in patent citation analysis, particularly characteristics of patent citations to scientific literature (scientific non-patent references, SNPRs). Second, to present a ...Purpose: First, to review the state-of-the-art in patent citation analysis, particularly characteristics of patent citations to scientific literature (scientific non-patent references, SNPRs). Second, to present a novel mapping approach to identify technology-relevant research based on the papers cited by and referring to the SNPRs. Design/methodology/approach: In the review part we discuss the context of SNPRs such as the time lags between scientific achievements and inventions. Also patent-to-patent citation is addressed particularly because this type of patent citation analysis is a major element in the assessment of the economic value of patents. We also review the research on the role of universities and researchers in technological development, with important issues such as universities as sources of technological knowledge and inventor-author relations. We conclude the review part of this paper with an overview of recent research on mapping and network analysis of the science and technology interface and of technological progress in interaction with science. In the second part we apply new techniques for the direct visualization of the cited and citing relations of SNPRs, the mapping of the landscape around SNPRs by bibliographic coupling and co-citation analysis, and the mapping of the conceptual environment of SNPRs by keyword co-occurrence analysis. Findings: We discuss several properties of SNPRs. Only a small minority of publications covered by the Web of Science or Scopus are cited by patents, about 3%-4%. However, for publications based on university-industry collaboration the number of SNPRs is considerably higher, around 15%. The proposed mapping methodology based on a "second order SNPR approach" enables a better assessment of the technological relevance of research. Research limitations: The main limitation is that a more advanced merging of patent and publication data, in particular unification of author and inventor names, in still a necessity. Practical implications: The proposed mapping methodology enables the creation of a database of technology-relevant papers (TRPs). In a bibliometric assessment the publications of research groups, research programs or institutes can be matched with the TRPs and thus the extent to which the work of groups, programs or institutes are relevant for technological development can be measured. Originality/value: The review part examines a wide range of findings in the research of patent citation analysis. The mapping approach to identify a broad range of technologyrelevant papers is novel and offers new opportunities in research evaluation practices.展开更多
Water pollution is one of the most serious environmental problems in China. In order to reduce the discharge of waste water per RMB 1000 Yuan of the industrial output value, the author offered a proposal on the develo...Water pollution is one of the most serious environmental problems in China. In order to reduce the discharge of waste water per RMB 1000 Yuan of the industrial output value, the author offered a proposal on the development of low-and non-waste technologies as follows: 1. Changing distribution and structures of industrial production; 2. Innovation in techniques and eliminating industrial wastewater in the process of manufacture; 3. Comprehensive utilization of wastes and wastewater; 4. Strengthening environmental management and supervision of industrial enterprises.展开更多
The rise in consumers complains against their service/tech providers has empowered government of various nations to set up Consumer Complaint Commissions. Some corporate organizations who wish to handle the complaints...The rise in consumers complains against their service/tech providers has empowered government of various nations to set up Consumer Complaint Commissions. Some corporate organizations who wish to handle the complaints of their customers usually set up an in-house/internal customer care centres, a platform through which they attend to their customers’ needs. This research therefore is interested in exploring the reasons for user-protests among the mobile telecommunication subscribers in Ebonyi State, Nigeria against their network service providers. To arrive at this, we designed a research questionnaire to capture the experiences of the subscribers of the 4 major mobile telecommunication network service provider companies operating in the state. The participants were recruited through physical administration of research instrument and social media such as facebook, whatsapp and email platforms with a total of 72 participants feedbacks received. The users responses on the various issues raised on our questionnaire were thematically analyzed and represented using adequate data presentation tools. Our results proved that there are growing numbers of disgruntled customers among subscribers of the various network providers. From our survey, we gathered that 81.90% of the respondents have engaged in protest use at one point or the other against their service providers with MTN network topping the list with 36.50%, followed by GLO network 27%, Airtel network 23.80% and 9 Mobile 12.70%. Finally, we proposed a design prototype named “<strong><em>Komplain</em></strong>” that will serve as rallying system for the protest users to use and prosecute their actions. The system can also recommend actions which the protesters may undertake.展开更多
Low power consumption is a major issue in nowadays electronics systems. This trend is pushed by the development of data center related to cloud services and soon to the Internet of Things (IoT) deployment. Memories ...Low power consumption is a major issue in nowadays electronics systems. This trend is pushed by the development of data center related to cloud services and soon to the Internet of Things (IoT) deployment. Memories are one of the major contributors to power consumption. However, the development of emerging memory technologies paves the way to low-power design, through the partial replacement of the dynamic random access memory (DRAM) with the non-volatile stand-alone memory in servers or with the embedded or distributed emerging non-volatile memory in IoT objects. In the latter case, non-volatile flip-flops (NVFFs) seem a promising candidate to replace the retention latch. Indeed, IoT objects present long sleep time and NVFFs offer to save data in registers with zero power when the application is idle. This paper gives an overview of NVFF architecture flavors for various emerging memory technologies.展开更多
Background: Non-invasive facial treatments have the ability to rejuvenate the facial profile when specific pharmacologic agents and modalities are prescribed and used in combination taking into consideration each pati...Background: Non-invasive facial treatments have the ability to rejuvenate the facial profile when specific pharmacologic agents and modalities are prescribed and used in combination taking into consideration each patient’s unique skin type and condition. RATIONALE Epinova is a non-invasive skin treatment that combines the correct concentrations and combinations of topicals and modalities to elicit facial rejuvenation with no down-time or side effects. Purpose: This paper focuses on facial rejuvenation improvements combining the RATIONALE Essential Six skincare system (RATIONALE, Victoria, Australia) to protect and repair the skin with the RATIONALE Epinova facial treatment every 4-6 weeks—which uses non-invasive technologies and professional strength active ingredients to deliver visible changes to skin tone and texture. Methods: Subjects underwent a RATIONALE consultation, including taking a skin history and skin imaging, followed by a data analysis and diagnosis of skin condition and prescription of a customized RATIONALE treatement (Epinova), including appropriate pharmacologic agents and treatment with personalized photo/sono therapeutic devices. Results: Subjects reported increased skin hydration, tactile improvements, skin firmness and visible radiance following the RATIONALE Epinova treatment. Further investigations will be initiated to explore the potential for longer term improvements, including connenctive tissue deposition, reduction of erythema etc. Treatments should be performed every 4-6 weeks for patients under 40 and every 3-4 weeks for patients over 40, to support cell differentiation, migration and desquamation to achieve non-invasive facial rejuvenation. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the synergy of pharmacologic, LED light therapy and ultrasonic technologies when prescribed and administered by a trained skin therapist, can lead to a visible improvement in the signs of facial ageing and photodamage, restoring the appearance of healthy, radiant skin. .展开更多
A novel nickel stripper using ammonia as the key component was developed to substitute cyanide for removing nickel film from iron substrates. Its compositions are: ammonia 150 g/L, hydrogen peroxide 50 g/L, ammonium c...A novel nickel stripper using ammonia as the key component was developed to substitute cyanide for removing nickel film from iron substrates. Its compositions are: ammonia 150 g/L, hydrogen peroxide 50 g/L, ammonium chloride 100 g/L, EDTA 7.5 g/L, copper chloride 15 g/L and glucopyrone 1.2 g/L. The optimum operating conditions are: pH 9.511, temperature 4050 ℃ and stripping time 1 h. It shows many advantages over the traditional cyanide stripper including no toxicity, mild operation, lower cost, larger holding capacity, faster stripping rate and good protection for the base metal, and can meet the technical requirements in industry.展开更多
Small non-coding RNAs with important regulatory roles are not confined to eukaryotes. Recent work has uncovered a growing number of bacterial small RNAs (sRNAs), some of which have been shown to regulate critical ce...Small non-coding RNAs with important regulatory roles are not confined to eukaryotes. Recent work has uncovered a growing number of bacterial small RNAs (sRNAs), some of which have been shown to regulate critical cellular processes. Computational approaches, in combination with molecular experiments, have played an important role in the identification of these sRNAs. At present, there is no information on the presence of small non-coding RNAs and their genes in the Agrobacterium tumefaciens genome. To identify potential sRNAs in this important bacterium, deep sequencing of the short RNA populations isolated from Agrobacterium tumefaciens C58 was carried out. From a data set of more than 10,000 short sequences, 16 candidate sRNAs have been tentatively identified based on computational analysis. All of these candidates can form stem-loop structures by RNA folding predictions and the majority of the secondary structures are rich in GC base-pairs::Some are followed by a short stretch of U residues, indicative of a rho-independent transcription terminator, whereas some of the short RNAs are found in the stem region of the hairpin, indicative of eukaryotic-like sRNAs. Experimental strategies will need to be used to verify these candidates. The study of an expanded list of candidate sRNAs in Agrobacterium will allow a more complete understanding of the range of roles played by regulatory RNAs in prokaryotes.展开更多
基金supported by the Policy Study on China’s Low-carbon Industrial Development(No.201312)
文摘The emission control of non-CO2greenhouse gases is conducive to slowing down global warming.It is also helpful in controlling environmental pollution,and beneficial in improving the local health benefits.This paper aims at six kinds of non-CO2greenhouse gases under United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change,namely methane(CH4),nitrous oxide(N2O),hydrofluorocarbons(HFCs),perfluorocarbons(PFCs),sulfur hexafluoride(SF6),and nitrogen trifluoride(NF3).This paper analyzes the emission status and trend of China’s non-CO2greenhouse gases,and provides some technology selections for non-CO2emission reduction.Through strategic policy arrangements and appropriate technology choices,China can gain environmental protection and greenhouse gas control.
文摘Objective: To explore the significance of dual-energy CT non-linear fusion technique in improving the quality of CTA image of renal cancer. Methods: The CTA images of 100 patients who had been confirmed by pathology as renal cancer were collected and were randomly divided into experimental group and control group with 50 cases respectively. The two groups of patients were treated with iodine concentration of 300 mg/ml and 350 mg/ml non-ionic contrast agent, with a dosage of 1.5 ml/kg and an injection rate of 4 ml/s. The contrast agent intelligently tracking method was adopted bolus. The control group used the conventional CTA scanning, with a reference tube voltage/tube current of 100 kv/ref150 mas. The experimental group adopted the double energy scanning, with ball tube A and ball tube B. The reference tube voltage/tube current was 100 kv/ref250 mas and sn150 kv/ref125 mas respectively. The images of the experimental group were non-linear fused to obtain the Mono+ 55 kev single-energy images. The CT value, SNR contrast ratio of the abdominal aorta, renal artery and tumor tissue of the experimental group images and the 100 KV images and the Mono+ 55 kev images of the control group were compared. The objective evaluation and subjective evaluation of the image quality of the three groups of images was performed. Results: The results showed that the 100 kV images of the experimental group were statistically different from those of the control group (P05) in CT value, SNR and CNR (P 0.05). And there was no statistically significant difference between the non-linear fusion single-energy Mono+ 55 kev images and the control group images in CT value, SNR and CNR (P > 0.05). The subjective evaluation of image quality showed that there was no significant difference between Mono+ 55 kev images and control group images, and the quality of Mono+ 55 kev images was higher than that of experimental group 100 kV images. Conclusion: The dual-energy CT non-linear fusion technique can improve the quality of CTA image in patients with renal cancer, and it is possible to obtain high quality CTA images with low iodine concentration contrast agent.
文摘Based on the development of the non-governmental enterprises of science and technology in the past twenty years, this paper applied an interpretive structure model (ISM) to make a research on the regular development pattern of these enterprises and to probe into the interior development mechanism theoretically. The studying results supply ideas underlying the scientific decision for the governments at all levels and show the direction of the development of the non-governmental enterprises of science and technology in the future.
文摘The research reported in this paper aims at developing means of Non Destructive testing (NDT) to increase the line efficiency of pipe production in oil and natural gas pipe manufacturing plants using the Standard Allowed Minutes (SAM) method. Existing line production stations encounter difficulties in maintaining the recommended testing speed of smaller diameter pipe, due to limitations in the Visual Inspection (VI) station. We propose to implement one additional technique which will prevent the decline of line efficiency in a pipe production factory. The range of diameters identified as a problem in this research is from 254 mm to 762 mm. Microwave techniques are expected to improve the line efficiency by increasing the production of the plant. This happens as a consequence of maintaining the production rates of the identified pipe diameters, so that they equal the production output of the larger pipe diameters. We analyze the velocity traveled by the pipe through Radiographic Testing (RT) according to the VI output (production). The RT velocity is decreased for the diameters identified above, in order to maintain quality control and cover the shortcoming of the VI. The number of pipes produced is computed during shift hours of the factory and pipe lengths of the forming department are determined. We compare the output (production) of a series of NDT line stations with and without the microwave technique for the first of the three pipe cases considered in this study, classified as perfect pipe (PP), repair pipe (RP) and scrap pipe (SP). The velocity of RT stations analyzed in the paper ranges from 50 mm/s for larger diameter pipe, and decline to 16.667 mm/s for the identified diameters. The analytical calculations of line output (production) and line efficiency demonstrate the solution of this velocity problem after the microwave technique is introduced. It demonstrates that an economical and precise methodology to extend the production capability of the pipe plant has been determined.
文摘Purpose: First, to review the state-of-the-art in patent citation analysis, particularly characteristics of patent citations to scientific literature (scientific non-patent references, SNPRs). Second, to present a novel mapping approach to identify technology-relevant research based on the papers cited by and referring to the SNPRs. Design/methodology/approach: In the review part we discuss the context of SNPRs such as the time lags between scientific achievements and inventions. Also patent-to-patent citation is addressed particularly because this type of patent citation analysis is a major element in the assessment of the economic value of patents. We also review the research on the role of universities and researchers in technological development, with important issues such as universities as sources of technological knowledge and inventor-author relations. We conclude the review part of this paper with an overview of recent research on mapping and network analysis of the science and technology interface and of technological progress in interaction with science. In the second part we apply new techniques for the direct visualization of the cited and citing relations of SNPRs, the mapping of the landscape around SNPRs by bibliographic coupling and co-citation analysis, and the mapping of the conceptual environment of SNPRs by keyword co-occurrence analysis. Findings: We discuss several properties of SNPRs. Only a small minority of publications covered by the Web of Science or Scopus are cited by patents, about 3%-4%. However, for publications based on university-industry collaboration the number of SNPRs is considerably higher, around 15%. The proposed mapping methodology based on a "second order SNPR approach" enables a better assessment of the technological relevance of research. Research limitations: The main limitation is that a more advanced merging of patent and publication data, in particular unification of author and inventor names, in still a necessity. Practical implications: The proposed mapping methodology enables the creation of a database of technology-relevant papers (TRPs). In a bibliometric assessment the publications of research groups, research programs or institutes can be matched with the TRPs and thus the extent to which the work of groups, programs or institutes are relevant for technological development can be measured. Originality/value: The review part examines a wide range of findings in the research of patent citation analysis. The mapping approach to identify a broad range of technologyrelevant papers is novel and offers new opportunities in research evaluation practices.
文摘Water pollution is one of the most serious environmental problems in China. In order to reduce the discharge of waste water per RMB 1000 Yuan of the industrial output value, the author offered a proposal on the development of low-and non-waste technologies as follows: 1. Changing distribution and structures of industrial production; 2. Innovation in techniques and eliminating industrial wastewater in the process of manufacture; 3. Comprehensive utilization of wastes and wastewater; 4. Strengthening environmental management and supervision of industrial enterprises.
文摘The rise in consumers complains against their service/tech providers has empowered government of various nations to set up Consumer Complaint Commissions. Some corporate organizations who wish to handle the complaints of their customers usually set up an in-house/internal customer care centres, a platform through which they attend to their customers’ needs. This research therefore is interested in exploring the reasons for user-protests among the mobile telecommunication subscribers in Ebonyi State, Nigeria against their network service providers. To arrive at this, we designed a research questionnaire to capture the experiences of the subscribers of the 4 major mobile telecommunication network service provider companies operating in the state. The participants were recruited through physical administration of research instrument and social media such as facebook, whatsapp and email platforms with a total of 72 participants feedbacks received. The users responses on the various issues raised on our questionnaire were thematically analyzed and represented using adequate data presentation tools. Our results proved that there are growing numbers of disgruntled customers among subscribers of the various network providers. From our survey, we gathered that 81.90% of the respondents have engaged in protest use at one point or the other against their service providers with MTN network topping the list with 36.50%, followed by GLO network 27%, Airtel network 23.80% and 9 Mobile 12.70%. Finally, we proposed a design prototype named “<strong><em>Komplain</em></strong>” that will serve as rallying system for the protest users to use and prosecute their actions. The system can also recommend actions which the protesters may undertake.
基金supported by the ANR project DIPMEM under Grant No.ANR-12-NANO-0010-04
文摘Low power consumption is a major issue in nowadays electronics systems. This trend is pushed by the development of data center related to cloud services and soon to the Internet of Things (IoT) deployment. Memories are one of the major contributors to power consumption. However, the development of emerging memory technologies paves the way to low-power design, through the partial replacement of the dynamic random access memory (DRAM) with the non-volatile stand-alone memory in servers or with the embedded or distributed emerging non-volatile memory in IoT objects. In the latter case, non-volatile flip-flops (NVFFs) seem a promising candidate to replace the retention latch. Indeed, IoT objects present long sleep time and NVFFs offer to save data in registers with zero power when the application is idle. This paper gives an overview of NVFF architecture flavors for various emerging memory technologies.
文摘Background: Non-invasive facial treatments have the ability to rejuvenate the facial profile when specific pharmacologic agents and modalities are prescribed and used in combination taking into consideration each patient’s unique skin type and condition. RATIONALE Epinova is a non-invasive skin treatment that combines the correct concentrations and combinations of topicals and modalities to elicit facial rejuvenation with no down-time or side effects. Purpose: This paper focuses on facial rejuvenation improvements combining the RATIONALE Essential Six skincare system (RATIONALE, Victoria, Australia) to protect and repair the skin with the RATIONALE Epinova facial treatment every 4-6 weeks—which uses non-invasive technologies and professional strength active ingredients to deliver visible changes to skin tone and texture. Methods: Subjects underwent a RATIONALE consultation, including taking a skin history and skin imaging, followed by a data analysis and diagnosis of skin condition and prescription of a customized RATIONALE treatement (Epinova), including appropriate pharmacologic agents and treatment with personalized photo/sono therapeutic devices. Results: Subjects reported increased skin hydration, tactile improvements, skin firmness and visible radiance following the RATIONALE Epinova treatment. Further investigations will be initiated to explore the potential for longer term improvements, including connenctive tissue deposition, reduction of erythema etc. Treatments should be performed every 4-6 weeks for patients under 40 and every 3-4 weeks for patients over 40, to support cell differentiation, migration and desquamation to achieve non-invasive facial rejuvenation. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the synergy of pharmacologic, LED light therapy and ultrasonic technologies when prescribed and administered by a trained skin therapist, can lead to a visible improvement in the signs of facial ageing and photodamage, restoring the appearance of healthy, radiant skin. .
文摘A novel nickel stripper using ammonia as the key component was developed to substitute cyanide for removing nickel film from iron substrates. Its compositions are: ammonia 150 g/L, hydrogen peroxide 50 g/L, ammonium chloride 100 g/L, EDTA 7.5 g/L, copper chloride 15 g/L and glucopyrone 1.2 g/L. The optimum operating conditions are: pH 9.511, temperature 4050 ℃ and stripping time 1 h. It shows many advantages over the traditional cyanide stripper including no toxicity, mild operation, lower cost, larger holding capacity, faster stripping rate and good protection for the base metal, and can meet the technical requirements in industry.
文摘Small non-coding RNAs with important regulatory roles are not confined to eukaryotes. Recent work has uncovered a growing number of bacterial small RNAs (sRNAs), some of which have been shown to regulate critical cellular processes. Computational approaches, in combination with molecular experiments, have played an important role in the identification of these sRNAs. At present, there is no information on the presence of small non-coding RNAs and their genes in the Agrobacterium tumefaciens genome. To identify potential sRNAs in this important bacterium, deep sequencing of the short RNA populations isolated from Agrobacterium tumefaciens C58 was carried out. From a data set of more than 10,000 short sequences, 16 candidate sRNAs have been tentatively identified based on computational analysis. All of these candidates can form stem-loop structures by RNA folding predictions and the majority of the secondary structures are rich in GC base-pairs::Some are followed by a short stretch of U residues, indicative of a rho-independent transcription terminator, whereas some of the short RNAs are found in the stem region of the hairpin, indicative of eukaryotic-like sRNAs. Experimental strategies will need to be used to verify these candidates. The study of an expanded list of candidate sRNAs in Agrobacterium will allow a more complete understanding of the range of roles played by regulatory RNAs in prokaryotes.