INTRODUCTION: Roller pumps play an important role in extracorporeal circulation. However, occlusion of the rollers should be adequately performed and this can be adjusted mainly by two methods: static and dynamic. OBJECTIVE: To investigate how the Brazilian perfusionists adjust arterial roller pumps in their services and evaluate the application of a Device to Assist Calibration (DAC) that facilitates roller adjustment by the dynamic calibration method. METHODS: We installed a roller pump with accessories to perform adjustment by drop rate (static calibration) and dynamic calibration methods during the XXVIII Brazilian Congress of Extracorporeal Circulation. Perfusionists were asked to adjust the roller pump according to the procedure they usually do in their service. After each adjustment pressure was measured by dynamic calibration method with DAC. The research was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of UNICAMP, No 1144/2010. RESULTS: There were 56 perfusionists in this study. Pressure average of 56 measurements of dynamic calibration was 434 ± 214 mmHg; 76% of measurements were within the recommended range for the use of the dynamic calibration method (between 150 and 500 mmHg). CONCLUSION: Brazilian perfusionists tend to adjust roller pumps with less occlusive settings. The amplitudes of the dynamic calibration pressure tend to be smaller for more experienced perfusionists because their skills increase with time. The device can be used by the perfusionist to adjust roller pumps with greater accuracy and mainly repeatability in few minutes.


Polymer-ceramic composites obtained as the result of a mineralization process hold great promise for the future of tissue engineering. Simulated body fluids (SBFs) are widely used for the mineralization of polymer scaffolds. In this work an exhaustive study with the aim of optimizing the mineralization process on a poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) macroporous scaffold has been performed. We observed that when an air plasma treatment is applied to the PLLA scaffold its hydroxyapatite nucleation ability is considerably improved. However, plasma treatment only allows apatite deposition on the surface of the scaffold but not in its interior. When a 5 wt % of synthetic hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanoparticles is mixed with PLLA a more abundant biomimetic hydroxyapatite layer grows inside the scaffold in SBF. The morphology, amount, and composition of the generated biomimetic hydroxyapatite layer on the pores' surface have been analyzed. Large mineralization times are harmful to pure PLLA as it rapidly degrades and its elastic compression modulus significantly decreases. Degradation is retarded in the composite scaffolds because of the faster and extensive biomimetic apatite deposition and the role of HAp to control the pH. Mineralized scaffolds, covered by an apatite layer in SBF, were implanted in osteochondral lesions performed in the medial femoral condyle of healthy sheep. We observed that the presence of biomimetic hydroxyapatite on the pore's surface of the composite scaffold produces a better integration in the subchondral bone, in comparison to bare PLLA scaffolds.


In most studies of dust in galaxies, dust is only detected from its emission to approximately the optical radius of the galaxy. By combining the signal of 110 spiral galaxies observed as part of the Herschel Reference Survey, we are able to improve our sensitivity by an order of magnitude over that for a single object. Here we report the direct detection of dust from its emission that extends out to at least twice the optical radius. We find that the distribution of dust is consistent with an exponential at all radii with a gradient of ∼−1.7 dex R^(−1)_(25). Our dust temperature declines linearly from ∼25 K in the centre to 15 K at R_(25) from where it remains constant out to ∼2.0 R_(25). The surface density of dust declines with radius at a similar rate to the surface density of stars but more slowly than the surface density of the star-formation rate. Studies based on dust extinction and reddening of high-redshift quasars have concluded that there are substantial amounts of dust in intergalactic space. By combining our results with the number counts and angular correlation function from the SDSS, we show that with Milky Way-type dust we can explain the reddening of the quasars by the dust within galactic discs alone. Given the uncertainties in the properties of any intergalactic dust, we cannot rule out its existence, but our results show that statistical investigations of the dust in galactic haloes that use the reddening of high-redshift objects must take account of the dust in galactic discs.


Tungsten has the highest melting point among all metal, which makes it withstand thermal shock and erosion in high temperature environments. In this study, Tungsten coatings were sprayed onto the oxygen-free copper substrates by plasma spraying using inert gases protection. XRD, SEM and EDS were used to identify the phases, morphologies and compositions of the coatings. Vickers micro-hardness and bonding strength of the tungsten coatings were also measured. The results revealed that the hardness distribution of the tungsten coatings was different along the thickness direction. The tungsten coating without any interlayer showed higher bonding strength than that of the other two coatings with NiCrAl and W/Cu interlayers, respectively.


Security breaches most often occur due to a cascading effect of failure among security constraints that collectively contribute to overall secure system behavior in a socio-technical environment. Therefore, during security certification activities, analysts must systematically take into account the nexus of causal chains that exist among security constraints imposed by regulatory requirements. Numerous regulatory requirements specified in natural language documents or listed in spreadsheets/databases do not facilitate such analysis. The work presented in this article outlines a stepwise methodology to discover and understand the multidimensional correlations among regulatory requirements for the purpose of understanding the potential for risk due to noncompliance during system operation. Our lattice algebraic computational model helps estimate the collective adequacy of diverse security constraints imposed by regulatory requirements and their interdependencies with each other in a bounded scenario of investigation. Abstractions and visual metaphors combine human intuition with metrics available from the methodology to improve the understanding of risk based on the level of compliance with regulatory requirements. In addition, a problem domain ontology that classifies and categorizes regulatory requirements from multiple dimensions of a socio-technical environment promotes a common understanding among stakeholders during certification and accreditation activities. A preliminary empirical investigation of our theoretical propositions has been conducted in the domain of The United States Department of Defense Information Technology Security Certification and Accreditation Process (DITSCAP). This work contributes a novel approach to understand the level of compliance with regulatory requirements in terms of the potential for risk during system operation.


We analyze the main methods for high-repetition-rate soliton generation in fiber lasers in view of the applications to fiber transmission. Particular emphasis is given to the problem of intracavity soliton interactions and stabilization methods. Because of the interactions we find that the maximum duty cycle achievable in a soliton source is 0.22. We also find that the relative phase difference between adjacent solitons may be controlled by means of an intracavity etalon, whereas without the etalon the solitons are stable only when they are out of phase. Moreover the introduction of the intracavity etalon has led to a strong reduction in the fluctuations of the soliton parameters induced by quantum noise.


The Serbo-Macedonian Massif represents a belt of medium to lower amphibolite facies metamorphics situated along the European continental margin between the Pannonian Basin in the north and the Aegean Sea in the south. Structurally, it comprises the innermost segments of the Dacia mega-unit of the European affinity and is juxtaposed against the Adria-derived units of the Dinarides across the Adria-Europe zone of collision. The peak metamorphic event in the Serbo-Macedonian Massif is Variscan in age, while its magmatism had a complex pre-Alpine evolution, with the youngest stage being related to the crustal extension during the Triassic opening of the northern branch of Neotethys Ocean (or the Vardar Ocean). The subsequent Late Jurassic–Paleogene closure of the Vardar Ocean led to the E-ward subduction of the Neotethys oceanic lithosphere beneath the upper European plate (i.e., the Sava subduction system). The retreating and steepening of subducting lithosphere during the Late Cretaceous triggered syn-subductional extension in the upper plate of the Sava subduction system. The Late Cretaceous extension exhumed and structurally juxtaposed the high-grade Serbo-Macedonian metamorphics against the low-grade metamorphics of the Carpathians Supragetic Unit. The contact is marked by the E-dipping shear zone that can be traced along the eastern margin of Serbo-Macedonian Massif, from the Vršac Mts in the north, across the Jastrebac Mts and further towards the south in the Central Serbo-Macedonian sub-unit of south-eastern Serbia. The Late Cretaceous extension exhumed the Serbo-Macedonian metamorphic core, concurrently creating subsidence in a forearc basin along the frontal part of the European continental margin.

Due to its unique position in the interference zone of the two retreating Carpathian and Dinaridic slabs, the Northern Serbo-Macedonian sub-unit between the Vršac Mts in the north and the Jastrebac Mts in the south was strongly influenced by processes associated with the Oligocene–Miocene Pannonian extension. Hence, large segments of the Northern Serbo-Macedonian sub-unit including its contact with the Supragetic Unit were buried beneath the Neogene sediments of the Morava Valley Corridor, as the southern prolongation of the Pannonian Basin. In order to segregate and quantify the effects of the Oligocene–Miocene extension we have conducted a coupled kinematic, petrological and thermochronological study in the segments of Northern Serbo-Macedonian sub-unit adjacent to the Dinarides and Carpathians. The recent tectonic uplift of the Vršac Mts occurred in the Middle to Late Miocene along the WSW-dipping normal faults that control deposition in the adjacent Zagajica depression. The ENE-WSW oriented extension, which was triggered by the retreat of Carpathian slab, exhumed the core of the mountains and exposed the Late Cretaceous Serbo-Macedonian\Supragetic extensional contact. South from the Vršac Mts such exhumation was hampered by the presence of rigid Moesian indenter. Tectonic exhumation of the Jastrebac Mts, together with a cluster of Serbo-Macedonian gneiss domes that emerge from the surrounding Neogene sediments in the western-central part of the Morava Valley Corridor, was induced by corrugated detachment faults during the Oligocene–Miocene E-W oriented Dinaridic extension.


What is the Relationship among Team Psychological Safety, Nursing Agency, and Rapid Response System Activation? by Grace Mingsum Ng Advisor: Professor Donna M. Nickitas When patients show signs of clinical deterioration, nurses should activate the rapid response system (RRS) to summon specialized help to the bedside. Failure or delay to activate the RRS is associated with increased length of stay and increased mortality. Currently, nurses only activate the RRS 21-57% of the time. Nurses' fear of criticism for making the wrong call has been identified as a reason or avoiding or delaying activation. Currently, only limited individual level factors affecting nurse RRS activation has been identified, but team-level barriers or facilitators or nurse RRS activation has not been systematically studied. A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the relationships among team psychological safety, nursing agency, and nurse RRS activation. Findings suggest that nurses' personal sense of power, which may be a foundational disposition of nursing agency, is a predictor of nurse RRS activation. Strategies to develop nurses' personal sense of power may be key to ensure nurses can exercise their full agency to overcome barriers and act on behalf of their patients.


In order to investigate the adrenocortical axis in aged people, we have evaluated adrenal function through different dynamic parameters. Seven healthy elderly patients, 4 women and 3 men, whose ages ranged from 70 to 91 years were studied; cortisol concentration in serum was evaluated at 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. (circadian rhythm) as well as the responses to inhibition (Nugent) and stimulation tests (synthetic ACTH and Calcium test). The cortisol levels at 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. were 15 ± 3.5μg/100ml and 7.5± 1.92μg/10Oml respectively. The Nugent test showed a significant inhibition of cortisol (p<0.025); the stimulation tests either with ACTH or Calcium caused a significant increase in circulating cortisol (p<0.005). The results obtained demonstrate both the normality of the basal concentration of cortisol and of the circadian rhythm and the response to the inhibition and stimulation tests. We can draw the conclusion that the aged person has an adequate reserve in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.


An integrated micro xy-stage is designed and fabricated for application in nanometer-scale operation and nanometric positioning precision. This device integrates the functions of both actuating and sensing in the same silicon ship and is mainly composed of a silicon-based xy-stage, electrostatics comb actuator and a displacement sensor. In this paper a robust control strategy based on single neuron adaptive PID control theory is developed for silicon-based xy-stage, considering electrical, mechanical, and stiffness models. Single neuron adaptive PID control enables compact realization of a robust controller tolerant of device characteristics variation, types of inherent instabilities, and improving dynamical characteristics. The experimental results verified that the controller is more suitable for the silicon integrated micro xy-stage, under which the settling time is less than 2.5ms and the repeatability error is better than ±24.9nm. In addition, the presented control scheme is simple to implement in practical application.


OBJECTIVE
Few studies have addressed that dynamic sagittal imbalance can develop distal to the spinal fusion and cause sagittal malalignment, unlike proximal junctional kyphosis (PJK) in the proximal portion. The purpose of this study was to investigate risk factors between the 2 different types of postoperative sagittal imbalance after long fusion to the sacrum for the treatment of degenerative sagittal imbalance (DSI).

METHODS
Eighty patients who had undergone surgical correction for DSI were included. Radiographic measurements included spinopelvic parameters on whole-spine plain radiographs and degeneration of paravertebral muscles on MRI. Univariate and multivariate analyses for clinical and radiological factors were conducted for respective risk factors. In subgroup analyses, the 2 different types of postoperative sagittal imbalance were directly compared.

RESULTS
Forty patients (50%) developed postoperative sagittal imbalance; of these patients, 22 (55.0%) developed static proximal kyphosis from PJK, and 18 patients (45.0%) developed dynamic sagittal imbalance without PJK. The independent risk factors in proximal kyphosis were greater postoperative pelvic tilt (HR 1.11) and less change in sacral slope (SS) (HR 1.09), whereas there were more fusion levels (HR 3.11), less change in SS (HR 1.28), and less change in thoracic kyphosis (HR 1.26) in dynamic sagittal imbalance. Directly compared with the proximal kyphosis group, dynamic sagittal imbalance was more commonly found in patients who had less correction of sagittal parameters as well as fatty atrophy of the paravertebral muscles. Clinical outcomes in the dynamic sagittal imbalance group were superior to those in the proximal kyphosis group.

CONCLUSIONS
Optimal correction of sagittal alignment should be considered in long instrumented fusion for DSI, because insufficient correction might cause one of 2 different types of postoperative sagittal imbalance at different sites of decompression. Dynamic sagittal imbalance compared with proximal kyphosis was significantly associated with less correction of sagittal alignment, in conjunction with more fusion levels and degeneration of the paravertebral muscles.


A significant number of employees within the United States identify themselves as selfemployed, and they are distinct from the larger group identified as private jobholders. While socioeconomic and spatial information on these individuals is readily available in standard datasets, such as the 2000 Decennial Census Long Form, it is possible to gain further information on their wage earnings by using data from administrative wage records. This study takes advantage of firm-based data from Unemployment Insurance administrative wage records linked with the Census Bureau's household-based data in order to examine self-employed jobholders - both as a whole and as subgroups defined according to their earned wage status - by their demographic characteristics as well as their economic, commuting, and spatial location outcomes. Additionally, this report evaluates whether self-employed jobholders and the defined subgroups should be included explicitly in future labor-workforce analyses and transportation modeling. The analyses in this report use the sample of self-employed workers who lived in Los Angeles County, California.


During the years 1959-1963 stratigraphical investigations
were carried out in Southern Piemont (Northern Italy) along
five traverses, taken at right angles to the strike of the strata,
which range in age from Eocene to Pliocene.
These sections are important in that they include the rype
sections of some Neogene stages (Langhian, Serravallian and
Tortonian) and some classical localities, such as Moliere and
Costa Lupara.
The sequences of these sections (numbered I-V) show large
discrepancies in lithology as well as in the thickness between
the corresponding units. To avoid confusion a number of formations
and members are introduced for each of the sections.
Parts of the sections are barren but in most portions numerous
planktonic foraminifera were found. They could be used to
establish ten biozones, successively I: the semi-involuta Zone, II:
the cerro-azulensis Zone, III: the Globigerina Zone, IV: the
Globigerinoides-Globoquadrina Zone, V: the Globorotalia Zone,
VI: the bisphericus Zone, VII: the Orbulina Zone, VIII: the
menardii Zone, IX: the nepenthes Zone, and X: the obliquus
Zone.
In addition some of the larger Foraminifera were investigated
in more detail, in particular the Nephrolepidina and Miogypsina
species. The embryonic-nepionic apparatus of Lepidocyclina praemarginata
and Lepidocyclina morgani were compared on a biometric
basis. Only a part of the phylogenetic series of the Miogypsinidae
was encountered, namely from M. gunteri to M.
intermedia.
Correlation by means of the zonation with these larger and
planktonic Foraminifera leads to interesting stratigraphic results.
1. In the correlation of the sections II, III and IV only slight
differences with the Italian Geological Map have been met
with, but in the sections I and V there are large deviations
from this map.
2. The type Langhian appears to begin closely above the
Orbulina surface. For the assumed chronological interval
between Helvetian and Tortonian the author suggests to use
the term Serravallian rather than Langhian, because the latter
has commonly been erroneously considered to be the equivalent
of the Burdigalian. The limits between the successive
stages Burdigalian, Helvetian, Serravallian and Tortonian can
be correlated with biozones of planktonic Foraminifera.
3. Furthermore it was found that the beginnings of the genera
Globigerinoides and Globoquadrina do not coincide with the
Oligocene-Miocene boundary. Both genera start their range
in the Late Oligocene already.
4. Among the general conclusions of a paleogeographic nature
we may note, that the transgression over the metamorphic
basement of the Massif of Voltri and Ligurian Alps advanced
in westward direction during Rupelian and probably Chattian
times.
5. In the most eastern section (Tortona-Garbagna area) the
Miocene sequence is not complete, as sediments, corresponding
to at least two of the biozones are lacking here.


Rationale: Hyperhomocysteinemia is a cardiovascular risk factor that is associated with elevation of the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor asymmetrical dimethylarginine (ADMA). Objective: Using mice transgenic for overexpression of the ADMA-hydrolyzing enzyme dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase-1 (DDAH1), we tested the hypothesis that overexpression of DDAH1 protects from adverse structural and functional changes in cerebral arterioles in hyperhomocysteinemia. Methods and Results: Hyperhomocysteinemia was induced in DDAH1 transgenic (DDAH1 Tg) mice and wild-type littermates using a high methionine/low folate (HM/LF) diet. Plasma total homocysteine was elevated approximately 3-fold in both wild-type and DDAH1 Tg mice fed the HM/LF diet compared with the control diet (P<0.001). Plasma ADMA was approximately 40% lower in DDAH1 Tg mice compared with wild-type mice (P<0.001) irrespective of diet. Compared with the control diet, the HM/LF diet diminished endothelium-dependent dilation to 10 &mgr;mol/L acetylcholine in cerebral arterioles of both wild-type (12±2 versus 29±3%; P<0.001) and DDAH1 Tg (14±3 versus 28±2%; P<0.001) mice. Responses to 10 &mgr;mol/L papaverine, a direct smooth muscle dilator, were impaired with the HM/LF diet in wild-type mice (30±3 versus 45±5%; P<0.05) but not DDAH1 Tg mice (45±7 versus 48±6%). DDAH1 Tg mice also were protected from hypertrophy of cerebral arterioles (P<0.05) but not from accelerated carotid artery thrombosis induced by the HM/LF diet. Conclusions: Overexpression of DDAH1 protects from hyperhomocysteinemia-induced alterations in cerebral arteriolar structure and vascular muscle function.


Inter-story drift ratio is a general damage index which is being used to detect damaged stories after severe ground motions. Since this general damage index cannot detect damaged elements also the severity of imposed damages on elements, a new real-time seismic damage detection method base on artificial neural networks was proposed to overcome this issue. This approach considers nonlinear behaviour of structures and not only is capable of detecting damaged elements but also can address the severity of imposed damages. Proposed algorithm was applied on a 3-story concrete building .The obtained results confirmed accuracy and robustness of this method.


This paper develops a two-step inference procedure to test for a local one-for-one relation of contemporaneous jumps in high-frequency financial data corrupted by market microstructure noise. The first step develops a new bivariate Lee-Mykland jump test for pre-averaged, intra-day returns. If a jump is detected in at least one of the two assets, then the second step tests for equal jump sizes. We apply the test procedure to pairs of nominal and inflation-indexed government bond yields at monetary policy announcements in the U.S., U.K., and Euro Area. The analysis provides new high-frequency evidence about the anchoring of inflation expectations and central banks' ability to push a measure of inflation expectations towards their inflation target.


Bush encroachment (BE) describes a global problem severely affecting savanna ecosystems in Africa. Invasive species and woody vegetation spread out in areas where they are not naturally occurring and suppress endemic vegetation, mainly grasses. Livestock is directly affected by decreasing grasslands and inedible invasive species which are a result of the process of BE. For many small scale farmers in developing countries livestock represents a type of insurance particular in times of crop failure and droughts. Among that, BE is also becoming an increasing problem for crop production. Studies on the mapping of BE have so far only focused on smaller regions using high-resolution data and aerial photography. But they rarely provide information that goes beyond the local or national level. In our project, we aimed at a continental-wide assessment of BE. For this, we developed a process chain using a multi-scale approach to detect woody vegetation for the African continent. The resulted map was calibrated with field data provided by field surveys and experts in Southern and Eastern Africa. Supervised classification linked field data of woody vegetation, known as BE, to the respective pixel of multi-scale remote sensing data. The regression technique was based on random forests, a machine learning classification and regression approach programmed in R. Hotpots of woody vegetation were further overlaid with significant increasing Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) trends which can refer to BE. Secondly, the probability of BE occurrence based on possible identified causes such as fire occurrence, mean annual precipitation rates, soil moisture, cattle density and CO2 emissions was analyzed. By this, possible areas for BE occurrence based on their pre-conditions and risk factors were identified. This approach includes multiple datasets derived from earth observation data to detect BE – a severe and ongoing global problem – at the continental level. Within the study´s duration of seven months, a method to upscale field data to a larger level could be developed. Nevertheless, improvement is needed to provide a reliable continental map on BE. Especially the integration of more field data will be needed which is currently under consideration. The identification of woody vegetation and the probability of its occurrence can help to prevent further ecosystem degradation. Moreover, sustainable land management strategies in these areas can be focused to support pastoralists and their livelihoods in rural areas.


This paper considers the rules informing the use of plants and associated knowledges in the Pacific, particularly Vanuatu, in the context of the introduction into the Pacific region of the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Nagoya Protocol, which entered into force in October 2014, brings both new international regulatory dimensions and new recognition and re-framing of local and customary levels of regulation over genetic resources and traditional knowledge. Whilst generally seen as a positive step to protect genetic resources and traditional knowledge from misappropriation, at an implementation level the Nagoya Protocol gives rise to a range of issues. These issues go to the heart of questions about power, agency, and resource allocation, the bounded nature of communities and their relationship with land or sea; the fluidity and dynamism of customary law; challenges stemming from multiples sites of agency and the potentials of pluralism in many respects. We explore these issues with specific reference to some examples in Vanuatu, the Cook Islands and Samoa.


Powered flying‐control systems are a comparatively recent addition to aircraft and, to date, have been devised to modify as little as possible existing piloting technique. At the present time there is a basic similarity in most of the designs being used, and it is the purpose of this paper to consider the reasons for this and to examine the suitability of these systems for such future requirements as can be foreseen. Little has been published about the difficulties encountered in the installation of such systems, particularly of relation to stability and reliability, but some account is given in the paper of experience with one typical system which has been used in a number of aeroplanes of widely differing types. Whilst the scope of this paper is not intended to cover a detailed comparison of the minor features of various designs, some reference is made to those details which have a prime influence on performance. Finally, consideration is given to the extremely important question of pre‐flight rig testing, which is necessary to secure adequate reliability in services so vital to the safety of the whole aeroplane and its occupants.


Several pellets of general formula Ba1-xMx(Ti1-xLix)O3-3xF3x were prepared from BaTiO3, MF2 ( M = Ca, Sr, Ba or Pb ) and LiF powders then sintered by the conventional solid state route at 900 or 1000°C for 1, 2 or 4 hours. X-Ray powder diffraction patterns were collected at room temperature and SEM observations were carried out. Dielectric measurements were performed between 150 and 450K in the frequency range 50Hz - 40MHz. All the ceramics exhibit a very broad ferroelectric displacive phase transition in the temperature range 255K ≤ TC ≤ 328K.The ε' r - T curves and the values of tanδ are compatible with the Z5U class of capacitors. Furthermore, a Debye dielectric relaxation occurs in these oxifluorids in the frequency range 4MHz ≤fr ≤ 38.5MHz.


Last year Mr. P. Buitendijk had the good fortune to obtain again an example of Aestrelata aterrima (Bonaparte), caught aboard ship at night in the Indian Ocean (lat. 10°52'N., long 60°8' E.) at December 11th 1911. This is the second example presented by him to our collection (cf. Notes Leyden Mus. XXXIII, 1910—'11, p. 113). It is a female in worn plumage, moulting wing- and tailfeathers, and having no whitish feathers on the lores and on the head like the first specimen. Mr. Buitendijk has noted the colour of the light parts of the feet in the live bird dull white; that of iris and bill black. I received the bird in rather fresh condition, as it had been preserved in the refrigerating-room of the steamer; the colour of the light parts of the feet was then whitish, with a faint rosy tinge near the heel-joint. Now the feet are dried and have changed colour; they are at present of a dark brownish flesh-colour, and somewhat resemble the feet of the bird, figured in Du Cane Godman's Monograph, in which plate the feet seem to have been coloured after the faded feet of the specimen in the Cambridge Museum. As this is already the second specimen accidentally caught, this species likely is in our wintermonths of regular occurrence in the northwestern part of the Indian Ocean.


In allusion to the problem of flood disaster classification, this paper proposes a modified differential evolution algorithm for dealing with a fuzzy clustering iterative model. By using variable index weight vector and penalty function, the objective function can be solved more perfectly. The new algorithm has been examined and tested on a practical flood disaster. The results show that the obtained fuzzy clustering matrix is much close to clustering center and the flood disaster classification is more clear in comparison with traditional fuzzy clustering algorithm


In Islamic law, wearing headscarves is obligatory for Muslim women. Each use is based on several motivations, one of them is worship as the main motivation. Based on the command of al-Qur'an dan sunnah, the implementation is worth worship. Headscarves are in their real positionthat has been legitimized, also as honor and glory not to bring down humanity and reduce dignity, precisely for policewomen can add energetic, professional in the ministry, and continue to serve well.Kapolri regulations regarding headscarves are only permissible not be a necessity that is adhered to within the scope of the police. From the policy it was assessed that policewomen wearing headscarves were based on the awareness of individuals had specifications of reasons as religious orders, moreover there is no intervention and coercion from any other party and then reasons for wearing the headscrarf followed by other motivations.


Within the scope of this thesis, we show that a driven-dissipative system with few ultracold atoms can exhibit dissipatively bound states, even if the atom-atom interaction is purely repulsive. This bond arises due to the dipole-dipole interaction, which is restricted to one of the lower electronic energy states, resulting in the distance-dependent coherent population trapping. The quality of this already established method of dissipative binding is improved and the application is extended to higher dimensions and a larger number of atoms. Here, we simulate twoand three-atom systems using an adapted approach to the Monte Carlo wave-function method and analyse the results. Finally, we examine the possibility of finding a setting allowing trimer states but prohibiting dimer states. In the context of open quantum systems, such a three-body bound states corresponds to the driven-dissipative analogue of a Borromean state. These states can be detected in modern experiments with dipolar and Rydberg-dressed ultracold atomic gases.


A gas chromatographic method is described that is suitable for the determination of benalaxyl residues ranging from 10 to 0.1 micrograms/kg in several crops, must, wine, and water. The compound is extracted with acetone and purified either by partitioning between water and n-hexane or by passing the extract through an Extrelut column with n-hexane. Further purification is achieved by column chromatography on alumina. The active ingredient is finally determined by gas chromatography with nitrogen-phosphorus detection. Mean recoveries were > or = 95% in the various crops tested and in the 0.01-1.05 mg/kg fortification range. Standard deviations for each crop were < or = 6.5%.


Layer-by-layer assembly was used to create quadlayers (QLs) of chitosan (CH), poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), CH, and graphene oxide (GO). Electron microscopy confirmed GO coverage over the film and a highly ordered nanobrick wall structure. By varying pH deviation between CH and PAA, a thick and interdiffused polymer matrix was created because of the altered chain conformation. A 5 CH (pH 5.5)/PAA (pH 3)/CH (pH 5.5)/GO QL assembly (48 nm) exhibits very low oxygen permeability (3.9 × 10(-20) cm(3) cm cm(-2) Pa(-1) s(-1)) that matches SiOx barrier coatings. In an effort to maintain barrier performance under high humidity, GO was thermally reduced to increase hydrophobicity of the film. This reduction step increased H2/CO2 selectivity of a 5 QL film from 5 to 215, exceeding Robeson's upper bound limit. This unique water-based multilayer nanocoating is very promising for a variety of gas purification and packaging applications.


As a model for an ATM switch we consider the overflow frequency of a queue that is served at a constant rate and in which the arrival process is the superposition of N traffic streams. We consider an asymptotic as N → ∞ in which the service rate Nc and buffer size Nb also increase linearly in N. In this regime, the frequency of buffer overflow is approximately exp(–NI(c, b)), where I(c, b) is given by the solution to an optimization problem posed in terms of time-dependent logarithmic moment generating functions. Experimental results for Gaussian and Markov modulated fluid source models show that this asymptotic provides a better estimate of the frequency of buffer overflow than ones based on large buffer asymptotics.


Aims To assess the prognostic influence of EGFR amplification/overexpression, p53 immunoreactivity and their age-dependent prognostic effects in a large prospective cohort of uniformly treated adult patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma. Methods Tumours from a uniformly treated prospective cohort of adult patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma (n=140) were examined for EGFR amplification by fluorescence in situ hybridisation and EGFR/p53 expression by immunohistochemistry. Statistical methods were employed to assess the degree of association between EGFR amplification/overexpression and p53 immunopositivity. Survival analyses were performed by employing Cox proportional hazard models to assess the independent prognostic value of EGFR/p53 alterations and test the propensity for risk with age by assessing their interaction with patient age. Results A strong positive correlation between EGFR amplification and EGFR overexpression (ρ=0.5157; p<0.0001; CI 0.3783 to 0.6309) and a negative association of EGFR amplification (ρ=−0.3417; p<0.0001; CI −0.4842 to −0.1816) and EGFR overexpression (ρ=−0.3095; p<0.001; CI −0.4561 to −0.1465) with p53 immunopositivity was observed. Only patient age (HR: 1.029; p=0.004; CI 1.009 to 1.049) was associated with shorter survival by univariate Cox regression analysis. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models revealed a statistically significant interaction between EGFR overexpression and age to be associated with shorter survival (HR: 1.001; p<0.0001; CI 1.000 to 1.002), thus predicting a higher hazard with increasing age. No age interaction of EGFR amplification status (HR: 1.001; p=0.642; CI 0.995 to 1.008) and p53 immunopositivity (HR: 1.000; p=0.841; CI 0.999 to 1.001) was noted in this cohort. Conclusions The prognostic value of EGFR overexpression is age-dependent, and there is a propensity for a higher hazard with increasing patient age. Identifying such groups of patients with more aggressive disease becomes mandatory, since they would benefit from intense therapeutic protocols targeting EGFR.


Before my departure to Java I intended to give a monographic revision of the Neuropteroidea of Insulinde, but want of time and of sufficient materials forced me to give up this intention and I restricted it to the monographic revision of the MECOPTERA and PLANIPENNIA, the two orders I studied with special attention since 3 years in behalf of the "Catalogue des collections du baron E. de Selys Lougchamps". The territories that I name Insulinde are the Dutch colonies of the malayan and papuan archipelago. I describe also the species known from those parts of Borneo and New Guinea, that do not belong to the dutch possessions, as they very probably also will occur in them. Those of neighbouring countries are noted so far as they are important for comparison.


Digital proxy multi-signature and blind signature scheme are found very useful for the purpose of electronic voting and electronic cash transaction. In proxy multi-signature, many original signers can delegate their signing power to a proxy signer in such a way that the proxy signer can sign any message on behalf of original signers. In blind signature, the signer cannot make a linkage between the blind signature and the identity of the requester. Proxy blind multi-signature is the combination of proxy multi-signature and blind signature. In this paper, we propose a new proxy blind multi-signature scheme based on integer factorization problem (IFP) and discrete logarithm problem (DLP) to improve the security aspect. It satisfies the security properties of both the blind signature and the proxy multi-signature scheme.


Students in the Basic Culinary Skills class can find flash cards, books, and other recommended resources about culinary terms, knife skills, meat cuts, and sauces.


The successes of artificial neural networks (ANNs) are largely attributed to mimicking the human brain structures. Recent advances in neuroscience revealed that neurons interact with each other through various kinds of connectivity patterns to process information, in which the common connectivity patterns are also called circuit motifs. However, many existing ANNs can only model one or two circuit motifs in their architectures, so that their performance may drastically vary among different types of machine learning tasks. In this paper, we propose a new type of neural network inspired by the architectures of neuronal circuits, namely Circuit Neural Network (CircuitNet). In CircuitNet, a group of densely connected neurons, namely circuit motif unit (CMU), form the basic unit of the network, which is capable of modeling universal circuit motifs by adjusting the weights within the CMUs. Compared with traditional feed-forward networks, CircuitNet has the ability to model more types of neuron connections such as feed-back and lateral motifs. Inspired by the locally dense and globally sparse structure of the human brain, several iterations of signal transmission among different CMUs are achieved by sparse connections through the input ports and output ports of different CMUs. Experiments have demonstrated that CircuitNet can outperform popular neural network architectures in function approximation, reinforcement learning, image classification, and time series forecasting tasks.


Herbal medicine (medicinal plants, polyherbal formulations) is still the mainstay of about 75-80% of world population, mainly in the developing countries for primary health care. Wound is a loss of cellular and anatomic or functional continuity of living tissues. Wound healing proceeds in three interrelated dynamic phases, irrespective of the wound type and degree of tissue damage. This sequence of physiological events occurs by a process of connective tissue repair. In view of this a detailed review of literature was carried out on natural prohealers, phytoconstituents, polyherbal formulations and various nutraceuticals responsible for wound healing activity, with special emphasis on different stages of wound healing, which could be of enormous help in managing and treating various types of wounds.


Electromagnetic field propagation inside composite materials represents a challenge where fiber-scale simulation remains intractable using classical simulation methods. The present work proposes an original 3D simulation with a mesh resolution fine enough to resolve the fiber scale, thanks to the use of Proper Generalized Decomposition (PGD)-based space decomposition, which avoids the necessity of considering homogenized properties and considers the richest description of the involved physics from the solution of the Maxwell equations. This high-resolution simulation enables comparing the electromagnetic field propagation in a composite part, depending on the considered frequency and the fiber's/wave polarization's relative orientation. The electromagnetic fields are then post-processed to identify the heat generation terms and- the resulting induced thermal field. The results prove the ability of the PGD-based discretization to attain extremely high levels of resolution, the equivalent of 1010 finite-element degrees of freedom. The obtained results show an enhanced wave penetration when the electric field polarization coincides with the fiber orientation. On the contrary, when the electric field is polarized along the normal to the fiber orientation, both the penetration and the associated heating reduce significantly, compromising the use of homogenized models, rendering them unable to reproduce the observed behaviors.


As the world becomes global, there are growing needs and opportunities for intercultural exchanges in learning processes. In the context of the Spanish University Strategy for 2015, one of the most important objectives is to increase internationalisation through international postgraduate courses (Spanish Ministry of Education, 2010). Intercultural teaching capabilities are now becoming necessary for better achieving perceived service quality among international students. In the area of business studies, research on pedagogical issues is needed in order to provide recommendations and group management implications. For instance, a challenge for international business programs is dealing with intercultural members' teamwork, skill very highly demanded by European companies. Consequently, research regarding the relationship between students' cultural value orientation and the level of satisfaction towards educational methodologies (i.e. attitude about teamwork versus individual work) is sparse in the context of international business programs in higher education. The aim of this research is to analyze how cultural differences along the Hofstede dimensions of individualism/collectivism, masculinity/femininity, uncertainty avoidance, and long-term/short-term orientation influence the international students' perceptions towards working in teams. The academic context chosen for this paper refers to the international academic experience of the International Master in Business Administration, iMBA at Universitat de Valencia (Spain). Student profile is varied (different nationalities, ages and academic training) and they interact and exchange experiences. Results and recommendations are particularly relevant to educators teaching courses in a culturally diverse classroom.


Abstract Reprogramming of transcription is critical for the survival under cellular stress. Heat shock has provided an excellent model to investigate nascent transcription in stressed cells, but the molecular mechanisms orchestrating RNA synthesis during other types of stress are unknown. We utilized PRO-seq and ChIP-seq to study how Heat Shock Factors, HSF1 and HSF2, coordinate transcription at genes and enhancers upon oxidative stress and heat shock. We show that pause-release of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) is a universal mechanism regulating gene transcription in stressed cells, while enhancers are activated at the level of Pol II recruitment. Moreover, besides functioning as conventional promoter-binding transcription factors, HSF1 and HSF2 bind to stress-induced enhancers to trigger Pol II pause-release from poised gene promoters. Importantly, HSFs act at distinct genes and enhancers in a stress type-specific manner. HSF1 binds to many chaperone genes upon oxidative and heat stress but activates them only in heat-shocked cells. Under oxidative stress, HSF1 localizes to a unique set of promoters and enhancers to trans-activate oxidative stress-specific genes. Taken together, we show that HSFs function as multi-stress-responsive factors that activate distinct genes and enhancers when encountering changes in temperature and redox state.


Radio frequency energy harvesting (RFEH) circuits can convert the power of communication signals from radio frequencies (RF) in the environment into direct current and voltage (DC power). In this study, the Greinacher full‐wave rectifier circuit topology was combined with a 180° hybrid ring (rat‐race) coupler which was a passive RF/microwave circuit. Thus, higher RF‐DC conversion efficiency was obtained. First, using the Greinacher rectifier topology, RFEH circuit operating at the center frequency of 1850 MHz was designed. Then, at this frequency, designing of the rat‐race coupler having 1000 MHz bandwidth was made. The S‐parameter measurements and simulation data of the designed coupler circuit were compared. Finally, the high efficiency rectifier circuit where these two circuits were used together was designed. The proposed rectifier circuit was constructed on 70 × 70 × 1.6 mm3 FR4 substrate material with a permittivity of 4.3 (εr = 4.3). The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the rectifier circuit, which had 125 MHz bandwidth at the center frequency of 1850 MHz and was developed with rat‐race coupler, was calculated as 71% at 4.7 dBm input power. In addition, with this study, at −15 dBm input power, which was a relatively low power level, 40% PCE value was obtained.


The systematic validity of Zeilleria pentagona Seguenza is recognized through a study of its shell's morphology and microstructure. Its variability is defined and some species are recognized as synonimous with it, that were instituted on the ground of populations from black limestones of Taormina and Longobucco Lias: Zeilleria subpentagona Seguenza, Z. carapezzae Di Stefano, Waldhemia oenotria Greco, W. vinassai Greco, W. sp. cf. subnumismalis Greco. It is dated to the Synemurian age and its infralitoral living environment is described as characterized by still waters protected by oolithic barrages.


A study examined the role of relative intensity levels for auditory context in auditory graph design. Auditory graphs were designed with auditory context equally as loud as sonified data, context 9 dB more intense than data, or context 9 dB less intense than data. For a point estimation task, participants who experienced auditory graphs with more intense context performed significantly better than participants who experienced graphs with data and context equally loud. Mean differences suggest that making the context either more intense or less intense than the data improved performance as compared to the equally loud condition. We suggest that differences in the intensity of context relative to data facilitate perceptual separation of the auditory streams and thus promote ease of use with auditory graphs. Sound examples are included, and implications for auditory graph design are discussed.


A Thesis
Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
For the Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
in
Geology,
University of Regina. xvii, 209 p.


A number of concepts in the CT evaluation of the thorax have been reviewed. The concepts have been presented through anatomic images generated on a specific CT system, but any equivalent system could have produced similar images. The important conclusions derived as a result of this review are: 1. Slice thickness, volume averaging and volume sampling are interrelated. Slice thickness and the orientation and inherent subject contrast of the anatomy to be studied usually determine the quality of the image obtained. 2. Thin section imaging (i.e., 5 mm and especially 1.5 mm) can demonstrate thoracic anatomy rarely (if ever) observed on thicker images (i.e., 10 mm). Although impractical for general analysis, thin section imaging provides insight into the potential limitations of a standard approach to thoracic evaluation. 3. CT analysis of the normal anatomy of the pericardium is incomplete. Although pathology related to the pericardium has been presented in the literature, more work is required to define: 1, the relationship, on CT, of the pericardium to structures within its confines; 2, abnormalities within the mediastinum that may affect the pericardium, and 3, lesions in the lung that may invade the mediastinum and pericardium. 4. The excellent contrast sensitivity of CT (aided by iodine infusion or bolus injection techniques and dynamic scanning) does not suffice to resolve certain problems in thoracic analysis. Extrapleural signs, the concept of invasion versus abutment, and the discrimination of benign from malignant mediastinal nodes continue to present diagnostic dilemmas in CT analysis of the thorax. 5. Interesting cases provide models for demonstrating CT pitfalls, mimics, and rarities. CT can be a valuable tool in resolving diagnostic dilemmas in some cases but creates dilemmas in others. 6. CT reformation images of the thorax can be dynamically generated on the scanner console. This hands-on technique can be a valuable tool for teaching anatomy in resident training programs.


When p.o. intake is unsatisfactory or contraindicated, maintenance of nutrition by tube feeding is an alternative to the iv. route. A number of factors will enter into the deci sion as to which alternative is better. In general, it is desira ble to utilize the alimentary tract if it is functioning ade quately. The potential hazard of aspiration and problems in inserting the tube into the appropriate part of the tract may offset advantages of tube feeding. The composition of the formula to be administered will depend upon the functional state of the gastrointestinal tract and the metabolic needs of the patient. Defined-formula diets have become commer cially available for p.o. and tube feeding. These are both a boon and a problem to patient, physician, and dietitian. tration, but they have drawbacks related to their fixed com position. The large number of diverse formulations require expertise for their proper use. Entry of food into the alimentary tract is a stimulus to maintenance of structure and function of that tract and to hyperplasia when resection of bowel has occurred. Special formulations and modifications in route and rate of feeding may be beneficial in meeting the needs of patients with pancreatic insufficiency, malabsorption of various etiology, fistulas, and organ failures that modify nutritional require ments. Consideration should be given to adjunctive chemo therapy during nutritional rehabilitation of patients with known on suspected tumor.


Guaranteeing interoperability between devices and applications is the core role of standards organizations. Since its first JPEG standard in 1992, the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) has published several image coding standards that have been successful in a plethora of imaging markets. Recently, these markets have become subject to potentially disruptive innovations owing to the rise of new imaging modalities such as light fields, point clouds, and holography. These so‐called plenoptic modalities hold the promise of facilitating a more efficient and complete representation of 3D scenes when compared to classic 2D modalities. However, due to the heterogeneity of plenoptic products that will hit the market, serious interoperability concerns have arisen. In this paper, we particularly focus on the holographic modality and outline how the JPEG committee has addressed these tremendous challenges. We discuss the main use cases and provide a preliminary list of requirements. In addition, based on the discussion of real‐valued and complex data representations, we elaborate on potential coding technologies that range from approaches utilizing classical 2D coding technologies to holographic content‐aware coding solutions. Finally, we address the problem of visual quality assessment of holographic data covering both visual quality metrics and subjective assessment methodologies.


This thesis investigates the problem of seamless composition from multiple input images to produce a visually pleasant image mosaic. This area is also referred as image stitching or image compositing, which has the potential of increasing the field-of-view (FOV), removing visual artifacts, editing images, smoothing seam, and improving the quality of the mosaiced images. The proposed work has diverse applications in the area of panorama generation,image editing, special visual effects, and multimedia image compositing.
Two interrelated forms of image mosaicing are investigated. Firstly, novel algorithms for image compositing are proposed. Image compositing is a process of creation of completely new images, by combining two or more image regions seamlessly from non-overlapping images. For seamless composition, new blending algorithms are proposed. Further, to make the mask generation process automatic, saliency based object detection methods are developed. The details of the propositions and the implementation are discussed for the complete image compositing framework.
Secondly, new methods for image stitching, which is the process of aligning a series of images with some overlapping parts to generate an image with wider FOV and no visible
seam are proposed. In particular, a discrete cosine transform (DCT) based stitching and a feature based stitching approach are developed for panoramic mosaicing. One of the important steps prior to blending of images is image alignment. A blur invariant image alignment method using DCT-based phase correlation is proposed to get image mosaics. To deal with illumination or exposure difference between the input images, a feature-based registration with integration to graph-cut approach is presented.
Throughout this thesis work, the performance of the algorithms is evaluated using both synthetic and publicly available dataset. The proposed algorithms enable the
automatic generation of visually pleasant mosaics for both compositing as well as stitching. Several applications are demonstrated for the proposed mosaicing algorithms such as
image compositing for visual effects, creation of new images without user/with least user intervention for multimedia applications and panorama generation with wide FOV.


Universities are exposed to a variety of external forces that influence the way they are managed and organized. In this paper we examine how these principles are given space in the way universities communicate. We do this by analyzing how the university management - in this case Swedish universities' Vice-chancellors – describe, promote and explain their organizations via official blogs. The paper builds on a framework where university governance is understood as based on a relationship between state, profession and market, and as driven by three forms of social judgments - legitimacy, status and reputation. From a total of fourteen VC blogs, 1330 posts are analyzed according to three sets of arguments: 1) legitimacy arguments driven by political outcome; 2) status arguments driven by professional values and boundaries; and 3) reputation arguments driven by market consequences. The results reflect a dominance of reputation aspects, highlighting the centrality of market principles in communication and university governance.


Speaking components included in the English language curriculum or textbooks aim at developing communication abilities of the students. The effective practise of dealing with those components can enhance students' efficiency in communication. However, the existing practise of teaching speaking in public schools of Nepal, especially located in rural and low-resourced areas does not seem supportive for developing students' efficiency in communication abilities. In this connection, the present article aims to figure out the practise of teaching speaking in rural and low-resourced schools, use of the strategies in dealing with speaking components and the problems faced by the teachers. It has been developed out of the insights collected through case study research. The required information was accumulated through classroom observation. During the observation, it has been found that speaking component in the class was dealt with the practise of whole class discussion, pair work, group work, individual work, picture description, loud reading and repetition drills, telling stories, oral games, problem-solving, and sharing experiences. The teacher faced the problems of student-student chatting in their mother language while engaging in group discussion, low participation, hesitation and unwillingness to in taking part in the interaction, lack of enough and effective materials, difficulty to comprehend ideas expressed in English, and lack of the exposure in speaking in English. The findings make a call for innovative and technologically enhanced activities for the practise of speaking. The study concludes that participate reaction research is required for exploring the ways to address the problems in developing speaking efficiency.


Social computing systems such as blogs and wikis have been used quite extensively in the last two decades by technical savvy and young users to publish their journals both for job and leisure purposes. However, the latest new development was the use of weblog as the preferred platform for knowledge creation and sharing in many commercial organizations due to its popularity and ease-of-use. Most studies conducted by researchers had been focused on motivational factors [9,10,11] aspect of blogging. However, technological characteristics of weblogs and features provided by the platform had attracted many researchers lately to study the fit between tasks performed by users and technological features offered by social networking tools such as weblogs and wikis. This paper intends to explore an additional new dimension, "task categorization" characteristics of tasks carried out by employees of companies as they do their day-to-day activities, onto the Task-Technology Fit Model discussed in [4], to provide a more appropriate model that explains the use of weblogs for knowledge creation and sharing which will be further tested and evaluated by selected Malaysian ICT Small-Medium Enterprise (SME) companies. The proposed model will be explained in detail its rationales and objectives to justify the need to consider and enhance the model with a new dimension. The paper will conclude with a set of proposed further research activities at the end of the paper.


Drag reduction continues to be a high priority for automotive manufactures, to reduce CO2 emissions targets and improve the range of electric vehicles. For squareback geometries, a popular vehicle shape, base pressure drag contributes a large proportion of the overall drag and therefore a robust computational method was developed to characterise wake structures, for chosen simplified models, and their influence on base pressure drag. Within the method development both spatial and temporal resolution were considered and the importance of the replication of flow near the floor of the computational domain identified. Further to this the sensitivity of a highly simplified model, with lateral and vertical symmetry, to experimental misalignment was indicated through analysis of the time-dependent wake. Analysis of the flow fields demonstrated a relationship between the main recirculating structures and the near base flow velocities. A method of manipulating this structure was identified, in the form of rectangular cross-section, horizontal base slats. The slats were designed to be geometrically small to ensure minimal aesthetic impact. A statistically significant drag reduction was achieved due to flow impingement on the upper slat surface and a reduction in near base velocity of the lower recirculation, these mechanisms were also observed on a fully detailed geometry. Further configurations considered an asymmetric slat design and a combination of slats, with the optimum configuration producing a drag reduction of 6 counts (ΔCD = 0.006), worth approximately 0.75gCO2/km or a 3km increase in electric vehicle range. This is especially significant given how small the geometry change is, and highlights how many localised flow modifications can produce large cumulative effects; indicating existing vehicle development strategies should be supplemented by localised feature optimisation.


Graded-index plastic optical fiber (GI POF) whose core material consisted of copolymer of 2,2,2-trichloroethyl methacrylate and N-cyclohexyl maleimide, and diphenyl sulfide (DPS) as dopant was fabricated by the dopant diffusion coextrusion process, where poly(methyl methacrylate) and polycarbonate were employed as cladding and overcladding material, respectively. The glass transition temperature Tg of the core material was set to 115 ° C by modifying copolymer composition ratio and DPS content. The attenuation of the copolymer-based GI POF was 132 and 330 dB/km at the wavelengths of 660 and 780 nm, respectively. The bandwidths were 1.7 GHz and over 2 GHz for 774 and 654 nm wavelength, respectively. Due to the high numerical aperture of 0.3, the bending loss of the sample fiber consisting of 250 μm core diameter was ca. 0.03 dB under conditions of 180° , 10 mm radius, one time bending. As a result of heat resistance performance evaluation, the attenuation was preserved for more than 2000 h at 100 ° C. In mechanical property evaluation, the elongation at yield point was ca. 6.7% and tensile load at yield point was 26.2 N (61.0 N/mm2), and sufficient flexibility was confirmed by the kink stress test. From these results, the GI POF can be used as high-speed data transmissible lines in automobiles and aircraft, and interconnections inside electric appliances.


Healthcare workers are at a high risk for contracting infectious diseases due to their long hours in hospitals and proximity to infected patients. Certain diseases such as influenza, Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), disproportionately affect healthcare workers. Awareness and concern among healthcare associated infections has increased, leading to research focused on characterizing the process of disease transmission to healthcare workers.
Many infectious diseases that spread through healthcare settings are thought to be transmitted by contacts between the patient, healthcare workers, and the environment. Understanding the contact patterns of healthcare workers can help to evaluate the contribution of this pathway to disease transmission, if any, and identify new ways to stop the spread of infectious diseases in healthcare settings. The goal of this study was to expand our knowledge of potential contact patterns among healthcare workers and identify high-risk behaviors by healthcare workers that may contribute to the spread of disease.
In this study we observed experienced healthcare workers performing seven simulated healthcare activities. These activities included: intubation (extubation), suctioning, intravenous access and venipuncture (IV access), central venous access (CV access), bathing, physical exam, and vital signs assessment (vitals). After the experiments were performed, the levels of contamination of simulated body fluid, and the location and number of contacts were recorded.


Caring for an adult with intellectual disability can be physically, emotionally and financially demanding. Over 110,000 Australians with intellectual disability have an informal carer; in over 70% of these cases the carer is the parent of the care recipient (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2009). With advances in health care, life expectancy has increased, with the consequence that more elderly parents are carers for adults with intellectual disability (Tucker, Taylor Gomez, Rey-Conde, and Lennox, 2011). Previous studies from North America, Australia and Asia have reported the caring role has a significant impact on the mental and physical health of carers; however, predictors of negative impact were conflicting. Identified predictors include service availability (Burton-Smith, McVilly, Yazbeck, Parmenter, and Tsutsui, 2009; Knox, Parmenter, Atkinson, and Yazbeck, 2000; Llewellyn, Gething, Kendig, and Cant, 2004), lack of funding (Bigby, Balandin, Fyffe, McCubbery, and Gordon, 2004) and long term accommodation planning (Eley, Boyes, Young, and Hegney, 2009; Minnes and Woodford, 2004). The aim of this study is to investigate the level of stress and burden on family-based carers of adults with intellectual disability and determine which factors are associated with the overall well-being of carers.


5, 10, and 30 nm thickness of transparent TiO2 thin films were fabricated using sol-gel process, and the influence of film thickness on the photocatalytic property was investigated. The increase in film thickness was found to enhance the photocatalytic property of the films. Photocatalytic properties of each film were estimated by decomposition of stearic acid. The amount of decomposed stearic acid increased with film thickness (5 - 30 nm). For the case of 30 nm thickness film, the stearic acid was decomposed perfectly in twelve minutes. UV-vis spectra and photocurrents of each film clearly showed that the photoactivities of TiO2 films were related to the amount of absorbed UV light and band gap shift.


The genome of somatic cells is susceptible to change through ontogeny. These variations can take a variety of forms and occur through different mechanisms. Stochastic intercellular variations of the genome are suggested to be involved in a number of critical biological processes (pre-natal development, cell number regulation, cell death and aging). However, somatic genome variations have been shown to be involved in pathogenesis of a broad spectrum of human diseases (from chromosomal and monogenic diseases to complex disorders). Nonetheless, the contribution of somatic genome variations to human biodiversity and disease is usually underappreciated. The latter is due to consistent questioning the possibility of techniques used for uncovering somatic genome variation. Therefore, technological aspects of studying intercellular variation of the human genome remain an additional important issue for understanding the role of somatic mosaicism in health and disease.

Key Concepts:

The cellular genome is highly variable both at molecular and at chromosomal level.

Somatic variation of the human genome is a likely mechanism for biodiversity either at intercellular or at interindividual level.

A number of critical biological processes (pre-natal development, cell number regulation, cell death and aging) seem to be mediated by somatic genome variations.

According to current concepts, the commonest type of intercellular genome variations are those manifested as changes of chromosome numbers (aneuploidy or polyploidy).

Somatic genome variations are known to contribute to pathogenesis of hereditary and chromosomal diseases.

Intercellular genome variation is a highly probable mechanism of complex disorders (i.e. diseases of the brain and immune system), pre-natal mortality and cancer.

Understanding of the way to uncover somatic genome variations is an important issue for determining the contribution to intercellular/interindividual diversity in health and disease as well as their functional consequences.

Keywords:

somatic genome variations;
genome instability;
chromosome instability;
ontogeny;
biodiversity;
aneuploidy;
molecular cytogenetics


Today, machine-learning software is used to help make decisions that affect people's lives. Some people believe that the application of such software results in fairer decisions because, unlike humans, machine-learning software generates models that are not biased. Think again. Machine-learning software is also biased, sometimes in similar ways to humans, often in different ways. While fair model- assisted decision making involves more than the application of unbiased models-consideration of application context, specifics of the decisions being made, resolution of conflicting stakeholder viewpoints, and so forth-mitigating bias from machine-learning software is important and possible but difficult and too often ignored.


Summary

Composite as a plastic material derivative was widely used in various facets of life. Problems arising from the use of these common materials, among others, lies in the processing of components' waste that has reached the end of its life span. Through the use of polymeric materials derived from natural materials, namely poly lactic acid / polylactide (PLA), as well as reinforcing material prepared from natural fibers such as Arenga pinnata / ijuk fibers, polymer composites was made by hot compression molding (hot pressing). Chemical treatments with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) with a set treatment time and concentration were conducted on short fibres to improve compatibility with the matrix. Moreover, the effect of variation of volume fraction will be observed in the form of reinforcement levels (10, 20, and 30% of the total weight of starting material) on the properties (tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, elongation) of the resulting composites. The properties in question are tensile properties, and fibre – matrix compatibility. It was expected that the treatment would bring positive effect to the mechanical properties of composite and compatibility of fibre and matrix compared to the ones without treatment.


: The amount of alpha-L-fucosidase secreted by normal human fibroblasts was higher in the medium containing 10% bovine serum than in the medium containing 0.1% bovine serum. Glycosidase secretion was twice higher at the advanced than at the initial stage of subcultivation. Extracellular activity of alpha-L-fucosidase from 3 different fibroblast strains differed insignificantly in the medium containing 0.1% bovine serum, while intracellular activity of the enzyme in these strains was altogether different. The results suggest that the lysosomal glycosidase secretion is determined by the level of cellular endocytosis.


The goal of this study is to experimentally and numerically study the thermal and optical behaviors of flip-chip (FC) LED packages with and without underfill. For thermal characterization, the junction temperature (Tj) and thermal resistance (Rth) are evaluated experimentally by a junction temperature tester and an infrared thermal imager, and numerically by ANSYS simulation. After the simulation model validation, the effect of bu mp number and underfill thermal conductivity on Tj and Rth was further investigated. For optical characterization, the light output of the packages are measured by an integrating sphere system and calculated by TracePro commercial software. Both thermal and optical results for these packages will be presented and discussed in terms of parameters such as number of bumps and underfill in this paper.


A one‐step in situ method, termed microfluidic diffusion‐induced self‐assembly, for the synthesis of monodisperse ordered mesoporous silica microspheres, is reported. The method combines microfluidic generation of uniform droplets and subsequent in situ rapid solvent diffusion‐induced self‐assembly within the microfluidic channel. The mesoporous silica microspheres prepared in this way reveal well‐ordered 2D hexagonal mesostructures with unprecedented corrugated surface morphology of disordered mesopores that are larger than 15 nm. It is speculated that the formation of an interfacial subphase and rapid diffusion of solvent to oil are attributed to the formation of the unique surface morphology. It is also shown that the surface morphology and the particle size of the mesoporous silica microspheres can be systematically controlled by adjusting fluidic conditions.


Thick-film resistors (TFRs) consist of a percolating network of conducting oxide nanoparticlesdispersed in an insulating glassy matrix, whose resistive properties are dominated by quantumtunneling across insulating layers separating adjacent conducting grains. Tunneling processes are at the origin of the high sensitivity of the TFRs resistances to applied strains. We have measuredtransport and piezoresistive response for different RuO2-based TFRs as a function of metallic concentration x and RuO 2 grain sizes. The conductivity is shown to vanish as x approaches a criticalconcentration xc by following a power law with nonuniversal critical exponents, while thepiezoresistivity diverges at the same critical concentration. We argue that nonuniversality and diverging piezoresistivity have the same origin and arise from the highly fluctuation inter-graintunneling distances determined by the segregated microstructure of TFRs.


With increasing biodiesel production, availability of glycerol is expected to increase. New processes are needed for converting this surplus glycerol to value-added chemicals. In this work, we used niobia catalysts for the liquid-phase acetalisation of glycerol without using any solvent. High conversions were achieved (∼80%), though water was present in the reaction system. The calcination temperature changed the strength as well as the nature of acidity of the samples. Samples with higher Bronsted acid strength exhibited higher catalytic performance. The results show that niobia is a water tolerant, reusable catalyst for glycerol acetalisation.


This paper describes characteristics of the transport of oxalate across the human erythrocyte membrane. Treatment of cells with low concentrations of H2DIDS (4,4'-diisothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'- disulfonate) inhibits Cl(-)-Cl- and oxalate-oxalate exchange to the same extent, suggesting that band 3 is the major transport pathway for oxalate. The kinetics of oxalate and Cl- self-exchange fluxes indicate that the two ions compete for a common transport site; the apparent Cl- affinity is two to three times higher than that of oxalate. The net exchange of oxalate for Cl-, in either direction, is accompanied by a flux of H+ with oxalate, as is also true of net Cl(-)-SO4(2-) exchange. The transport of oxalate, however, is much faster than that of SO4(2-) or other divalent anions. Oxalate influx into Cl(-)-containing cells has an extracellular pH optimum of approximately 5.5 at 0 degrees C. At extracellular pH below 5.5 (neutral intracellular pH), net Cl(-)- oxalate exchange is nearly as fast as Cl(-)-Cl- exchange. The rapid Cl(- )-oxalate exchange at acid extracellular pH is not likely to be a consequence of Cl- exchange for monovalent oxalate (HOOC-COO-; pKa = 4.2) because monocarboxylates of similar structure exchange for Cl- much more slowly than does oxalate. The activation energy of Cl(-)- oxalate exchange is about 35 kCal/mol at temperatures between 0 and 15 degrees C; the rapid oxalate influx is therefore not a consequence of a low activation energy. The protein phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid has no detectable effect on oxalate self-exchange, in contrast to a recent finding in another laboratory (Baggio, B., L. Bordin, G. Clari, G. Gambaro, and V. Moret. 1993. Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 1148:157-160.); our data provide no evidence for physiological regulation of anion exchange in red cells.


This mixed-methods study examined the connection between follower-perceived leader mindfulness and follower engagement levels through the relationship between leaders and their followers (or direct reports). 61 followers (or direct reports) self-assessed their engagement levels and their perception of their leader's mindfulness. After the primary analysis, 8 followers were interviewed using a semi-structured format. Quantitative findings indicated a significant yet moderate correlation between follower-perceived leader mindfulness and follower engagement levels. In the qualitative findings, followers reported characteristics of their leader, related to mindfulness, that helped them stay engaged. The current study demonstrates that mindfulness contributes to leaders' abilities to interact with their followers and attune with others' emotional states. Overall, results suggest that mindfulness may influence follower engagement levels, however, it is not the only contributing factor. As such, leaders who practice mindfulness may still add value by promoting quality leader-follower relationships in the workplace.


In this work, a new random number generator circuit using continuous-time chaos is described. The circuit is based on the classical dual oscillator sampling technique. In the classical approaches, the jittered oscillations used in this technique are obtained using a physical noise. In this work, we propose to use continuous-time chaos to generate these oscillations. The required chaotic signal is obtained from the jerk circuit which can very easily be realized. The proposed circuit is realized in the laboratory with discrete components and bit sequence is generated from the realized circuit. The level of the randomness of the obtained bit sequence is tested by NIST-800-22. The results of the test confirmed that the generated bit sequences do not show any nonrandom behavior.


Hepatic proteolysis is inhibited by cell swelling following a variety of experimental manoeuvres, such as reduction of extracellular osmolarity, concentrative uptake of amino acids, or blockade of K+ channels by barium. On the other hand, proteolysis is known to be accomplished by pH-sensitive lysosomal proteases. Accordingly, NH3/NH4+ inhibits proteolysis by intralysosomal alkalinization. The present study has been performed to test for an effect of cell volume on the pH of acidic intracellular compartments, as assessed by Acridine Orange fluorescence at > 520 nm (F > 520). F > 520 is enhanced by NH3/NH4+ (2 and 20 mmol/l respectively), by glutamine (2 mmol/l), by the K(+)-channel blocker barium (10 mmol/l) and by reduction of extracellular osmolarity (by 20 and 80 mosmol/l respectively). The observations point to release of Acridine Orange from acidic cellular compartments, which is indicative of alkalinization of these compartments during cell swelling. This effect may contribute to the regulation of proteolysis.


Metrics plays an important role in the software modularization. Several metrics have been discussed so far. This paper describes a metrics based on control structures which is a minor modification of McCabe's approach. Proposed generalized approach is a control structure based complexity (CSBC) which is used to compute the complexity by counting the control structures directly from the source code rather than finding out predicate node from the control flow graph (CFG) as in McCabe cyclomatic complexity metric. Proposed generalized approach also overcomes the potential implementation problem of the existing McCabe approach based on predicate node that only applies to individual module (function) rather than on n modules. To effectively aid the software assessment a metric tool is developed to support the software metric. Therefore, this paper introduced a software metric tool (SMT) to provide an automated software metric support for users.


Industries are going through digital transformation journey, and construction is no exception. Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a technological innovation in the construction industry that can be used to deal with the digital world to resolve complex problems through multidisciplinary solutions. Digitalisation is not just a process, but deals with decisions related to people. Therefore, making connections is vital for a successful digitalisation; however, identifying and creating a suitable learning ecology through these connections is challenging, especially in project-based industries such as construction. Learning ecology emerges from a unique configuration of activities, materials, resources, relationships and integrations. The aim of this study is to examine the aspects of learning ecology in BIM construction projects. Data has been collected from two case studies on educational BIM construction projects which fall in the £30-£60 million bracket. The study explores how learning is taking place differently than earlier in BIM construction projects by demonstrating how tasks are completed. The findings suggest that to cope with digitalisation, construction projects need to be transformed into self-adaptive systems to enable the connection between people which will improve the way in which they align with project goals and to configure the right workflow.


We introduce Lyceum, a high-performance computational ecosystem for robot learning. Lyceum is built on top of the Julia programming language and the MuJoCo physics simulator, combining the ease-of-use of a high-level programming language with the performance of native C. In addition, Lyceum has a straightforward API to support parallel computation across multiple cores and machines. Overall, depending on the complexity of the environment, Lyceum is 5-30x faster compared to other popular abstractions like OpenAI's Gym and DeepMind's dm-control. This substantially reduces training time for various reinforcement learning algorithms; and is also fast enough to support real-time model predictive control through MuJoCo. The code, tutorials, and demonstration videos can be found at: www.lyceum.ml.


Stuttering associated with neurological pathology in normal adult speakers is uncommon, has no consistent clinicopathological picture, and its significance is too easily dismissed. A case is reported showing that stuttering may be a presenting symptom of progressive neurological disease, and another case demonstrates that a speech disorder which is indistinguishable from common stuttering may follow cerebral follow injury in adulthood.


The out-of-order issue queue (IQ), used in modern superscalar processors is a considerable source of energy dissipation. We consider design alternatives that result in significant reductions in the power dissipation of the IQ (by as much as 75%) through the use of comparators that dissipate energy mainly on a tag match, 0-B encoding of operands to imply the presence of bytes with all zeros and, bitline segmentation. Our results are validated by the execution of SPEC 95 benchmarks on a true hardware level, cycle-by-cycle simulator for a superscalar processor and SPICE measurements for actual layouts of the IQ in a 0.18-/spl mu/m CMOS process.


In this paper I consider the question of whether ethical decision-making affects a person's happiness. Using cross-country data from the World Values Survey, I find that people who agree that it is never justifiable to engage in ethically-questionable behaviors report that they are more satisfied with their life than people who are more tolerant of unethical conduct, even after controlling for other factors known to affect self-reported happiness. The size of the ethics effect is roughly similar to that of a modest increase in income, being married and attending church, while the effect is smaller than that of having poor health or being dissatisfied with one's personal finances. These results are robust across the four countries studied (the US, Canada, Mexico and Brazil), although there is variation in the ethics and happiness relationship across countries. One implication of this study is that a consideration of a society's ethical norms will improve our understanding of the subjective well-being of people.


Background and the purpose of the study Biodegradable Poly(caprolactone fumarate) (PCLF) has been used as bioresorbable sutures. In this study, doxorubicin HCl (Dox) loaded PCLF nanoparticles were prepared and characterized. Material and methods PCLFs were synthesized by polycondensation of PCL diols (Mws of 530, 1250 and 2000) with fumaryl chloride. The degradation of PCLF in NaOH, water and phosphate buffer saline (PBS), was determined in terms of changes in Mw. Nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared by two methods. In microemulsion polymerization method, dichloromethane containing PCLF and photoinitiator were combined with the water containing surfactants and then the mixture was placed under light for crosslinking. In nanoprecipitation method, the organic solvent containing PCLF was poured into the stirring water. The effect of several variables including concentration of PCLF, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), Dox and Trypan blue (Trb) and the Mw of PCLF and PVA on NP size and loading were evaluated. Result PCLF 530, 1250 and 2000 in PBS or water were not degraded over 28 days. Nanoprecipitaion method gave spherical (revealed by SEM images) stable NPs of about 225 with narrow size distribution and a zeta potential of −43 mV. The size of NP increased significantly by increase in Mw or concentration of PCLF. Although PVA was not necessary for formation of NPs, but it decreased with NP size. Dox loading and EE were 2.5–6.8% and 15–20%, respectively. Increasing the drug concentration increased the drug loading (DL) and NP size. The entrapment efficiency (EE) for Trb ranged from 1% for PCLF530 to 6% for PCLF2000. An increase in PCLF concentration resulted in an increase in EE. Dox and Trb release showed a burst followed by 80% and 78% release during 3 and 4 days respectively. Conclusion PCLF possessed suitable characteristics for preparation of nanoparticulate drug delivery system such as desired NP size, stability and degradation time. Although PCLF530 NPs were the smallest, but their DL were lower than PCLF1250 and 2000 NPs.


In the present work, dentin samples extracted from human molar teeth were treated with 248 nm wavelength pulsed laser radiation at fluences between 0.5 and 20 J/cm2. The surfaces were characterised by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and x-photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Two distinct behaviours were observed in what concerns the evolution of surface morphology with fluence and number of pulses. In some samples the surface remained flat, independently of the fluence and covered by a layer of resolidified material and redeposited ablation particles, which often occluded the dentinal structure. In other samples the surface topography depended on radiation fluence. For fluences below 1 J/cm2, intertubular dentin was preferentially removed, originating a columnar structure where columns were centred on the dentinal tubules and constituted by peritubular dentin. The height of the columns increased with the number of laser pulses. When fluence exceeded 1 J/cm2 the processed surface remained flat, covered with a fine resolidified layer. These distinct behaviours of dentin can be explained by differences in the constitution of this composite biological material. Despite the topographic changes observed, the mineral phase of dentin (apatite) remained unaltered and collagen was removed only from the outermost superficial layers of the processed material. This fact is explained by the constitution and structure of dentin and by the physical properties and electronic structure of its main constituents. Taking into consideration the results obtained and the bond type and properties of the constituents of dentin, it is suggested that the ablation of collagen occurs by a photochemical mechanism while the ablation of apatite is photothermal.


Seventy-eight patients, aged 15.69 +/- 0.15 years, who had infiltrative pulmonary tuberculosis, were examined. Roncoleukin was given intravenously in 20 patients of them (Subgroup 1a), in an indirect lymphotropic fashion in 30 patients (Subgroup 1b); 28 adolescents were treated with the conventional treatments (Group 2). A decay phase was recorded in 33 (66%) from Group 1 and in 16 (57.1%) from Group 2. On admission, all 78 (100%) patients had immunological disorders that required immunomodulation. Roncoleukin caused positive clinical and X-ray changes that were more pronounced in Subgroup 1b: bacterial excretion cessation was recorded in 100% of patients in Subgroup 1a (p < 0.05); in 94.4% in Subgroup 1b (p < 0.05), and in 68.7% in Group 2; decay cavities closed in 69.2, 60, and 37.5% in Subgroups 1a and 1b and Group 2. At the same time, the duration of a procedure considerably reduced, which positively affected adolescents' compliance.


Background: Antipsychotic augmentation is an effective treatment intervention for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) patients resistant to Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI) agents. This pilot study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness and tolerability of Aripiprazole for the augmentation of standard treatments in patients with resistant OCD. Methods: Twenty patients diagnosed with OCD according to DSM-IV TR criteria and having a history of resistance to standard pharmacological treatment were included in the study. Aripiprazole was added to ongoing SSRI or clomipramine treatment with a starting dose of 5 mg/day and titrated up to a maximum of 20 mg/day (mean dose 12.62 mg ± 4.25). Efficacy was assessed with the Yale-Brown obsessive compulsive scale (Y-BOCS) and the Clinical Global Improvement-severity scale (CGI-S) at baseline and at week 12 of Aripiprazole augmentation. Side effects were monitored by the Udvalg for Kliniske Undersogelser (UKU) side effect rating scale. Results: All 20 subjects enrolled in our study completed the full 12-week course of treatment. A significant improvement over the 12-week study period was observed (paired t-test for mean Y-BOCS total score at week 12 as compared with baseline – all patients: t = 13.146, d.f. = 19, p= 0.0001). Aripiprazole was generally well tolerated and no changes were observed in vital signs. The most commonly observed side effects after the introduction of the augmenting agent included: akathysia, nausea/vomiting, hyperkinesia, tension/inner unrest, tremors, asthenia/lassitude/increased fatiguability. Conclusions: Although results of this pilot study are preliminary and require confirmation in randomized controlled trials, our experience suggested that Aripiprazole is effective and well-tolerated as an augmenting agent in patients with treatment resistant OCD.


Familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FALS) has been linked in some families to dominant mutations of the SOD1 gene encoding Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase (Cu,Zn SOD). We have used a transgenic model of FALS based on expression of mutant human Cu,Zn SOD to explore the etiology and therapy of the genetic disease. Expression of mutant, but not wild‐type, human Cu,Zn SOD in mice places the brain and spinal cord under oxidative stress. This causes depletion of vitamin E, rather than the typical age‐dependent increase in vitamin E content as occurs in nontransgenic mice and in mice expressing wild‐type human Cu,Zn SOD. Dietary supplementation with vitamin E delays onset of clinical disease and slows progression in the transgenic model but does not prolong survival. In contrast, two putative inhibitors of the glutamatergic system, riluzole and gabapentin, prolong survival. However, riluzole did not delay disease onset. Thus, there was clear separation of effects on onset, progression, and survival by the three therapeutics tested. This suggests the hypothesis that oxidative damage produced by the expression of mutant Cu,Zn SOD causes slow or weak excitotoxicity that can be inhibited in part by altering glutamate release or biosynthesis presynaptically.


In this work we present a novel approach to joint semantic localisation and scene understanding. Our work is motivated by the need for localisation algorithms which not only predict 6-DoF camera pose but also simultaneously recognise surrounding objects and estimate 3D geometry. Such capabilities are crucial for computer vision guided systems which interact with the environment: autonomous driving, augmented reality and robotics. In particular, we propose a two step procedure. During the first step we train a convolutional neural network to jointly predict per-pixel globally unique instance labels and corresponding local coordinates for each instance of a static object (e.g. a building). During the second step we obtain scene coordinates by combining object center coordinates and local coordinates and use them to perform 6-DoF camera pose estimation. We evaluate our approach on real world (CamVid-360) and artificial (SceneCity) autonomous driving datasets. We obtain smaller mean distance and angular errors than state-of-the-art 6-DoF pose estimation algorithms based on direct pose regression and pose estimation from scene coordinates on all datasets. Our contributions include: (i) a novel formulation of scene coordinate regression as two separate tasks of object instance recognition and local coordinate regression and a demonstration that our proposed solution allows to predict accurate 3D geometry of static objects and estimate 6-DoF pose of camera on (ii) maps larger by several orders of magnitude than previously attempted by scene coordinate regression methods, as well as on (iii) lightweight, approximate 3D maps built from 3D primitives such as building-aligned cuboids.


Abstract Media are present today in many areas of human life, also in the sphere of faith. New ways of communicating of media content are emerging. Podcasts are an example of such a form. In this article, an attempt has been made to analyse radio podcasts concerning the faith as a form of religious communication. The aim of the research was to answer the question: Are radio podcasts concerning the topics of faith as a form of religious communication? If so, why and how do they do that? Additional questions were also established: What is religious communication? What are the characteristics of radio podcasts? What are the characteristics and content of the faith-themed podcasts? The concept of religious communication was defined in order to obtain answers to these questions. Then, the specificity of radio podcasts was shown, and, in the next part of the article, the author moved on to the identification and analysis of the content of popular Polish-language podcasts on the topics of faith.


This article considers the features of East Prussian land use system, whose crucial component was technologies for land fertility increase. A special package of measures in the framework of melioration and irrigation activities accounted for the high productivity of agriculture on this territory despite the fact that the local climate conditions can hardly be called perfect according to the well-known principles of agricultural science. The authors offer an overview of scientific approaches to the reconstruction and practical application of ideas and principles of progressive agriculture consistent with a more general area of organic agriculture. Special attention is paid to the modern agricultural practice on the territory of the Kaliningrad region former East Prussia and the possibilities to use the methods for increasing land fertility that were intensively employed by Prussians.


The Pool Boiling Experiment (PBE) is designed to improve understanding of the fundamental mechanisms that constitute nucleate pool boiling. Nucleate pool boiling is a process wherein a stagnant pool of liquid is in contact with a surface that can supply heat to the liquid. If the liquid absorbs enough heat, a vapor bubble can be formed. This process occurs when a pot of water boils. On Earth, gravity tends to remove the vapor bubble from the heating surface because it is dominated by buoyant convection. In the orbiting space shuttle, however, buoyant convection has much less of an effect because the forces of gravity are very small. The Pool Boiling Experiment was initiated to provide insight into this nucleate boiling process, which has many Earthbound applications, such as steam-generation power plants, petroleum, and other chemical plants. Also, by using the test fluid R-113, the Pool Boiling Experiment can provide some basic understanding of the boiling behavior of cryogenic fluids without the large cost of an experiment using an actual cryogen.


The purpose of the present study is to prospectively compare myocardial perfusion imaging with rubidium-82 (82Rb) by positron emission tomography (PET) with thallium-201 (201Tl) imaging by single-photon emission tomography (SPECT) by recording both studies with a single dipyridamole handgrip stress, and reading both sets of images with the same display technique. In a series of 202 patients with previous coronary arteriography, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 82Rb PET were 93%, 78%, and 90% and for 201Tl SPECT 76%, 80%, and 77%, respectively. When 70 patients with previous therapeutic interventions were excluded, the remaining 132 patients showed a sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 95%, 82% and 92% for 82Rb PET and 79%, 76%, and 78% for 201Tl SPECT. The improved contrast resolution of PET resulted in markedly superior images and a more confident identification of defects.