Community college health and engineering students often have difficulty understanding physics on a conceptual level, as well as general science practices used in experimentation and data analysis. This often leads to low levels of confidence in both, which effects classroom moral. For my intervention, I have students design their own physics labs as a means of having them think deeply about content and lab analysis, and measure the outcomes on both their understanding of each, as well as confidence. To measure student understanding of course content, each lab will have an associated pre and post-test to compare. I will also make use of their first exam to compare to past semesters, and the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) to compare nationally. Growth in confidence makes use of pre-intervention and post-intervention surveys, as well as student interviews. Growth in data analysis and science practices use preand post-tests, given before and after the intervention. Through the intervention I have observed increases in content understanding, as evident by increases in average pre-posttests scores for each lab. Students also showed growth in the normalized gains on the FCI (higher then past semesters and the national average). Student confidence also increased in terms of both their understanding of physics, science and data analysis. Student understanding of analyzing data was also greatly increased, and is what I consider the most successful part of the intervention.


This paper introduces remote controlled robot motion control system based on agent theory. Task planning and reactive behavior control are discussed and implemented. This paper describes design of manager agent and motion control agent in detail. Agent theory are implemented in the robot control system to realize distributed intelligence based on M/A/R(Man/Agent/Robot) architecture. Thereby autonomy, reliability and real-time operation are improved.


Bac kground and Objective: Research evidence might be invalid because of biases in methodology. We conducted a systematic review and aimed to assess methodological quality and appropriate analysis of pharmacy intervention studies using Interrupted Time Series design (ITS). Methods: We included pharmacy intervention with ITS studies published in healthcare journals during January 2007 – December 2011. They were searched from the databases  of  PubMed, SCOPUS, CENTRAL and Web of Science. Hand searching was done in Thai healthcare journals. Two reviewers independently selected studies and assessed risk of bias using the pre-established form. The methodology quality was classified in to good, not good and unclear according to information of essential components of ITS appeared in the studies. Result: This review included 36 eligible studies. From these, 50.0 % (95% CI: 32.9 to 67.0) had good quality of methodology, 47.2% (95% CI: 30.4 to 64.5) were unclear. There were 58.3% (95% CI: 54.8 to 85.8) used appropriate analysis. Of the 36 included studies,15 (41.7%, 95% CI: 25.5 to 59.2) showed high quality in both methodology and analysis. Conclusion: The results suggest that published pharmacy interventions studies with ITS designs should be improved in the reporting of methodology and analysis. Keywords: Interrupted Time Series, Pharmacy Interventions, Systematic Review


Different species of brood parasitic birds, which lay their eggs in the nests of host foster-parents, rarely target the same host species population. We report brood parasitism of Fork-tailed Drongos Dicrurus adsimilis in the southern Kalahari Desert by both African Cuckoo Cuculus gularis and Jacobin Cuckoo Clamator jacobinus serratus. Drongos are the only known host for the African Cuckoo, and were more frequently parasitised by this species (21.8% nests). Nevertheless, parasitism rates suggest that in the Kalahari, drongos are also an important host for Jacobin Cuckoo (4.6% nests). Jacobin Cuckoos likely compete with African Cuckoos for drongo hosts, as exemplified by the occurrence of both African and Jacobin Cuckoo eggs in the same drongo clutch. The drongo's defensive adaptations to parasitism by African Cuckoos, including egg rejection, may also curtail parasitism by Jacobin Cuckoos. The extent of competition between these cuckoo species and whether they possess adaptations to prevent one another's access to drongo hosts remains to be explored.


Embedded multimedia devices are now a common element of our environment, such as mp3 players, handheld devices, and so on. Choosing the right main processing element is a key issue for the success of these devices, and their consumption, performance, retargetability, and development time are some of the elements that need to be analyzed and well-balanced. In this paper, we map the same multimedia application (MPEG-4 main profile) into various target platforms generally used in the embedded area. The design flow of our work starts with a single MPEG-4 encoder description which is later refined and optimized to be implemented on different platforms: an embedded platform formed by a high performance digital signal processor and an embedded processor, an application specific instruction processor, a specific hardware implemented in a field-programmable gate array for accelerating the data-flow part of the system with a soft-core for the control part, and an application specific integrated circuit. The main contribution of this paper is to illustrate a methodology that can be generalized to different data dominant applications. This paper describes a new methodology to obtain near optimal implementation from concept to silicon for all platforms and it can be extended to any hybrid HW/SW multimedia platform. We evaluate the different transformations of each platform to arrive at an optimal implementation. These higher level transformations allow achieving better results than using more precise efforts in mapping the design in the physical level. This methodology can be extended to any data dominant application.


This study aimed to determine the production capacity in the Kenyan pharmaceutical industry and to forecast the year for full capacity utilization. Data was collected on installed, available and utilized capacities in this industry for the period 2010–2014, using a structured questionnaire. Six dosage forms namely tablets, capsules, oral liquids, external preparations, dry powders and oral rehydration salts were evaluated. Projection of capacity utilization was performed using time series forecasting method. The available capacity in billions was 29.3 tablets, 2.3 capsules, 0.4 bottles of oral liquids, 0.1 tubes of external preparations, 0.1 bottles of dry powders and 0.1 sachets of oral rehydration salts. In 2014, the overall utilized capacity was 27.4 %. The study showed that production capacity was underutilized. However, overall utilized capacity increased steadily during the five years. The forecasted year for achieving full capacity utilization for the manufactured dosage forms was 2043. Keywords: Pharmaceutical manufacturing, production capacity, installed, utilized


Purpose: This paper is a survey on the basis for libraries participation in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities in south east and south-south Nigeria. This paper seeks to unravel the reasons why libraries should engage in CSR activities. Design/ methodology/approach: The study adopted survey research method with questionnaire designed using four-point likert rating scale for data collection. Population of study comprise of librarians working in the university libraries selected from the south-east and south-south geo-political zone of Nigeria; a total of 129 questionnaires were retrieved and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Findings: It was revealed that participating in community development, promotion of citizens welfare, disseminating information on employment opportunities to unemployed graduates, ensuring timely, regular and relevant information services-provision to members of the host community, supporting educational related activities such as scholarships and intern opportunities, and partnering with stakeholders to enhance educational consciousness of the citizenry among others are CSR activities that libraries can engage for sustainable development. Opportunities open to libraries from participating in CSR include change in public perception of libraries, establishment of mutual understating between the library and the community with librarians strengthening their value chain among others. Possible challenges to effective participation of libraries in CSR activities revealed include inadequate finding of libraries stakeholders' divergent ideology on CSR lack of commitment towards CSR activities etc. Practical implications: There is an urgent need for librarians to embrace the philosophy of CSR and explore it as a means of remaining relevant to the society and their immediate environment. Also, there is need to include corporate social responsibility and corporate librarianship into the curriculum of marketing in library schools. Originality/value: This paper is of value to heads of libraries and stakeholders in information services and those interested in innovative library practice.


Mitosis is critical for organismal growth and differentiation. The process is highly dynamic and requires ordered events to accomplish proper chromatin condensation, microtubule-kinetochore attachment, chromosome segregation, and cytokinesis in a small time frame. Errors in the delicate process can result in human disease, including birth defects and cancer. Traditional approaches investigating human mitotic disease states often rely on cell culture systems, which lack the natural physiology and developmental/tissue-specific context advantageous when studying human disease. This protocol overcomes many obstacles by providing a way to visualize, with high resolution, chromosome dynamics in a vertebrate system, the zebrafish. This protocol will detail an approach that can be used to obtain dynamic images of dividing cells, which include: in vitro transcription, zebrafish breeding/collecting, embryo embedding, and time-lapse imaging. Optimization and modifications of this protocol are also explored. Using H2A.F/Z-EGFP (labels chromatin) and mCherry-CAAX (labels cell membrane) mRNA-injected embryos, mitosis in AB wild-type, auroraB(hi1045) (,) and esco2(hi2865) mutant zebrafish is visualized. High resolution live imaging in zebrafish allows one to observe multiple mitoses to statistically quantify mitotic defects and timing of mitotic progression. In addition, observation of qualitative aspects that define improper mitotic processes (i.e., congression defects, missegregation of chromosomes, etc.) and improper chromosomal outcomes (i.e., aneuploidy, polyploidy, micronuclei, etc.) are observed. This assay can be applied to the observation of tissue differentiation/development and is amenable to the use of mutant zebrafish and pharmacological agents. Visualization of how defects in mitosis lead to cancer and developmental disorders will greatly enhance understanding of the pathogenesis of disease.


The immunological properties of monoclonal autoantibodies to thyroid thyroglobulin in the construction of carrier-bioligand conjugates have been studied. Silver and gold nanoparticles 40-50 nm in size of and polymer microspheres (706 nm) were obtained. Autoantibodies were immobilized on the surface of the synthesized nanoparticles and the effect of nanocarriers on the immunological properties of immobilized monoclonal autoantibodies to thyroglobulin was studied by ELISA. It was found that the use of silver and gold nanoparticles allows you to adjust the sensitivity and specificity of the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in order to increase or decrease the detection limit of antigens or antibodies for early laboratory diagnostics of diseases and the creation of new-generation diagnostic test systems. nanoparticles, human thyroid gland thyroglobulin, nanocarriers, silver, gold, polystyrene, immunodiagnostics


There are many 'stories' (Plummer 1995) which can be told of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and recovery but our contemporary (Western) storying of this issue draws heavily on the therapeutic culture of the 21st century. Although it allows for a variety of plots and sub plots it is a story that tells of inevitable and devastating psychological damage and the need for healing. It is also a story that can be told not only by women who have 'concrete' memories of sexual abuse in childhood but also by those who have no such memories.
This paper is based on a research project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (UK) which looked at women's engagement with the self-help literature aimed at female victims of childhood sexual abuse. The majority of the participants did not have 'concrete memories' of sexual abuse but based their belief that they were sexually abused in childhood on a correlation of perceived 'symptoms' with assumed past abuse. This paper explores how women, often starting from a position where they have no knowledge or memories of having been abused, engage with discourses around sexual abuse, healing and recovery, in the ongoing process of understanding their life course and relationships, both with themselves and others. (Re)writing their life stories and sense of self in this way enabled women to not only make sense of their past and their present, but also to plan for their future.


This thesis describes work that has helped to establish Raman optical activity (ROA) as a powerful new chiroptical spectroscopic technique for the study of molecular chirality and conformation of biological molecules in aqueous solution. The first chapter describes the background and recent developments of vibrational optical activity including both the infrared vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) and Raman optical activity approaches. In chapter two, the basic theory of vibrational Raman optical activity is briefly reviewed. It comprises the fundamental theory to describe the vibrational Raman optical activity phenomenon, the rationale of the choice of the backscattering geometry for ROA instrument set-up and the basis of the more advanced ab initio ROA theory for calculation of ROA spectra. A new ROA instrument based on the backscattering geometry and back thinned CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) light detector is detailed in chapter 3. The new ROA instrument represents the contemporary development of ROA instrumentation and the up-to-date sophisticated optical and electronic devices used in the ROA spectrometer. A few basic considerations in ROA instrumentation and the performance of the instrument are discussed. The breakthrough of the instrument sensitivity has enabled ROA spectroscopy to be applied to important biological molecules in aqueous solution for the first time. The following three chapters are devoted to the ROA study of a number of biological molecules including small peptides, polypeptides, proteins and carbohydrates. These ROA data constitute the basis of ROA study for more complicated biological molecules in the future. Chapter 4 deals with ROA studies on model peptides and polypeptides. They comprise L-alanine oligomers: di-L-alanine and tri-, tetra-L-alanine, and a tripeptide L-Pro-L-Leu-Gly-amide for model ?-turn structure plus two polyamino acids poly-L-glutamic acid and poly-L-lysine. Di-L-alanine and its enantiomer are investigated in detail in various aqueous solutions and the results suggest that di-L-alanine could be used as a good model peptide for vibrational optical activity spectra analysis of peptides and polypeptides. ROA is a very local effect that is related to the intrinsic chirality. The most important ROA bands of peptides are in the extended amide 111 region. In chapter 5, the first ROA spectra of eight globular proteins in aqueous solution are reported and a preliminary empirical analysis presented. These protein ROA data clearly demonstrate that ROA is now able to investigate protein structure in the solution phase. The dominant ROA features of proteins arise mainly from the polypeptide backbone. Proteins containing different secondary structure compositions show characteristic ROA patterns. The most prominent ROA features are concentrated in the extended amide III region and are particularly sensitive to reverse turn structure. The ROA band intensity and A value offer a sensitive probe of the rigidity or flexibility of the globular proteins. In the last chapter 6, the ROA spectra of a range of carbohydrates including fifteen monosaccharides, a disaccharide and a cyclodextrin are investigated. The overwhelming ROA spectral information convincingly demonstrates that carbohydrates are particularly favourable samples for vibrational ROA study. ROA measurements on carbohydrates can yield ample stereochemical information with respect to the glycosidic linkage, anomeric configuration, sugar ring chair conformation and intramolecular interaction between adjacent chiral centres. Of all the information available from carbohydrate ROA spectra, the characteristic ROA couplet of the glycosidic linkage is probably the most valuable, which may be used to probe the conformation of disaccharides, oligosaccharides and polysaccharides.


Preliminary studies indicated that the potent insecticidal lectin, Gleheda, from the leaves of Glechoma hederacea (ground ivy) preferentially agglutinates human erythrocytes carrying the Tn (GalNAcalpha1-Ser/Thr) antigen. However, no details have been reported yet with respect to the fine specificity of the lectin. To corroborate the molecular basis of the insecticidal activity and physiological function of Gleheda, it is necessary to identify the recognition factors that are involved in the Gleheda-glycotope interaction. In the present study, the requirement of high-density multivalent carbohydrate structural units for Gleheda binding and a fine-affinity profile were evaluated using ELLSA (enzyme-linked lectinosorbent assay) with our extended glycan/ligand collections, a glycan array and molecular modelling. From the results, we concluded that a high-density of exposed multivalent Tn-containing glycoproteins (natural armadillo and asialo ovine salivary glycoproteins) were the most potent factors for Gleheda binding. They were, on a nanogram basis, 6.5x10(5), 1.5x10(4) and 3.1x10(3) times more active than univalent Gal (galactose), GalNAc (N-acetylgalactosamine) and Tn respectively. Among mono- and oligo-saccharides examined, simple clustered Tn (molecular mass <3000 Da) from ovine salivary glycoprotein was the best, being 37.5 and 1.7x10(3) times better than GalNAc and Gal respectively. GalNAc glycosides were significantly more active than Gal glycosides, indicating that the N-acetamido group at C-2 plays an important role in Gleheda binding. The results of glycan array support the conclusions drawn with respect to the specificity of Gleheda based on the ELLSA assays. These findings combined with the results of the molecular modelling and docking indicate the occurrence of a primary GalNAcalpha1-binding site in the Gleheda monomer. However, the extraordinary binding feature of Gleheda for glycoproteins demonstrates the importance of affinity enhancement by high-density multivalent glycotopes in the ligand-lectin interactions in biological processes.


This special issue of Petroleum Geoscience , devoted to 4D seismic technology, brings you the most up-to-date review from the industry: up to date, because it has taken just one year from request for papers to publication. Why is this important? – because 4D seismic technology, like so many others, is changing rapidly.

This review consists of 12 papers from key oil companies and contractors. We start with a Shell paper describing a 4D technology strategy and outlining the value to be gained from applying 4D technology, with examples …


Tin oxide synthesis and characterization were studied in the present work in order to evaluate its catalytic activity in the reaction of methyl ricinoleate from castor oil. Oxide is obtained through the controlled precipitation method, and significant advantages are obtained when using water solutions of SnCl 2 .2H 2 O as precursor. Its characterization was done using the techniques DTA, TGA, XRD, finding that in order to have high performance for the cassiterite system the optimum pH value was 6,25 whereas a pH of 8.0 was leading to the romarchite system. When using SEM techniques and a surface area, the size of the particle found was below 50 nm with a surface area of 19 m 2 /g. The ricinoleate ester was obtained from the oil using sodium methylate as catalyst and then making it react with hydrogen peroxide as oxidant agent and tin oxide to produce an epoxide. Finally, reaction products are identified through gas chromatography finding that tin oxides are active for obtaining epoxides with better performance of the romarchite crystal system (SnO) especially towards the methyl-12-hydroxi-9, 10-epoxioctadecanote (MHEOD).


This conceptual paper seeks to put forth a novel vision, namely the combined deployment of the Quadruple Helix Model (QHM) collaboration mooted by Agensi Inovasi Malaysia, a Whole-of-Government (WoG) concept of ICT implementation across the Malaysian government agencies mooted by Malaysia Administrative and Modernization Planning Unit (MAMPU) and the Network of Mosques (NoM). This will be accomplished through leveraging the advances in cloud computing and mobile applications that could be used to set up what is proposed to be called the Collaborative MyMukim2Cloud System. The QHM actors, namely the Government, Academia, Industry and Citizen need to collaborate and share resources in nurturing and addressing the needs of less privileged and less fortunate people holistically, rather than the current practice which is executed in silos, isolation or independently. This proposed collaborative inter-organizational system is to enable a WoG and consolidated approach for government agencies, NGOs, the private sector and individuals in building up a single and trusted national database based on three (3) focus groups of people proposed in this paper, namely the Orphanage, the Poor and the Disabled. This database, proposed to be co-owned and managed by government agencies such as Department of Social Welfare (DSW) and Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM), can be used and updated by all other authorized and relevant organizations and individuals in making a consolidated contribution in nurturing and developing these groups. Thus, this System shall eliminate unnecessary and duplication in data, efforts and investments made by the various organizations. The expected outcome of MyMukim2Cloud System will be an enhanced quality of life for the proposed focus groups through the execution of social entrepreneurship concept in healthcare, education and financial activities provided by the QHM collaborators.


Introduction of genetic monogerm seed and the advancement of agricultural techniques raised the possibility of eliminating costly thinning operations in sugar beet farming. However, this requires high and uniform seedling emergence to provide prerequisite plant populations in the field. This work investigated the minimum levels of seedling emergence for non-thinned sugar beet farming. The experiment was carried out in a loamy soil to investigate the effects of three levels of emergence (60, 50 and 35%) and two intra-row spacings (8 and 15 cm) with or without thinning using seed source of graded viability of cv Eva in 1992 and 1993 under field conditions in Eastern Anatolia. Plant population throughout the growing period was monitored and data were taken of yield and quality parameters. On average, 60, 50 and 35% emergence levels were achieved using seed source of 90, 72 and 54% viability range, which resulted in different levels of plant stands depending on intra-row spacing and thinning. Plant density at harvest ranged between 49 500 and 124500 ha -1 on average depending on initial establishment, intra-row spacing and thinning. Root yield and sugar yield were the highest at plant stands between 90000 and 100000 ha -1 , below or above of which declined. Impurity contents (e.g. Na, K and a-amino N contents) and extractable sugar content decreased but sugar content and clear juice purity enhanced as plant stands at harvest increased.


The genus Lavandula L. consists of 39 species distributed from the North Atlantic Islands, across the Mediterranean Basin to India. We analysed 36 taxa of the genus Lavandula representing two of the three subgenera and six of the eight sections according to the most recent classification (Upson & Andrews 2004). We achieved a phylogenetic reconstruction from partial sequences from plastid trnK and matK genes; the genome size was estimated by flow cytometer measurements. The primary aim was to track phylogenetic patterns through the maternal inherited marker at the sectional level and identify possible genome duplications. The cpDNA tree shows the phylogenetic relationships between subgenus, sections and also elucidates for the first time the relationships between the endemic species of Macaronesia, Morocco and Arabia. The ancestral split between the two subgenera could be explained by dispersal followed by an early vicariance event. The C-value shows genome up-sizing within several phylogenetic clades and geographical areas. An ancestral genome-up sizing is characterized at the node of section Dentatae and Lavandula. The cpDNA tree suggests that the taxa L. angustifolia subsp. pyrenaica (DC.) Guinea and L. stoechas subsp. luiseiri are best treated as a distinct species.


EQUIPPING MINDS: APPLYING A BIBLICALLY BASED CURRICULUM FOR IMPROVING WORKING MEMORY Carol Thompson Brown Ed.D. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2016 Supervisor: Dr. Danny R. Bowen Recent findings in neuroscience confirm the neuroplasticity of the brain. There has been strong interest in applying these discoveries to learners with learning disorders focusing on increasing working memory capacity. The aim of the present study was to explore the effectiveness of cognitive intervention with the Equipping Minds Cognitive Development Curriculum (EMCDC), based on Feuerstein's theory of structural cognitive modifiability. Feuerstein's theory states that a learner's cognitive functioning can be modified through mediated learning. EMCDC is aimed at enhancing processing, working memory, comprehension, and reasoning abilities. Participants were learners with Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) Learners were randomly assigned into one of two groups. The active control group received small group intervention in academic subjects an hour a day five times a week for 7 weeks. The training group received small group intervention in the Equipping Minds Cognitive Development Curriculum an hour a day five times a week for 7 weeks. Both groups were tested on measures of working memory, verbal and nonverbal ability, and academic attainment before training and re-tested on the same measures after training. Analysis of the pre-to post-test scores demonstrated significant (p<0.05) advantage of the training over the


This article examines the imagery and portrayal of First World War soldiers within modern computer games. The role of a soldier is a staple of computer games and the Second World War remains the most referenced and depicted conflict within the medium. Second World War games are highly influenced by cinematic portrayals of the conflict. The depiction of First World War soldiers, however, is a more recent and complicated development. Films focused on the First World War are not as populous as those depicting the Second and they also exist within different narrative conventions. By examining games such as Valiant Hearts: The Great War, Trenches 2, Verdun 1914–1918 and Trench Warfare, this article argues that soldiers fall into two major groups largely defined by trends in narrative portrayal: the Individuals and the Mass. However, because of the more morally complicated nature of the First World War and the audience's expectations regarding the deadly nature of the conflict, figures within these groups come to represent competing visions of heroism and survival whilst in war time. By also considering the implications of these portrayals along national lines, this article highlights the complicated nature of media portrayals of the war and how computer games are evolving in a new direction to cope with it.


A directly rapid quantitative analysis method for chemical oxygen demand (COD) of wastewater was established by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and attenuated total reflection (ATR) technology. The combination selection of Savitzky-Golay (SG) smoothing modes combined with partial least squares (PLS) factor was applied to the model optimization here. The optimal smoothing parameters were 2nd order derivative smoothing, 6th degree polynomial and 51 smoothing points. The corresponding optimal PLS factor, root mean squared error of predication (RMSEP) and correlation coefficient of predication (RP) were 11, 24.4 (mg/L) and 0.968 respectively, which was obviously superior to the direct PLS model without SG smoothing. This demonstrated that the combination selection of SG smoothing parameters and PLS factor can be effectively applied to the model optimization for FTIR/ATR analysis of COD in wastewater.


Clinicians will soon be able to offer another treatment option to men with prostate cancer who have not responded to hormonal therapy. The FDA recently approved abarelix (Plenaxis, Praecis Pharmaceuticals) for the palliative treatment of men with advanced symptomatic prostate cancer in whom luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist therapy is inappropriate and who refuse surgical castration, and have risk of neurological compromise due to metastases; ureteral or bladder outlet obstruction due to local encroachment or metastatic disease; and/or severe bone pain from skeletal metastases persisting on narcotic analgesia. The drug will be available sometime during the first quarter of 2004.


At the dawn of the twentieth century, the U.S. Army swiftly occupied Manila and then plunged into a decade-long pacification campaign with striking parallels to today's war in Iraq. Armed with cutting-edge technology from America's first information revolution, the U.S. colonial regime created the most modern police and intelligence units anywhere under the American flag. In "Policing America's Empire" Alfred W. McCoy shows how this imperial panopticon slowly crushed the Filipino revolutionary movement with a lethal mix of firepower, surveillance, and incriminating information. Even after Washington freed its colony and won global power in 1945, it would intervene in the Philippines periodically for the next half-century - using the country as a laboratory for counterinsurgency and rearming local security forces for repression. In trying to create a democracy in the Philippines, the United States unleashed profoundly undemocratic forces that persist to the present day. But security techniques bred in the tropical hothouse of colonial rule were not contained, McCoy shows, at this remote periphery of American power. Migrating homeward through both personnel and policies, these innovations helped shape a new federal security apparatus during World War I. Once established under the pressures of wartime mobilization, this distinctively American system of public-private surveillance persisted in various forms for the next fifty years, as an omnipresent, sub rosa matrix that honeycombed U.S. society with active informers, secretive civilian organizations, and government counterintelligence agencies. In each succeeding global crisis, this covert nexus expanded its domestic operations, producing new contraventions of civil liberties - from the harassment of labor activists and ethnic communities during World War I, to the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, all the way to the secret blacklisting of suspected communists during the Cold War.


The East–West divide in the EU has recently received much attention. While certain national leaders on both sides have tried to capitalise on it politically, data on the attitudes of the general public in the two subregions convey a more complex picture. This paper analyses European polling data on people's attitudes regarding several key societal questions. It concludes that the opinions of Western and Eastern European populations are in fact converging on key societal issues, and that EU policies should reflect this growing consensus


Abstract This paper summarizes 30 years of research on the biostratigraphy of Triassic radiolarians and presents a correlation of currently-used radiolarian zonations established in North America, Europe, Japan and Far East Russia. An up-to-date stratigraphic distribution of all hitherto described and still valid Triassic genera is provided. This new range chart consists of 282 genera and allows an accurate dating to substage level. It also clearly manifests general trends in radiolarian evolution through the Triassic. The end-Permian extinction, the most severe extinction in the history of radiolarians, was followed by a long recovery until the early Anisian. The middle and late Anisian were then characterized by a rapid explosion of new morphologies. Maximum generic diversity was attained during the early Carnian, but the first severe extinctions also occurred in the Carnian. A progressive decline of diversity took place through the Norian and Rhaetian, and ended in a mass extinction around the Triassic–Jurassic boundary.


cardiac function, carotid artery diameter, IMT and stiffness nor in endothelial function. Conclusions: ARED flow seems to contribute to an irreversible restriction of aortic growth persisting into adulthood, while the carotid artery, an adjacent elastic artery, has unchanged geometry and mechanical properties. Even if no altered left ventricular geometry or function were revealed at present, the smaller diameter and higher systolic pressure reflection in the central aorta might have negative consequences for left ventricular performance in the future by increasing aortic impedance.


The well‐known formalism of rate and state dependent friction represents the transition between starting friction and sliding friction. It expresses the instantaneous coefficient of friction in macroscopic quantities as μ = μ0 + a ln (V/V0) + b ln (ψ/ψnorm), where μ0 is the first‐order coefficient of friction, a and b are small (∼0.01) dimensionless constants, V is sliding velocity, V0 is a reference sliding velocity, and the inverse of the state variable 1/ψ represents damage. The normalizing state variable ψnorm ≡ (P/P0)α/b represents the effect of the normal traction P on stress concentrations, where P0 is a constant with dimensions of pressure and α ≫ b is another dimensionless constant. Evolution equations represent the combined effect of damage from sliding and healing on the state variable. The Ruina (1983) evolution equation implies that the state variable does not change (no healing) during holds when sliding is stopped. It arises from exponential creep within gouge when the concentrated stress at asperities scales with the macroscopic quantities. The parameter b − a being positive is a necessary condition for a spring‐slider system becoming unstable. Microscopically, this parameter represents the tendency of asperities accommodating shear creep to persist longer than asperities of compaction creep at high sliding velocities. In the Dieterich (1979) evolution law, healing occurs when the sample is at rest. It is a special case where creep that produces shear and creep that produces compaction occur at different microscopic locations at a subgrain scale. It also applies qualitatively for compaction at a shear traction well below that needed for frictional sliding. Chemically, it may apply when shear sliding occurs within weak microscopic regions of hydrated silica while compaction creep occurs within comparatively anhydrous grains.


The MAPLE Game Playing System is a web application and website that allows students to design and program game playing agents using the Python programming language. The system provides a platform for assignments in introductory computer science courses and senior and graduate-level A.I. courses. The website allows users to upload, use, and share agents that play games such as the Prisoner's Dilemma, Stag Hunt, and Matching Pennies. In this paper, we discuss the features and functionality of the system and suggest possible assignments within A.I. or introductory programming courses.


In wireless communications, propagation characteristics of smart antenna systems can be described by vector channels. In order to accurately characterize and model vector channels, extensive measurements in realistic wireless environments are needed. This paper studies the variation of vector channels in non-stationary propagation environments which are caused by (a) deploying the base station antenna at different heights and keeping the mobile terminal stationary, (b) fixing the base station antenna height and moving the mobile terminal. Measurements of vector channel parameters in a non-line-of-sight (NOLOS) environment are taken by using a 1.8 GHz real-time smart antenna testbed with a uniform circular array at the base station. The experimental results regarding the spatial properties (DOA, multipath angle spread) and space-time correlation properties of vector channels are presented and discussed.


Exposure to opioid analgesics due to surgery increases the risk of new persistent opioid use. A mechanistic hypothesis for opioids' abuse liability rests on the belief that, in addition to pain relief, acute opioid treatment improves well-being (e.g. via euphoria) and relieves anxiety. However, opioids do not consistently improve mood in laboratory studies of healthy non-opioid users. This observational study determined how two commonly used opioid analgesics affected patients' subjective well-being in standard clinical practice. Day surgery patients rated how good and how anxious they felt before and after an open-label infusion of remifentanil (n = 159) or oxycodone (n = 110) in the operating theatre before general anaesthesia. One minute after drug injection, patients reported feeling intoxicated (> 6/10 points). Anxiety was reduced after opioids, but this anxiolytic effect was modest (remifentanil Cohen's d = 0.21; oxycodone d = 0.31). There was moderate to strong evidence against a concurrent improvement in well-being (Bayes factors > 6). After remifentanil, ratings of 'feeling good' were significantly reduced from pre-drug ratings (d = 0.28). After oxycodone, one in three participants felt better than pre-drug. Exploratory ordered logistic regressions revealed a link between previous opioid exposure and opioid effects on well-being, as only 14 of the 80 opioid-naïve patients reported feeling better after opioid injection. The odds of improved well-being ratings after opioids were higher in patients with previous opioid exposure and highest in patients with > 2 weeks previous opioid use (adjusted OR = 4.4). These data suggest that opioid-induced improvement of well-being is infrequent in opioid-naïve patients. We speculate that peri-operative exposure could increase risk of persistent use by rendering subsequent positive opioid effects on well-being more likely.


The acoustic emission (AE) test was employed to study the debonding of glass beads from a polystyrene (PS) matrix for uniaxially loaded specimens of composites with a different adhesion level between the glass surface and PS. The adhesion was varied by tailoring the interface with endfunctionalized PS or polystyrene-block-poly-(2-vinylpyridine) copolymers adsorbed onto the glass surface. The number of beads was about 30 000 per specimen, which allowed good statistics to be obtained in the experimental data. The number of AE events, the debonding stress, the AE amplitude (AEA) for every signal, and the elongation of the specimen were recorded in the test. The experimental distribution of the number of AE signals per stress unit was fitted with a Weibull function and the maximum of the function was associated with the average debonding stress (ADS). The distribution of AE signals via AEA was also fitted with a Weibull function and the amplitude that corresponded to the maximum of the function was used as a parameter to characterize the AE energy released. All the parameters were used for the analysis of the failure mechanism of the composites. The ADS increases as the interface strength increases. The AEA measurement data usually should be fitted by two Weibull functions with two AEAs of relatively small and large energy (I and II, respectively). Both AEA-I and AEA-II decrease as the adhesion increases. These two maxima are assumed to characterize two different microdefects at the interface. AEA-I is caused by the propagation of the microdefects that were formed at the interface during the material preparation. The dewetting of the glass beads at larger stress affects the AE signals with larger AEA-II. It is suggested that the decrease in AEA with adhesion is caused by the propagation of microdefects towards the matrix. Simultaneous consideration of ADS and AEA allows the interfacial strength and location of the microcracks to be evaluated. The polydispersity of the PS matrix, the duration of sample preparation (melting under pressure), the rate of specimen deformation in the test, and the volume fraction of the filler within the range 2-15 vol.% have very slight effects on the results.


The common notion of digital replicas is mostly dominated by the idea that a digital 3D reconstruction should be as faithful to the original artefact as possible. However, the resulting 3D models need often too many computing resources for displaying, so that it is barely possible to experience them with accuracy in a virtual environment. In order to make complex 3D replicas more accessible, the polygonal mesh has to be decimated at the expense of the details loosing "authenticity" in an "auratic" sense. Against this background, we test a pluralistic notion of authenticity that relies more on conserving meanings rather than on conserving physical features by contextualizing 3D objects in VR environments. For this purpose, we use two case studies, the Ladenburg's Jupiter Column (II AD), and the audio-kinetic sculpture Kaleidophonic Dog (1967) by Stephan von Huene.


Cu(II)-grafted SBA-15 functionalized S-methylisothiourea aminated epibromohydrin (SBA-15/E-SMTU-CuII) as a novel and efficient, heterogeneous mesoporous catalyst was synthesized and characterized by different techniques, such as FT-IR, BET, small-angle XRD, FE-SEM, TEM, TGA, ICP-OES and CHNS analysis. The as-synthesized catalyst revealed a superior catalytic activity towards the one-pot synthesis of tetrahydropyridine derivatives through the pseudo five-component reactions of aromatic aldehydes, aromatic amines and ethyl/methyl acetoacetate, in ethanol at room temperature. Importantly, the synthesized mesoporous catalyst can be recovered and reused at least ten times without any appreciable loss in its catalytic reactivity. Moreover, a TEM image of the recovered catalyst after ten consecutive runs clearly proved the advantageous durability and stability of the presented catalyst under the applied reaction condition.


Intrusion detection system (IDS) is the major aspect of security solutions for every organization relying on internet services as well as for, internet providers who offers internet services. IDSs aids proactive monitoring of the network in order to detect potential threats and protect organizations from possible data and financial loss. Due to its high importance in real world, it has been a major interest for research studies. IDSs adopts data mining techniques to analyze historical networkconnection information to detect attacks. The efficiency of IDSs are measured in terms of the accuracy of prediction and its error rate. It is also important that models perform in near real-time to detect threat before the control of network resources is compromised. This creates a requirement for IDS to be built on high computing environment. This paper experiments on well-performing classification algorithms namely: support vector machine (SVM), decision tree, random forest, gradient boosting and an ensemble of all these four algorithms. Correlation-based feature engineering techniques namely ARM (Association Rule Mining) and Variable importance are applied to enhance the performance. The performance of these models are measured and compared in terms of accuracy and error rate. Additionally, this paper conducts experiments on both centralized and distributed (Apache Hadoop and Spark) environments to compare the time taken to train the data mining models for IDS. The experimental results shows that tree-based algorithms are better classifiers for IDSs and models are trained mush faster in distributed (Hadoop and Spark framework) environments in comparison to centralized.


PURPOSE
Expression of erythropoietin (Epo) and its receptor (Epo-R) has been shown in various normal and neoplastic nonhematopoietic tissues. This study, in non-small cell lung carcinoma, was designed to investigate the previously unreported expression of Epo and Epo-R as well as hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha), which is known to control Epo expression.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
Samples from lung squamous cell carcinomas (n = 17) and adenocarcinomas (n = 12) were obtained from patients undergoing curative surgery. mRNA transcripts of Epo, Epo-R, soluble Epo-R (sEpo-R), HIF-1alpha, and factor inhibiting HIF-1 (FIH-1) were evaluated by reverse transcription-PCR, whereas localization of Epo, Epo-R, and HIF-1alpha was assessed by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS
Epo, Epo-R, sEpo-R, HIF-1alpha, and FIH-1 transcripts were detected by reverse transcription-PCR in all samples tested, but with heterogeneous levels of expression for Epo, Epo-R, and sEpo-R. Coordinated levels of mRNA were observed for HIF-1alpha and FIH-1.Epo was detected in carcinomatous cells by immunohistochemistry in 50% of samples and Epo-R was detected in 96% of samples. Co-expression of Epo and Epo-R was observed on contiguous sections from 50% of tumors. HIF-1alpha was immunolocalized in 80% of non-small cell lung carcinomas.

CONCLUSION
Epo-R was expressed in almost all samples and Epo was expressed in one half of samples on immunohistochemistry and in 100% of samples by mRNA detection, suggesting a potential paracrine and/or autocrine role of endogenous Epo in non-small cell lung carcinoma. The detection of stabilized HIF-1alpha suggests a possible role in Epo expression. Moreover, in the light of these results, the potential interactions between therapeutic recombinant Epo and the putative neoplastic Epo/Epo-R signaling pathways must be considered.


Abstract The thesis of this paper is that a reciprocal relation must develop between basic research on the developmental psychopathology of conduct disorder and applied treatment studies. Basic research can guide treatment design, and treatment outcomes can test developmental theories. The nature of conduct disorder seems to be one of multivariate components that act in self-perpetuating ways across development. These components include family, child-cognitive, peer group, and ecocommunity systems. Interventions that are directed toward just one component may be successful in producing proximal changes in the targeted domain, but they are not likely to be successful in long-term prevention of serious conduct disorder because other forces counteract these changes. The goal of treatment research needs to be long-term conduct disorder prevention. Two kinds of treatment studies are needed, one kind that is directed toward developing a technology of successful change procedures for individual processes and a second kind that uses these multiple change procedures in a comprehensive effort to prevent serious conduct disorder.


Objective
To compare the pharmacodynamics between different batches of recombinant decoy receptor innovative drug RC28-E1 and RC28-E2 in retinal angiogenesis and neovascularization, and analyze its mechanism.

Methods
Sixty postnatal Day 4 (P4) C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into normal control group, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)+ fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) group, VEGF+ FGF2+ RC28-E1 group, VEGF+ FGF2+ RC28-E2 group, VEGF+ FGF2+ conbercept group and VEGF+ FGF2+ FGF trap group by using a random number table, with 10 mice in each group.The mouse retinal explant culture system was established, and stimulated with the corresponding factors and drugs prepared in the starving culture media.The normal controls were treated with the starving media.Then the retinal explants were stained with Isolectin B4 and imaged.The number of filopodia per vascular length was quantified.In addition, ninety-six P7 C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into normal control group, oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) model control group, OIR+ RC28-E1 group, OIR+ RC28-E2 group, OIR+ conbercept group and OIR+ FGF trap group by using a random number table, with 16 mice in each group.The normal controls were raised under normoxia for 10 days, and the rest of the groups were raised under hyperoxia for 5 days, then returned to normoxia for another 5 days.On P17, the retinas were isolated and stained with Isolectin B4.The stained retinas were mounted on the slides and photographed.The relative vessel obliteration and neovascularization in retina were analyzed with computer software.Then the protein levels of VEGF and FGF2 were examined by Western blot in the retinas of each group in the OIR experiment.Finally, in the RF/6A cells stimulated with VEGF and FGF2, the activities of the signaling pathways, including MEK-extracellular regulated protein kinases (Erk), protein kinase C (PKC) and protein kinase B (Akt) pathways, were examined by Western blot.All experimental procedures were evaluated and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Tianjin Medical University (SYXK 2009-0001), and were in accordance with the ARVO Statement for the Use of Animals in Ophthalmic and Vision Research.

Results
The results of retinal explant cultures showed that the numbers of filopodia per vascular length in VEGF+ FGF2+ RC28-E1, VEGF+ FGF2+ RC28-E2, VEGF+ FGF2+ conbercept, and VEGF+ FGF2+ FGF trap groups were all significantly less than that in the VEGF+ FGF2 group (all at P < 0.001). The filopodia number in retinal vascular front in RC28-E1 group was similar to that in the RC28-E2 group (P=0.15), whereas the filopodia numbers in both groups were significantly decreased as compared to those in VEGF+ FGF2+ conbercept group and VEGF+ FGF2+ FGF trap group (all at P<0.001). The results from the OIR mouse model showed that the relative vessel obliteration area in OIR model control group was dramatically higher than those in the drug intervention groups (all at P<0.05). There was no statistical significance in the relative vessel obliteration area between OIR+ RC28-E1 group and OIR+ RC28-E2 group (P=0.17), while the obliteration areas in both RC28-E-intervened groups were significantly lower than those in the OIR+ conbercept group and OIR+ FGF trap group (all at P<0.05). The relative neovascular pixels in the intervention groups were significantly lower than those in the OIR model control group (all at P<0.001). The neovascular pixels in OIR+ RC28-E1 group were significantly lower than those in VEGF+ FGF2+ conbercept group and VEGF+ FGF2+ FGF trap group (both at P<0.05), but comparable to those in OIR+ RC28-E2 group (P =0.39). Western blot result showed that, the protein expression of VEGF and FGF2 in the OIR mouse retinas were significantly upregulated compared to those in the normal ones (both at P<0.001). The upregulation of both genes were normalized by both RC28-E1 and RC28-E2.In addition, the stimulation of VEGF and FGF2 induced an enhanced activity in MEK-Erk pathway in RF/6A cells, whereas RC28-E1 inhibited the overactivation.

Conclusions
RC28-E1 and RC28-E2 both can inhibit angiogenesis in the retinal explants isolated from neonatal mice; they also reduce vessel obliteration and mitigate neovascularization in the OIR mouse model.Therefore, the pharmacology batch and pilot test batch of RC28-E have similar efficacies and reliable stability, and are superior in the anti-angiogenic and anti-neovascular efficacy to the currently clinically available drugs conbercept and FGF trap.RC28-E1 may suppress pathological neovascularization through inhibiting the overactivation of MEK-Erk pathway in retinal vascular endothelial cells.

Key words:
Retinal neovascularization; Decoy receptor; Basic fibroblast growth factor; Vascular endothelial growth factor; Recombinant protein drugs


A period-adding bursting sequence without bursting-chaos in the Chay neuron model is studied by bifurcation analysis. The genesis of each periodic bursting is separately evoked by the corresponding periodic spiking patterns through two period-doubling bifurcations, except for the period-1 bursting occurring via Hopf bifurcation. Hence, it is concluded that this period-adding bursting bifurcation without chaos has a compound bifurcation structure closely related to period-doubling bifurcations of periodic spiking in essence.


1. Respiratory exchange measurements may be used for gaining further evidence concerning the body changes during anemia, and are complementary to the hematological and histological data. 2. The heat production during anemia was slightly decreased. At the 3rd week it began to rise. 3. A protein-free liver extract has accelerated blood regeneration and at the same time increased the respiratory exchange of anemic animals. 4. A protein-free spleen extract has distinctly lowered the respiratory exchange of normal animals. The metabolism of anemic animals thus treated was practically the same as before bleeding and treatment. The recovery of the spleen extract-treated animals was not complete during the period of observation. This extract may have been somewhat toxic. In spite of this disturbing factor we are not inclined to accept the view of C. D. and E. W. Leake (15) and Thalhimer (16) that the spleen takes part in the stimulating effect upon blood regeneration when given in combination with red bone marrow by mouth.


This work focuses on the potential benefits that can be gained from the use of Individual Wheel Control on a large off-road vehicle. The vehicle concerned is a theoretical, six-wheel drive, off-road Hybrid-Electric Vehicle based on an existing conventional six-wheel-drive Combat Support Vehicle developed by QinetiQ (formerly DERA). The proposed vehicle utilises Individual Wheel Control through the use of six, in-wheel, Hub Mounted Electric Drives. A novel intelligent mobility control system is developed to fully exploit the capability that this configuration offers.

Initially, simplified vehicle models are developed to design and test the mobility control components. The control systems developed are Traction Control, Anti-lock Braking and Direct Yaw-moment Control. These controllers are developed individually, with the aim of improving vehicle stability and handling behaviour. Once tested, they are combined into a single system on a basic non-linear handling model, where the controller co-ordination
scheme is demonstrated. Preliminary testing shows the full controller to reduce driver workload by offering predictable vehicle handling and improved vehicle stability.

An eighteen-degree of freedom vehicle model is then developed, incorporating the vehicle suspension and load transfer characteristics, based on the conventional vehicle. Field test data taken from the existing vehicle trials is used to partially validate the on-road handling
behaviour of the vehicle model. On this model, the full mobility controller is tuned to offer optimal performance for a large range of driving conditions and an extension of the controller to limit side-slip at high lateral accelerations is introduced. The controller is then tested on and off-road against a fixed torque distribution system and also the conventional vehicle equipped with various differentials.

By exploiting the high torque capability and controllability of the electric drive, the potential
of Individual Wheel Control is demonstrated, along with the benefits offered by the hybridelectric drivetrain with respect to mobility. Through the simulation work conducted, the major benefits of Individual Wheel Control are shown to be: improved stability and manoeuvrability; more predictable vehicle behaviour leading to reduced driver workload; accurate yaw rate tracking and increased safety at handling limits.


ANAPHYLAXIS to bee sting is a rarity in older medical literature. The earliest case known is that mentioned by Mease, 1 in 1836, when he recalled a letter from Dr. John R. Warren of Wardsboro, Vt., four years before. The actual stinging and its consequent fatality occurred on June 17, 1811, during Dr. Warren's childhood. Gould and Pyle, 2 in 1897, summarized several early cases, including the Vermont report of 1811 and other cases. Thompson, in 1869, 3 reported three fatalities from bee stings in England. The "WPA Guide to New York State," under Manchester, mentions the grave of Timothy Ryan who was said to have been stung to death by a bee, and, in 1956, Ripley noted the gravestone of Timothy Ryan in his column, "Believe It or Not." With this limited information, a stone-by-stone search was made of the old cemeteries in or near Manchester, N.Y., about 25


To provide insights into the effects of temporary focal ischemia on the function of neurons and astrocytes in vivo, we measured the incorporation of radiolabel from [U-14C]glucose into both glutamate and glutamine in brain subregions at 1 h of reperfusion following occlusion of the middle cerebral artery for 2 or 3 h. Under the experimental conditions used, 14C-glutamate is mainly produced in neurons whereas 14C-glutamine is generated in astrocytes from 14C-glutamate of both neuronal and astrocytic origin. Radiolabel incorporation into both amino acids was greatly decreased. The change in 14C-glutamate accumulation provides strong evidence for substantial reductions in neuronal glucose metabolism. The resulting decrease in delivery of 14C-glutamate from the neurons to astrocytes was probably also the major contributor to the change in 14C-glutamine content. These alterations probably result in part from a marked depression of glycolytic activity in the neurons, as suggested by previous studies assessing deoxyglucose utilization. Alterations in 14C-glucose metabolism were not restricted to tissue that would subsequently become infarcted. Thus, these changes did not inevitably lead to death of the affected cells. The ATP : ADP ratio and phosphocreatine content were essentially preserved during recirculation following 2 h of ischemia and showed at most only moderate losses in some subregions following 3 h of ischemia. This retention of energy reserves despite the decreases in 14C-glucose metabolism in neurons suggests that energy needs were substantially reduced in the post-ischemic brain. Marked increases in tissue lactate accumulation during recirculation, particularly following 3 h of ischemia, provided evidence that impaired pyruvate oxidation probably also contributed to the altered 14C-glucose metabolism. These findings indicate the presence of complex changes in energy metabolism that are likely to greatly influence the responses of neurons and astrocytes to temporary focal ischemia.


The effect of cadmium (Cd) in drinking water on repair of bone at a site of hole injury to the tibia of young rats was followed using quantitative methods. The rats (3-4 wk old) were given 20 ppm and 200 ppm Cd for 5 wk and compared to a control group. A slight reduction (about 10%) in body weight and water and food consumption was observed in cadmium-exposed rats as compared to control rats. Clinical chemistry tests in the blood and histology of kidney, liver, and bone did not indicate changes related to Cd toxicity. A significant reduction (43%) in alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and tartarate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) (46%) enzymatic activity was observed at 4 and 7 d postinjury respectively, in the site of injury in the rats receiving 200 ppm Cd in drinking water as compared to control rats. Calcium accumulation in the newly formed repair tissue at the site of injury was also significantly reduced (53%) at 13 d postinjury in the Cd-treated (200 ppm) rats as compared to control rats. It is concluded that Cd probably exhibits an effect on the bone repair process as reflected by reduction in ALP activity (osteoblastic cells) and mineralization at the site of injury in the tibia of young rats.


Patient safety, defined by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) as "the prevention of harm to patients", is the ultimate goal of medical laboratory services. Although it has been demonstrated that the error rate in medical laboratories is very low compared to the billions of tests daily performed, and that most of these errors rarely become unfavourable events, adverse outcome may occur and may also become the object of daily news. Risk management principles should therefore be considered as integral parts of laboratory in assuring quality and safety, so that they have become actual requirements (4.14.6) of International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 15189:2012, the international standard for accreditation of medical laboratories. Risk is no longer thought in negative sense, but becomes a tool to identify improvement opportunities and preventing negative outcomes. ISO/TS 22367 and some Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines (i.e., EP18-A2 and EP23-A) introduce risk management principles and they can be used for driving application of ISO 15189 as a system for reducing laboratory error and improving patient safety. Laboratory goals, organization within which the laboratory operates along with available resources, are all key elements for selecting the technique to be used for risk assessment. However, although different approaches have been suggested, failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) is the most commonly applied. There are currently few reports on active use of risk management tools in medical laboratories. Some of these are limited to risk identification and estimation steps, whilst others report corrective measures without verifying their effectiveness. Risk management, however, is a process consisting of three main phases (i.e., risk identification, estimation and control), and should hence embrace all its phases to achieve its goal, that is ensuring patient safety. This paper summarizes the principles of risk management process applied to clinical laboratory and discusses some practical applications available in the literature.


We report on the distribution and abundance of megafauna on a deep-water rocky reef (1796–2373 m) in the Fram Strait, west of Svalbard. Biodiversity and population density are high, with a maximum average of 26.7±0.9 species m−2 and 418.1±49.6 individuals m−2 on the east side of the reef summit. These figures contrast with the surrounding abyssal plain fauna, with an average of only 18.1±1.4 species and 29.4±4.3 individuals m−2 (mean ± standard error). The east side of the reef summit, where the highest richness and density of fauna are found, faces into the predominant bottom current, which likely increases in speed to the summit and serves as a source of particulate food for the numerous suspension feeders present there. We conclude that the observed faunal distribution patterns could be the result of hydrodynamic patterns and food availability above and around the reef. To our knowledge, this study is the first to describe the distribution and diversity of benthic fauna on a rocky reef in deep water.


We report on a family with some features of the Pseudo-Ullrich-Turner-Syndrome, so-called Noonan-Syndrome. Besides low-set ears, microgenia, short neck, pterygium colli, low-anterior hair line and small stature as well as partial scoliosis, partial cubitus valgus and camptodactylia, retinal detachment, disturbances of the eye motility, keratoconus, unilateral ptosis and antimongoloid slant of the palpebral fissures in different expression are described. The caryotype was normal. Some of the features can be seen within at least 2 generations of the family. It seems to be an autosomal genetic mode of transmission. Differences and common characteristics in comparison to the literature are shown. Differential diagnostic aspects are described. A definite relation to a syndrome already described is not possible.


In peer-to-peer applications deployed on the Internet, it is common to assign greater responsibility to supernodes, which are usually peers with high computational power, large amount of memory, or high network bandwidth capacity. In this paper, we describe a practical solution to the problem of supernode selection, that is the process of discovering the best peers in the network by some application-specific metric. We provide a distributed heuristic that allows to identify the best K nodes in the P2P overlay, by taking into consideration the realities of actual deployments, such as the presence of NATs. Our approach consists of an epidemic protocol which does not require new connections to be established, but rather relies on established connections, such as the ones provided by a NAT-resilient peer sampling framework. We support our claims with a thorough evaluation of our solution in simulation and in a real deployment on thousands of consumer machines.


Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos), are widespread raptors, breeding predominately in western North America, from northern Alaska to central Mexico, occupying a wide range of habitats from arctic tundra to deserts. Several studies have recently indicated decreasing population estimates for migrant and wintering Golden Eagles in the western US. Longterm point count surveys of migrating raptors along the Rocky Mountain Front flyway have indicated approximately a 50-percent decline in total autumnal and vernal Golden Eagle migrants observed over the past 15 yrs and suggest the rate of decline has been increasing. Regionally, specific populations in the Lower 48 and parts of Alaska have been well studied on their breeding grounds. Some of these populations appear to be stable, while others show declines. Observed declines, appear to be associated with habitat alterations. Oil and gas resource extraction has increased noticeably across many areas of the West. The demand for resource extraction is growing and now includes renewable energy facilities such as wind farms. Due to the greater than ever human presence on the landscape and projected increases in development, it is critical to assess eagle response to these changes within their current and historic breeding, migration and winter ranges. Mapping current Golden Eagle habitat use, locally and at the landscape level to better understanding the relationships between human activities and eagle ecology, are the vital first steps to creating a balance between maintaining viable Golden Eagle populations and sustainable development.


The impressive rise in commodity prices since 2002 and their subsequent fall since July 2008 have revived the debate on the role of commodities in the strategic and tactical asset allocation process. Commonly accepted benefits include the equity-like return of commodity indexes, the role of commodity futures as risk diversifiers, and their high potential for alpha generation through long-short dynamic trading. This article examines conditional correlations between various commodity futures with stock and fixed-income indices. Conditional correlations with equity returns fell over time, which indicates that commodity futures have become better tools for strategic asset allocation. The correlations between the S&P 500 Index and several commodities also fell in periods of above-average volatility in equity markets. This is desirable for long institutional investors as they need the benefits of diversification most in periods of high volatility in equity markets. Similarly, the results suggest that adding commodity futures to T-bill portfolios reduces risk further in volatile interest rate environments.


In this paper, we calculate the transverse spherical aberration TA of a thin lens and defines a normalized aberration Y equal to TA divided by the theoretical resolution limit. As a rule of thumb, (a) a thin lens that suffers only from spherical aberration may be considered effectively diffraction-limited as long as Y < 1.6. Similarly, (b) the coupling efficiency of a Gaussian beam to a single-mode fiber may be high even when Y > 1.6, and, specifically, (c) the lens need be diffraction-limited only over a radius approximately equal to the radius (to the 1/e-point) of the Gaussian beam.


Classical secularization theory holds that societies become less religious as they modernize. Responding to empirical and theoretical critiques of the theory, Norris and Inglehart (2004) promote a modified version based on the degree of existential security experienced by a population. While their empirical analysis, using measures of human development and income inequality, supports their claims, broader analysis that addresses cultural histories, which the authors consider important, and regional variations is needed. This thesis uses an extensive cross-national dataset of religious affiliation to evaluate existential security theory cartographically and statistically, explicitly incorporating regional cultural heritage. The analysis also accounts for a nation-state's historical or contemporary association with Communism, a factor often overlooked in the literature. The study finds some empirical support for the importance of existential security in non-Communist countries, but significant outliers exist, and consideration of a country's cultural context, especially Communism, helps to further explain secularization and geographic variability.


An unsteady one-dimensional model of solid propellant combustion, based on a low-Mach assumption, is presented and semi-discretised in space via a finite volume scheme. The mathematical nature of this system is shown to be differential-algebraic of index one. A high-fidelity numerical strategy with stiffly accurate singly diagonally implicit Runge-Kutta methods is proposed, and time adaptation is made possible using embedded schemes. High-order is shown to be reached, while handling the constraints properly, both at the interface and for the mass conservation in the gaseous flow field. Three challenging test-cases are thoroughly investigated: ignition transients, growth of combustion instabilities through a Hopf bifurcation leading to a limit cycle periodic solution and the unsteady response of the system when detailed gas-phase kinetics are included in the model. The method exhibits high efficiency for all cases in terms of both computational time and accuracy compared to first and second-order schemes traditionally used in the combustion literature, where the time step adaptation is CFL-or variation-based.


Beta investment strategies attempt to capture the long term appreciation in global asset prices with as little risk as possible. They remain invested in a broadly diversified pool of asset classes and manage risk principally by rebalancing their portfolio. These strategies often include a significant allocation to bonds, an asset class that may be entering a long cyclical downtrend. To assess the impact of bonds on beta strategies in times of rising interest rates, we construct pro-forma "strawman" portfolios that we show capture the essential features of beta investing, and review their performance history for the decade leading to the latest peak in interest rates in 1981. We find that a bond-heavy beta investment approach would have performed well in the 1970's, principally as a result of the booming price of commodities in U.S. dollars. Applying profit attribution analysis to the key asset classes of the "strawman" portfolios, we analyze the impact on beta strategies of various actions that could be used to manage bond exposure going forward in all-asset strategies. The best option, in keeping with a diversified investment approach that minimizes market timing, is to reduce the duration of the bond exposure. Such a portfolio can still perform well in periods of rising rates. Performance depends more on the economic environment that drives capital markets than on the sole performance of shorter duration bonds in the portfolio. While the cumulative profit contribution of the bond position may remain negative throughout a cyclical uptrend in interest rates, entirely removing bonds would land a portfolio in a tug of war between the stock and commodities markets which are both cyclical and highly volatile. The risk versus return profile of such a portfolio would be similar to what can be achieved using run-of-the-mill directional investment strategies.


The authors report on the development of a work accident monitoring system in Piracicaba, Sao Paulo State, Brazil, with the following characteristics: information feeding the system is obtained in real time directly from accident treatment centers; the system has universal monitoring, covering all work-related accidents in Piracicaba, regardless of the nature of the worker's employment conditions, place of work, or place of residence; health surveillance and promotion of health initiatives are triggered by identification of sentinel events; spatial distribution analysis of work-related accidents is a basic tool in designing accident awareness strategies and accident prevention policies. The system was implemented in November 2003 and by October 2004 had identified 5,320 work-related accidents, or a 3.8% annual proportional incidence of work-related accidents in the municipal area. We illustrate spatial analysis of registered workrelated accidents and present a detailed investigation of one example of a serious accident.


Plasticity, the ability of a neural network to quickly change its predictions in response to new information, is essential for the adaptability and robustness of deep reinforcement learning systems. Deep neural networks are known to lose plasticity over the course of training even in relatively simple learning problems, but the mechanisms driving this phenomenon are still poorly understood. This paper conducts a systematic empirical analysis into plasticity loss, with the goal of understanding the phenomenon mechanistically in order to guide the future development of targeted solutions. We find that loss of plasticity is deeply connected to changes in the curvature of the loss landscape, but that it often occurs in the absence of saturated units. Based on this insight, we identify a number of parameterization and optimization design choices which enable networks to better preserve plasticity over the course of training. We validate the utility of these findings on larger-scale RL benchmarks in the Arcade Learning Environment.


In this study, we test the prediction, derived from the Critical Period Hypothesis, that a native-level of attainment in L2 grammar cannot be reached by learners who start acquiring a second language after the onset of puberty. We selected 30 very advanced German and French late learners (age of arrival less than or equal to 12 years) of Dutch and compared their performance on a grammar test with that of 44 (highly educated) native speakers of Dutch. The test consisted of two tasks: an elicited imitation task and a relative grammaticality judgement task. In these tasks, participants were tested on their knowledge of dummy subject constructions. These construction types were chosen because they are known to be very hard to acquire for learners of Dutch as a second language. The results show that it is possible to attain a native level of proficiency for learners who start acquiring a second language (long) after puberty.


Multiple approaches for screening large sets of compounds for a specific function are of growing interest. The use of substrate mixtures to characterize the specificity of enzymes has been limited so far to compounds with similar kinetic parameters, because the data were analyzed by applying the kinetics of two competing substrates. In this study we introduce a statistical method for the analysis of reactions with many competing substrates which makes use of the specific features of multiple substrate kinetics. It is assumed that the relative concentrations of all substrates in a mixture can be monitored by high-performance liquid chromatography or a similar technique. Relative second-order rate constants, i.e., kcat/KM values, can be calculated for all substrates in the mixture from the resulting data set. The calculation uses the fact that there is a relationship between the concentrations of all pairs of substrates in the mixture. As a result, the precision of the calculated parameters is increased and the range of kinetic constants that can be obtained from one experiment is considerably expanded. Simulations demonstrate that the precision in the kinetic parameters increases with the number of substrates in the mixture. In fact, estimation of ratios of rate constants can be improved (or made possible) for substrates with order of magnitude differences in reactivity by adding "dummy" substrates with intermediate reactivities, even though the rate constants for dummy substrates are themselves of no intrinsic interest.


The Bristol model is an inner model of L[c], where c is a Cohen real, which is not constructible from a set. The idea was developed in 2011 in a workshop taking place in Bristol, but was only written in detail by the author in [8]. This paper is meant as a guide for those who want to get a broader view of the construction. We try to provide more intuition that might serve as a jumping board for those interested in this construction and in odd models of ZF. We also correct a few minor issues in the original paper, as well as prove new results. For example, that the Boolean Prime Ideal theorem fails in the Bristol model, as some sets cannot be linearly ordered. In addition to this we include a discussion on Kinna-Wagner Principles, which we think may play an important role in understanding the generic multiverse in ZF.


Abstract:In 2006, the Nepali government made it feasible for women to pass citizenship onto their children. In 2015, a new constitution overrode these gains and again made it impossible to grant citizenship through the maternal line alone. Nepal's current gender-discriminatory citizenship laws are rooted in historical social and geopolitical tensions with India, especially nationalistic fears about Indian encroachment into Nepali territory and politics. This article argues that resurgent resistance to equitable citizenship laws does not simply reflect hegemonic Hindu patriarchal norms. This resistance is also a reactive stance against Indian influence as embodied by the real and potential coupling of Nepali women and Indian men whose children would further "Indianize" Nepal. This article suggests that restricting Nepali women's right to pass citizenship is a form of policing the boundaries of the state body via policing women's bodies, especially their reproductive capabilities.


PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to evaluate the performance of a modified EWMA control chart (γEWMA control chart), which considers data distribution and incorporate its correlation structure, simulating in-control and out-of-control processes and to select an adequate value for smoothing parameter with these conditions.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based on a simulation approach using the methodology for evaluating statistical methods proposed by Morris et al. (2019). Data were generated from a simulation considering two factors that associated with data: (1) quality variable distribution skewness as an indicator of quality variable distribution; (2) the autocorrelation structure for type of relationship between the observations and modeled by AR(1). In addition, one factor associated with the process was considered, (1) the shift in the process mean. In the following step, when the chart control is modeled, the fourth factor intervenes. This factor is a smoothing parameter. Finally, three indicators defined from the Run Length are used to evaluate γEWMA control chart performance this factors and their interactions.FindingsInteraction analysis for four factor evidence that the modeling and selection of parameters is different for out-of-control and in-control processes therefore the considerations and parameters selected for each case must be carefully analyzed. For out-of-control processes, it is better to preserve the original features of the distribution (mean and variance) for the calculation of the control limits. It makes sense that highly autocorrelated observations require smaller smoothing parameter since the correlation structure enables the preservation of relevant information in past data.Originality/valueThe γEWMA control chart there has advantages because it gathers, in single chart control: the process and modelling characteristics, and data structure process. Although there are other proposals for modified EWMA, none of them simultaneously analyze the four factors nor their interactions. The proposed γEWMA allows setting the appropriate smoothing parameter when these three factors are considered.


The COVID-19 pandemic will likely take years to control globally, and constant epidemic surveillance will be required to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2, especially considering the emergence of new variants that could hamper the effect of vaccination efforts. We developed a simple and robust – Phone Screen Testing (PoST) – method to detect SARS-CoV-2-positive individuals by RT-PCR testing of smartphone screen swab samples. We show that 81.3–100% of individuals with high-viral-load SARS-CoV-2 nasopharyngeal-positive samples also test positive for PoST, suggesting this method is effective in identifying COVID-19 contagious individuals. Furthermore, we successfully identified polymorphisms associated with SARS-CoV-2 Alpha, Beta, and Gamma variants, in SARS-CoV-2-positive PoST samples. Overall, we report that PoST is a new non-invasive, cost-effective, and easy-to-implement smartphone-based smart alternative for SARS-CoV-2 testing, which could help to contain COVID-19 outbreaks and identification of variants of concern in the years to come.


Polypropylene (PP) composite filaments containing two different nucleating agents—DMDBS (3 : 2, 4-bis(3,4-dimethyldibenzylidene) sorbitol) and NA11 (sodium 2,2′-methylene-bis(4,6-di-tertbutylphenyl)-phosphate) were melt spun to modify polymer electrostatic charging characteristics. Sample filaments were charged with a corona instrument and their surface potentials were measured. Initial surface potential as well as potential stability was monitored through an accelerated decay procedure. NA11 was found to be more efficient as an electret additive leading to a 50% increase in charge stability. Filaments with DMDBS exhibited a faster decay. Charging at elevated temperatures resulted in enhanced charge density and stability for both additives. The fiber microstructure was examined by Wide Angle X-ray Diffraction and Differential Scanning Calorimetry. Rather than reducing the crystal sizes, X-Ray diffractograms suggest that the crystal size increases with the addition of nucleating agents, while the degree of crystallinity appears to remain unaltered. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 2068–2075, 2013


In this paper, we present a comparative study between Sinc–Galerkin method and a modified version of the variational iteration method (VIM) to solve non-linear Sturm–Liouville eigenvalue problem. In the Sinc method, the problem under consideration was converted from a non-linear differential equation to a non-linear system of equations, that we were able to solve it via the use of some iterative techniques, like Newton's method. The other method under consideration is the VIM, where the VIM has been modified through the use of the Laplace transform, and another effective modification has also been made to the VIM by replacing the non-linear term in the integral equation resulting from the use of the well-known VIM with the Adomian's polynomials. In order to explain the advantages of each method over the other, several issues have been studied, including one that has an application in the field of spectral theory. The results in solutions to these problems, which were included in tables, showed that the improved VIM is better than the Sinc method, while the Sinc method addresses some advantages over the VIM when dealing with singular problems.


This paper proposes a novel technique for modeling the electrostatic discharge(ESD) characteristic of the enclosed-gate layout transistors(ELTs). The model consists of an ELT, a parasitic bipolar transistor, and a substrate resistor. The ELT is decomposed into edge and corner transistors by solving the electrostatic field problem through the conformal mapping method, and these transistors are separately modeled by BSIM(Berkeley Shortchannel IGFET Model). Fast simulation speed and easy implementation is obtained as the model can be incorporated into standard SPICE simulation. The model parameters are extracted from the critical point of the snapback curve,and simulation results are presented and compared to experimental data for verification.


Wolffia arrhiza (L.) Wimm. (Lemnaceae) as a mixotrophic plant reacts considerably weaker to used auxins with different chemical structures than typical photosynthetic vascular plants and algae especially from Chlorophyta. Among used auxin compounds, the highest stimulative activity on W. arrhiza growth and biochemical parameters which were analysed in biomass, can be attributed to phenylacetic acid (PAA), a somewhat smaller to indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and the smallest to 2-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) used in optimal concentration of 10 -6 M, in comparison with the control culture, devoid of exogenous auxins. The investigated auxins, especially PAA and IAA, were found to have the most powerful stimulative activity (prevailingly between the 10th and the 15th day of cultivation) on the content of reducing sugars between 127 and 169%, chlorophyll a and b from 117 to 125%, total carotenoids from 115 to 132% and net photosynthetic rate from 127 to 144% in comparison with the control culture, which was treated as 100% for reference. However, the content of water-soluble proteins as well as nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) in the biomass of W. arrhiza was less effectively stimulated, hardly from 110 to 116% when compared to the control culture (100%).


Ants are the most abundant animals in tropical habitats and have been widely studied in natural and semi-natural tropical systems. However, species in urban tropical habitats remain poorly studied, despite their abundance and potentially important roles in urban ecosystems and pest dynamics. We investigated the ant fauna of Bogor and its surroundings to contribute to the characterization of the myrmecofauna of one of Southeast AsiaA¢â'¬â"¢s most densely populated regions. Ants were collected both by hand collection and from honey baits in the most common habitats: garbage dumps, households, and home gardens. In total, 94 species were recorded, over two thirds of which occurred in home gardens, which underlines the importance of vegetated habitats for urban planning to support complex ant assemblages. Twelve sampled species are well-known as tramp species that occur primarily in human-dominated landscapes. The two tramp species Anoplolepis gracilipes and Paratrechina longicornis dominated ant assemblages in all locations and most habitat types. The assemblages of tramp species were affected by habitat type, whereas that of non tramp species were not. Forty-five species were also recorded in the Bogor Botanical Garden and five species are also known to be common in cacao agroforests. Hence, research in urban tropical habitats can increase our knowledge of the occurrence of ant species, allowing us to better assess the biodiversity and conservation potential of semi-natural habitats. Key words: ants, tramp species, invasive species, biotic homogenization, urban habitats


ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to identify how and why doctoral students do interdisciplinary research. A mixed-methods approach utilising bibliometric analysis of the publications of 195 students identified those who had published interdisciplinary research. This objective measurement of the interdisciplinarity, applying the Rao-Stirling index to Web of Science and Scopus citations, allowed for a comparison of students' interdisciplinary research outcomes from three different computer science programmes: a traditional programme, a multidisciplinary doctoral school and an interdisciplinary doctoral college. Applying a sociocultural approach, interviews with the 15 most interdisciplinary students were analysed to understand how dispositions and experiences of students and factors of the different programmes affect the circumstances and processes of becoming an interdisciplinary early career scientist. The data indicate that student motivations, previous skills and knowledge interacted with policies and programme structures including type of funding and supervisor expectations to play a crucial role in interdisciplinarity at the doctoral level. These factors can give rise to interdisciplinary research even in programmes without interdisciplinary focus and compromise the interdisciplinary goals of interdisciplinary programmes.


Marine macroalgae are unevenly distributed with depth, with substitutions of the dominant species along the bathymetric gradient. Since light shows a sharp decrease with depth and is a critical factor for algal growth, we hypothesize that species dominating at a certain depth are the best adapted to the light environment reaching that depth. To this end, we selected seven species of Mediterranean macroalgae distributed from 0 to 50 m depth and looked for their photosynthetic performances. Photosynthetic responses showed striking differences, with photosynthetic efficiencies increasing at increasing depths. However, neither oxygen production at high light levels nor respiration are related to depth but seem to respond to other factors such as thallus thickness or nutrient availability. Some species show high production values in agreement with their high productivity and fast growth, while others show low production values but high biomass and durability. Thus, the species that dominates at each light level seems to be the one that makes best use of the light environment to accomplish its life cycle.


Smart homes of the future will have a number of different types of sensors. What types of sensors and how they will be used depends on the behaviour needed from the smart home. Using the sensors to automatically determine if a home is occupied can lead to a wide range of benefits. For example, it could trigger a change in the thermostat setting to save money, or even a change in security monitoring systems. Our prototype Home Occupancy Agent (HOA), which we present in this paper, uses a rule based system that monitors power consumption from meters and ambient light sensor readings in order to determine occupancy. The agent is also able to determine when the occupants are asleep, and thus provide the potential for further energy saving opportunities.


In the Netherlands, the number of patients with heart failure is increasing. Several heart failure management programs have been initiated to reduce the number of readmissions and to improve the quality of care for these patients. However, conclusive data have yet to be provided. In the 'Coordinating study evaluating outcomes of advising and counselling in heart failure', started in 16 Dutch hospitals, 1050 heart failure patients have been randomised into 3 arms: (a) care as usual, (b) care as usual + basic education and support, and (c) care as usual + intensive education and support. Patients will be recruited in 18 months with an 18 month follow-up. This study has three outcomes, namely, time to first major event (heart failure hospitalizations and death), quality of life, and costs.


The inverse problem of interest is the reconstruction of an astronomical object and wavefront aberrations due to atmospheric turbulence from a sequence of short time exposure (speckle) phase diversity images obtained from a ground-based telescope. A regularized least squares approach is taken, and two numerical techniques are applied to the resulting unconstrained optimization problem. The first technique is the limited memory BFGS method with line search globalization. The second is a Newton/trust region iteration in which the trust region subproblem is solved using a truncated conjugate gradient method. A numerical comparison based on real data is presented, and the roles of preconditioning and cost functional reduction (elimination of the object) are examined.


Augmented reality overlays computer generated imagery onto the real world to enhance a person's perception of the world. However the perceptual problems in augmented reality and virtual reality systems may affect human performance in information visualization. With improvements in technology, it is now easy to make use of motion to visualize change of quantitative data. Past studies have shown that representational momentum can influence the judged final position of a moving target. This study investigated human performance in visualizing dynamic quantitative information in augmented reality and virtual reality environments. Twenty-four subjects participated the experiment to estimate the percentage change of vibrating bar charts. Experimental results showed that subjects performed significantly different in different speed and percentage change. Visual momentum might affect the accuracy of estimation in visualizing dynamic quantitative information.


Geographic study of hazards has gained considerable prominence in the fifty years since Gilbert White's Human Adjustment to Floods dissertation was published. Over 130 hazards dissertations have been written in the US. and Canada, and hazards articles have gained greater acceptance in major journals. Although White and several of his students served as advisors for nearly a fifth of these dissertations, most hazards dissertations represent efforts by students whose advisors have neither written nor advised a previous hazards dissertation. The majority of hazards dissertation writers obtain employment in positions where they are unable to advise future hazards dissertation writers, thus the production of the next generation of hazards geographers may be in peril.


Eating disorders represent a potentially life-threatening group of mental disorders, which affect a patient's relationship with food and their body. Eating disorders manifest themselves through chaotic and disordered eating habits. One such eating disorder is bulimia nervosa, which has a lifetime prevalence of 1%. While there is consensus that bulimic behaviour directly causes dental erosion due to vomiting and acidic food choices, there is less clear evidence for a direct link between bulimia nervosa and dental caries, although there does still appear to be an association. Reduced salivary flow rate is a common feature among bulimics, but this is more often due to anti-depressant medication than dietary habits or vomiting, and the effects are largely limited to unstimulated whole salivaryflow rate and do not affect stimulated whole salivary flow rate. Parotid enlargement is present in a number of cases.


Path-tracking control of wheeled mobile robot (WMR) has gained a lot of research attention, primarily because of its wide applicability — for example intelligent wheelchairs, exploration-assistant remote WMR. Recent increase in remote and autonomous operations/requirements for WMR has led to more and more use of IoT devices within the control loop. Consequently, providing interfaces for malicious interactions through false data injection attacks (FDIA). Moreover, optimization-based FDIAs have been shown to cause catastrophic consequences in feedback control systems while by-passing any residual-based monitoring system. Since these attacks target system measurement process, this paper focuses on the problem of improving the resiliency of dynamical observers against FDIA. Specifically, we propose an attack-resilient pruning algorithm which attempts to exclude compromised channels from being processed by the observer. The proposed pruning algorithm improves attack-localization precision to 100% with high probability, which correspondingly improves the resiliency of the underlying UKF to FDIA. The improvements due to the developed resilient pruning-based observer is validated through a numerical simulation of a two-layer path-tracking control platform of differential-driven wheeled mobile robot (DDWMR) under FDIA.


The aim of this study is to investigate the role of ecdysteroids in the regulation of protein turnover (i.e. IGF/mTOR signalling genes) and ion homeostasis over the moult cycle and in response to temperature of juvenile Metacarcinus magister. Moulting crabs were held at 10°C, 15°C or 20°C. After 14 d haemolymph and hepatopancreas (HP) were collected. Ion composition of the haemolymph significantly varied with moult stage, and there was a small, but significant temperature effect. Concentrations of Na+ and Cl- decreased, while those of Ca2+, Mg2+ and SO42- increased in premoult. Preliminary results suggest that Na+/K+-ATPase activity increases in premoult along with total protein in the HP of crabs at ambient temperature. This suggests that the HP contributes to ion homeostasis over the moult cycle. It is also the major site of reserve accumulation and recycling. To be able to determine changes in gene expression by qPCR, we generated (Illumina sequencing, assembly using Trinity, cd-hit-est clustering and annotation) and queried a M. magister reference transcriptome of the moulting gland for genes of interest. We identified genes involved in ecdysteroid production and signalling (Neverland, Spook, Phantom, Disembodied, Shadow, Shed, EcR, RXR, E75, E78, HR3, HR38, FTZ-F1, Broad complex), protein turnover (IGFBP, IGFR, AKT, AMPK, Rheb, TSC1/2, mTOR, S6K), and ion homeostasis (Na+/K+-ATPase, Mg2+-ATPase, PMCA, NCX, NHE3, NCKX, CA).