The purpose of the study is to perform a less-dimensional thorough visualization process for the purpose of determining the images of the students on the concept of angle. The Ward clustering analysis combined with Self-Organizing Neural Network Map (SOM) has been used for the dimension process. The Conceptual Understanding Tool, which consisted of the open-ended question "write the first ten things you remember when the term "angle" is mentioned" to the study group, which consisted of 250 seventh grade students. The analysis results showed that students mostly explained the concept of angle by associating it with mathematics and other sciences with the terms like "reflection and incidence angle, numbers, light, graphics, fraction, area, speed, algebraic expressions, energy, sound, four operations, viewpoint, electricity and natural numbers". The students mostly established relations with the static side of the angle. At the end of the study, the dataset obtained from the Conceptual Understanding Tool was used for training the SOM, and a structure that reveals the images of the students on angle has been recommended.


A 38-year-old man presented with typical symptom of acute pericarditis and chronic cardiac tamponade 6 weeks after blunt trauma. Follow-up computed tomography after 2 weeks revealed a localized dissection at the proximal part of the ascending aorta. This is a rare case of chronic Stanford type A aortic dissection after blunt trauma, a diagnosis of which was established later with consistent suspicion and repeated examination by computed tomography.


-During winter 1993, Arizona experienced regional river flooding. Floodwaters at the Hassayampa River eroded floodplains and created a 50-m-wide scour zone available for colonization by pioneer plant species. The slow rate and long duration of the floodwater recession allowed establishment of spring-germinating native trees (mainly Fremont cottonwood [Populus fremontii] and Goodding willow [Salix gooddingii] as well as summer-germinating species including the introduced salt cedar (Tamarix chinensw and related species). Goodding willow and Fremont cottonwood seedlings showed zonation in the floodplain, while salt cedar was equally abundant in zones with saturated and dry surface soils. Floodplain elevation (and soil moisture) influenced shoot growth rate to different degrees among the 3 species. For example, Goodding willow seedlings were significantly taller in areas with saturated soils than dry surface soils; Fremont cottonwoods were taller in the dry surface soil areas; and salt cedar were equally short in both soil moisture zones. Other factors that differentially influenced abundance or growth rates included competition with herbaceous species (Melilotus spp., an introduced plant, locally preempted salt cedar establishment) and herbivory (selective browsing by livestock at 1 river site reduced the natural height advantage of the native tree species). I draw on the results of this descriptive field study to suggest ways in which stream flows and floodplain land use can be managed to restore ecological conditions that favor native tree species over the introduced and widespread salt cedar.


This essay seeks to examine the relationship between Ford Madox Ford and Wyndham Lewis by exploring the representations of English society in the pre-war years, and military life in wartime, in 'Parade's End' and 'Blasting and Bombardiering' (1937), Lewis's memoir of his early life. The careers of Lewis and Ford were intertwined from 1909, when Ford published Lewis's first work, 'The Pole' in The English Review. Lewis included an extract from 'The Good Soldier' in the first issue of Blast, and Ford's novel 'The Marsden Case' (1923) features a character based on Lewis. In Ford's 'Portraits from Life', he good-humouredly reports Lewis's attack on himself, Conrad and James as outdated, outmoded has-beens.
Focusing mainly on 'Some Do Not...', the essay attempts to see correspondences between the portrait of Georgian England offered by Ford, and the account of the contemporaneous bohemian art world inhabited by Lewis. It then compares Ford's accounts of battle in 'No More Parades' with Lewis's in 'Blasting and Bombardiering', attempting again to see similarities in the work of these apparently very disparate writers. The essay suggests how the pre-war and wartime episodes in the respective texts display the writers' engagement with key modernist themes, and posits that their prose styles are not as diametrically opposed as Lewis himself suggested they were.


Building trust in e-government is not easy, especially in a country that faces many contextual, technological, and social challenges. This discourse on Philippine e-government is an ongoing one, as many of these initiatives are piecemeal in the various branches and levels of government. This research particularly looks at three e-government platforms rendering some mandated financial services to the citizens: (1) social security services provided by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and the Social Security System (SSS), and (2) tax services delivered by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). Employing a theoretical framework based on interpretations of the Information Systems Success Model and trust building towards e-government, data collected from a total of 668 respondents across the three government institutions are subjected to structural equation modeling to determine what factors influence trust in e-government. The results show that trust in technology and information quality perceptions are the most significant determinants of trust in egovernment, while there are some concerns regarding system quality in building trust in egovernment. Further implications and recommendations are also included in this research.


Two new beta-orcinol depsidones, 1 and 2, together with 13 known compounds were isolated from the lichen Usnea articulata. The structures of 1 and 2 were elucidated by spectroscopic analyses and those of known compounds by comparison of their spectroscopic data with literature values or by direct comparison with authentic standards. Compounds 1, 2, and 5 exhibited moderate antiradical activity in the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The depsidones 4 and 5 showed better superoxide anion scavenging activity (IC50 = 566 and 580 microM, respectively) than quercetin (IC50 = 754 microM).


If psychoanalytic treatment is to survive in the era of evidence-based medicine and managed care systems, empirical evidence is needed to demonstrate its unique nature and effectiveness. To address this need, comprehensive analyses were conducted of data from the Menninger Psychotherapy Research Project (Wallerstein 1986). These analyses addressed three questions: (1) What are the differences in outcome between psychoanalysis (PSA) and supportive-expressive psychotherapy (SEP)? (2) With what types of patient, and in what ways, are these two psychodynamic treatments differentially effective? (3) Are these differences in outcome the consequence of possibly different mechanisms of therapeutic action? PSA was found to contribute significantly to the development of adaptive interpersonal capacities and to the reduction of maladaptive interpersonal tendencies, especially with more ruminative, self-reflective, introjective patients, possibly by extending their associative capacities. SEP, by contrast, was effective only in reducing maladaptive interpersonal tendencies and only with dependent, unreflective, more affectively labile anaclitic patients, possibly by containing or limiting their associative capacities.


Voluntary Environmental Programmes (VEPs) have become increasingly popular in addressing environmental risks. While VEPs have attracted much scholarly attention, little is known about how they achieve their outcomes. This article seeks to better understand whether and how the roles of governments in VEPs affect their outcomes in terms of (1) attracting participants, and (2) their contribution to a desired collective end. Using fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), this article addresses a series of 31 VEPs in the building sectors of Australia, the Netherlands, and the United States. Of particular interest is a better understanding of what configurations of five specific governmental roles in VEPs are sufficient to attract participants and contribute to a desired collective end. Three ideal type roles for governments in VEPs, that are positively related to the two outcomes under scrutiny, are uncovered, and the article concludes with lessons on how governments may be best involved in VEPs.


Abstract WHO recommends participatory learning and action cycles with women's groups as a cost-effective strategy to reduce neonatal deaths. Coverage is a determinant of intervention effectiveness, but little is known about why cost-effectiveness estimates vary significantly. This article reanalyses primary cost data from six trials in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Malawi to describe resource use, explore reasons for differences in costs and cost-effectiveness ratios, and model the cost of scale-up. Primary cost data were collated, and costing methods harmonized. Effectiveness was extracted from a meta-analysis and converted to neonatal life-years saved. Cost-effectiveness ratios were calculated from the provider perspective compared with current practice. Associations between unit costs and cost-effectiveness ratios with coverage, scale and intensity were explored. Scale-up costs and outcomes were modelled using local unit costs and the meta-analysis effect estimate for neonatal mortality. Results were expressed in 2016 international dollars. The average cost was $203 (range: $61–$537) per live birth. Start-up costs were large, and spending on staff was the main cost component. The cost per neonatal life-year saved ranged from $135 to $1627. The intervention was highly cost-effective when using income-based thresholds. Variation in cost-effectiveness across trials was strongly correlated with costs. Removing discounting of costs and life-years substantially reduced all cost-effectiveness ratios. The cost of rolling out the intervention to rural populations ranges from 1.2% to 6.3% of government health expenditure in the four countries. Our analyses demonstrate the challenges faced by economic evaluations of community-based interventions evaluated using a cluster randomized controlled trial design. Our results confirm that women's groups are a cost-effective and potentially affordable strategy for improving birth outcomes among rural populations.


How do humans construct their mental representations of the passage of time? The universalist account claims that abstract concepts like time are universal across humans. In contrast, the linguistic relativity hypothesis holds that speakers of different languages represent duration differently. The precise impact of language on duration representation is, however, unknown. Here, we show that language can have a powerful role in transforming humans' psychophysical experience of time. Contrary to the universalist account, we found language-specific interference in a duration reproduction task, where stimulus duration conflicted with its physical growth. When reproducing duration, Swedish speakers were misled by stimulus length, and Spanish speakers were misled by stimulus size/quantity. These patterns conform to preferred expressions of duration magnitude in these languages (Swedish: long/short time; Spanish: much/small time). Critically, Spanish-Swedish bilinguals performing the task in both languages showed different interference depending on language context. Such shifting behavior within the same individual reveals hitherto undocumented levels of flexibility in time representation. Finally, contrary to the linguistic relativity hypothesis, language interference was confined to difficult discriminations (i.e., when stimuli varied only subtly in duration and growth), and was eliminated when linguistic cues were removed from the task. These results reveal the malleable nature of human time representation as part of a highly adaptive information processing system.


The operation of an anaerobic/aerobic process used to degrade the colorants present in textile wastewater is presented. The objective is to produce water that can be reused. Two particular cases were studied: the degradation of a synthetic wastewater containing the colorant disperse blue 79 (DB79) as a model compound and a real textile effluent containing reactive azo dyes. The biodegradation was achieved using a single tank operated as sequencing batch reactor. It was observed that the DB79 was biotransformed to amines in the anaerobic stage decolorizing the wastewater. The amines formed were subsequently mineralized in the aerobic phase. An increase of toxicity was observed in the anaerobic stage due to the amines formation, but the wastewater was detoxified after the aerobic treatment. Removal efficiencies of DB79 around 92% were observed after the treatment. Around 96% of the initial color of the real wastewater was effectively removed. It was observed that the biomass pre-acclimatized to the degradation of DB79 was more effective for the color removal than a freshly inoculum used.


School leadership has previously had a greater lens focussed upon secondary education, rather
than primary education. With a critical shortage of primary headteachers, within England, this
research aims to gain a deep and rich understanding regarding the career journeys of female
Deputy Headteacher's and Assistant Headteacher's within primary schools. The dilemma about
whether, or not to advance to the next stage and undertake a headship is an issue. Women are
not progressing beyond the Deputy Headteacher/Assistant Headteacher role in the numbers
required or expected. With the difficulties regarding the recruitment of headteachers, which has
been evident over the last two decades, combined with the concerns of engaging with
AHT/DHTs to consider Headship, there remains a real issue within the future of primary school
leadership. Therefore, this thesis seeks to understand the careers of female AHT/DHTs as they
consider their career progression towards headship. The main research question arose from a
problem identified during a presentation at a DHT conference (section 1.3): Why are female
AHT/DHTs not choosing to apply for headteacher posts? Four open and explorative research
questions related to career journeys, leadership, identity, and gendered careers guide the study.
This thesis sets out an exploratory and qualitative approach to research using an epistemological
approach, in which themes surrounding school leadership, identity and gendered careers are
explored, through individual perspectives. Social identity theory is used as a theoretical
framework for the study, with a focus upon leadership, identity, and gendered careers. The
theoretical focus on social identity theory seeks to examine how individuals perceive and hence
position themselves within the educational work environment and the trust they place within
their headteacher to support and guide them. Rich narrative interviews with 10 female Deputy
Headteacher/Assistant Headteachers working in primary schools in England were undertaken,
following Wengraf's (2001) Biographical Narrative Interpretive Method (BNIM). This
specific rich narrative approach seeks to gain a greater understanding of how the women make
sense of their career journeys, their professional and family roles and how their career ambitions
have been shaped by their gender. The examination and thematic analysis of the concept of
leadership, identity and gendered careers amongst women school leaders and identification of
emergent themes will use an interpretive stance.
The findings of the research uncovered complex barriers and enablers for Deputy Headteachers
and Assistant Headteachers becoming headteachers. The study confirms oscillating and
complex elements affect the women's decision to move toward headship, including their
dependence on the support of the headteacher, balancing responsibilities, identities in
transition/fractured and multiple identities. The findings have implications for primary school
leadership and future educational policy and practice. The study concludes with
recommendations for further research.


Power Adaption Over Fluctuating Two-Ray Fading Channels and Fisher-Snedecor F Fading Channels Hui Zhao In this thesis, we investigate the ergodic capacity under several power adaption schemes, including optimal power and rate algorithm (OPRA), optimal rate algorithm (ORA), channel inversion (CI), and truncated channel inversion (TCI), over fluctuating two-ray (FTR) fading channels and Fisher-Snedecor F fading channels. After some mathematical manipulations, the exact expressions for the EC under those power adaption schemes are derived. To simplify the expressions and also get some insights from the analysis, the corresponding asymptotic expressions for the EC are also derived in order to show the slope and power offset of the EC in the high signalto-noise ratio (SNR) region. These two metrics, i.e., slope and power offset, govern the EC behaviour in the high SNR region. Specifically, from the derived asymptotic expressions, we find that the slope of the EC of OPRA and ORA over FTR fading channels is always unity with respect to the average SNR in the log-scale in high SNRs, while the asymptotic EC of the TCI method is not a line function in the log-scale. For the Fisher-Snedecor F fading channel, the slope of asymptotic EC under OPRA, ORA, and CI (m > 1) schemes is unity in the log-scale, where m is the fading parameter. The slope of the TCI method depends on m, i.e., unity for m > 1 and m for m > 1, while the asymptotic EC of TCI is not a line function for m = 1. Finally, Monte-Carlo simulations are used to demonstrate the correctness of the derived expressions.


The vibration of a circular tunnel in an elastic half space subjected to uniformly distributed dynamic pressure at the inner boundary is studied in this paper. For comparison purposes, two different ground materials (soft and hard soil) are considered for the half space. Under the assumption of plane strain, the equations of motion for the tunnel and the surrounding medium are reduced to two wave equations in polar coordinates using Helmholtz potentials. The method of wave expansion is used to construct the displacement fields in terms of displacement potentials. The boundary conditions associated with the problem are satisfied exactly at the inner surface of the tunnel and at the interface between the tunnel and surrounding medium, and they are satisfied approximately at the free surface of the half space. A least-squares technique is used for satisfying the stress-free boundary conditions at the half space. It is shown by comparison that the stresses and displacements are significantly influenced by the properties of the surrounding soil, wave number (i.e., the frequency), depth of embedment, and thickness of the tunnel wall.


Black hat hackers use malicious exploits to circumvent security controls and take advantage of system vulnerabilities worldwide, costing the global economy over $450 billion annually. While many organizations are increasingly turning to cyber threat intelligence (CTI) to help prioritize their vulnerabilities, extant CTI processes are often criticized as being reactive to known exploits. One promising data source that can help develop proactive CTI is the vast and ever-evolving Dark Web. In this study, we adopted the computational design science paradigm to design a novel deep learning (DL)- based exploit-vulnerability attention deep structured semantic model (EVA-DSSM) that includes bidirectional processing and attention mechanisms to automatically link exploits from the Dark Web to vulnerabilities. We also devised a novel device vulnerability severity metric (DVSM) that incorporates the exploit post date and vulnerability severity to help cybersecurity professionals with their device prioritization and risk management efforts. We rigorously evaluated the EVA-DSSM against state-of-theart non-DL and DL-based methods for short text matching on 52,590 exploit-vulnerability linkages across four testbeds: web application, remote, local, and denial of service. Results of these evaluations indicate that the proposed EVA-DSSM achieves precision at 1 scores 20% - 41% higher than non-DL approaches and 4% - 10% higher than DL-based approaches. We demonstrated the EVA-DSSM's and DVSM's practical utility with two CTI case studies: openly accessible systems in the top eight U.S. hospitals and over 20,000 Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems worldwide. A complementary user evaluation of the case study results indicated that 45 cybersecurity professionals found the EVADSSM and DVSM results more useful for exploit-vulnerability linking and risk prioritization activities than those produced by prevailing approaches. Given the rising cost of cyberattacks, the EVA-DSSM and DVSM have important implications for analysts in security operations centers, incident response teams, and cybersecurity vendors.


BACKGROUND
The prevalence of mechanical neck disorders (MND) is known to be both a hindrance to individuals and costly to society. As such, massage is widely used as a form of treatment for MND.

OBJECTIVES
To assess the effects of massage on pain, function, patient satisfaction, global perceived effect, adverse effects and cost of care in adults with neck pain versus any comparison at immediate post-treatment to long-term follow-up.

SEARCH METHODS
We searched The Cochrane Library (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, MANTIS, CINAHL, and ICL databases from date of inception to 4 Feburary 2012.

SELECTION CRITERIA
Studies using random assignment were included.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two review authors independently conducted citation identification, study selection, data abstraction and methodological quality assessment. Using a random-effects model, we calculated the risk ratio and standardised mean difference.

MAIN RESULTS
Fifteen trials met the inclusion criteria. The overall methodology of all the trials assessed was either low or very low GRADE level. None of the trials were of strong to moderate GRADE level. The results showed very low level evidence that certain massage techniques (traditional Chinese massage, classical and modified strain/counter strain technique) may have been more effective than control or placebo treatment in improving function and tenderness. There was very low level evidence that massage may have been more beneficial than education in the short term for pain bothersomeness. Along with that, there was low level evidence that ischaemic compression and passive stretch may have been more effective in combination rather than individually for pain reduction. The clinical applicability assessment showed that only 4/15 trials adequately described the massage technique. The majority of the trials assessed outcomes at immediate post-treatment, which is not an adequate time to assess clinical change. Due to the limitations in the quality of existing studies, we were unable to make any firm statement to guide clinical practice. We noted that only four of the 15 studies reported side effects. All four studies reported post-treatment pain as a side effect and one study (Irnich 2001) showed that 22% of the participants experienced low blood pressure following treatment.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
No recommendations for practice can be made at this time because the effectiveness of massage for neck pain remains uncertain.As a stand-alone treatment, massage for MND was found to provide an immediate or short-term effectiveness or both in pain and tenderness. Additionally, future research is needed in order to assess the long-term effects of treatment and treatments provided on more than one occasion.


We present a novel fluid control method that is capable of driving particle-based fluid simulation to match a rapidly changing target while keeping natural fluid-like motion. To achieve the desired behavior, we first generate control particles by sampling the target shape and then apply a non-linear constraint to each control particle, with its neighboring fluid particles keeping a constant fluid density within its influence region. This density constraint is highly in line with the incompressible nature of the fluid, which can drive the fluid to match the target shape in a natural way. In addition, to match a fast moving or deforming target, we add an adaptive spring for each fluid particle in the control region, connecting with its nearest control particle. The spring constraint takes effect only when the fluid particle is far from its corresponding control particle to avoid introducing artificial viscosity. Therefore, the fluid particles are well controlled even if the target shape changes rapidly. Furthermore, we integrate a velocity constraint to adjust the stiffness of the controlled fluid. All these three constraints are solved under position-based framework which enables our simulation fast, robust and well-suitable for interactive applications. We demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of our method in various scenarios in real time.


Abstract The mechanism of cross ventilation is dealt with in this paper. The results are obtained by a combination of wind tunnel studies and CFD predictions using a Reynolds stress model as the turbulence model. All buildings have been exposed to a uniform velocity field and therefore the reference flow rate for an opening is equal to the velocity multiplied by the opening area. The openings were located at or close to the position of the stagnation point on the corresponding sealed building. The view taken in the paper is that the flow is generated by an interaction between the atmospheric boundary layer flow approaching the building and the building itself. The process starts with the undisturbed boundary layer flow and ends when the boundary layer has been fully restored. The paper begins with scrutinising the basic assumptions behind the orifice equation, the most common model for relating a pressure differential to a flow. This pressure differential is usually taken from the pressure coefficients recorded on a sealed building. The applicability of pressure coefficients from sealed bodies, as a way to predict the flow rate, is dealt with. An important difference between a sealed building and one provided with an opening is that in the latter case the flow has a choice i.e to flow through the opening or pass around the building. This choice leads to the formation of a flow tube passing through the opening. It starts in the undisturbed boundary layer, with the catchment area and, close to the building, occurs the retardment area. The size of the retardment area and it's state (i.e. relation between static and dynamic pressure) convey information about the type of flow. A new phenomenon i.e. a catchment effect or an attractor effect has been identified, which, at certain conditions, generates a flow through an opening which is larger than the reference flow rate.


Hunter Gatherer is an interface that lets Web users carry out three main tasks: (1) collect components from within Web pages; (2) represent those components in a collection; (3) edit those component collections. Our research shows that while the practice of making collections of content from within Web pages is common, it is not frequent, due in large part to poor interaction support in existing tools. We engaged with users in task analysis as well as iterative design reviews in order to understand the interaction issues that are part of within-Web-page collection making and to design an interaction that would support that process.We report here on that design development, as well as on the evaluations of the tool that evolved from that process, and the future work stemming from these results, in which our critical question is: what happens to users perceptions and expectations of web-based information (their web-based information management practices) when they can treat this information as harvestable, recontextualizable data, rather than as fixed pages?


Twenty-five years ago, in 1989, Professor Robert Cooter, writing in the Virginia Law Review, proposed changes in the law that would facilitate the development of a market in unmatured tort claims. On this twenty-fifth anniversary of this groundbreaking paper, it is fitting to reexamine this proposal, speculate on why it has not been adopted, and to explore whether revisions in the proposal might lead to greater legislative acceptance. In this paper I reexamine the proposal as to its likely intended and unintended effects. This article argues that, for such a market in unmatured tort claims to work, three modifications must be made. First, the tort awards must be based on optimal-deterrencedamages rather than full-compensation damages. (The paper provides an explanation of full-compensation damages, optimal-deterrence damages, and optimal-insurance damages.) Second, potential tortfeasors must not be allowed to purchase the claims of their potential victims. Third, agreements between potential tortfeasors and the holders unmatured tort claims must be prohibited.


The effects on fetal growth of ¡atrogen¡c prescription for dietary restriction in pregnancy have been infrequently assessed, and results have suggested large decrements in birthweight. We therefore related maternal dietary restriction to fetal growth among participants in the National Collaborative Perinatal Project at the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York. There were 255 women who delivered term infants with birthweights under the 31st percentile (low birthweight), who were each matched to women who delivered heavier term infants, within ethnic and gestational age strata. On review of antenatal records, 198 women were identified who had received a physician's recommendation to restrict caloric intake to 1800 kcal/day or below. The odds ratio between caloric restriction and low birthweight was 0.88 (not significant [NS]). Rates of maternal weight gain were controlled by linear multiple regression analysis, since higher weight gain was associated both with the likelihood of having a diet prescribed and with higher birthweight. With control for weight gain, although the odds ratio was reversed, the change was of small magnitude and not statistically significant. We found no relationship between medical advice to limit caloric intake during pregnancy and intrauterine growth retardation. Since women asked to limit caloric intake continued to gain more weight than others, the results are consistent with lack of compliance with the dietary regimen.


QUESTIONS UNDER STUDY
Iron deficiency with or without anaemia is the most common deficiency in the world. Its prevalence is higher in developing countries and in low socioeconomic populations. We aimed at determining and comparing the prevalence of iron deficiency in an immigrant and non-immigrant population.

METHODS
Every child scheduled for a routine check-up at 12 months of age was allowed to participate in the study. Haemoglobin, ferritin, anthropometric data, familial and nutritional status were measured.

RESULTS
586 infants were eligible and 463 were included in the study as they had assessment data at 12 months. Children were divided into two groups: immigrants' children and non-immigrants' children. The global prevalence of iron deficiency was 5.7% at 12 months. A significant difference for iron deficiency was noticed between the groups at 12 months (p = 0.01). Among risk factors, immigration (odds ratio 2.91; 95% CI 1.05-8.04) and unemployment (odds ratio 6.08; 95% CI 1.18-31.30) had the higher odds in the multivariable analysis.

CONCLUSION
The prevalence of iron deficiency in the immigrant population is higher than in non-immigrants. Immigration and the category of employment are risk factors for iron deficiency, as starting baby cereals before 9 months is a protective factor. Good socioeconomic conditions in Switzerland, the quality of food for pregnant women and young infants may be the explanation. A study up to five years of age is necessary before drawing general conclusions on infancy.


Five aerial surveys of the Barnacle Geese wintering on islands off the west and north-west coasts of Scotland were made between February 1957 and April 1966. The practical problems of the aerial survey of geese dispersed in small groups on islands are discussed. Supplemented by counts made from the ground on Islay, much the most important haunt, the surveys show that the Hebridean population has increased substantially from about 7,400 in February 1957 to 15,200 in April 1966. Numbers in different regions of the Hebrides have varied in rather similar ways. The gradual increase on Islay up to 1966 may have been due to low adult mortality. A massive increase there in 1967 must have involved immigration. The geese in Sutherland, and in Ireland, afforded full protection since 1955 and 1962 respectively, have increased less than in the Hebrides, where shooting is permitted in the months of December and January. The present healthy state of the Hebridean population could be drastically altered if their competition with agriculture on Islay leads to countermeasures.


Introduction: Elderly men with benign prostatic hyperplasia have a higher risk of urinary tract infections. With advanced age, an increased prostate gland results in altered bladder emptying and increased urine retention and rates of urinary tract infections. Here, we aimed to determine the uropathogens and their antimicrobial susceptibility isolated from elderly men with benign prostatic hyperplasia to create baseline data for active surveillance and empiric antimicrobial regimens. Materials and Method: Urine cultures from 506 elderly men with benign prostatic hyperplasia were retrospectively evaluated. Distribution of the bacteria causing urinary tract infections and their antimicrobial susceptibility test results were examined using automated identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing system. Results: No growth was reported in 69.8% (n=353) of the whole cultures. Contamination constituted 13.6% (n=69) of the reports. Urinary tract infection was reported in 16.6% (n=84) of the samples. Gram-negative bacteria (79.8%) were the major cause of urinary tract infection among elder men with benign prostatic hyperplasia; Escherichia coli (53.4%) was the most common cause. Among the elderly men, contamination rates in the >85 years group was significantly higher (p<0.005). The most susceptible antimicrobials were determined as carbapenems for the Gram-negative bacteria and glycopeptides for the Gram-positive bacteria, which are the last resort and parenteral only antibiotics. Conclusion: Gram-negative bacteria, predominantly Escherichia coli, are the major causes of urinary tract infections in elderly men with benign prostatic hyperplasia. High resistance to frequently used drugs such as first generation cephalosporins and quinolones is an alerting situation. Also, contamination rates increase with advancing age; thus, urine sampling from these patients should be revised. Antimicrobial treatment should depend on local antimicrobial susceptibility testing results.


This paper presents an easy-to-use model to assist in technology selection for transit planning. The model computes annual costs for two technologies—currently BRT and LRT—for a system with characteristics specified by the user and from "real-world" operating data. The model computes the annualized capital and operating costs over a wide range of demand; it also calculates location-specific, energy-related emissions for both technologies' operations. Most importantly, the model allows the user to test the sensitivity of the technology selection result to nearly all inputs. The model is applied to a recent case in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, to verify its functionality. The results show that, economically, these two technologies result in very similar annual costs for "normal" demand levels. As a result, small changes in assumed input values for period of evaluation, interest rates, labor costs, and infrastructure costs can result in a change in recommended technology.


It is of significant importance in food marketing to know which pieces of information available during shopping are most relevant to consumers. The visual search behaviour of consumers allows inference on the relevance of information based on what information is acquired and when. It is assumed that price is a major barrier to the purchase of organic food. However, little is known about consumers' actual acquisition of information on organic food prices. To examine the information acquisition behaviour of consumers buying organic and consumers buying conventional food, a shopping simulation study was run in which participants (n=189) were invited to choose between different unfamiliar organic and conventional product alternatives while wearing eye-tracking glasses. The data were divided into three visual attention phases: orientation phase, comparison phase, and evaluation phase. The information intake in the phases was investigated comparing organic and conventional consumers. Organic consumers acquired less information on conventional prices in the orientation and evaluation phases. It is concluded that for organic consumers, price information is less relevant to making a purchase decision compared to consumers of conventional food.
Data of the article
First received: 07 August 2018 | Last revision received: 30 January 2019 Accepted: 27 March 2019 | Published online: 26 July 2019DOI:10.17170/kobra-20190506417


Objectives Exergames can replace sedentary time spent on computer gaming with physical activity. Previous research has found exergaming to elicit light-to-moderate exercise intensity. Our primary aim was to examine the exercise intensity of a newly developed biking exergame. Methods Eight males (23.9±0.6 years) played the exergame (PLAY) and walked (WALK) on three separate occasions, with the condition counterbalanced and in random sequence within each day. They were asked to PLAY and WALK for a minimum of 15 min and then continue for as long as they wanted. We measured heart rate (HR), activity duration, caloric expenditure and subject-rated exertion and enjoyment (based on 0–10 Visual Analogue Scale, VAS). We used an average of each outcome variable across the 3 days in the analysis. Results The average intensity during PLAY (73%±10% of HRmax) was significantly higher than that during WALK (57%±7% of HRmax, p=0.01). Participants spent 12.5±5.3 min at 80%–89% of HRmax and 5.5±4.6 min at ≥90% of HRmax during PLAY, whereas intensity during WALK was ≤72% of HRmax. The duration of PLAY was 44.3±0.7 min and of WALK 17.0±0.7 min (p=0.01). The relative energy expenditure during PLAY was 7.6±0.7 kcal/min and during WALK 6.2±0.3 kcal/min (p<0.01). The enjoyment of PLAY (VAS 8.7±0.1) was higher than that of WALK (VAS 3.9±1.8, p=0.01). Conclusions Exergaming can be an innovative way of enjoyable high-intensity training.


To establish an assessment of floristic and edaphic characteristics of steppe formations we conducted a phytoecological study on a local scale by comparing the current plant diversity and soil in three (3) stations representative of the vegetation to alfa (Stipa tenacissima L.) located south of Saida (western Algeria). The relations between the station, the vegetation and the characteristics of soils in the steppe are very imperfectly known. This study intends to analyze the relationship between floristic composition and edaphic parameters of the steppe at alfa. Anthropogenic pressures on plant structure are different imbalance resulting in one ecological. The floristic and edaphic data have been the subject of a factorial correspondence analysis (A.F.C). The floristic inventory denotes a regressive dynamics of the formations at alfa passing from one site to another. Thus 39 plant species have been inventoried in the site in good condition, against 26 species for the moderately degraded site and 16 species only for the damaged site. The coupled results between species and edaphic parameters show the relations between the plant diversity and the physico-chemical characteristics of the soils. The statistical analyses do appear a strong correlation between floristic composition, the state of vegetation and the edaphic parameters.


With the recent proliferation of distributed systems and networking, remote authentication has become a crucial task in many networking applications. Various schemes have been proposed so far for the two-party remote authentication; however, some of them have been proved to be insecure. In this paper, we propose an efficient timestamp-based password authentication scheme using smart cards. We show various types of forgery attacks against a previously proposed timestamp-based password authentication scheme and improve that scheme to ensure robust security for the remote authentication process, keeping all the advantages that were present in that scheme. Our scheme successfully defends the attacks that could be launched against other related previous schemes. We present a detailed cryptanalysis of previously proposed Shen et. al's scheme and an analysis of the improved scheme to show its improvements and efficiency.


Online service quality is one of the key determinants of the success of online retailers. This exploratory study revealed some important findings about online service quality. First, the study identified six key online retailing service quality dimensions as perceived by online customers: reliable/prompt responses, access, ease of use, attentiveness, security, and credibility. Second, of the six, three dimensions, notably reliable/prompt responses, attentiveness, and ease of use, had significant impacts on both customers' perceived overall service quality and their satisfaction. Third, the access dimension had a significant effect on overall service quality, but not on satisfaction. Finally, this study discovered a significantly positive relationship between overall service quality and satisfaction. Important managerial implications and recommendations are also presented.


East African savannas are persistent socio-ecological systems undergoing unprecedented change. This dissertation focuses on the emerging agro-pastoral system of Maasai herders in the savanna lands adjacent to Tanzania's Tarangire National Park. As pastoralists adopt cultivation, the relationship between humans and the land is changed.
The new dynamics threaten the resilience of savanna systems. I examine three aspects of the human ecology of Maasai subsistence: changes in territory and political ecology, changes to the local common property system resulting from territorial compression, and how Maasai are responding to the production constraints of cultivation. I employed
ethnography, social surveys, soil surveys and livestock demography to take a political ecology approach to investigating human-environment relations. Maasai territory is being fragmented by forces from within and without Maasai society. Poverty is increasing, due to market integration, high cattle mortality and population growth. Despite this, the adoption of cultivation cannot be explained by poverty alone. Poverty interacts with land tenure insecurity and with environmental stochasticity to create conditions conducive to the adoption of cultivation. Subdivision fragments the pastures which support pastoralism, reducing mobility and flexibility critical to dryland ecosystems. A village zoning plan has led to the emergence of a new common property regime that appears sufficient for current grazing and cultivation needs yet the historical pattern of land allocation means some villagers have greater access to
protected pastures and water than others. Rich soils from abandoned kraals are also unequally distributed across the landscape. Pastoralists must negotiate limited cultivation experience, wildlife raids and labor shortages to integrate pastoral and agricultural production.

Several trends suggest negative repercussions for future resilience of the socio-ecological system. Unequal resource distribution among land allocations, the history of interactions between stakeholder groups, and land use patterns that inadvertently concentrate resources among a few households are decreasing the flexibility demanded by semi-arid systems. To reduce the negative effects of cultivation, efforts should focus on improving yields on small plots, supporting livestock husbandry and integrating local residents and wildlife interests to build a resilient future.


Ceramic coatings with high electrical insulation capabilities can be sprayed onto metallic substrates by plasma spraying for insulation purposes, e.g. for corona rolls. However, the electrical and mechanical properties of such coatings severely depend on the spray conditions used during coating. This paper discusses the effects of spray conditions on coating properties and what parameters are essentially to be monitored for achieving high quality coatings. The paper is not confined to the classical machine parameter control techniques; however, it introduces recently developed diagnostic tools for the online monitoring of spray particle jet and substrate conditions.


A photoelectric oculographic system for measuring the dynamics of eye movements in response to accommodative stimuli has proven itself to have practical advantages in the evaluation of the accommodation-convergence relationship. Investigation of the change in accommodative convergence to accommodation ratio (AC/A) in several emmetropic and hyperopic subjects in response to echothiophate (Phospholine) iodide has confirmed the usefulness of an objective measurement method in judging the lessened accommodation requirement. The application of this and similar devices to studies in the wide spectrum of motor anomalies, holds promise of adding significant objectivity and knowledge to the expanding field of ocular motility.


Despite the potential for conflict between news media's idealised socio-political role and its practical commercial role, a qualitative content analysis of the coverage of the 2012 Libor scandal in four newspapers, The Times (London), The Financial Times, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, revealed that these aspects of news media are in fact complementary. Although it is often argued that the commercial function of news media is prioritised over its social and political roles, the commercial aspects of the coverage of the Libor scandal did not overwhelm or significantly compromise the political watchdog role of the media. In fact, the unexpectedly large divide in coverage between the UK newspapers and the US newspapers signifies that the divide between domestic and foreign news is significantly more important than the divide between news media's idealised socio-political role and its commercial aspects. The unexpected similarities between specialist and mainstream publications significantly contributed to this divide between domestic and foreign news. This suggests that scandals represent a unique case in which dramatic mass interest imperatives combine with critical public interest imperatives.  The results of the analysis suggest that an equal fulfilment of both watchdog and newsworthiness imperatives – demonstrated by the UK press – can offer a comprehensive investigation of, and increase public concern for, issues within an international scandal. A strong emphasis on news values and construction of a personalised narrative by these newspapers enabled the scandal to attract and maintain audience attention. Their coverage also featured a strong emphasis on the morality of the scandal and used official political sources in order to inform the public of something they needed to know.  In contrast, a lack of fulfilment of both watchdog and newsworthiness imperatives – demonstrated by the US press – can result in a weakening of public attention and debate about foreign issues that directly affect domestic political and economic policy. The US coverage failed to emphasise news values or construct a personalised narrative, which stripped the scandal of resonance. It failed to aggressively question the individuals involved and demand official investigations, failed to emphasise the substantive social impact, and used a limited range of sources. This resulted in the US press failing to construct a scandal frame.


Currently, Romanian pre-university music education has a considerable experience accumulated over seven decades, during which it manifested its direct contribution to the evolution of the entire Romanian musical culture. An empirical research from a historical point of view, of the institutional management process from the post-war period, contributes to the outline of a general picture of Romanian vocational music education. Through this study, we want a synthetic analysis of the vocational musical educational process between 1949-1989, which represented the period of the communist regime. The content of the article chronologically approaches the main events regarding the social, demographic and educational context, starting from the first school formations of middle level music education until the revolution. At the same time, the synthetic research follows the evolution and development of the organization and functioning of the schools, the didactic process and the didactic means used from this period, all of which are synthesized in the finality of this educational process. The collaboration of music schools with the cultural environment on the one hand, and with the educational sciences, on the other hand, with pluses and minuses, secondary music education has left its mark over time, by educating and training many generations of young people with artistic potential from that period.


BACKGROUND
Bilateral cystic periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) is a major cause of neurodevelopmental delay in the premature infant. Thus, early identification of the preterm infant at highest risk for the subsequent development of this lesion is critical.

OBJECTIVES
The three objectives of this case-control study were: (1) to determine the basic characteristics of cystic PVL, (2) to assess the relationship of perinatal clinical events and PVL, and (3) to ascertain the feasibility of identifying early those preterm infants at highest risk for the development of PVL.

METHODS
The medical records and cranial ultrasound scans (HUSs) were reviewed for 632 infants weighing less than 1750 g who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit between January 1992 and December 1993. PVL developed in 14 infants of 1285 +/- 301 g birth weight (BW) and 29.4 +/- 1.5 weeks' gestational age (GA); severe intraventricular hemorrhage (n = 21) and intraparenchymal echodensity (n = 12) developed in 33 infants of 904 +/- 248 g BW and 26.6 +/- 1.8 weeks' GA; and 585 infants of 1315 +/- 324 g BW and 29.7 +/- 2.4 weeks' GA with normal HUS findings (n = 473) or grade I or II intraventricular hemorrhage (n = 112) served as a comparison group.

RESULTS
Cystic PVL was observed in 14 (2.3%) of 632 infants weighing less than 1750 g, more specifically, in 3.2% of infants weighing less than 1500 g. Cysts were noted from the 7th to 14th days of life in 10 infants and from the 20th to 46th days of life in 4 infants. Ten (70%) of the infants had relatively benign clinical courses, and most cases were detected by routine HUS surveillance. Over hypotension in the immediate perinatal period was noted in 3 (21%) infants; late hypotension developed in 1 additional infant. Univariate analysis indicate that two clinical indicators, prolonged rupture of membranes (PROM) and chorioamnionitis, were significant predictors of PVL. For PROM, the odds ratio estimate and the 95% confidence limit are 6.59 and 1.96 to 22.10, with a sensitivity of 28.6% and positive predictive value of 11.5%. Similar values for chorioamnionitis are 6.77 (1.77 to 25.93), with a sensitivity of 21.4% and positive predictive value of 11.5%.

CONCLUSIONS
(1) Most cases of symmetric cystic PVL occurred in infants with relatively benign clinical courses and were only detected by routine ultrasound screening. (2) Postnatal systemic hypotension seems to be an uncommon associated event. (3) Preterm infants born to mothers with PROM and/or chorioamnionitis seem to be at an increased risk for the development of PVL and should be carefully evaluated.


Summary. The reactions involved in oil generation are of great economic importance, but remain to be studied in detail. We have investigated the rates of three reactions which occur before and during the early stages of oil formation, and have used the predicted thermal and subsidence history of stretched basins to estimate the six reaction constants. Two of the reactions are isomerization reactions, at C-20 in a sterane and at C-22 in a hopane hydrocarbon. The third reaction converts C-ring monoaromatic to triaromatic steroid hydrocarbons. No single measure of maturity can describe the progress of these reactions. In old basins, such as the North Sea, both isomerization reactions are almost complete before appreciable aromatization has occurred, whereas in young basins, such as the Pannonian Basin in Hungary, aromatization is almost complete before appreciable isomerization of the steranes has occurred. We show that the calculated progress of these reactions agrees well with that observed in both basins if the frequency factors and activation energies are 6 x 10-3 s-1 and 91 kJ mol-1, 0.016 s-1 and 91 kJ mol-1, 1.8 x 1024 s-1 and 200 kJ mol-1 for the isomerization of steranes, of hopanes, and the aromatization of steroid hydrocarbons respectively. The rate of conversion of the R to the S form was taken to be 1.174 and 1.564 times that of the reverse reactions for sterane and hopane isomerizations respectively, and the aromatization reaction was assumed to be irreversible. All three reactions were assumed to be first order and unimolecular. The aromatization rate is consistent with laboratory observations. The rate of hopane isomerization is not, and different reaction mechanisms probably dominate at different temperatures. The same constants can be used to predict the progress of the reactions in basins which have been uplifted by inversion, such as the Lower Saxony Basin in West Germany. The geochemical observations provide estimates of the amount and time of uplift which agree with those from geological studies. Geochemical observations from the eastern part of the Paris Basin suggest that this region has also been uplifted by between 1 and 2 km.


Gavestinel {GV150526A; (E)-3[(phenylcarbamoil)ethenyl]-4,6-dichloroindole-2-carboxylic acid sodium salt} is a selective antagonist at the strychnine-insensitive glycine site of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor. It was tested for its ability to substitute for phencyclidine (PCP) in rats and rhesus monkeys trained to discriminate PCP from saline, under a two-lever fixed-ratio (FR) food reinforcement schedule, and for its ability to maintain responding in rhesus monkeys trained to self-administer PCP under a FR reinforcement schedule. No PCP-lever responding was observed after gavestinel (1–56 mg/kg i.p.) administration to rats discriminating PCP (2.0 mg/kg i.p.) from saline. The highest dose of gavestinel (100 mg/kg i.p.) tested eliminated responding. Likewise, no PCP-lever responding was observed after gavestinel (1–30 mg/kg s.c.) administration to rhesus monkeys discriminating PCP (0.08 or 0.1 mg/kg i.m.) from saline; the highest dose of gavestinel (30 mg/kg s.c.) tested reduced response rates to approximately 50% of those observed after its vehicle (&bgr;-cyclodextrin in 0.9% saline). Gavestinel (0.1–1 mg/kg per i.v. infusion) was not self-administered by rhesus monkeys that reliably self-administered PCP (0.0056 or 0.01 mg/kg per i.v. infusion). Infusion rates at the highest dose were typically lower than those for vehicle or saline, suggesting behavioral activity. Together, these results suggest that at behaviorally active doses gavestinel is not PCP-like and is likely to have low abuse liability.


We demonstrate our ability to improve regional travel-time prediction and seismic event location accuracy using an a priori 3D velocity model of Western Eurasia and North Africa (WENA1.0). Travel-time residuals are assessed relative to the iasp91 model for approximately 6000 Pg, Pn , and P arrivals, from seismic events having 2 σ epicenter accuracy between 1 km and 25 km (ground truth 1 [GT1] and GT25, respectively), recorded at 39 stations throughout the model region. Ray paths range in length between 0° and 40° (local, regional, and near teleseismic) providing depth sounding that spans the crust and upper mantle. The dataset also provides representative geographic sampling across Eurasia and North Africa including aseismic areas. The WENA1.0 model markedly improves travel-time predictions for most stations with an average variance reduction of 29% for all ray paths from the GT25 events; when we consider GT5 and better events alone, the variance reduction is 49%. For location tests we use 196 geographically distributed GT5 and better events. In 134 cases (68% of the events), locations are improved, and average mislocation is reduced from 24.9 km to 17.7 km. We develop a travel-time uncertainty model that is used to calculate location coverage ellipses. The coverage ellipses for WENA1.0 are validated to be representative of epicenter error and are smaller than those for iasp91 by 37%. We conclude that a priori models are directly applicable where data coverage limits tomographic and empirical approaches, and the development of the uncertainty model enables merging of a priori and data-driven approaches using Bayesian techniques. Online material: Correction surfaces and histograms of travel-time residuals for 40 stations.


The aim of the study was to investigate the acute effects of passive static stretching (PSS) on the fascicle length (FL) and fascicle angle (FA) of the vastus lateralis muscle (VL) in two different joint positions. Twelve physically active men (26.9 ± 7.5 years, 178.6 ± 7.0 cm, and 82.5 ± 16.8 kg) were placed in the prone position for the acquisition of ultrasound images (US) of VL, registered with extended and totally flexed knee up to the heel contact with the gluteus, before and after a PSS routine comprised of three 30-s repetitions maintained in the maximal discomfort position as reported by the participant. Results of the paired t-test indicated an increase in FL (16.2%; p = 0.012) and reduction in FA (15.5%; p = 0.003) in pre vs. post stretching comparisons for the extended knee position. There was also a significant increase in FL (34%; p = 0.0001) and reduction in FA (25%; p = 0.0007) when compared the extended knee vs. flexed knee positions. There were no significant differences in muscle architecture variables for the flexed knee position. The results showed high and moderate correlation of FL and FA for the extended (r = -0.89 and r = -0.74) and flexed knee (r = -0.76 and r = -0.78) position, pre and post stretching, respectively. It was concluded that the static stretching acutely affects the vastus lateralis muscle architecture only in the extended knee position, but not in the flexed knee position.


Specific phase transitions to the compound-like impurity nanosegregation structures at dislocations and grain boundaries in metals and their influence on diffusion-assisted processes are considered, mainly, on the basis of the thermodynamic analysis of the related experimental data. The following systems and aspects are in detail considered: (1) the hydride-like nanosegregation of hydrogen at dislocations and grain boundaries in palladium and their influence on the apparent characteristics of hydrogen solubility and diffusivity in palladium; (2) the physics of the anomalous characteristics of diffusion of Fe and other transition impurities in crystalline Al at elevated temperatures, the role of the compound-like nanosegregation (CLNS) of Fe and the others at dislocations and grain boundaries in Al, analysis of the Mössbauer and diffusion data on CLNS of Fe at grain boundaries and dislocations in Al; (3) some new physical aspects of internal oxidation and nitridation of metals (for Cu-0.3%Fe alloy/Cu2O surface layer, and for (Ni-5%Cr) alloy / N2 gas), the role of the compound-like impurity nanosegregation at dislocations and grain boundaries, study results on the deviations from the classical theories predictions and their interpretation. The possibility is considered of nanotechnology applications of the study results for creation of nanostructured metals with compound-like nanosegregation structures at grain boundaries, in order to obtain specific physical and mechanical properties of such a cellural-type nanocomposites. In particular, it can be complex hydride-like, carbide-like, nitride-like, carbide-nitride-like, oxide-like or intermetallide-like nanosegregation structures at grain boundaries of nanostructured metals.


The paper presents the analysis or morphology of major divisions in the western part of the Polish Flysch Carpathians. The top surface of the consolidated basement, the surface of the Carpathian overthrust and the base surface of the Magma unit have been accepted as the main surfaces of division. Evaluation of the influence of tectonics of the consolidated Carpathian basement, developed during its neogene remodelling on the distribution of the flysch masses, has been attempted.


While empirical evidence alludes to the intertemporal nature of corporate voluntary disclosures, most of the existing theory analyzes firms' voluntary disclosure decisions within single‐period settings. Introducing a repeated, multiperiod, disclosure setting, we study the extent to which firms' strategic disclosure behavior in the past affects their prosperity to provide voluntary disclosures in the future. Our analysis demonstrates that by voluntarily disclosing private information firms make an implicit commitment to provide similar disclosures in the future, and therefore are less willing to voluntarily disclose information in the first place. This effect is expected to be of larger magnitude for firms (1) with a long history of absence of voluntary disclosures and an impressive past operating performance, or (2) that operate in a relatively stable and predictable business and information environment, or (3) whose managers have a long time horizon and a high degree of risk aversion.


Background: The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global public health emergency that has caused worldwide concern. The mental health of medical students under the COVID-19 epidemic has attracted much attention. This study aims to identify subgroups of medical students based on mental health status and explore the influencing factors during the COVID-19 epidemic in China. Methods: A total of 29,663 medical students were recruited during the epidemic of COVID-19 in China. Latent class analysis of the mental health of medical students was performed using M-plus software to identify subtypes of medical students. The latent class subtypes were compared using the chi-square test. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine associations between identified classes and related factors. Results: In this study, three distinct subgroups were identified, namely, the high-risk group, the low-risk group and the normal group. Therefore, medical students can be divided into three latent classes, and the number of students in each class is 4325, 9321 and 16,017. The multinomial logistic regression results showed that compared with the normal group, the factors influencing mental health in the high-risk group were insomnia, perceived stress, family psychiatric disorders, fear of being infected, drinking, individual psychiatric disorders, sex, educational level and knowledge of COVID-19, according to the intensity of influence from high to low. Conclusions: Our findings suggested that latent class analysis can be used to categorize different medical students according to their mental health subgroup during the outbreak of COVID-19. The main factors influencing the high-risk group and low-risk group are basic demographic characteristics, disease history, COVID-19 related factors and behavioral lifestyle, among which insomnia and perceived stress have the greatest impact. School administrative departments could utilize more specific measures on the basis of different subgroups, and provide targeted measures.


Nowadays, several digital forensic tools extract a lot of low-level information from different parts of the system. Constructing high-level information from low-level ones is very challenging. This study reconstructs high-level events by using the traces of applications that are found in the file system metadata. In this regard, an event reconstruction framework is proposed that determines which applications have been run on a compromised system. The proposed framework works in two phases. In the training phase, the signatures of various applications are constructed. The signature of an application is the temporal pattern of file system modification of the application. In the detection phase, at first, the temporal pattern of file system modification of the hard disk (TPFSM-D) of the compromised system is constructed. Then in order to determine whether a particular application has been run on the compromised system, the distance between the signature of the application and the TPFSM-D of the hard disk is calculated by using a proposed distance measure. Finally, a decision engine decides whether the application has been run on the compromised system. The proposed event reconstruction framework has been tested on different scenarios. The empirical results suggest that the framework is effective in reconstructing events.


We studied the effect of different subcutaneously administered beta-lactam antibiotics on the establishment of gastrointestinal colonization by vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium C68 in a mouse model. Aztreonam, cefazolin, cefepime, and, to a lesser extent, ceftazidime, which neither have significant antienterococcal activity nor are secreted into human bile at high concentrations, did not promote significant vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) colonization. Piperacillin-tazobactam, which has antienterococcal activity and is secreted in human bile at high concentrations, inhibited colonization after limited exposure to the inoculum but was associated with progressively increased VRE colony counts in stool samples after repeated exposure to the VRE inoculum. Ceftriaxone and cefotetan, which lack antienterococcal activity but are secreted into human bile at high concentrations, were associated with rapid and high-level colonization. These data suggest that the risk of VRE colonization varies during exposure to different beta-lactam antimicrobial agents and that the risk is related to biliary concentration and antienterococcal activity of the specific beta-lactam.


A technique to deposit 5-20 nm thick β-phase W using a 2-second periodic pulse of 1 sccm-N2 gas on Si(001) and SiN(5 nm)/Si(001) substrates is reported. Resistivity, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray reflectivity were utilized to determine phase, bonding and thickness, respectively. X-ray diffraction patterns were utilized to determine the crystal structure, lattice constant and crystal size using the LeBail method. The flow rate of Nitrogen gas (continuous vs. pulsing) had significant impact upon the crystallinity and formation of β-phase W.


The first, second and third editions of the English-German dictionary of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering received a warm reception from users at home and abroad, as is shown by the many reviews in the international trade press. This is the fourth heavily revised edition of the dictionary which was first published in 1984. The whole vocabulary has been thoroughly revised and updated by including about 12,500 terms from recent literature, especially in the fields of analytical chemistry, kinetics, biochemistry, biotechnology, hydrochemistry and food technology. Meanwhile, a number of less important terms, many terms from marginal subjects and some universally understood terms (for instance from the areas of minerals, alkaloids and enzymes) have been eliminated. In many instances the German text is now more concise. Useful information such as references to special fields of application, definitions, explanations and hints regarding the use of certain terms, has been taken over from previous editions. To aid selection of the most appropriate equivalent of a term, many entries include information indicating the relevant scientific discipline, a short definition or an example. The dictionary is therefore extremely comprehensive and an invaluable reference for a wide range of users.


This paper describes the main conclusions of a research developed from 2005 to 2007 in the Family Health Unit Jardim Pinheiro, in the Sanitary District of Santa Felicidade, Curitiba (PR, Brazil). It was investigated the existing and necessary conditions for the interaction and the knowledge exchange among the professionals of the Family's Health Program (PSF) teams. A descriptive qualitative study has been accomplished, using a half structuralized interview and direct observation as methods of data collection. It has become clear that the investigated PSF's establishment was spread by collective discussion between the directly involved professionals, an evident fact in statements that reveal doubt and insecurity to the introduction of the proposal. It has been verified a distance between what is rank in official regulations and documents about the PSF conception and the reality perceivable organization. Considering this program's conception and practice, it has been verified the importance of thinking and acting on the work processes, operating devices in order to modify technical and social relations in daily team's works, recognizing the different human areas included in the health professional's formation: social, procedural, affectiveness, knowledge, behavior and expression of willingness.


Though devotional literature has its roots in the Church, one of the most civilised spheres of culture, the devil of this genre can be said to represent nature. He is depicted as a fear-inducing being and as a tempter in uncivilised, naturalistic terms. In folklore, which is looked upon as a natural, uncivilised, sphere of culture, he represents both culture and nature. As a fear-inducing being, the devil bears characteristics indicative of culture, but as a tempter he lures people into living a natural, unrestrained life. Thus tradition bearers express that which is alien and dangerous by employing inverted values. Nature and culture are indeed opposites but in the cognitive system to which the present material gives expression, they also complement one another.


Holoprosencephaly (HPE) is the most common congenital anomaly affecting the forebrain and face in humans and occurs as frequently as 1:250 conceptions or 1:10,000 livebirths. Sonic Hedgehog signaling molecule is one of the best characterized HPE genes that plays crucial roles in numerous developmental processes including midline neural patterning and craniofacial development. The Frizzled class G‐protein coupled receptor Smoothened (SMO), whose signaling activity is tightly regulated, is the sole obligate transducer of Hedgehog‐related signals. However, except for previous reports of somatic oncogenic driver mutations in human cancers (or mosaic tumors in rare syndromes), any potential disease‐related role of SMO genetic variation in humans is largely unknown. To our knowledge, ours is the first report of a human hypomorphic variant revealed by functional testing of seven distinct nonsynonymous SMO variants derived from HPE molecular and clinical data. Here we describe several zebrafish bioassays developed and guided by a systems biology analysis. This analysis strategy, and detection of hypomorphic variation in human SMO, demonstrates the necessity of integrating the genomic variant findings in HPE probands with other components of the Hedgehog gene regulatory network in overall medical interpretations.


Design of new drug compounds with target properties is a key area of research in generative modeling. We present a small drug molecule design pipeline based on graph-generative models and a comparison study of two state-of-the-art graph generative models for designing COVID-19 targeted drug candidates: 1) a variational autoencoder-based approach (VAE) that uses prior knowledge of molecules that have been shown to be effective for earlier coronavirus treatments and 2) a deep Q-learning method (DQN) that generates optimized molecules without any proximity constraints. We evaluate the novelty of the automated molecule generation approaches by validating the candidate molecules with drug-protein binding affinity models. The VAE method produced two novel molecules with similar structures to the antiretroviral protease inhibitor Indinavir that show potential binding affinity for the SARS-CoV-2 protein target 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CL-protease).


This paper describes a differential current-mode bus architecture based on driver pre-emphasis for on-chip global interconnects that achieves high-data rates while reducing bus power dissipation and improving signal delay latency. The 16-b bus core fabricated in 0.25-mum complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology attains an aggregate signaling data rate of 32 Gb/s over 5-10-mm-long lossy interconnects. With a supply of 2.5 V, 25.5-48.7-mW power dissipation was measured for signal activity above 0.1, equivalent to 0.80-1.52 pJ/b. This work demonstrates a 15.0%-67.5% power reduction over a conventional single-ended voltage-mode static bus while reducing delay latency by 28.3% and peak current by 70%. The proposed bus architecture is robust against crosstalk noise and occupies comparable routing area to a reference static bus design.


Market prices incorporate large amounts of information, and our aim in this paper is to demonstrate that prediction markets can help extract this information, prospectively allowing this aggregated expertise to inform policy decisions in real-time. We provide a case study, exploiting data from a market trading in contracts which paid off if Saddam Hussein was removed as leader of Iraq, to learn about financial market participants' expectations of the consequences of the 2003 Iraq war. We conducted an ex-ante analysis, which we disseminated before the war, finding that a 10 percent increase in the probability of war was accompanied by a $1 increase in spot oil prices that futures markets suggested was expected to dissipate quickly. Equity prices movements implied that the same shock led to a 11⁄2 percent decline in the S&P 500. Further, the existence of widely-traded options allows us to back out the entire distribution of market expectations of the war's near-term effects, finding that these large effects reflected a negatively skewed distribution, with a substantial probability of an extremely adverse outcome. The flow of war-related news through our sample explains a large proportion of daily oil and equity price movements. Subsequent analysis suggests that these relationships continued to hold out-of-sample. Our analysis also allows us to characterize which industries and countries were most sensitive to war news, and when the war turned out somewhat better than ex-ante expectations, these sectors recovered, confirming these cross-sectional implications. We highlight the particular features of this case study that make it particularly amenable to this style of policy analysis, and discuss some of the issues in applying this method to other policy contexts.


Cuticle micromorphology of three collections of the parasitic conifer Parasitaxus ustus (Vieillard) de Laubenfels (Podocarpaceae) was studied with scanning electron microscopy. External and internal cuticle features of abaxial and adaxial leaf surfaces of both vegetative and epimatium-bearing branches are characterized. Leaves are amphistomatic with an abaxial tip lacking stomata and a small marginal frill. Cuticle is thin and external surfaces exhibit sunken Florin rings and highly undulating epidermal cell surfaces. Stomata have a scattered orientation on the leaf and have three to six subsidiary cells. Cuticle on the subsidiary cells, guard cells, and epidermal cells is smooth to slightly granular. Stomata lack polar extensions. Epidermal cells have variable shapes but are more elongate and rectangular near the abaxial leaf tip and between stomatal groups. Micromorphological characters are compared to those of the host plant, Falcatifolium taxoides (Brongniart et Gris.) de Laubenfels, and Florin's Dacrydium group C species that are considered by some workers to represent three separate genera: Halocarpus Quinn, Lepidothamnus Philippi, and Lagarostrobos Quinn. Micromorphologically cuticles are most similar to those of the genus Lepidothamnus, in particular L. fonkii Philippi, but those of Parasitaxus have less granular epidermal cell surfaces and a more irregular outline to the stomatal apparatus.


The aim of the present work was to study the hepatoprotective activity of alcoholic (ALRT) and aqueous (AQRT) extracts against ethanol induced liver damage in rats. Administration of ethanol (3.76 g/kg, bid, po) for 25 days produced significant changes in physical (increased liver weight and volume), biochemical (increase in serum GPT, GOT, ALP, direct bilirubin, total bilirubin, cholesterol, triglycerides with decrease in total protein and albumin levels), histological (damage to hepatocytes) and functional ( increase in thiopentone induced sleeping time) parameters of liver, reflecting liver damage. Pretreatment with ALRT (125 and 300 mg/kg, bid, po) and AQRT (200 and 500 mg/kg, bid, po) 1 h before ethanol administration for 25 days significantly protected the physical, biochemical, histological and functional changes induced by ethanol. These results suggest that ALRT and AQRT protected the livers of rats against ethanol induced hepatic damage. ALRT was found to possess greater hepatoprotective activity than AQRT.


Microalloying elements like Al, B, Nb, Ti ,V can be used to optimise the microstructure evolution and the mechanical properties of advanced high strength steels (AHSS). Microalloying elements are characterised by small additions < 0.1 mass% and their ability to form carbides or nitrides. They can increase strength by grain refinement and precipitation hardening, retard or accelerate transformations and affect the diffusion kinetics as well as the stacking fault energy. Thus, by their addition the AHSS with their high requirements to process control can be adopted to existing processing lines. Different combinations of microstructural phases and different chemical compositions have been investigated for AHSS in order to combine high strength with excellent formability. The recently developed high manganese steels further improve the formability due to their austenitic microstructure and inherent phase transformations during forming.


Weight-age and hip height-age relations of Nellore calves, from birth to 10 months old were fitted using a logistic model including sex and year of birth as fixed effects. Calves and their dams were reared on natural pasture using continuous grazing system. The crude protein content and total digestible nutrients were analyzed for pasture selected by the animals. The weights of the calves were adjusted to 205 days and 365 days. There were no significant effects of sex and birth year on the growth curve parameters, but there were significant effects of sex on hip height. The average weight (a parameter) at 10 months of age was 170 kg and the inflection point was observed at 93.5 days old. When weight-age and hip height-age curves were combined in the same graph, the intersection occurred at 142 days. The number of days to gain 160 kg from birth to 205 days of age (adjusted) and number of days to gain 240 kg from 205 days to slaughter was different between the birth years, which were probably due to the quality of the natural pastures. It is necessary to implement nutritional management strategies such as high quality pasture and/or feeding supplementation for calves once they reach three months of age.


In general, analysis of the electrostatic device is quite difficult and complicated due to the electrostatic coupling effect and the nonlinear electrostatic force. In this study, a hybrid method (H. M.) for the micro-structure system, which combines the differential transformation method (D. T. M.) and finite difference approximation techniques, is used to overcome the nonlinear electrostatic coupling phenomenon. The differential transformation employed is a transformed function based on the Taylor series that is effective in solving nonlinear problems with fast convergence. First, the natural frequencies of a micro fixed-fixed beam are derived as the solutions to a boundary value problem with prescribed boundary conditions by the differential transformation method. And then the nonlinear governing equation of a micro cantilever beam is solved by the hybrid method. The numerical results of the calculated pull-in voltage and natural frequencies are compared with other literatures using various computational methods and are found to be in good agreement. Overall, the results presented in this study show that the proposed hybrid method, provides an accurate and versatile means of analyzing the complex nonlinear behavior of a micro electrostatic devices.


The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how storied representations of research can be used as an effective pedagogical tool in coach education During a series of continuing professional development seminars for professional golf coaches, we presented our research in the form of stories and poems which were created in an effort to evoke and communicate the lived experiences of elite professional golfers. Following these presentations, we obtained written responses to the stories from 53 experienced coaches who attended the seminars. Analysis of this data revealed three ways in which coaches responded to the stories: (i) questioning; (ii) summarising; and (iii) incorporating. We conclude that these responses illustrate the potential of storied forms of representation to enhance professional development through stimulating reflective practice and increasing understanding of holistic, person-centred approaches to coaching athletes in high-performance sport.


We have previously proposed that incremental belief updating can provide a unified account of the effect of cumulative exposure on phonetic recalibration and selective adaptation (Kleinschmidt & Jaeger, 2011). This model predicts that these are not two distinct phenomena but rather two points on a continuum. We investigate that prediction here using adaptor stimuli intermediate between those which induce recalibration and selective adaptation, and find that the quantitative predictions of the model fit the data well. We also demonstrate that with the proper controls, Mechanical Turk provides a suitable online platform for speech perception experiments.


Cutaneous complications secondary to transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) are exceptionally rare and may occur because of nontarget embolization of terminal vessels supplying the skin. We present a patient who developed painful retiform purpura on the right flank shortly after TACE for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. Biopsy revealed intravascular tan to yellow amorphous spherical structures within the dermis, confirming the presence of foreign material within these vessels. The authors review the literature and discuss previous cases of skin lesions manifesting after TACE, as well as potential factors influencing the probability of cutaneous complications. Histopathologic findings described in similar cases are presented. Prophylactic measures and attempted treatments to reduce likelihood of long-term injury are also reviewed. An awareness that cutaneous injury is a rare, but potential complication of transcatheter arterial embolization, as well as an understanding of management options is important for any provider using this procedure.


This research considers the development of the concept of insolvency close-out netting under the laws of England, France and the US, as representative of common law, civil law and eclectic systems respectively.  It concludes that the legal systems of these jurisdictions have influenced the recognition of insolvency close-out netting with varying degrees.  English common law has exerted the most influence whilst the French regime is most ready to develop according to market practices notwithstanding the precepts of civil law.  The US legal system exerts a more balanced influence. These conclusions are based on preliminary replies to three sub-questions, namely (i) whether the development of close-out netting in these jurisdictions has been influenced by national set-off rules, (ii) whether the recognition given to close-out netting provisions has been affected by the norms of national insolvency laws and state insolvency goals, and (iii) whether, following the global financial crisis of 2008 – 2009, a convergence can be noted in the restrictions imposed on the recognition of close-out netting provisions under their national resolution regimes. The choice of the research question serves to map the national netting regimes of England, France and the US in a global perspective. It seeks to examine from various perspectives the adaptability and amenability of their national law regimes to accommodate this important contractual provision and serves to demystify stereotypes which have come to be associated with certain jurisdictions in their approach and readiness to uphold creditors' rights.


ABSTRACT The importance of schoolwide visions is widely accepted and emphasized across the educational-leadership literature. The visioning process and resulting written vision and mission statements can have consequential impacts on the daily life of schools, particularly decisions related to instruction, curriculum, budget, and other key issues. For educators and researchers committed to advancing educational equity, questions about whose perspectives and voices are included in this process matter. Yet, we know little about the extent to which youth, families, and community members, particularly from communities of color and low-income backgrounds, are included in schoolwide visioning processes. To explore the potential role of youth, family, and community stakeholders in schoolwide visioning, we engage in a dual analytical approach informed by critical race theory. First, we critically examine leadership literature concerning visioning and research on youth, family, and community organizing. Second, we share two critical race counternarratives documenting youth and parent attempts to engage and impact schoolwide visions and equitable reforms. Through our analysis, we advance a concept of "collective visioning," which emphasizes the potential role of a broad, diverse base of school and community stakeholders in the schoolwide visioning process, particularly seeking to center the voices and expertise of marginalized youth, families, and communities.


Water scarcity is a global issue, affecting in excess of four billion people. Interbasin Water Transfer (IBWT) is an established method for increasing water supply by transferring excess water from one catchment to another, water-scarce catchment. The implementation of IBWT peaked in the 1980s and was accompanied by a robust academic debate of its impacts. A recent resurgence in the popularity of IBWT, and particularly the promotion of mega-scale schemes, warrants revisiting this technology. This paper provides an updated review, building on previously published work, but also incorporates learning from schemes developed since the 1980s. We examine the spatial and temporal distribution of schemes and their drivers, review the arguments for and against the implementation of IBWT schemes and examine conceptual models for assessing IBWT schemes. Our analysis suggests that IBWT is growing in popularity as a supply-side solution for water scarcity and is likely to represent a key tool for water managers into the future. However, we argue that IBWT cannot continue to be delivered through current approaches, which prioritise water-centric policies and practices at the expense of social and environmental concerns. We critically examine the Socio-Ecological Systems and Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus models as new conceptual models for conceptualising and assessing IBWT. We conclude that neither model offers a comprehensive solution. Instead, we propose an enhanced WEF model (eWEF) to facilitate a more holistic assessment of how these mega-scale engineering interventions are integrated into water management strategies. The proposed model will help water managers, decision-makers, IBWT funders and communities create more sustainable IBWT schemes.


The quantitative and morphological changes of peritoneal fluid and mesenteric mast cells, the content of cellular and free histamine and serotonin were studied in the time course of acute aseptic inflammation induced by turpentine inoculated subcutaneously into the thigh of white rats. An increase in the mast cell count and activity and cellular histamine and serotonin content was found. The highest mast cell activity was observed at the peak of acute inflammation. The development of acute inflammation was characterized by both local (in the inflammatory focus) and systemic mast cell reaction which reflected participation of mast cells in general manifestations of inflammation.


: The study addresses the question of how the qualitative aspect of the interaction between the people involved in the leprosy control programme affects the process of patients (P), service providers (SP) and satellite informants (SI) composed of community leaders, in the delivery of basic leprosy control services in two high leprosy endemic villages in La Union province, the Philippines. The interaction between P, SP and SI as an independent variable is imagined to be linked in a form of a triad, influenced by psycho-social and environmental variables. Data was gathered by conventional methods as interviews, historical research and use of rating scales as well as non-conventional methods as PUP, a locally developed standardized instrument which measures variables that determine a Filipino's adjustment to social situations, and photographic documentation. Statistical analysis was made on the independent variable and the dependent variable - an improved Leprosy Control Programme. It was observed that the stigmatization of Hansenites had deep historical roots with the policy of colonial administrations to isolate and segregate Hansenites. This stigma remains to the present and was observed to exist even among service providers: Low knowledge levels of patients on the causes of the disease on the one hand, and service providers on the cure, particularly on the use of Multiple Drug Therapy. The reorganization scheme of the Health Ministry also resulted in the slow down of leprosy control activities thereby affecting delivery of services. Individual personality traits and other psycho-social factors of P, SP and SI further contributed to the lag in service delivery.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Most studies on anxiety including social phobia have measured social adjustment behavior rather than quality of life (i.e. the subjective perception of the patient of his or her illness in relation to different domains). These social adjustment studies have found panic disorders to be more disabling than social phobia. However, quality of life was measured in terms of subjective well-being or satisfaction, and the Zurich study showed that patients with social phobia had less well-being in domains of friends, partner and childhood memories than patients with other anxiety or mood disorders. It is concluded that shyness has a great impact on quality of life.


This talk reflects on the proceedings of the Crawford conference and provides a way forward in policy thinking. Effective food and agriculture policy decision-making requires clearer differentiation of countries by their stage of development. Operationally, it implies different approaches at the country level based on the stage of development. It requires concerted and coordinated efforts from the public and the private sector, and the international donor community. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has committed itself to addressing the problems of chronic hunger and poverty in the least-developed world and for marginalised people in the emerging economies. The talk also provides information on the approach taken by the Foundation in agriculture development.


This Study investigated the effect of potassium bromate on the nutritional value of wheat flour preserved with potassium bromate. Superb bakers choice wheat flour was used for the study. The wheat was divided into five equal portions thoroughly mixed with varying doses (0mg, 50mg, 100mg, 200mg and 300mg/kg flour) of potassium bromate respectively. Samples were wrapped in black polythene bags to protect themfromlight and stored for 4 weeks while the nutrient values of the different rations and dough made from them were determined at the onset and then at the end of the study which was four (4) weeks. Result of the study showed that potassium bromate significantly (p< 0.05) reduced the vitamin E content of the treated flour and dough. The results of the study showed that potassium bromate deteriorates the nutritional value of both flour and dough.


The field-compensation principle, which has been applied to interferometric spectroscopy independently by P. Connes and by L. Mertz, allows the useful solid angle accepted by an interferometer to be increased by an amount that can be very large. This paper is concerned with a particular application of this principle using the Michelson interferometer. Although the technique is difficult to utilize where a wide range of path differences is required, the interferometer takes an extremely simple form when constructed for a narrow range of path difference about a fixed central path difference. While such an instrument has a limited use in spectroscopy, there is one type of measurement which it is admirably suited to perform: the determination of the width of a single isolated atomic line whose analytical shape is known. A description is given of the theory and construction of a wide-angle Michelson interferometer now being used for the measurement of Doppler temperatures from the width of the 5577 A atomic oxygen line in the nightglow and aurora. This line is known to be accurately gaussian in shape, and is well-isolated from other lines, making it an ideal subject for this instrument.


This work is inspired by recent advances in hierarchical reinforcement learning (HRL) (Barto and Mahadevan 2003; Hengst 2010), and improvements in learning efficiency from heuristic-based subgoal selection, experience replay (Lin 1993; Andrychowicz et al. 2017), and task-based curriculum learning (Bengio et al. 2009; Zaremba and Sutskever 2014). We propose a new method to integrate HRL, experience replay and effective subgoal selection through an implicit curriculum design based on human expertise to support sample-efficient learning and enhance interpretability of the agent's behavior. Human expertise remains indispensable in many areas such as medicine (Buch, Ahmed, and Maruthappu 2018) and law (Cath 2018), where interpretability, explainability and transparency are crucial in the decision making process, for ethical and legal reasons. Our method simplifies the complex task sets for achieving the overall objectives by decomposing them into subgoals at different levels of abstraction. Incorporating relevant subjective knowledge also significantly reduces the computational resources spent in exploration for RL, especially in high speed, changing, and complex environments where the transition dynamics cannot be effectively learned and modelled in a short time. Experimental results in two StarCraft II (SC2) (Vinyals et al. 2017) minigames demonstrate that our method can achieve better sample efficiency than flat and end-to-end RL methods, and provides an effective method for explaining the agent's per-


In this position paper, I argue that the best way to help and protect humans using AI technology is to make them aware of the intrinsic limitations and problems of AI algorithms. To accomplish this, I suggest three ethical guidelines to be used in the presentation of results, mandating AI systems to expose uncertainty, to instill distrust, and, contrary to traditional views, to avoid explanations. The paper does a preliminary discussion of the guidelines and provides some arguments for their adoption, aiming to start a debate in the community about AI ethics in practice.


Registering lung CT images is an important problem for many applications including tracking lung motion over the breathing cycle, tracking anatomical and function changes over time, and detecting abnormal mechanical properties of the lung. This paper compares and contrasts current-and varifold-based diffeomorphic image registration approaches for registering tree-like structures of the lung. In these approaches, curve-like structures in the lung—for example, the skeletons of vessels and airways segmentation—are represented by currents or varifolds in the dual space of a Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Space (RKHS). Current and varifold representations are discretized and are parameterized via of a collection of momenta. A momenta corresponds to a line segment via the coordinates of the center of the line segment and the tangent direction of the line segment at the center. A varifold-based registration approach is similar to currents except that two varifold representations are aligned independent of the tangent vector orientation. An advantage of varifolds over currents is that the orientation of the tangent vectors can be difficult to determine especially when the vessel and airway trees are not connected. In this paper, we examine the image registration sensitivity and accuracy of current-and varifold-based registration as a function of the number and location of momentum used to represent tree like-structures in the lung. The registrations presented in this paper were generated using the Deformetrica software package ([Durrleman et al. 2014]).